Portugal · Documents · Updated 2026-08-07
Portugal Golden Visa Documents Checklist
The Portugal golden visa documents come in two layers: a general set every applicant files, and route-specific evidence that proves the investment itself. Everything below is transcribed from AIMA's official per-route lists, with each route section linking the source PDF, so you can hand your lawyer a complete file on the first pass.
The documents every applicant files
- Passport or another valid travel document.
- Proof of legal entry and stay in Portugal.
- Proof of health coverage: either a document showing you are covered by the Portuguese national health service, or internationally recognised health insurance covering the residence period requested (or carrying automatic renewal).
- Criminal record certificate from your country of origin, or from any country where you have lived for more than a year, certified by the Portuguese diplomatic or consular post and translated into Portuguese.Issued no more than 3 months before you submit the file
- Proof of your tax identification number (or equivalent) from your country of origin, residence or tax residence.
- The completed application form (approved model), including authorisation for AIMA to consult your Portuguese criminal record.
- A sworn declaration (declaração sob compromisso de honra) that you will meet the minimum investment amount and hold it for at least 5 years.
- No-debt declarations from the Portuguese tax authority (AT) and social security, or declarations that you have no registration with them.Issued no more than 45 days before submission
- Receipt for payment of the ARI analysis fee.
The analysis fee on the last item is set by law and sits alongside the concession fee later in the process; both are tracked with the firms' published legal-fee bands on the Portugal golden visa lawyer fees page.
Investment evidence, route by route
Since Lei 56/2023 removed real estate and passive capital transfers, five routes remain, and AIMA publishes a document list for each. The bank declaration is common to all of them; the rest differs:
Investment funds
€500,000 or more into qualifying non-real-estate collective investment undertakings under Portuguese law, with at least 5 years' maturity and at least 60% invested in companies based in Portugal (subalínea vii).
- Declaration from a credit institution authorised or registered in Portugal with the Bank of Portugal attesting the effective transfer of at least the required amount.
- Certificate proving ownership of the participation units, free of liens and encumbrances, issued by the entity legally responsible for the unit-holder register.
- Declaration from the fund's management company attesting the viability of the capitalisation plan, the minimum 5-year maturity, and that at least 60% of the investment is made in companies based in Portugal.
- Commercial registry certificate showing you as the shareholder, if you invest through a single-member company.
Units in several funds can be combined, provided the total meets the legal minimum and results from an international transfer of capital.
Source: AIMA document list (PDF)
Creating 10 jobs
Creation of at least 10 jobs in Portugal (subalínea ii).
- Declaration from a credit institution authorised or registered in Portugal with the Bank of Portugal attesting the effective transfer of at least the required amount.
- The individual employment contracts signed with the workers.
- Commercial registry certificate showing you as the shareholder, if you invest through a single-member company.
In low-density territory (under Portaria 208/2017) the requirement drops by 20%, to 8 jobs.
Source: AIMA document list (PDF)
Scientific research
€500,000 or more applied to research activities by public or private scientific institutions in the national scientific and technological system; €400,000 in low-density (NUTS III) territory (subalínea v).
- Declaration from a credit institution authorised or registered in Portugal with the Bank of Portugal attesting the effective transfer of at least the required amount.
- Declaration from the research institution attesting the effective transfer of capital applied to research activities of at least the required amount.
- Commercial registry certificate showing you as the shareholder, if you invest through a single-member company.
Source: AIMA document list (PDF)
Artistic and cultural heritage support
€250,000 or more in investment or support for artistic production or the recovery and maintenance of national cultural heritage, through the qualifying public and cultural entities (subalínea vi). A 20% reduction applies in low-density (NUTS III) territory.
- Declaration from a credit institution authorised or registered in Portugal with the Bank of Portugal attesting the effective transfer of at least the required amount.
- Declaration from GEPAC (the culture ministry's strategy, planning and evaluation office), after consulting the sectoral culture service, attesting the nature of the investment or support, under Despacho 2360/2017.
- Commercial registry certificate showing you as the shareholder, if you invest through a single-member company.
