Portugal · ARI · Updated 2026-07-14
Portugal Golden Visa Cost Calculator
Work out the full 2026 cost of Portugal's residence-by-investment programme (Autorização de Residência para Investimento). Choose your investment route and family size to see the qualifying investment, the AIMA government fees charged per applicant, and the legal and ancillary costs on top — with the recoverable investment kept separate from the fees you never get back.
1. Investment route
2. Applicants
You are counted as the main applicant. Each person pays their own AIMA fees.
Main applicant
Always included
Spouse / partner
Dependent children
Dependent parents
Total applicants: 1
3. Adjust the estimate
Legal and ancillary figures are editable estimates, not government-set fees. NIF, bank account, translations and apostilles typically sit around €2,000.
Your estimate
- Qualifying investment
- €500,000
- AIMA government fees1 applicant
- €6,946.30
- Legal fees (est.)
- €8,000
- Ancillary costs (est.)
- €2,000
- Fees & costsNon-recoverable
- €16,946.30
- Total capital requiredInvestment + all costs
- €516,946.30
Estimates only — confirm figures with a licensed firm.
What goes into the cost of a Portugal Golden Visa
The headline number people quote — €250,000 or €500,000 — is the qualifying investment, not a fee. It is capital you place into an eligible route. Some routes are recoverable: a qualifying fund can be redeemed after its maturity. Others, such as the cultural donation, are not. Because of this, our calculator always separates the investment from the money you spend and never get back.
On top of the investment you pay AIMA government fees for each person on the application. For the initial two-year permit that is a €632.10 application fee plus a €6314.20 grant fee — about €6,946 per applicant. A family of four therefore pays roughly €27,785 in government fees for the first permit alone. These figures come from the consolidated AIMA fee table (Portaria n.º 307/2023), updated on 1 March 2026.
Finally there are legal and professional fees (set by each firm, not the government) and ancillary costs — obtaining a NIF tax number, opening a Portuguese bank account, sworn translations, and apostilles. These are editable in the calculator because they vary between providers.
Portugal Golden Visa investment routes (2026)
Since the 2023 reform, real-estate purchase and passive capital transfer are no longer eligible. These are the current qualifying routes:
Investment fund subscription — €500,000
Subscription of at least €500,000 into a qualifying Portuguese venture-capital or private-equity fund that is regulated by the CMVM, does not invest in real estate, and has a maturity of at least five years. This is the most-used route since real estate was removed.
Company share capital + jobs — €500,000
€500,000 to incorporate or increase the share capital of a Portuguese company, combined with creating at least five permanent jobs, or maintaining ten jobs (five of which permanent) for the duration of the investment.
Research & development — €500,000
A transfer of at least €500,000 to public or private scientific-research institutions in the national scientific and technological system. A 20% reduction to €400,000 applies for investments in low-density territories.
Cultural / heritage support — €250,000
A contribution of at least €250,000 to support artistic production or the recovery and maintenance of national cultural heritage. A 20% reduction to €200,000 applies in low-density territories. This is the lowest-capital route.
Job creation — 10 jobs (capital varies)
Creation of at least ten permanent jobs in a Portuguese company (eight in low-density territories) with no fixed minimum capital. The capital required depends on the business, so it is excluded from the investment total below — enter your own figure with an adviser.
AIMA government fees, per applicant (2026)
| Fee | When it applies | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Application (receção/análise) | On filing, per applicant | €632.10 |
| Grant (concessão) | Initial 2-year permit, per applicant | €6,314.20 |
| Renewal (renovação) | Each 2-year renewal, per applicant | €3,157.80 |
Source: consolidated AIMA fee table, Portaria n.º 307/2023 (operative presencial/digital column), updated 1 March 2026. Figures are per applicant.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Portugal Golden Visa cost in 2026?
Budget for the qualifying investment plus the fees on top. The lowest-capital route is the €250,000 cultural donation; the most-used route is a €500,000 investment fund. On top of the investment, a single applicant pays about €6,946 in AIMA government fees (a €632.10 application fee plus a €6,314.20 grant fee) for the initial two-year permit, plus roughly €8,000–€15,000 in legal fees and around €2,000 in ancillary costs. Government fees are charged per person, so a family of four pays around €27,785 in AIMA fees for the initial permit.
Is the €500,000 investment a cost?
No. The qualifying investment — for example a €500,000 fund subscription — is capital you commit, not a fee. Depending on the route it can be recovered when you exit (a fund can be redeemed after its maturity; a donation to cultural heritage cannot). The calculator reports the investment separately from the non-recoverable costs (government, legal and ancillary fees) for exactly this reason.
What are the Portugal Golden Visa government fees?
AIMA charges, per applicant: a €632.10 application (receção/análise) fee, a €6314.20 grant (concessão) fee for the initial permit, and a €3157.80 renewal (renovação) fee at each renewal. These are the operative figures from the consolidated AIMA fee table (Portaria n.º 307/2023) as updated on 1 March 2026.
Are the government fees charged per person or per family?
Per person. Each family member included in the application — spouse, dependent children, dependent parents — receives their own residence permit and pays the same AIMA application and grant fees. The qualifying investment, by contrast, is a single family-level commitment and is not multiplied by the number of applicants.
Can I still use real estate to get the Portugal Golden Visa?
No. Since the 2023 reform (Lei 56/2023), real-estate purchase and passive capital transfer are no longer eligible. The current routes are a qualifying investment fund (€500,000), company share capital with job creation (€500,000), a research contribution (€500,000), a cultural/heritage donation (€250,000), or the creation of ten permanent jobs.
What is the low-density area discount?
A 20% reduction to the qualifying amount is available in low-density territories, but only for the job-creation, research and cultural routes — not for the investment-fund or company-capitalisation routes. Where it applies, the €250,000 cultural route falls to €200,000 and the €500,000 research route falls to €400,000.
What are the total costs over five years?
Beyond the initial permit, ARI titles renew on a two-year cycle, so over the standard five-year path to permanent residency or citizenship eligibility you typically renew twice, at €3157.80 per applicant each time. Turn on "include renewals" in the calculator to add these to the government-fee total. Legal firms often also charge a fee to handle each renewal.
Are the legal fees fixed?
No — legal and professional fees are set by each firm and are not government-regulated, so the calculator uses an editable estimate. Typical all-in professional fees run from about €8,000 to €15,000 for the main applicant, with per-dependent add-ons. Replace the default with a real quote from a verified firm to get an exact figure.
Get an exact quote
Legal fees, fund selection and eligibility all move the final number. Compare verified Portugal Golden Visa lawyers — ranked on credentials and reviews, never pay-to-play — and get fixed quotes for your situation.
Disclaimer. This calculator provides general estimates for information only and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Government fees are the operative figures from the AIMA fee table (Portaria n.º 307/2023, updated 1 March 2026); legal and ancillary costs are editable market estimates that vary by provider. Programme rules can change — always confirm current figures and your eligibility with a licensed Portuguese lawyer before committing funds. Last reviewed 2026-07-14.