The Judiciary Police announced an operation that resulted in the arrest of five men and three women, aged between 26 and 62. The case involves the fraudulent sale of unoccupied homes belonging to foreign citizens with “golden visas,” which were sold in their names without their consent. As part of the “Golden Key” operation, ten residential and non-residential searches were carried out in the Lisbon area.
Operation "Golden Key". Eight people arrested for a multi-million euro fraud involving "golden visa" properties
Wednesday, 18 March 2026RSS
Context & Explainers
The Golden Visa (Portuguese: Autorização de Residência para Investimento) is Portugal's residence-by-investment program, created in 2012, that grants non-EU nationals a residency permit after qualifying investments such as certain real-estate purchases, capital transfers or job-creating projects. It usually provides Schengen travel rights and a pathway to permanent residency and citizenship after five years, though eligible investment types and minimum amounts have changed in recent years.
