Vacant properties belonging to foreigners were sold fraudulently, using forged documents and changing locks.
Fraud linked to golden visa properties ends with eight arrests
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.








