Golden visa – what is it and how to get it?

A golden visa is the granting of a permanent or temporary residence permit for certain investments in the country’s economy. Today, many countries, including Greece, Spain, Portugal, offer everyone the opportunity to get a temporary or permanent residence permit for investment.

Golden Visa is a specific tool for immigrants, which makes it possible to instantly obtain a temporary or permanent residence permit for active or passive investments.

You can invest your money in real estate, use it to create new jobs, purchase government debt obligations or other securities.

This trend began to take shape at the end of the last century, however, the term golden visa itself gained maximum popularity after the launch of the investment residency program in Portugal only in 2012.

What does the gold visa offer?

A visa is a card that allows a single entry to a country or travel to several countries. The first stay is possible for no more than 30 days, then you can get a visa for up to 90-180 days. Students and specialists working in the European Union can use a visa for a period of one to five years. Permanent residence in the EU on a visa is not possible.

The operation of special state programs in Europe, which allow foreigners to invest in the country’s economy, allowed them to obtain a residence permit, so the expression “golden visa” was fixed. However, it has nothing to do with regular entry visas. This document certifies the identity of its owner, allowing you to temporarily live in the country for a specific period of time, usually from one year to five years. Unlike a regular visa, it is valid for an extended period of time, and there are no restrictions on the number of entries and exits from the country.

It is important to understand that all investments under these programs are returned to the investor after five years after the visa is issued.

Requirements for investors

If you are planning to get a golden visa, you must meet certain requirements:

• age over 18 years;
• strict implementation of all investment obligations;
• your income should be stable and constant, and correspond to the required level;
• you should definitely get a tax number in the country where you plan to get a visa.;
• no outstanding tax payments;
• no criminal records, sanctions or bans on entering the European Union;
• no involvement in illegal or fraudulent activities, etc.

Spain’s golden visa, which has been in effect since 2015, is particularly popular in Europe, and the standard of living in the country is currently quite high. You can include family members, your wife, husband, and children under the age of 26 in your application for this document. The deadline for making a decision is from three months to six months.

The conditions required to participate in this project are different. You can choose from several offers:

• purchase of residential real estate objects for a total amount of not less than five hundred thousand euros;
• purchase of a stake in a Spanish company for at least 1,000,000 euros;
• opening of a deposit account with the Bank of Spain in the amount of at least one million euros for a period of five years;
• purchase of government bonds in the amount of two million euros or more for a period of up to five years.

Portuguese Gold Visa – what is it?

The terms of this program, which has been in effect since 2012, are the most favorable in the Russian Federation.<a>In Europe for citizenship</a>. To get this document, you must: :

• apply for yourself, your spouse, and children under 26;
• the actual decision-making period will be from three to five months;
• you will be able to take advantage of tax benefits for up to ten years;
• the gold card allows you to live in the country, work, and run your own business.

In order for the status of the golden visa of Portugal to remain with you, you must live in the country for at least seven days a year.

How to get a gold visa in Portugal? To do this, you can use one of the following options::

• buy a living space worth at least half a million euros, if the apartment is located in remote areas, the amount can be reduced by almost half;
• Among the main advantages of holding such a visa, investors highlight::
• reliable alternate airfield in Europe;

possibility to travel without obtaining a Schengen visa. Who does not know what the word “Schengen” means, it is a pass and entry permit for travelers to European countries, the ability to move between EU countries without obstacles without control and unnecessary formalities;

getting an education in the best European higher education institutions;

top quality medical services;

• high standard of living;
• working and developing your own business in countries with a stable economic situation;
• the opportunity to easily purchase and register ownership of any property in Europe;
• obtaining citizenship over time.
• Among the most popular gold visas are the cards of the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, and Greece.
• The most affordable card is offered by Paraguay, it can be issued when depositing only $ 5,300 to a local bank account or if you set up your own business in another country.
• the opportunity to easily purchase and register ownership of any property in Europe;
• obtaining citizenship over time.

