Portugal residence permit for investment activity (ARI)
Active
Evidence and datesPortugal's ARI permits eligible third-country investors to live and work in Portugal through qualifying job creation, research, cultural support, non-real-estate funds or business investment. Direct or indirect real-estate investment is excluded from the listed investment routes.
Evidence and datesOnly source-checked fields are shown as facts. “Not verified” means we have not established that field from current evidence; it does not mean zero, no, or ineligible.
Applicability and permission
Programme type: Residence permission.Evidence
Requirements and important conditions
Meet the conditions of one qualifying investment route and maintain the required activity for at least five years. Provide lawful-entry, passport, health-cover, criminal-record, tax-identification and tax/social-contribution compliance evidence. Family reunification is separately assessed. AIMA specifies at least seven days' presence in the first year and further presence requirements for subsequent permit periods.
Evidence and datesPractical application guide
Use these steps to organise your research and the questions to confirm with the issuing authority.
Important conditions
A separate job-creation route requires at least ten jobs, reduced to eight in a qualifying low-density territory. ARI holders can apply for permanent residence or naturalisation only when the separate statutory requirements are met.
Select a currently qualifying investment
Use AIMA's current ARI list. Qualifying research, cultural, fund, company and job-creation categories have distinct requirements. Direct or indirect real-estate investment is excluded from the listed current routes. Obtain category-specific evidence before transferring capital.
Build an evidence and fee checklist
Prepare passport and lawful-entry evidence, insurance, criminal records, Portuguese tax identification and the applicable investment certification. AIMA specifies a criminal-record certificate issued within three months and tax/social-security clearances within 45 days. Check translation requirements and the fee table before submission.
Maintain the investment and review future status
The application includes a commitment to maintain the required investment activity for at least five years. AIMA describes the temporary ARI card as valid for two years. Permanent residence and naturalisation require separate applications and conditions; neither is guaranteed by making an investment.
Keep the route, your intended dates, required evidence and unanswered questions together before making commitments.
Conditional financial requirements
Use one option only when all its conditions apply. Within that option, every listed requirement must be met together.
Incomplete coverage: these options are not a complete list of the programme's financial requirements.
Approved cultural support, standard territory1 financial requirement · conditions and sources
Applies when:
- Use the standard threshold; the source's reduced low-density cultural figure is unresolved.
All of the following are required:
- capital: at least EUR 250,000 one-offSource
Requirement conditions:
- Transfer into an eligible approved artistic-production or national-cultural-heritage project through a listed qualifying institution. This is qualifying support, not a statement that funds are refundable.
Qualifying scientific research, standard territory1 financial requirement · conditions and sources
Applies when:
- Obtain the institution's confirmation; maintain the required investment activity.
All of the following are required:
- capital: at least EUR 500,000 one-offSource
Requirement conditions:
- Research at a qualifying public or private institution integrated into Portugal's national scientific and technological system.
Qualifying scientific research in a low-density territory1 financial requirement · conditions and sources
Applies when:
- Both the research institution/project and the territory must qualify; no direct or indirect real-estate investment.
All of the following are required:
- capital: at least EUR 400,000 one-offSource
Requirement conditions:
- AIMA explicitly lists this reduced threshold for qualifying research in a designated low-density territory.
Qualifying non-real-estate collective investment1 financial requirement · conditions and sources
Applies when:
- Maintain eligibility and the required holding/activity period.
All of the following are required:
- capital: at least EUR 500,000 one-offSource
Requirement conditions:
- Portuguese-law non-real-estate fund; maturity at acquisition at least five years and at least 60% invested in companies headquartered in Portugal.
New Portuguese company plus five permanent jobs1 financial requirement · conditions and sources
Applies when:
- Capital and job conditions apply together; the relevant job-maintenance period is at least three years.
All of the following are required:
- capital: at least EUR 500,000 one-offSource
Requirement conditions:
- Capital to establish a Portuguese-headquartered company AND create five permanent jobs.
