Why the Portuguese D2 Visa, known as the Entrepreneur or Business Visa, is the “New Golden Visa”
Why Portugal?
Portugal is currently a topic of conversation, across the world, for several reasons. It is more than just the sunny weather, low cost of living, great food, variety of world winning wines and charming people, that everyone is speaking about.
The reason is simple: Portugal is a place people actually want to live and can see the possibility of raising a family and doing business in. A combination of factors now encourages leading entrepreneurs to establish and grow their companies in Portugal.
Portugal- A Few Facts and Figures
Portugal is projected to exceed the European economic growth forecasts, at least until 2024. It has been ranked as one of the best places to live according to the Global Peace Index (currently ranking 6th on the 2022 Global Peace Index), offers very good healthcare according to the Health Care Index (with an average life expectancy of 82.47 years in 2022), and is ranked highly from an education point of view.
Traditional Portuguese Universities have become “Top Ranking” International Universities, the “Universidade Católica Portuguesa” and “Nova SBE” were included as two of the best universities in the world by the British newspaper, The Financial Times, in 2018.
It is without a doubt a place that ticks the boxes when choosing a place to live.
Portugal’s Golden Visa – Evolution
The Golden Visa program became increasingly popular after its introduction, and attracted world attention to Portugal. The world came to learn about Portugal and having the Golden Visa, as essentially a plan B; not having to move to Portugal to be eligible, but keeping it as a potential second option for the future if things do not work out where individuals currently live, people have now shifted their attention to plan A; making a permanent move to work and live in Portugal.
Of course, moving to Portugal requires more than just a visa and there needs to be economic reasons to do so. It is becoming rapidly apparent that the economic potential is vast and powerful in Portugal, especially when taking into account that it is a small European country on the tip of the western continent.
The D2 Visa – Becoming ‘Golden’
The D2 visa is the real Golden Visa, as it not only allows you to benefit from living in Portugal, with unlimited access to the Schengen area, but provides the opportunity to benefit from access to one of Europe’s best places to establish a business, by living there.
Portugal has become known as the California or Silicon Valley of Europe. Successful global tech events such as the Web Summit have now taken place in Lisbon for several years running – testament to the fact that it is a place that is finding the right people with the right mindset.
The D2 visa is essentially an entrepreneurial visa.
D2 Visa: The Criteria
Requirements include the following:
- Be a non-EU national
- Have sufficient funds to support yourself during your stay in Portugal
- Incorporate a Portuguese (or Madeiran) company
- Prepare a business plan
- Hold a clean criminal record
- Be willing to reside in Portugal, the visa being issued for the period of 2 years and having to spend 18 consecutive months or 16 intermittent months in this period of 2 years.
- Show proof of a place to live in Portugal
- Be willing to become a fiscal resident in Portugal
Why Should You Reach out To Dixcart?
We are celebrating our 50th anniversary this year, with Dixcart having had a presence in the Portuguese market, for over 30 years. We have thus dealt with many structures and arrangements from start to finish, working with international investors and families from many corners of the earth. As a trusted service provider, we look forward to welcoming you as a client.
In addition to assisting entrepreneurs to select the most appropriate legal route to structure their activities in Portugal, Dixcart also provides:
- A complete range of services relating to the incorporation of a company and its day-to-day obligations; from bookkeeping through to tax compliance.
- Assistance to entrepreneurs and their families in relocating to Portugal and in obtaining the necessary residence permits.
Additional Information
If you require additional information regarding the D2 visa and the types of company and tax frameworks available in Portugal and/or the types of visa and residence options, please contact Lionel de Freitas at the Dixcart office in Portugal at: advice.portugal@dixcart.com