Portugal's Golden Visa for Americans: four reasons families do it
Americans are the largest group of donors on Portugal's Donation Golden Visa, legally the ARI Cultural route. Families give four reasons: a European option without moving, their children's education, healthcare later in life, and a second passport for the next generation.
- 162Declarations issued to US donors, the largest nationality on the route
- €200,000One-off donation to a government-approved cultural project
- 7 daysMinimum stay in the first year, then 14 days every two years
- 10 yearsPath to Portuguese and EU citizenship
Do Americans use the Donation Golden Visa?
Yes. US citizens are the largest nationality on the route: GEPAC issued 162 of its 479 declarations to US donors up to 31 August 2026, 34% of the total.
All non-EU citizens can apply, and the route treats every nationality the same way. The full figures are on The route in numbers.
Why do American families do it?
American families typically weigh four things: a European option they do not have to use yet, their children’s education, healthcare later in life, and a second passport. The option and the passport need only the minimum stay; the education and healthcare benefits come with actually living in Portugal, which the permit leaves open.
| Reason | What the permit gives | When it pays off |
|---|---|---|
| A European option without moving | The right to live in Portugal, kept on 7 days in year one, then 14 every two years | From the first residence card |
| Children’s education | A child legally and uninterruptedly resident in Portugal for over two years pays national, not international, university fees | If the family lives in Portugal before university |
| Healthcare later in life | The right to live where private care and long-term care cost much less than in the US | When the holder spends real time in Portugal |
| A second passport | Portuguese and EU citizenship after 10 years, kept alongside the US one | From year 10, and for the next generation |
The order differs from family to family. A couple in their forties tends to start with the children and the passport; a couple near retirement, with healthcare and the option to spend longer in Europe.
Reason 1: a European option, without moving
The Donation Golden Visa gives an American a European residence right that can be held in reserve: it does not require moving, and it is kept with a stay of 7 days in the first year, then 14 days in each following two-year period.
The permit is the option; using it is a later decision. A holder can keep a life in the United States, spend a week or two in Portugal, and still have the right to live there, and to bring the family, whenever they choose.
| What the permit gives | What it means for a US citizen |
|---|---|
| Residence in Portugal | The right to live, work and study in Portugal, renewed every two years |
| Schengen access | Visa-free travel across the 29 Schengen countries, 90 days in any 180 |
| Light stay requirement | 7 days in year one, then 14 in each following two-year period |
| Permanent residence | Available after five years of legal residence |
| Citizenship | After 10 years of legal residence (7 for CPLP nationals)¹ |
Reason 2: children’s education
A child who has been legally and uninterruptedly resident in Portugal for more than two years on 1 January of the year they apply is not treated as an international student at a Portuguese public university, so they pay the national fee: at most €697 a year for a first degree in 2025/26.²
The rule covers children living with a parent who holds a residence permit, and time on a student permit does not count. It assumes the family actually lives in Portugal: a holder who keeps only the minimum stay should not assume it applies. For families planning a move before university, the permit is what makes those two years possible.
The national fee applies in Portugal. In other EU countries, home fees generally follow EU citizenship, which is one reason the passport matters to families (reason 4). More on who your family can include.
Reason 3: healthcare later in life
Healthcare is a major cost of retirement in the United States, and private care and long-term care in Portugal cost much less. The permit does not give access to care by itself; it secures the right to live in Portugal, where a holder can register with the public health service or buy private cover.
| United States | Portugal | |
|---|---|---|
| Health cover, couple aged about 60 | About $23,000 to $32,000 a year, unsubsidised marketplace plans³ | Private plans about €800 to €2,100 a year, couple aged 60 to 65⁴ |
| Retiree healthcare, couple from 65 | About $345,000 over retirement with Medicare, excluding long-term care⁵ | No equivalent estimate |
| Assisted living or care home | Median $6,200 a month; private nursing-home room $10,798⁶ | Private care home, national average about €1,850 a month⁷ |
| Medicare abroad | Generally does not pay for care outside the US⁸ | Not applicable |
Two points keep this honest. The saving comes when you actually spend time in Portugal, not from holding the permit on a week a year. And Portuguese insurers set entry ages, and some limit how long late joiners stay covered, so private cover is easier to put in place earlier. Dollar and euro figures are not converted, and US assisted living and a Portuguese care home are not identical services. The full picture is on Healthcare in Portugal.
