Portugal ARI residency routes: what the official texts state

What this article covers

Portugal's investment residence permit is known by its Portuguese initials, ARI. The legal source quoted is a Portuguese law, published in the Diario da Republica and named in the claims below. AIMA is the second source quoted here. This article quotes both. It does not cover every route, tax rule or procedural step, and it is educational content, not advice on any individual case.

AIMA wording was retrieved on 6 November 2026. Confirm the current text on the issuing body's page before relying on any figure.

What the law changed

On new applications, the law states: Article 42(1) of Law 56/2023 admits no new residence permit applications for investment activity under subparagraphs i), iii) and iv) of Article 3(1)(d) of Law 23/2007 as worded before the law took effect; the law's own summary lists the revocation of residence permits for real estate investment activity.

On permits already granted: Article 42(2) of Law 56/2023 keeps open the renewal of residence permits for investment activity that were granted under the regime in force until the law took effect.

The routes quoted from AIMA

AIMA's description of the regime states the following routes. Figures are quoted from the AIMA page, and the arts route figure is cited there to gepac.gov.pt.

On real estate, AIMA states: AIMA states that the investment activity cannot be directed, directly or indirectly, at real estate investment. This is AIMA's statement, and the claims here do not say which subparagraphs of the law concern real estate.

The fund route: EUR 500,000 or more transferred to acquire units in non-real-estate collective investment funds set up under Portuguese law, with a maturity of at least five years at the time of investment and at least 60% of investments placed in companies headquartered in Portugal.

The company and jobs route: EUR 500,000 or more transferred to set up a company headquartered in Portugal and create five permanent jobs, or to increase the capital of an existing company with at least five permanent jobs created or at least ten maintained (minimum five permanent), for at least three years.

The job creation route: Creation of at least 10 permanent jobs (8 in low-density territories), maintained for 3 years.

The research route: EUR 500,000 minimum in research activities (EUR 400,000 in low-density territories).

The arts and heritage route: EUR 250,000 minimum in arts, culture or national heritage (gepac.gov.pt).

These entries were read on 6 November 2026. The list above reflects the routes quoted in the sources and should not be read as every route the law allows.

Permit term and stay requirement

On validity, AIMA states: AIMA states the temporary residence permit for investment is valid for two years from the date the title is issued, subject to the special rules on renewal.

On time in Portugal, its FAQ states: AIMA's FAQ states the regime requires seven days in Portugal in the first year and fourteen days in each subsequent two-year period.

Portugal in numbers

World Bank figures for 2025: Portugal's economy produced $347 billion of output, with real GDP growth of 1.9% and inflation of 2.3%. General government gross debt was 89.7% of GDP in 2025, according to the IMF World Economic Outlook database. Net foreign direct investment inflows were 3.5% of GDP, and ILO-modelled unemployment was 6.2%.

On openness, the OECD FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index scored Portugal 0.007 across all sectors for 2025, where zero is open and one is closed. Screening and approval scored 0.000.

See the Portugal country profile for the full indicator list, the renewables sector page for one sector where Invest Global's exposure score for Portugal is 59 out of 100 (a measure of sector size and relevance, not of attractiveness or return), and the data status page for refresh dates. The Terminal lets you screen the same data. Examples here are not recommendations.