If we talk about Europe, visa status is already clear to everyone, it is the cheapest in Malta, its price is about 125 thousand euros, only if the investor uses the same amount as loan financing. The funds will be used to buy Maltese government securities.

Why should you consider applying for a gold visa in Portugal?

If we talk about Europe, visa status is already clear to everyone, it is the cheapest in Malta, its price is about 125 thousand euros, only if the investor uses the same amount as loan financing. The funds will be used to buy Maltese government securities.

Why should you consider applying for a gold visa in Portugal?

service life of at least 35 years from the date of construction;

the object should be subject to reconstruction.

• At the same time, foreigners who have received a golden visa do not face communication problems in Portugal. Most of the inhabitants of this country speak perfect English.
• the object should be subject to reconstruction.

If you plan to invest 280 000 euros, then one more condition is added to these two conditions-the property must be located on the minimum populated territory of the country.

But this is not the only reason why the golden visa in Portugal is so popular. In this country, it is possible to obtain citizenship in five years, while living all this time in Portugal is not required. In addition, the holder of a golden visa has special tax benefits.

At the same time, foreigners who have received a golden visa do not face communication problems in Portugal. Most of the inhabitants of this country speak perfect English.

To obtain a gold visa in any country, you will need to confirm the legality of your investment. For government officials, it is very important that foreign capital injections are legal and as transparent as possible.

What is an active and passive gold visa? What are the differences?

Anyone who wants to get a gold visa will be invited to make passive or active investments, in some cases both may be required.

By choosing active investments, a migrant exposes their own money to certain risks. He has to invest them in businesses that he has no right to manage, or in creating permanent jobs. This type of investment brings good economic benefits to host countries.

Passive investing is a long-term investment in somewhat safe assets, for example, in government securities, real estate, which does not expose the investor’s capital to risks.

At the same time, it should be borne in mind that investing money in residential real estate is considered passive, since it does not create jobs and does not bring any economic benefits to the host country. But investing in commercial properties, such as hotels, creates permanent jobs, helps the government raise budget revenues, and so on. This makes it possible to classify such investments as active investments.

According to experts, to get the maximum benefit, you should choose investment programs that make it possible to obtain a residence permit for real estate objects, as they are constantly becoming more expensive.

What is a multi-visa and how do I get it?

The migration policy of different countries involves issuing a visa for the entry of foreign citizens. Thus, it is possible to regulate the flow of migrants by introducing some restrictions. Issued visas differ in their validity period and the number of entries to a particular country.

A multi-visa requires an unlimited number of entries to the country during the validity period of the document. Such documents have certain advantages:

• extended validity period;
• unlimited number of entries to the country, and there is no need to issue any additional documents;
• A Schengen visa allows you to visit different countries with the same document.

The main advantage for foreigners is that they have to pay the consular fee once when applying for a multi-visa, getting the opportunity to repeatedly visit the country for the entire duration of the document without additional payments.

The only drawback of such a visa is the nuances with its registration. This type of document cannot be obtained by a citizen who has not previously traveled outside their country. Even if they collect the entire package of necessary documents and meet all the requirements for obtaining a multi-visa, they will be denied registration.

A foreign citizen can get a multi-visa if they have not previously violated the visa regime by providing the necessary set of documents. This type of visa is available only to those citizens who have previously issued and used other visas for their intended purpose.

When making out such a document, it is necessary to take into account the presence of certain risks that may cause problems. You may be denied a visa if you have previously received such a document, but have not used it, or the migration legislation of the host country has been violated.

Refusal to receive a multi-visa. What does it mean? An entry document may be refused if::

• an incomplete package of documents was provided;
• the questionnaire was filled out inaccurately or incorrectly;
• there are no documents justifying a visit to another country;
• the citizen’s visa history is clear;
• earlier, violations of migration legislation by a citizen were recorded.

Such a document does not allow a foreigner to find a job on the territory of the host country, as well as to conduct their own business and engage in individual entrepreneurial activities.

Multi-visa, which is already clear, does not allow a foreign citizen to study on the territory of the Schengen area. This will require a different type of document-a business, work or student visa.