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The prospect of EU citizenship paired with a solid property investment has become incredibly attractive to families looking to settle outside South Africa. The €350,000 property option has been in particularly high demand. Here’s how it stacks up against the rest.
Why choose Portugal’s Golden Residence Permit Programme?
Portugal’s Golden Visa allows you to live and work in Portugal. It also affords you the right to visa-free travel throughout the European Schengen Area. After five years, you and your immediate family can qualify for permanent residence and potentially citizenship thereafter.
Benefits of having a Golden Visa
- No visa required to enter Portugal
- Visa-free travel within the Schengen area
- You can live and work in Portugal with dependant family members
- You can extend Portuguese residency to dependant family members
- It has a very low minimum stay period (a total of 35 days within five years)
- After just five years, you can potentially attain permanent residency or citizenship
The four routes to getting a Golden Visa are:
- €1 million capital investment
This can be in the form of a fund deposit into a Portuguese bank account, the purchase of Portuguese stocks and bonds or a company investment. - Create 10 jobs
If you employ 10 workers at minimum wage and all employees pay social security you can qualify for a Golden Visa. There is no minimum investment for this route. - Property purchase of €500,000
This is a popular option among investors. You must purchase a property, or multiple properties, with a minimum value of €500,000. The property you purchase can be rented out. - Property investment of €350,000
There has been a lot of demand for the €350,000 property category for investors seeking a comparatively cheaper route to attaining a Golden Visa.
Compared to the straightforward property purchase of the €500,000 route, it has a few more requirements to satisfy, but the capital savings more than make up for them.
€350,000 Golden Visa investment options
This category focuses on stimulating redevelopment of old, dilapidated buildings in what the government refers to as a “regeneration zone”.
Real estate rehabilitation
You can invest in eligible properties that are over 30 years old or buildings located in an urban regeneration area. The property purchase price combined with the ex-VAT value of the rehabilitation work contract must equal at least €350,000.
Invest in research
Invest capital of at least €350,000 in research conducted by accredited institutions that are part of the national scientific and technological system.
Invest in an existing business
Invest in a business with a registered office in Portugal. A minimum amount of €350,000 must go to either incorporate or increase the share capital and create a minimum of five full-time permanent jobs for a minimum period of five years.
Invest in private equity funds
This is one of our most popular investment options, and involves an investment of €350,000 in regulated private equity funds. This can be an easier option for some as it avoids the hassle of looking for property and subsequent management.
We’ve had great interest and success with a private equity fund offered by the purchase of the Vintage Hotel in Lisbon.
The Vintage Hotel
The Vintage Hotel is a five-star hotel located in Lisbon’s city centre. Its superb location offers guests easy access to the surrounding neighbourhoods where they can experience Lisbon’s excellent nightlife.
Managed by an experienced property development team, it’s already operating successfully and boasts a good income and capital growth potential. Through an investment firm, units of the hotel have been made available for purchase that fit the requirements for a Golden Visa.
There’s already been an overwhelming amount of interest; over 50% of the units have already been sold. It offers investors an excellent way to attain a Golden Visa and a share of a professionally managed five-star institution.
Compared to other more traditional property GRV investment options, you can save up to €45,000 on your purchase expenses by investing in a solution like The Vintage Hotel.
The Vintage PEF and Portugal’s Golden Visa programme
This route is gaining traction, especially with foreign investors, because it offers an attractive investment and provides you and your family members with the full benefits of Portugal’s Golden Visa programme.
Benefits of The Vintage PEF investment
Affordability
The €350,000 investment capital is more affordable than traditional property-based investment options.
Minimum fixed return
The Vintage Hotel PEF offers holders a minimum 3.0% return per annum.
Earnings and upside
In addition to a 3.0% fixed base yield, Vintage PEF holders will enjoy 50% of all distributable income as well as 70% of any proceeds when The Vintage Hotel is sold.
Tax advantages
The PEF is fully exempt from corporate income tax (CIT). Non-resident investors are exempt from Withholding Tax and Capital Gains Tax.
Quick processing timeline
You can apply for a Golden Residency Visa (GRV) as soon as 10 days after making your investment into The Vintage PEF.
Professionally managed
Your investment will be professionally managed in Lisbon. As an overseas investor, this removes a lot of the hassle you might experience owning a property overseas.
Speak to a professional
Undergoing this process alone leaves you vulnerable to massive risk. If you’re looking at buying a property for anywhere between R7 million and R10 million, there is a certain amount of risk involved in the real estate investment. To do this in a foreign country and currency adds to that potential risk.
We are the Golden Visa market leaders
We have key partnerships with legal advisors and consultants in Portugal across all critical areas. Having worked with these sponsors extensively, we consider The Vintage PEF to be one of the best choices for obtaining your Portuguese Golden Visa.
If you would like to secure your chance of investing into The Vintage Hotel PEF, it’s important that you get in touch with us fast – the route is due to close December 2019.
We are South Africa’s leading Golden Visa experts. If you’d like to discuss The Vintage PEF route in more detail, send us a mail at [email protected] or phone +27 (0) 21 657 1584.
