Currently, among EU countries, Portugal has one of the lowest thresholds for naturalization. The Portugal Golden Residence Permit Program offers investors an excellent opportunity to conveniently obtain an EU passport. Recently, Visas Consulting Group's Portugal immigration program received major good news! We successfully assisted a client in navigating the Portugal Golden Residence Visa process to obtain a Portuguese passport, which is an EU passport. Visas Consulting Group has become one of the few immigration agencies in the industry to possess such a practical case.
Below, Visas Consulting Group shares the process of how this client successfully obtained an EU passport.
Client Ms. Wang is a long-term client of Visas Consulting Group's Portugal immigration program. After holding her Golden Residence Permit for 5 years, Ms. Wang consulted us regarding Portuguese naturalization, and we recommended an experienced professional teacher for A2 training.
As you may know, for Portuguese naturalization applications, only one spouse needs to obtain the A2 certificate; the spouse and minor children can apply for naturalization as family members of an EU citizen without needing to provide an A2 certificate.
Generally, couples choose the person with a better foundation in English or more available time to study and take the exam. Considering Ms. Wang's situation: Ms. Wang and her husband have a 15-year-old daughter; she usually accompanies her child in her studies, while her husband is busy with his career. At that time, it was during the pandemic, and Ms. Wang was in quarantine at home. Under these circumstances, we suggested that Ms. Wang study Portuguese and take the A2 exam. Ms. Wang is a university graduate with a basic foundation in English. Under the guidance of the professional teacher we recommended, she passed the A2 exam after studying online for about 4 months.
After passing the A2 exam, Visas Consulting Group assisted the client in commissioning a lawyer to submit the naturalization application in Portugal. During the pandemic, the immigration office was understaffed. After 2 years and 5 months, the lawyer wrote to inform Ms. Wang that she had become a true Portuguese citizen, meaning her naturalization application had been approved. Ms. Wang's daughter had not yet exceeded the age limit, so Visas Consulting Group immediately helped her daughter and husband prepare the relevant documents and submitted their Portuguese naturalization applications. According to Portuguese law, the spouse and minor children of a Portuguese citizen do not require a language test.
Today, Ms. Wang's family has successfully obtained EU passports and enjoys the generous benefits of EU citizenship. Furthermore, what makes Ms. Wang's family particularly happy is that the property they purchased at the time is estimated to have appreciated by at least 60%. It can truly be said that they have gained three major benefits: status, real estate, and investment returns.
Portugal, as a member of the European Union, allows investors to immigrate to Portugal through its Golden Residence Program. Holding a Portugal Golden Visa is equivalent to securing a quota for EU citizenship in advance. The residency requirement for the Portugal Golden Residence is extremely low: holding the residence permit for 5 years and meeting the requirement of residing for 7 days per year, for a total of 35 days, qualifies one to apply for Portuguese naturalization. A necessary condition for naturalization is a language test, but the requirement for the Portuguese naturalization language test is not high; one only needs to reach the basic A2 level, and the exam is relatively simple.
To our knowledge, some immigration applicants now begin preparing for the language test when they have held their Portugal Golden Residence Permit for four years, so that they can submit their naturalization application promptly upon reaching the five-year mark. Early preparation leads to early benefits; reserving more time is more advantageous for oneself.
On August 21, 2023, local time, the President of Portugal vetoed the draft bill regarding the "adjustment of the Golden Residence Act." This means that the real estate investment route in the Portugal Golden Visa policy remains valid. It is reported that the Portuguese Parliament will redraft the bill before submitting it to the President for approval & signature. It is expected that the changes to the Portugal property investment immigration policy will be postponed until early October.
For those interested in immigrating to Portugal, they should seize the current final opportunity to obtain an EU passport through property purchase, grasp the policy window, and race against time to complete their submission before the new bill is introduced.
Through the Portugal Golden Residence Program, investors can purchase property starting from 280,000 Euros to apply for Portugal Golden Residence status for three generations of their family. They can enjoy Portugal's generous social welfare and high-quality educational resources, travel freely through 27 Schengen countries, and, upon meeting the corresponding conditions, children can participate in the Joint Entrance Exam for Overseas Chinese Students, easily gaining admission to prestigious universities like 985 and 211 institutions with lower scores, and enjoying mainland higher education. It is truly a multi-purpose solution!
As one of the Top 500 Asian Brands and a group dedicated to investment immigration for over 20 years, Visas Consulting Group was one of the earliest immigration agencies in China to promote the Portugal Golden Residence Visa project in October 2012. In April 2013, we partnered with the Embassy of Portugal in China to hold the "Portugal Golden Residence Program Launch Ceremony," introducing the program to China and helping numerous investors realize their dreams of living in Portugal. Visas Consulting Group is your trusted choice for handling Portuguese immigration.
For more details on Portugal property investment immigration, please send us a private message in the comments section or call the Visas Consulting Group service hotline: Mainland China: 400-138-2929, Hong Kong, China: (852) 2802 8798
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