Golden Visa With Criminal Record

Do you have a criminal record? If yes, it doesn’t mean you cannot apply for a Golden visa . There are some grounds on which you can receive a license for family reasons or for retirement. To find out more information about criminal record and golden visas , please contact Real-Estate-Investment.If you want to relocate to Spain quickly get rid of a criminal record, obtain the Golden Visa. This visa is for foreigners to reside in Spain for one year and be able to prolong it if there are documented economic interests. Are you making economic investments in Spain that reach € 500.000 or € 1.000.000?

Golden Visa With Criminal Record

There’s a great deal of investment programs ongoing around the globe, but the one we want to highlight is Portugal Golden Visa program. This has been in progress for quite some time now and it’s becoming more popular with potential applicants. As you might know, European Union (EU) allows its citizens to live and work in any other country within its territory. This is what leads to a lot of people seeking more freedom and safety by moving over there.You can get your passport, visas and ID under criminal records. For an affordable price, complete freedom of choice. We all know that the UK is a top destination for those who want to live in peace. So, we’re not going to take you round the houses – our golden European passports are currently being sold on the Spanish-based website Passports For Sale.

Portugal Golden Visa is a program which has straightforward procedures and a clear timeline, to be eligible to apply under this program, applicants must be a third-country national, which means that you cannot be a citizen of EU (European Union) or EFTA (European Free Trade Association), applicants are also required to have a clean criminal record which means that they should not have any criminal records in any country that they have previously resided in, the Portuguese government also requires applicants to maintain their investments for a period of 5 years, and it requires them also to spend a minimum of seven days in Portugal for the first year, and no less than 14 days in each subsequent two-year periods. 

Steps for applying and obtaining Portugal Golden Visa

• The first step of the program is deciding on the qualifying investment type that you will be undertaking.
• After deciding which investment route you’ll go through, you have to make the necessary arrangements to actually make the investment, whether by transferring the required capital or by purchasing the real estate, it is important to note that real estate purchases may take from 1 to 3 months to finalize.
• In order to be able to complete the required investment transfer, applicants are required to open a bank account in Portugal, and register for a tax number which is called “Numero de Indentificacao Fiscal (NIF Number).
• Applicants then are required to finalize their investment procedures through transferring the required investment amounts to their bank account in Portugal 
• Gather documentation and translate the required documents; in this stage applicants are required to translate their documents into the Portuguese language, and certify these documents as per the requirements of SEF (Foreigners and Borders service) in Portugal.
• Applicants are then required to apply online through SEF (Foreigners and Borders service) online portal and submit their applications, and will then pay the application fees and attend a biometric collection session. 
• Upon receiving the government’s approval, applicants are required to pay for the issuance of the residence permit, which as of September 2019 is 5,274.4 Euro per applicant. 

The residence permit which the applicants will receive will be valid for a period of 1 year, and they are required to apply for renewal at the end of the first and third years. 

Portugal Golden Visa Requirements

To get a Golden Visa for Portugal, you have to make one of the following investments:

• Buy real estate worth at least €500,000. The amount is brought down to €400,000 if the property is in a low-density area.
  • Note: Starting from January 2022, you will not be able to purchase property in metropolitan areas of Portugal, such as Lisbon, Porto, or the coastal Algarve.
• Invest €350,000 in a property located in a Portuguese urban regeneration area. The amount is brought down to €280,000 if the property is in a low-density area. The project you invest in must be qualified by the Portuguese Immigration and Borders Service (SEF).
• Invest at least €350,000 in a qualifying Investment Fund.
• Transfer at least €1 million in a Portuguese bank account.
• Buy at least €1 million worth of shares or make an investment of at least €1 million in a Portuguese company.
• Create at least ten new jobs for Portuguese citizens.
• Invest at least €350,000 for research activities in science or technology in scientific research institutions.
• Invest at least €250,000 to support the reconstruction of Portuguese heritage or arts.

You must have no criminal record, your assets must have been obtained legally, and you must be over the age of 18.

Golden Visa applicants often will hire professionals to guide them during the investment. Consultant companies, like La Vida – Golden Visas, have experts in investment immigration and real estate who will offer a free consultation about your eligibility for the Golden Visa scheme. If you are eligible, they can advise you on which Golden Visa program suits you best, depending on your finances and background, and accompany you to see your options yourself.

Changes to the Golden Visa Program in Portugal in 2022

Starting from 2022, purchasing real estate in Lisbon, Porto, Algarve, Setubal or popular coastal areas, will not qualify you for a Golden Visa. The changes come as an effort to increase investment in lower-density areas. 

Since the Portuguese Golden Visa program came into force in 2012, the majority of investments were made in bigger and high-density cities, neglecting other areas of the country. This also led to an increase in the property market costs in Lisbon and other popular cities.

There will be a transition period after the implementation of the new rules, to allow anyone who has applied during 2021 to finalize their investment and visa application.

Here are the differences between the Portugal Golden Visa and the Spanish Golden Visa.

Applying for a Portugal Golden Visa

After making your investment, you can apply for a Golden Visa yourself, or you can appoint a legal representative to submit the application at the Portuguese Immigration and Borders Service (SEF) on your behalf. The application process is as follows:

1. Register online with the SEF’s portal for receiving Golden Visa Applications, the ARI Portal. There are separate application options on the website, depending on whether you are applying yourself or if a legal representative is applying instead.
2. Complete the online application form.
3. Upload the required documents for the Golden Visa, depending on the type of investment you make. The documents must be in PDF format, maximum of 4MB. See Documents Required for a Portugal Golden Visa below.
4. Confirm the submission of your application.
5. Pay the Golden Visa application fee. You can pay all relevant fees via a single document, called the Single Collection Document (DUC).
6. Wait for confirmation from the SEF to proceed with scheduling your appointment.
7. Login to the ARI portal again, and go to the “Calendar” section.
8. Select the SEF service counter where you want to apply as well as the date and time of your appointment.
9. Print out the schedule receipt.
10. On the date of your appointment, appear at the selected SEF service desk and submit your biometric data and the physical copies of the required documents.