- Signing a cooperation agreement
- Approval of a package of legal services
- Bank account opening
- Purchase of real estate
- Application to the Portuguese Immigration Service (SEF)
- Application approval
- Fingerprinting at the immigration office
- Obtaining a residence card for Portugal
- Renewal of the Portuguese residence card
- Obtaining Portuguese citizenship or permanent residency card
First of all, you need to sign a cooperation agreement with Mercan, after which a lawyer will prepare the necessary package of documents.
- power of attorney from the applicant;
- power of attorney from your spouse
- contract of participation and lease agreement.
Powers of attorney, prepared by a lawyer, are sent to the investor for signing. They can be signed at the nearest Portuguese embassy in the country of residence or at a face-to-face meeting with a lawyer in Portugal.
The shareholding agreement can be signed at the time of arrival in Portugal for fingerprinting at the Portuguese immigration office.
After receiving the signed power of attorney, the lawyer will be able to obtain a tax number for the investor in Portugal (NIF - NúmeroIdentificação Fiscal) and open a bank account.
To open a bank account, the lawyer must provide the bank with:
- Tax number;
- Proof of source of funds of the investor (certificate of income, certificate of receipt of dividends, etc.);
- Tax number from the country of residence.
It takes about a week to open a bank account. After that, a compliance review takes place, which can take 2-4 weeks. When the bank account is available for transactions, you will need to transfer the principal amount of the investment, the amount to pay the municipal tax on the purchase of a real estate in Portugal, notary services, and the fees of the immigration service (SEF).
The transfer must be made from the investor's main account from the country of residence.
When the funds are available in a Portuguese bank account, the lawyer will conduct the sale transaction. After that, the lawyer will request the missing documents for filing with the Portuguese Immigration Service. Namely:
- contract of sale;
- Certificate of no criminal record from the country of residence (valid for 3 months);
- Certificate of no criminal record of your spouse;
- Marriage certificate (valid for 6 months);
- Children's birth certificates (valid for 12 months);
- Certificate of no criminal record for children over 16 years of age;
- Proof of financial dependency for children over 18 years of age;
- Birth certificate of the investor, if the parents will also be included in the immigration application;
- Proof of financial dependency if parents are under 65 years of age.
All documents are submitted to the SEF online. The analysis usually takes 3-5 weeks.
The certificate of no criminal record is only valid for three months, so we recommend doing it just before you apply, as SEF often asks to renew the document if it has expired.
After about a month, the lawyer will receive a message from the SEF that the application has been approved. The lawyer will then make an appointment with the SEF to fingerprint everyone involved in the process.
It is important that all participants arrive in the city of Porto, where Mercan'sheadoffice in Portugal is located, at least one business day before the scheduled date. For example, if the SEF meeting is scheduled for Monday, you need to have everyone in Porto by Friday. It is also important to make sure that all required documents are valid:
- Certificate of no criminal record –valid for 3 months;
- Marriage certificate – valid for 6 months;
- Birth certificate –valid for 12 months.
The process usually looks like this:
the day before your appointment at the SEF, you will meet with a lawyer to sign documents and make copies of your passports;
the next day the Mercan representatives will meet with you at the SEF to take your fingerprints and submit all the original documents.
after the meeting at the SEF, you will meet with the bank manager to obtain the bank card and online access to your account.
If the SEF office is not in Porto, the schedule is slightly different: Mercan representatives will meet you in the morning the day before the SEF meeting, you will sign the documents with a lawyer, meet with the bank manager, visit the property, have lunch and be taken to a hotel in the city where the SEF meeting will be taking place.
It usually takes 3-4 months to approve resident cards at the Portuguese immigration office. Once the lawyer receives a positive decision from the immigration office, the lawyer will make the payment for the cards and within 45 days the cards will be received at the Mercan office in Porto. The cards will then be shipped to the investor anywhere in the world by DHL or FedEx delivery services.
After that, the investor and all participants are free to enter the Schengen area and/or live in Portugal.
The residence cards will need to be renewed periodically. To do this, a lawyer will coordinate all necessary actions on your part and set a date for the renewal of the residence when the deadline comes.
Five years after the first residence card is issued, you will be able to apply for Portuguese citizenship or permanent residency in Portugal.
The permanent residence is valid for 5 years, after that it is automatically renewed, but only suitable for those who plan to live in Portugal for more than 6 months per year. This is a prerequisite for the renewal of the permanent residence card.
Get a Portuguese Golden Visa in 2023 by investing from 280,000 euros
If your aim is to immigrate to Europe by obtaining a residence permit through investment, the Portuguese Golden Visa program is worth your attention. This visa can be obtained in Portugal through the partnership and support of the Mercan company and its investment projects.
The main advantages of the Golden Visa program in Portugal are:
- You need to stay in the country on average 7 days a year (Comparison: in Greece for the Golden Visa this period is at least 6 months);
- The minimum investment threshold is only 280 thousand euros (Comparison: Greece requires a minimum investment of 500 thousand euros);
- Possibility to obtain European citizenship after having 5 years of the residence permit in Portugal (Comparison: The residence permit in Greece is 7 years, in Spain - 10 years)
- Estate prices in Portugal are constantly growing. Every year the country is getting more and more attractive as a destination for tourists from all over the world.
These are the reasons for the Portuguese Golden Visa to be the most attractive visa program in Europe, especially for those investors who want to obtain European citizenship while not living in the country for the better part of a year.
Why should you work with the Mercan company to get the Golden Visa in Portugal?
The company has a rich history
The Mercan Group was founded in 1989 in Canada. Since its very beginning, the Mercan Group specialized in investment and then began to provide investment services for immigration worldwide.
Ideal conditions and environment for investors
The Mercan’s clients are primarily those investors who are interested in obtaining the “Golden Visa”. Moreover, the company supports and accompanies its clients at all stages, up to the moment of obtaining Portuguese citizenship by investors.
2 investment scenarios with an Investment Back Guarantee
The investors interested in obtaining the Portuguese Golden Visa have the opportunity to invest 280,000 or 350,000 euros in tourist properties in unique areas or locations for restoration. In this case, the Mercan group undertakes to buy the property from the investor in 6-14 years at the same price that they invested in this property at the initial stage, which is a 100% Investment BuyBack Guarantee.
Full delegation of all investment management tasks
The Mercan’s activities can be divided into 3 important areas:
Practical realization of development projects, i.e. constructing, building and creating properties in the sphere of tourist real estate, which includes hotel networks such as Marriott, Hilton, Intercontinental Hotel Group, and many others.
Legal support for the clients who wish to obtain the “Golden Visa” in Portugal by investing in the Mercan company’s projects.
Management of the investor’s properties, i.e. management of hotels and other properties, shares in which investors of the Mercan company buy.
The Mercan is a unique player in the market, as it performs all three functions simultaneously. In this way, an investor doesn’t need to interact with a variety of different organizations and any third-party consultants.
By investing with the Mercan company, you can fully delegate all the tasks of managing the acquired assets, and you will be guaranteed permanent legal support until you obtain Portuguese citizenship.
If you thinking about getting a Golden Visain Portugal, we suggest considering the option of participating in the Golden Visa program by investing in the projects of the Mercan company.
