Key Takeaways
- Continuous legal residence for Portugal’s Golden Visa focuses on maintaining legal status through a minimal stay of 14 days in Portugal every two years while keeping your qualifying investment.
- Portugal remains one of the only European countries that offers a clear path to citizenship without requiring relocation, with a 10-year residence requirement under the new framework introduced in October 2025.
- The Portugal Golden Visa process usually spans 12 to 18 months and typically involves one renewal of your temporary residence card, supported by continuous legal residence and maintained investment.
- Investment funds are now the primary Golden Visa route, since personal properties are no longer eligible; hospitality-focused funds linked to Portugal’s tourism sector can align residency goals with capital preservation.
- VIDA Capital advises investors in the VIDA Fund and coordinates with legal partners to support your Portugal Golden Visa journey; contact VIDA Capital to discuss your options.
What Continuous Legal Residence Means for the Portugal Golden Visa
Continuous legal residence for the Portugal Golden Visa refers to maintaining an unbroken legal status as a resident, not living in Portugal full-time. Golden Visa holders keep this status by meeting two obligations: a minimal physical presence and a qualifying investment.
For residency renewal, you must spend at least 14 days in Portugal during each two-year residence permit period. Many investors structure this as either one longer visit or shorter annual trips. This approach allows you to maintain your main home and business interests elsewhere while progressing toward Portuguese permanent residency and, eventually, EU citizenship through a Portuguese passport.
Continuous legal residence under the Golden Visa does not require Portuguese tax residency or full-time relocation. The focus stays on maintaining your qualifying investment and meeting the minimum stay requirement, which suits globally mobile investors who seek a reliable “Plan B” without major lifestyle disruption.
How the Portugal Golden Visa Supports a Flexible Plan B
The Portugal Golden Visa offers a residency route with limited physical presence requirements. It grants the right to live, study, and work in Portugal, and to travel visa-free within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The program does not extend residency rights to other EU countries before citizenship.
Portugal ranked among the safest countries in the world in 2025, with political stability and a solid institutional framework that appeals to international investors. Visitor numbers reached 31 million in 2024, and major events such as Portugal’s role as co-host of the 2030 FIFA World Cup are expected to support sustained tourism demand.
This environment has supported growth in the hospitality sector. Investment funds that acquire and revitalize hotels and similar assets can align with Golden Visa eligibility while targeting capital preservation and income. Personal properties no longer qualify for the Golden Visa, so investors now rely primarily on regulated investment funds to meet the minimum €500,000 investment requirement.
How VIDA Capital and the VIDA Fund Fit Into Your Strategy
VIDA Capital is an advisory firm that supports investors who seek Portugal residency through the VIDA Fund. The fund focuses on acquiring hospitality assets in Portugal and giving them a second life through refurbishment and operational improvement. The fund buys and transforms these assets; it does not build hospitality properties from the ground up.
This asset-backed approach aims to preserve capital by relying on tangible hospitality assets that can retain or realize value over time. Historical returns, when discussed, are not a guarantee of future returns, and every investment carries risk. VIDA Capital works alongside specialized legal teams so clients’ investments remain compliant with Golden Visa rules throughout the residency period.
Key Golden Visa Milestones and Continuous Residence Requirements
The Portugal Golden Visa process usually spans 12 to 18 months from investment to residence card issuance. Support from an experienced Portuguese immigration lawyer is essential at every step to prepare documentation, submit applications, and respond to authorities.
Initial Application and First Residence Permit (Years 1–2)
After subscribing to a qualifying investment fund and working with your lawyer to submit the Golden Visa application, you receive a temporary residence permit valid for two years. During this first period, you must spend at least 14 days in Portugal in total to maintain continuous legal residence. As the approval card issuance usually takes a year, you will most likely only need to do a single renewal instead of two in the 5-year period.
Residence Renewals (Years 3–5)
You must renew your temporary residence permit twice in principle, each time for an additional two-year period. For each two-year period, you must:
- Keep your eligible Golden Visa investment, and
- Spend at least 14 days in Portugal.
Many investors schedule one extended family stay or two shorter trips per period. As the approval card issuance usually takes a year, you will most likely only need to do a single renewal instead of two in the 5-year period.
Permanent Residency Application (After 5 Years)
After five years of continuous legal residence under the Golden Visa, you can apply for Portuguese permanent residency. You must still maintain your minimum stay pattern and investment until you receive the new status. The Golden Visa itself grants residency rights only in Portugal, not in other EU countries.
