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Bogdan and Anna want their children to receive a second citizenship in the EU.
Their eldest son, Vadim, is studying in the UK and plans to work in Europe. Their daughters Maria and Sophia are preparing to enter European universities. Bogdan and Anna remember how hard it was for Vadim to obtain a residence permit in the UK when he applied to enter the university there. They do not want their daughters to face the same difficulties when they enter university.
They decided to obtain a second citizenship in the EU. An EU passport holder can study, live and work in any EU country without obtaining additional permissions.
We describe in detail the solution we proposed to Bogdan’s family and the legal support we provided them with at each stage. For example, the family members included in the application could not fly to Portugal at the same time to give their biometrics. Immigrant Invest’s lawyers at our Portuguese office selected a convenient time for each family member to travel separately and accompanied each of them from the airport to the migration service and back.
Choosing a program
The couple contacted Immigrant Invest in April 2021. Before recommending a program, our lawyers carried out a preliminary Due Diligence check on Bogdan against international databases containing legal, tax and business information to see if they could spot any negative or compromising information on Bogdan on the Internet.
Our preliminary Due Diligence check showed that the risk of Bogdan’s residence permit application being rejected was minimal. Bogdan’s financial sources are legal and transparent.
Head of the Legal Department, Lawyer, Candidate of Legal Sciences, Counselor of Justice of the 3rd class of investment citizenship
To obtain Maltese citizenship for exceptional services based on direct investment for a family of 5 people, you need to invest at least 1 million euros. This option did not suit Bogdan as he had capped his budget at €600,000.
Austria, Spain and Greece allow residence permit holders to apply for citizenship only after a period of 7-12 years of living there. Bogdan's family did not want to change their place of residence and move to another country. As a result, the citizenship by investment programs offered by these three countries also did not suit them.
However, a Portuguese resident permit by investment offers the holder the option of applying for Portuguese citizenship without permanently residing in the country. After making an investment for five years, the investor is required to spend just 7 days a year in the country and can then apply for citizenship.
One way of obtaining a Portuguese residence permit is by buying real estate for €500,000. The investor can choose the property themselves. This option suited Bogdan as he was in any case considering buying his own home in the European Union.
A Portuguese residence permit holder can travel without a visa in the Schengen countries. Furthermore, a Portuguese passport holder can travel visa-free to 188 countries throughout the world, including the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
Bogdan and Anna decided to apply for a Portuguese residence permit by investment. The conditions for obtaining Portuguese citizenship by investment and the opportunities it offered suited them.
Portuguese citizenship through naturalization by investment in property
Stages of obtaining a Portuguese residence permit by investment in real estate
1. Selecting and buying a property. Natalya Hovhannisyan, managing director of the Immigrant Invest Real Estate Department, selected five suitable properties for the couple. Bogdan and Anna had dreamed of owning a small villa on the coast, with three bedrooms, a small garden, a barbecue area and parking for three cars.
We selected properties in the Central and Lisbon regions, as well as in the Alentejo. The prices of the properties varied: the farther away from Lisbon the cheaper the property.
Managing Director for Real Estate Projects, a certified RICS specialist
Bogdan chose a new villa on the Portuguese coast costing €500,000, which could be immediately bought from the developer. The Immigrant Invest team calculated the total cost of participating in the Portugal residence permit by investment program for the whole family.
Cost of participation in the Portuguese residence permit program by investment in property for a family of five: €565,715
Bogdan and Anna wanted to see the villa before buying it. Immigrant Invest’s lawyers helped them get business visas to visit Portugal for two days.
Documents presented by the couple on entry to Portugal
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- Negative PCR test result, which was taken not more than 72 hours before arrival
- Invitation from the Portuguese office of Immigrant Invest
- Business visa
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The couple saw the villa, liked it, and said that they were ready to buy it. Bogdan opened a bank account and received an individual number in the Portuguese tax office. He was required to be present and sign the form in person. All legal issues during the trip were resolved by Victor Esik, the director of the Portuguese office of Immigrant Invest. He checked the real estate sale and purchase agreement and the legal validity of the property deed, and he also carried out negotiations with the seller on behalf of Bogdan.
After signing the sale and purchase agreement, the investor transferred the money from his account in a Russian bank to the developer's escrow account. For currency control purposes, Bogdan provided a scan of the purchase agreement.
2. Collecting and submitting documents. Immigrant Invest’s lawyers prepared all the documents required for the application in two weeks and uploaded them onto the Portuguese Migration Service portal.
The Migration Service carried out a Due Diligence check on Bogdan, which took a month-and-a-half to complete. The government department then sent their approval for Bogdan to participate in the residence permit by investment program by e-mail to Immigrant Invest. Our lawyers arranged appointments for the Bogdan family to give their biometrics.
3. Submitting biometric data in Portugal by family members at different times. Bogdan flew alone to Portugal to give his biometrics. Bogdan's family could not travel with him. They submitted their biometrics in Portugal on different days.
The earliest convenient date that an appointment was available for Bogdan was at the Immigration Department in Coimbra. Bogdan flew to Portugal on a Greek Schengen visa.
Bogdan's eldest son, Vadim, flew from the UK to Portugal to give his biometrics on a day off from university, about a week after his father. Vadim's student visa and vaccination certificate allowed him to freely enter Portugal.
Bogdan’s wife and two daughters flew to Portugal on a Schengen visa three weeks later. They took PCR tests the day before their departure.
Immigrant Invest’s lawyers accompanied all the family members at every stage: from the airport to the migration service and back. After the family gave their biometric data, Immigrant Invest’s lawyers submitted their original passports to the Portuguese Migration Service.
4. Obtaining residence permit cards. The Portuguese Migration Board checked the family’s original documents and biometrics for four months. After that, Bogdan paid the fee for the residence permit cards.
The migration department of Portugal handed over the residence permit cards to Immigrant Invest’s lawyers. Immediately after receiving the cards, the lawyers sent them to Immigrant Invest’s office in Moscow. Bogdan and Anna then picked up the cards from our office.
Stages of Bogdan's participation in the Portuguese residence permit program
Results of our assistance
On November 13, the family received the Portuguese residence permit cards. Bogdan made plans to celebrate the New Year with the whole family in their new villa in Portugal.
Immigrant Invest’s lawyers continued assisting Bogdan after the family received their resident permits: they advised him on how to extend the residence permits and the steps that need to be taken at the next stage, when he applies for Portuguese citizenship for the whole family.
In 5 years, Masha and Sofa will graduate from university, while Vadim will have graduated earlier. Moreover, we will all be EU citizens! I am so pleased. My children are my main investment.
56 years old, investor