Reason 4: a second passport for the next generation
After 10 years of legal residence, a holder can apply for Portuguese citizenship, which is EU citizenship: the right to live and work in any EU country, without the 90-day limit that applies to residents.¹
Portugal allows dual nationality, and the United States does not require a citizen to choose, so the Portuguese passport is held alongside the American one. For families, it is the reason that outlasts the parents: children who become citizens keep the right to live, study and work anywhere in the EU. The clock starts with the first residence card, so the earlier the permit is in place, the earlier that option opens. More on minimum stay and citizenship and the language requirement.
Can my family be included?
Yes. The applicant can include their spouse, children, parents and parents-in-law in the same process, on the same donation.⁹
For a family, every reason above covers everyone at once: each member holds their own residence permit. More on who your family can include.
Why a donation rather than a fund, for a US person?
The donation is a one-off, non-refundable gift, not an investment that sits in a foreign fund. Once it is made, there is no asset to hold, value or report on each year, and nothing to sell at the end.
The alternative for a private individual is €500,000 in units of a Portuguese investment fund, held until the fund’s exit. For a US person, a foreign fund holding can bring its own reporting at home. The donation creates no fund holding at all.¹⁰
| For a US person | Donation Golden Visa | Investment fund route |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | €200,000, given once | €500,000 in fund units |
| What you hold afterwards | Nothing: the donation is complete | Units in a foreign fund, until the fund’s exit |
| Residence outcome | Identical | Identical |
The full comparison is on Donation or investment fund?.
Where does the money go?
The non-refundable donation goes to the foundation or public cultural body behind a project the Ministry of Culture has already approved, and it is applied to that project. Heritage rehabilitation, film and documentary, and artistic programmes are all funded this way.
The donor commits only to a project the government has approved by name, and donors are recognised in the form that fits the project: a name on a donor wall, in a film’s credits, or a premiere invitation. See how donations fund culture and the projects.
How does the process work from the United States?
The process runs through a Portuguese lawyer, who files the residence application with AIMA, Portugal’s immigration agency. The donor chooses a project, makes the donation, receives a GEPAC declaration and travels to Portugal for biometrics.
Depending on the project, the donation is made from a Portuguese bank account or directly from your US one. Plan for about two months to the donation, then 12 to 18 months from filing to the residence card.¹¹ See process and timeline.
What does it cost?
The qualifying amount is €200,000, paid once. Government fees are set by law (Portaria 307/2023) and are the same on every route; they are on what it costs.
Cascais Ventures does not charge donors anything: the donor pays nothing to Cascais Ventures. The donation is made directly to the foundation or public body that promotes the project. To explore the projects, see the Donation Golden Visa page.
¹ Counted from the issue of the first residence card, under Lei Orgânica 1/2026. Other conditions apply, including knowledge of Portuguese. CPLP: the Community of Portuguese Language Countries.
² International Student Statute (Decreto-Lei 36/2014, as amended by Decreto-Lei 62/2018 and Decreto-Lei 20/2025). Each university applies the rule; ask how it treats time spent outside Portugal. €697 is the maximum fee for a first degree at a public institution, 2025/26.
³ KFF, 2026 plan year: unsubsidised premium for a 60-year-old, lowest-cost bronze to benchmark silver, doubled for a couple. Varies by state.
⁴ Indicative, from published insurer prices and a Portuguese comparison site, October 2026. Prices rise with age and cover; entry ages and waiting periods apply.
⁵ Fidelity Retiree Health Care Cost Estimate, 2026 edition: premiums and out-of-pocket costs with Medicare for an average couple retiring at 65, excluding long-term care.
⁶ CareScout (Genworth) Cost of Care Survey 2025, national medians.
⁷ Indicative: Portuguese sector price surveys, early 2026. Ranges from about €900 to €3,500 a month with the level of care; higher in Lisbon.
⁸ Medicare.gov. Some supplemental plans cover emergencies abroad.
⁹ Children under 18, or older if unmarried, dependent and studying; parents and parents-in-law if dependent on you or your spouse.
¹⁰ General information only, not tax advice. Speak to a US tax adviser about your own position.
¹¹ Indicative. AIMA processing times vary.
Sources: GEPAC, Ministry of Culture, official data to 31 August 2026 · Lei 23/2007 (Immigration Act), Art. 3.º · Decreto Regulamentar 84/2007 (stay requirement) · AIMA, investment residence permit · Lei Orgânica 1/2026 (Nationality Law) · Decreto-Lei 20/2025 (International Student Statute) · KFF · Fidelity, 2026 · CareScout, Cost of Care Survey · Medicare.gov, Your Medicare Benefits.
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Updated 9 October 2026 · Cascais Ventures · Primary sources linked on this page (links checked 9 October 2026)