Source: AIMA document list (PDF)
Company creation or capitalisation
€500,000 or more to incorporate a Portuguese company creating 5 permanent jobs, or to reinforce the capital of an existing Portuguese company creating at least 5 permanent jobs or maintaining at least 10 (minimum 5 permanent), for at least 3 years (subalínea viii).
- Declaration from a credit institution authorised or registered in Portugal with the Bank of Portugal attesting the effective transfer of at least the required amount.
- Certificate of incorporation showing share capital at or above the required amount, with an updated commercial registry certificate; or, for the acquisition of a shareholding, an updated commercial registry certificate attesting the holding plus the acquisition contract stating the value.
- Commercial registry certificate showing you as the shareholder, if you invest through a single-member company.
AIMA checks the social-security position of the company ex officio.
Source: AIMA document list (PDF)
AIMA's lists for the job-creation, research and company routes state that the investment activity cannot be directed, directly or indirectly, at real estate, and the fund route qualifies only non-real-estate collective investment undertakings. For how the fund route works end to end, see the Portugal golden visa investment funds guide.
The validity windows that catch people out
Two clocks matter more than the rest. The criminal record certificate must have been issued no more than 3 months before you present the full file, and it needs consular certification and a Portuguese translation, which take time of their own. The tax and social-security no-debt declarations must be issued no more than 45 days before submission. Order the slow documents first and the dated ones last, so nothing expires while the rest of the file assembles.
Health coverage has a duration condition rather than an age limit: insurance has to cover the residence period you are requesting, or carry automatic renewal in the policy.
Family members
One qualifying investment covers the family through family reunification, which AIMA lists as part of the ARI regime. Each family member files their own identity, relationship and criminal-record documents and pays their own government fees, so a family file multiplies the dated paperwork; ask the firm handling your case for the reunification list for your family composition, and see AIMA's ARI page for the current official detail.
Get the file right the first time
The firms in the Portugal directory publish their verification status, languages, fee bands and response times, and you can put a shortlist side by side before you brief anyone.
Frequently asked questions
What documents do I need for the Portugal Golden Visa?
Every applicant files the same general set: passport, proof of legal entry, proof of health coverage, a recent criminal record certificate (translated and consular-certified), proof of a tax number, the application form, a sworn declaration to hold the investment for 5 years, no-debt declarations from the Portuguese tax authority and social security, and the analysis-fee receipt. On top of that, each investment route has its own evidence list, transcribed on this page from AIMA's official per-route PDFs.
How recent does the criminal record certificate have to be?
AIMA's document lists require it to be issued no more than 3 months before you present the legally required documentation, certified by the Portuguese diplomatic or consular post, and translated into Portuguese. It must come from your country of origin, plus any country where you have lived for more than a year.
Are the tax and social security declarations time-limited too?
Yes. The no-debt declarations from the Portuguese tax authority (AT) and social security must be issued no more than 45 days before submission. If you have no registration with those entities, you file a declaration saying so instead.
Do the documents differ by investment route?
The general set is identical, but the investment evidence differs: the fund route needs the unit-ownership certificate and the fund manager's declaration, the jobs route needs the employment contracts, the research and cultural routes need declarations from the receiving institution or GEPAC, and the company route needs incorporation or shareholding certificates. Each route section on this page links AIMA's official PDF for that route.
Is there still a document list for the real-estate route?
No. Real-estate acquisition and the passive capital-transfer route stopped qualifying for new applications under Lei 56/2023. AIMA's lists for the job-creation, research and company routes state that the investment activity cannot be directed, directly or indirectly, at real estate, and the fund route qualifies only non-real-estate collective investment undertakings. The current routes are funds, job creation, research, cultural support, and company creation or capitalisation.
Disclaimer. This page is general information, not legal advice. The lists are transcribed from AIMA's official per-route ARI document PDFs and AIMA's ARI page as read on 2026-08-07; AIMA can change its lists at any time, and the linked source PDFs prevail over this summary. The legal basis is Artigo 90.º-A of Lei 23/2007 (as amended by Lei 56/2023) with Artigos 65.º-A and following of Decreto Regulamentar 84/2007. Confirm the current lists with a licensed Portuguese immigration lawyer before filing. Last reviewed 2026-08-07.