Portugal issued 64 golden visas in August, down from 75 in August 2022. The total investment generated by the golden visa program in the first eight months of 2023 was 493 million euros, up 24% from the same period in 2022.The United States led the way in golden visa issuance in August, with 12 visas, followed by China with 9 and Brazil with 8.
The golden visa program has issued a total of 12,561 residence permits since it launched in 2012. China has received the most golden visas, with 5,383, followed by Brazil (1,246), the United States (741), Turkey (603), and South Africa (561).The total investment attributed to the golden visa program exceeds 7.2 billion euros, with most of that money (6.4 billion euros) going to real estate acquisitions.
The Portuguese government approved a proposal in July to discontinue new residence permits for investment in housing. This means that people can no longer get a golden visa for buying a house in Portugal. However, people who already have a golden visa can renew it, and people can still get a golden visa for other types of investments, such as capital transfers, job creation, and urban rehabilitation.The limitation on golden visas does not apply to family reunification.