From US Instability to UK Wealth Exodus: Why the Portugal Golden Visa is the Safe Haven for Global Investors in 2025?
Portugal, a beautiful and politically stable European country, provides its investors with one of the best residency by investment programs, attracting citizens of many countries like the UK, US, and Scotland who are leaving their home countries due to rising political instability or high taxes. Furthermore, AIMA expands its capacity to speed up the application process of the Portugal golden visa, making it easier and faster for global investors to secure a safe and prosperous future in Europe.
Portugal Golden Visa: Gateway to EU Residency and Stability
To attract foreign investment and uplift the country’s economy, the government of Portugal launched its residency by investment program in 2012, which provides non-EU citizens a 5-year residency permit that allows them to live and work in Portugal. Apart from EU residency, the program offers a high return on investment to individuals and provides them with the best healthcare and lifestyle opportunities. Moreover, the country provides global mobility to its investors by allowing them to travel visa-free to Europe’s Schengen Area.
Americans Turning to Portugal Residency by Investment Amid Political Instability
Due to rising political and financial pressure, Americans are thinking of leaving the US and moving to Portugal as they consider Portugal a safe European base due to its political stability, low cost of living, and favorable tax policies. Data from some reports say that in 2024, around 14,000 Americans became residents of Portugal. This shows that the Americans seeking a second home as a plan B in a stable economy are largely investing in the golden visa program of Portugal, and those who want to do remote work in the country are also taking an interest in the Portugal D8 digital nomad visa. According to the data from AIMA (Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum), Portugal recorded a 72% surge in golden visa approvals by June 2025, with Americans leading as the main applicants. The government approved almost 5000 more applications compared to the previous year. Since its launch in 2012, the golden visa of Portugal has raised over $7.2 billion, with most participants coming from Brazil, China, and the United States.
Court Rulings Favor Americans Seeking Portugal Residency by Investment
In recent decisions, Portugal’s Constitutional Court blocked proposals that could have made family reunification difficult for investors. The court confirmed that the rights of golden visa applicants will be maintained. This decision brought relief to the Americans and increased their confidence in Portugal residency by investment as they could bring their families, including spouse, children, and dependent parents, to Portugal without the proposed two-year wait. The legal experts said that the ruling boosts the appeal of the golden visa program and ensures that Portugal protects the rights and benefits of its golden visa applicants.
UK Wealth Tax Exodus Drives Portugal Golden Visa Demand
Portugal Golden Visa has become a top choice for high-net-worth individuals of the UK, including millionaires and billionaires, who are leaving the UK due to changes made in its non-dom tax regime, according to which the residents of the UK who have domiciled status have to pay taxes on the income they earn outside the UK and their assets. This has resulted in a UK wealth exodus as British citizens no longer see London as attractive and are seeking residency in Portugal to benefit from its Non-Habitual Residency (NHR) scheme, which includes a flat 20% tax rate on foreigners’ driving income from employment or self-employment in Portugal.
Why are Scottish Citizens Choosing the Portugal Residency by Investment Program?
Recently, the Portugal residency by investment program has caught the eye of a great number of Scottish citizens due to the pleasant climate, affordable lifestyle, and low tax policies in Portugal. The Scottish citizens fed up with the same grey skies in their home country are seeking residency in Portugal to take advantage of its sunny weather and to live and work in its business-centric cities like Lisbon and Porto. Another main reason behind Scottish citizens choosing Portugal PR by investment is the updated NHR 2.0 scheme of golden visa program designed for the highly-skilled professionals who become Portuguese tax residents.
Foreigners Make Up to 15% of Portugal’s Population
According to the data from the Interim report by AIMA, among Portugal’s population, 15% are foreigners, which shows that 1.1 million people living in Portugal were born outside the country. The number has increased largely compared to 2017, when only 400,000 residents in Portugal were foreigners. This increase in foreign population demonstrates the strong demand for Portugal residency by investment program among foreign investors who seek a safe and secure home as a Plan B or better work and lifestyle opportunities.
AIMA Expands to Speed Up Portugal Golden Visa Applications
Due to the increasing number of golden visa applications, AIMA Portugal has extended its processing capacity to support migrants from all over the world by reducing the application delays. The agency is now empowered to process 7000 applications daily. This makes the application process more efficient and faster, encouraging more people to invest in Portugal residency by investment.
Portugal Golden Visa 2025: Top Residency By Investment Choice for Global Investors
The popularity of the Portugal golden visa program is increasing continuously due to the significant benefits it provides to its investors. According to recent statistics from AIMA Portugal, the number of US investors has increased by 162.5%, from 216 to 567. Moreover, the UK came in third place for the overall investor nationality in Portugal with over 234 applications. Hence, Portugal has become an optimum choice for investors seeking better residency by investment options due to its excellent links, best pathway to EU residency, and advantageous tax systems.