Citizenship Timelines Under the 2025 Framework (Years 7–10)
Portugal’s Parliament approved a new nationality framework in October 2025. Under this framework, most applicants must now complete 10 years of legal residence in Portugal, counted from the date of their first residence permit, before applying for citizenship. Nationals of Portuguese-language countries (CPLP) and EU citizens face a reduced requirement of seven years.
The new law should apply to Golden Visa residents unless they submitted a citizenship application before the law was published. Once you receive a Portuguese passport, you can live, work, study, and access public healthcare and education in any EU or Schengen Zone country.
How Portugal Compares to Other European Residency Options
Portugal’s Golden Visa continues to stand out for its low physical presence requirement and its route to citizenship without relocation.
|
Program |
Minimum Stay Requirement |
Citizenship Path |
|
Portugal Golden Visa |
14 days in Portugal every two years to maintain residency |
Citizenship is usually granted after 10 years of residence (7 for CPLP and EU nationals) under the 2025 rules |
|
Greece Golden Visa |
No minimum stay to keep residency |
Citizenship is possible after 7 years of living in Greece, paying taxes, and meeting physical presence requirements |
|
Spain Golden Visa (program discontinued) |
Program closed to new applicants |
Standard citizenship rules apply through long-term residence, with significant presence and tax residency |
Greece and Spain require you to live there to keep long-term residency. Portugal remains competitive for a Plan B because you only need to spend 14 days in Portugal in each two-year period to keep your Golden Visa status, while still building toward citizenship without relocating.
How VIDA Capital Supports Your Continuous Legal Residence
Coordinated Support With Legal Partners
VIDA Capital guides investors on the investment side while specialized Portuguese lawyers handle immigration work. Your lawyer manages the application, biometrics, renewals, and family inclusion, while VIDA Capital focuses on ensuring the VIDA Fund investment continues to meet Golden Visa requirements.
This combination helps you:
- Understand stay requirements for you and your family,
- Plan trips that satisfy the 14-day rule, and
- Keep documentation and investment records aligned with SEF/AGRP expectations.
Asset-Backed Strategy in Hospitality
The VIDA Fund invests in hospitality assets in Portugal, acquiring and upgrading underused properties so they can be repositioned and operated more effectively. This second-life strategy aims to preserve capital by relying on physical hospitality assets with long-term use potential. As long as you hold your qualifying units in the VIDA Fund and meet your stay requirements, your investment can support your continuous legal residence throughout the five-year residency timeline and beyond.
Contact VIDA Capital to explore whether the VIDA Fund aligns with your Golden Visa goals.
Common Questions About Continuous Legal Residence
Meaning of Continuous Legal Residence for Golden Visa Holders
Continuous legal residence under the Portugal Golden Visa means holding a valid residence permit, keeping your qualifying investment, and spending at least 14 days in Portugal during each two-year permit period. The law focuses on legal continuity rather than uninterrupted physical presence, so you can live and work in other countries while building your residence history in Portugal.
How Family Members Fit Into the Rules
Eligible family members can join your Golden Visa application, including a spouse or partner (supported by a marriage certificate or other proof of relationship), financially dependent children who are full-time students, not working, and unmarried, and dependent parents or parents-in-law when financial dependency or age can be demonstrated. Each included family member must hold a valid residence card and meet the same minimum stay requirements of 14 days in Portugal every two years.
Difference Between Permanent Residency and Citizenship
Permanent residency in Portugal becomes available after five years of continuous legal residence, as long as you meet the minimum stay requirements and maintain your investment through the Golden Visa period. Citizenship requires a longer residence track under the 2025 framework: 10 years for most applicants and seven years for CPLP and EU nationals. Once you obtain citizenship and a Portuguese passport, you gain full EU mobility, including the right to live, work, and study in any EU or Schengen Zone country.
Conclusion: Building a Flexible European Plan B
Portugal’s Golden Visa offers a practical way to secure residency in Portugal and build toward EU citizenship, while maintaining a global lifestyle. The continuous legal residence rules focus on modest presence and investment continuity, not relocation.
Investors who choose a regulated fund route, such as the VIDA Fund, can align their Golden Visa strategy with an asset-backed hospitality investment that gives properties a second life. Guidance from VIDA Capital and your Portuguese lawyer helps you coordinate investment, legal steps, and family planning throughout the 12 to 18-month process and beyond.
