All your questions answered
The facts about Portugal's Donation Golden Visa in one place: the questions donors, their lawyers and their advisers ask us most, answered from the law and our own agreements.
The questions asked most
Security of the donation
What happens if the project is cancelled, or the beneficiary loses its eligibility?
It is not a ground to refuse your renewal or cancel your residence permit. At renewal, the Ministry of Culture's declaration looks only at changes attributable to you, and the beneficiary entity is contractually bound to supply its own declarations for five years.
Read the full answerDonation or fund
Why donate €200,000 when I could invest €500,000 in a fund?
Both routes lead to the same residence permit. The donation commits less than half the capital, carries no fees, and its project is approved by the Ministry of Culture before you commit. The €300,000 you keep stays yours, invested as you choose.
Read the full articleCosts
What does it cost in total?
The donation is €200,000, once, for the whole family, made directly to the foundation or public body that promotes the project, and the donor pays nothing to Cascais Ventures. Portuguese government fees are paid per person, about €14,526 over the first five years through AIMA's digital channel. Your own lawyer, translations and health insurance are private services.
Read the full articleThe route and what it gives
How much time do I need to spend in Portugal?
7 days in the first year, then 14 days in each following two-year period. You do not need to live in Portugal, and those years still count as legal residence towards permanent residence and citizenship.
Read the full articleSecurity of the donation
What happens if the project is cancelled, or the beneficiary loses its eligibility?
It is not a ground to refuse your renewal or cancel your residence permit. At renewal, the Ministry of Culture's declaration looks only at changes attributable to you, and the beneficiary entity is contractually bound to supply its own declarations for five years.
At each renewal, the cultural route asks for two documents about your donation. GEPAC, the Ministry of Culture's planning office, confirms that no supervening change attributable to the applicant has compromised the support given. The beneficiary entity confirms that the support is maintained. A cancelled project, or a beneficiary that loses its status, is not a change attributable to you.
Your donation agreement covers the second document. The beneficiary entity, or an entity it designates, is bound to issue every declaration your renewals require for five years from the date your permit is granted, even after the project ends. The project is the beneficiary's to carry out: the agreement gives you no role in it.
After five years you can move to permanent residence, whose conditions do not include the donation.
The grounds on which a residence permit can be cancelled all concern the holder personally: removal or expulsion, false documents, serious crime, public order or security, EU sanctions and long absences. None concerns the project or the beneficiary entity.
The investment fund route has no equivalent protection. At each renewal the fund manager must attest that the investment conditions are still met, with no test of whose doing it is if they are not.
The Law: DR 84/2007, Art. 65.º-E · Lei 23/2007, Art. 85.º · Art. 80.º · DR 84/2007, Art. 65.º-K
Is the donation risk-free?
For the risks outside your control, yes. The project is approved by name before you commit, carrying it out is the beneficiary entity's responsibility, and a cancelled or delayed project is not a ground to refuse your renewal. What stays with you is your own side: the stay requirement, a clean record and accurate documents.
What if the project is delayed or its schedule changes?
It does not affect your permit. Each project runs to the schedule GEPAC appraised, and the beneficiary entity is bound to apply your donation to it. You receive a report on the use of the funds at least every six months, so you can follow progress.
Can my donation be moved to another project?
Only with your written consent. Your agreement ties the donation to its project. Where funds have moved between approved projects, the Ministry of Culture approved the move and every donor consented individually. This is based on our experience, our communications with GEPAC and precedent: it is not set out in law.
How do I know the project qualifies?
The Ministry of Culture appraises and approves each project by name before you commit, and its eligibility declaration is attached to your donation agreement. After your donation, GEPAC issues a second declaration for your individual contribution, which supports your residence application. All 10 projects Cascais Ventures has submitted have been approved.
The Law: Despacho 2360/2017
Who holds my money, and how is it spent?
The beneficiary entity, in a bank account opened for that project alone. Cascais Ventures never holds donor funds. Funds are released to the project as it reaches agreed milestones, the project is audited, and you receive a report on the use of the funds at least every six months.
What could put my residence permit at risk?
Only things on your side. A permit can be cancelled for false or misleading documents, serious crime, public order or security grounds, EU sanctions or long absences, and renewal needs the stay requirement met, means of subsistence and accommodation, Portuguese tax and social security up to date, and the application filed at least 30 days before the permit expires. Nothing about the project or the beneficiary entity appears among these grounds.
The Law: Lei 23/2007, Art. 85.º · Art. 78.º
What if my residence application is refused?
The donation is not refundable, so your lawyer checks that you and your family meet every condition before you donate. To date, no application from a donor or family member Cascais Ventures has supported has been rejected.
The route and what it gives
How much time do I need to spend in Portugal?