Existing Portuguese company capital and jobs1 financial requirement · conditions and sources
Applies when:
- The applicable employment commitment must be maintained for at least three years; capital alone is insufficient.
All of the following are required:
- capital: at least EUR 500,000 one-offSource
Requirement conditions:
- Increase an existing Portuguese company's capital AND either (i) create at least five permanent jobs, or (ii) maintain at least ten jobs, of which at least five are permanent.
No single comparable figure recorded for: processing time, annual permit presence, tax treatment. Check the conditions above and the cited official sources.
Interested in Portugal residence permit for investment activity (ARI)?
Use the reviewed evidence to prepare questions for the authority or an adviser. A research shortlist is not an eligibility decision.
Evidence and review method
Automated primary-source check by Codex on 20 Oct 2026.
This automated source check is not a human editorial or legal review.
Review scope: Programme status, Programme name, Programme category, Programme type, Overview, Eligibility requirements, Official application information, Financial summary, Practical application guide and conditions, Conditional financial requirements.
Source retrieval, the review recorded here and the date a rule takes effect are separate events. The stated scope covers only the listed fields.
Programme status
AIMA, PortugalEvidence dates and supporting passage
- Evidence type:
- Official guidance
- Source checked:
- 20 Oct 2026
- Check method:
- Automated primary-source check; not a human review
Supporting passage or location: ARI Art. 90-A: eligible investment branches, general documents, family and low-density reductions Re-read 20 October 2026; application-planning notes use only these scoped official passages.
Financial summary
AIMA, PortugalEvidence dates and supporting passage
- Evidence type:
- Official guidance
- Source checked:
- 20 Oct 2026
- Check method:
- Automated primary-source check; not a human review
Supporting passage or location: ARI Art. 90-A: eligible investment branches, general documents, family and low-density reductions Re-read 20 October 2026; application-planning notes use only these scoped official passages.
Conditional financial requirements
AIMA, PortugalEvidence dates and supporting passage
- Evidence type:
- Official guidance
- Source checked:
- 20 Oct 2026
- Check method:
- Automated primary-source check; not a human review
Supporting passage or location: ARI Art. 90-A: eligible investment branches, general documents, family and low-density reductions Re-read 20 October 2026; application-planning notes use only these scoped official passages.
Eligibility requirements
AIMA, PortugalEvidence dates and supporting passage
- Evidence type:
- Official guidance
- Source checked:
- 20 Oct 2026
- Check method:
- Automated primary-source check; not a human review
Supporting passage or location: ARI Art. 90-A: eligible investment branches, general documents, family and low-density reductions Re-read 20 October 2026; application-planning notes use only these scoped official passages.
Overview
AIMA, PortugalEvidence dates and supporting passage
- Evidence type:
- Official guidance
- Source checked:
- 20 Oct 2026
- Check method:
- Automated primary-source check; not a human review
Supporting passage or location: ARI Art. 90-A: eligible investment branches, general documents, family and low-density reductions Re-read 20 October 2026; application-planning notes use only these scoped official passages.
Practical application guide and conditions
AIMA, PortugalEvidence dates and supporting passage
- Evidence type:
- Official guidance
- Source checked:
- 20 Oct 2026
- Check method:
- Automated primary-source check; not a human review
Supporting passage or location: ARI Art. 90-A: eligible investment branches, general documents, family and low-density reductions Re-read 20 October 2026; application-planning notes use only these scoped official passages.
Programme type
AIMA, PortugalEvidence dates and supporting passage
- Evidence type:
- Official guidance
- Source checked:
- 20 Oct 2026
- Check method:
- Automated primary-source check; not a human review
Supporting passage or location: ARI Art. 90-A: eligible investment branches, general documents, family and low-density reductions Re-read 20 October 2026; application-planning notes use only these scoped official passages.
Review dates, source checks and legal effective dates describe different things. Confirm the applicable rules for your circumstances before acting.