Choosing who handles your Golden Visa matters as much as choosing the investment. The programme runs for years, and the person you start with should be the person you deal with at the end. These are the seven questions I would put to any adviser — including me. Take them to a first call, a webinar, or a stand at an exhibition.
1. Which route are you suggesting, and what else did you look at?
The Golden Visa has several qualifying routes. A fund subscription of €500,000 is the most common. Others include a €250,000 donation to arts or national heritage (€200,000 in low-density areas), a €500,000 research donation, and investment in or creation of a Portuguese business with job-creation conditions.
Property has not qualified since October 2023. An adviser still describing a property route is working from old material.
Ask what they considered, and what each route requires of you over the five years.
2. How are you paid, and by whom?
Some advisers are paid by the fund manager, some by the client, some by both. None of these is wrong. You should know which applies before you choose.
Ask whether they can place you with funds across several managers, or only with one.
3. What has changed on citizenship?
Since 19th May 2026, citizenship takes ten years of legal residence, or seven for EU and CPLP nationals, counted from your first residence permit.
The Golden Visa residence route has not changed. Permanent residence is still available after five years.
An adviser quoting a five-year passport is working from the old law. Applications formally filed on or before 18th May 2026 stay under the old rules, so ask which side of that date any specific case falls.
4. How long will AIMA take, including for my family?
Processing times vary and have changed through the year. Ask for the range the adviser is seeing now, from submission to biometrics, and whether family members move together with the main applicant.
Be cautious of anyone quoting a single fixed number.
5. What will I need to do to keep the visa?
The Golden Visa asks for a low physical presence, about seven days a year on average. Ask the adviser to explain how renewals work and what the AIMA fees are across the five years, as well as the investment itself.
Ask for the total cost in writing.
6. Who handles my case, and who does the legal and tax work?
You should know the name of the person responsible for your file, and be able to reach them throughout.
Regulated legal, tax and investment work sits with licensed professionals. Ask who they are, and who you contract with.
7. How many applications have you handled personally?
Ask for a number, the period it covers, and the success rate. A firm's total and the experience of the person you will deal with are two different figures.
What to do next
If you would like to hear these questions answered live, I run a free Golden Visa webinar with the latest changes and a Q&A. Register for the next session here.
For how I measure advisers against these criteria, see Best Portugal Golden Visa adviser. For the investment routes in full, see Portugal Golden Visa investment options. For the citizenship change, see Portugal citizenship by investment.