7 days in the first year, then 14 days in each following two-year period. You do not need to live in Portugal, and those years still count as legal residence towards permanent residence and citizenship.
The Law: DR 84/2007, Art. 65.º-C
What is the Donation Golden Visa?
Portugal's investment residence permit, obtained through a donation to a cultural project approved by the Ministry of Culture: €200,000 for every project we offer. Its legal name is ARI Cultural.
Who can apply?
All non-EU citizens: strictly, nationals of any country outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland. You need a clean criminal record, a documented and lawful source of funds, means of subsistence and accommodation, no Portuguese tax or social-security debt, and not to be subject to EU sanctions. There is no nationality quota, no upper age limit and no Portuguese language requirement at this stage.
Who can I include in the application?
Your spouse or de facto partner; your children under 18, or older if unmarried, dependent on you and studying; your parents and your spouse's parents (parents-in-law) if they depend on you; and minor siblings in your legal guardianship. One donation covers them all, and each family member pays the same government fees as you and receives the same residence rights.
The Law: Lei 23/2007, Art. 99.º · Art. 100.º
Can I add family members later?
Yes. Family members can join through family reunification at any time while you hold the permit, including a spouse you marry or a child born after your application, with no waiting period for Golden Visa holders and no second donation. Each pays the same government fees.
The Law: Lei 23/2007, Art. 98.º
What does the residence permit give me?
The right to live, work and study in Portugal, access to the public health service and to Portuguese schools, visa-free travel across the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180, and a path to permanent residence and citizenship.
Do I have to move to Portugal?
No. Beyond 7 days in the first year and 14 in each two-year period after that, you can keep living where you live now. Residency, Schengen access and a path to citizenship without relocating is what sets the route apart.
The donation
Who receives the donation?
The beneficiary entity behind the approved project: a private foundation with public-utility status, or an eligible public or municipal entity. Not Cascais Ventures. It receives the donation in a dedicated account, applies it exclusively to the project and is responsible for carrying the project out.
Why is the donation €200,000?
Every project we offer is in a low-density territory. The law sets the cultural route at a minimum of €250,000 and allows it to be 20% lower, €200,000, where the activity takes place in a low-density territory: areas with fewer than 100 inhabitants per km² or GDP per head below 75% of the national average.
The Law: Lei 23/2007, Art. 3.º · DR 84/2007, Art. 65.º-A · Portaria 208/2017
Is the donation refundable?
No. The donation is irrevocable and non-refundable, and gives no ownership or financial return. It is a gift to the project, not an investment: there is nothing to hold, value or exit, and nothing is charged on it afterwards.
Do I need a Portuguese bank account?
It depends on the project. Some accept a transfer from your account abroad; others need a Portuguese account in your name, which usually takes about four weeks to open, together with your tax number (NIF), and can be done remotely. Either way the donation lands in the project's dedicated account at a bank in Portugal.
Can the donation come from a company, a joint account or someone else?
The law says the donation is made by you personally, or through a Portuguese single-member company (sociedade unipessoal por quotas) in which you are the sole partner. For any other arrangement, speak to your lawyer before the money moves.
The Law: DR 84/2007, Art. 65.º-A
Where can the money come from?
Savings, a property sale, an inheritance or business income all work. What matters is that the origin is lawful and documented. Every donor goes through KYC due diligence by an independent audit firm, and the bank involved runs its own checks.
Can I pay in instalments?
No. The donation is a single transfer of €200,000 to the project's dedicated account, on the date set in your donation agreement, before your residence application is filed.
Am I recognised as a donor?
Yes, in the way each project allows: credits, invitations to premieres and openings, and visits to the work. Recognition is optional.
Process and timing
How does the process work?
Choose a project and reserve your place, get your tax number (and a Portuguese bank account if the project needs one), sign the donation agreement and make the transfer. Your lawyer then obtains GEPAC's declaration for your contribution and files your application with AIMA. You come to Portugal once for biometrics, and the card follows.
Does it cost anything to reserve a place?
No. Reserving is free, and we hold your place for up to three months while you get your tax number and prepare the transfer. You can cancel at no cost. The reservation becomes binding only when you sign the donation agreement.
How long does it take?
Usually about two months from first call to donation, mostly for the tax number and, where needed, the bank account. GEPAC's declaration follows within days of the transfer, your application is filed about a week after the donation, and the residence card comes 12 to 18 months after filing. Indicative: AIMA processing times vary.
Do I need a lawyer?
Yes. Your own Portuguese lawyer files your residence application under a power of attorney and is independent of Cascais Ventures. We do not provide legal or immigration services, but we can point you to firms that know the cultural route.
Do I need to come to Portugal to donate?
No. The donation agreement is signed electronically and the donation is a bank transfer. During the process you come in person only for biometrics.
Costs
What does it cost in total?
The donation is €200,000, once, for the whole family, made directly to the foundation or public body that promotes the project, and the donor pays nothing to Cascais Ventures. Portuguese government fees are paid per person, about €14,526 over the first five years through AIMA's digital channel. Your own lawyer, translations and health insurance are private services.
Does Cascais Ventures charge me anything?
No. The donor pays nothing to Cascais Ventures, and the donation is made directly to the foundation or public body that promotes the project. There is no fee for the reservation, the donation agreement or the reporting that follows.
What are the government fees?
Per person, set by Portaria 307/2023 and updated every 1 March. Through AIMA's digital channel: €6,946.30 for the initial permit, €3,789.90 for each two-year renewal and €8,840.10 for permanent residence; filing in person costs about a third more. Family members pay the same schedule.
The Law: Portaria 307/2023
Are there any ongoing costs?
Nothing on the donation itself. At each renewal you pay the government fees and your lawyer, as on every Golden Visa route.
Donation or fund
Why donate €200,000 when I could invest €500,000 in a fund?
Both routes lead to the same residence permit. The donation commits less than half the capital, carries no fees, and its project is approved by the Ministry of Culture before you commit. The €300,000 you keep stays yours, invested as you choose.
Which route carries more eligibility risk, the donation or the fund?
The fund. A donation project is approved by name before money moves, and the renewal test only looks at changes attributable to you. A fund rests on its manager's declaration that it meets the legal conditions, and at every renewal the manager must attest they are still met, whatever the reason if they are not.
How much does the fund route cost in fees?
Typically €65,000 to €95,000 in subscription and management fees over eight years, before any performance fee. The donation carries no fees.
Renewal, permanent residence and citizenship
How often is the permit renewed, and what does renewal need?
Every two years, filed at least 30 days before the permit expires. You show you met the stay requirement and still have means of subsistence and accommodation, a clean record and Portuguese tax and social security up to date. For the donation, the beneficiary entity declares that the support is maintained and GEPAC confirms no change attributable to you has compromised it; the beneficiary is bound to supply its part for five years, and Cascais Ventures provides the project's reports to support each filing.
The Law: DR 84/2007, Art. 65.º-E · Lei 23/2007, Art. 90.º-A · Art. 78.º
When can I apply for permanent residence?
After five years of residence, with basic Portuguese, means of subsistence, accommodation and no prison sentence of more than a year in that period. It is optional: you can keep renewing every two years instead. The investment is not among its conditions.
The Law: Lei 23/2007, Art. 80.º · DR 84/2007, Art. 65.º-K
When can I apply for Portuguese citizenship?
After 10 years of legal residence, or 7 for nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries, counted from your first residence card. You show sufficient knowledge of Portuguese (A2) and of Portuguese culture, history and national symbols, by a test or a certificate, and knowledge of citizens' rights and duties. Portugal allows dual nationality.
The Law: Nationality Law, Art. 6.º
Do I need to speak Portuguese?
Not for the residence permit or its renewals. Basic Portuguese is needed for permanent residence after five years, and A2 for citizenship.
Tax
Does the permit make me a Portuguese tax resident?
Not by itself. Tax residence follows where you actually live: generally more than 183 days a year in Portugal, or a habitual home there.
Is the donation tax-deductible in my home country?
Don't assume it is. Tax treatment depends on your country and circumstances, so ask your tax adviser before you donate.
About Cascais Ventures
Who is Cascais Ventures?
A cultural agency. We structure and co-produce cultural projects approved under the cultural route, with the foundations and public bodies that carry them: we develop each project with its artists, take it through Ministry of Culture approval, bring in the donations that fund it, and follow it through to delivery. We are not a foundation, a law firm or an immigration agency.
What is your track record?
10 projects approved by the Ministry of Culture, a 100% approval rate. Over €30M donated by over 150 donors: almost 30% of all donations made through the route.
For partners
Are there any costs to my clients above the donation?
Your clients pay nothing to Cascais Ventures. The donation is made directly to the foundation or public body that promotes the project. Government fees and their own lawyer's fees are the same as on any Golden Visa route.
Can you guarantee a slot for my client?
Yes. Our pipeline of approved projects lets us guarantee access to a €200,000 place, and we hold it for up to three months while your client gets the NIF, opens an account where needed and moves the funds.
Who handles the residency application?
Your client's Portuguese lawyer files with AIMA. We handle the donation side: project, documents, signatures and confirmations.
Which clients are eligible?
All non-EU citizens. One donation also covers their spouse or de facto partner, children under 18 or older if unmarried, dependent and studying, and dependent parents and parents-in-law.
Keep exploring
Updated 10 October 2026 · Cascais Ventures