How to obtain a Portuguese residence permit through a Turkish residence permit

Some of our clients not only recommend the services of GARANT IN agency to their acquaintances, but also come to us again themselves. This is what happened to the couple of Alexei (46 years old, businessman) and Tatiana (37 years old, freelancer). In February this year, our specialists helped the well-to-do couple and their 17-year-old son to obtain a residence permit for Turkey through the purchase of property.

Alexey owns a successful logistics company in Russia. To maintain international business relations, the entrepreneur needed to open an account in a foreign bank. He was also considering obtaining a residence permit in Europe in order to actively interact with partners abroad. Alexey chose Turkey for an interim residence permit and 3 months later contacted our agency to find a programme for obtaining EU residency. We advised the family to apply for a Portuguese residence permit for Russians.

Preparing the process

‘Portugal Golden Visa’ is one of the fastest ways to obtain EU residency under one of the 8 property or economic investment options. The most popular destination is residential and commercial property investment.

At the stage of planning the relocation of Alexei's family to Europe, we offered our clients the option of obtaining a Portuguese residence permit for an investment in a hotel being renovated in Porto. The value of the share was 600 000€. Our agent found for them a unique offer to buy apartments, where the developer offered investors a return of up to 8% of the investment amount already at the renovation stage and 1 week of free accommodation per year for the investor's family. Alexey thought that this would be a good bonus for residency. After discussing all the details, we drew up a cost estimate and a step-by-step action plan for the client.

We decided to submit the documents through the Portuguese Consulate in Ankara, where our client was located.

After consulting with the agent, Alexey and Tatiana started collecting the necessary documentation. To apply for a temporary visa the following documents with translations into English were required:

1. certified copies of all completed pages of internal and foreign passports;
2. copies of the residence permit of Turkey;
3. apostilled copies of marriage and birth certificates of children (the certificates were ordered through the Gosuslugi website);
4. documentation showing the level of wealth of candidates (income of at least 705€ per month is required);
5. bank account statement for at least 3 months indicating the balance of funds - not less than 10 000-15 000 € for 1 person (for submission to the consulate Alexey attached certificates from the Turkish bank + certificates on the movement of accounts in the Russian Federation);
6. certificate of absence of criminal record (also ordered on Gosuslugi);
7. proof of renting accommodation (in our case, a paid hotel reservation for 130 days was suitable for submission);
8. health insurance for 90 days, arranged through a Turkish agent; a reservation for tickets to Portugal;
9. 2 colour photographs for each family member;
10. receipts of consular fee payment - 90€ per 1 person. 

Our agent also helped our clients to fill in the application form for submission to the consulate and to prepare a cover letter disclosing the reason for the visa request, indicating financial guarantees.

The approximate processing time of applications is from 30 to 60 days. Alexey and Tatiana signed up for submission via the consulate's email. We prepared in advance for them a number of standard questions and answers that immigrants are asked. An important point - the Turkish residence permit must remain valid for at least 3 months after the expiry of the visa being issued.

In a week our clients had an appointment, but since Alexey and Tatiana have separate sources of income, they were booked on different dates with an interval of 2 days. After 2 weeks they went to submit the documents, and 30 days later they received an approved decision and were preparing to fly to Porto.

 Procedure for obtaining a residence permit in Portugal

 The decision to apply for a D7 visa first and then apply for a residence permit in Portugal was due to the difficulty of opening accounts in Portuguese banks for Russians A temporary visa gives applicants priority over other candidates. All the more so because our clients' move to Portugal coincided with a holiday. They also had the opportunity to look around the country for a potential move and visually assess the chosen property.

Already on site Alexey and Tatiana started to obtain a taxpayer number through the online service of the tax office. The procedure took about 2 weeks. After that we helped the clients to open a bank account and then contacted the developer whose offer we had considered earlier. It took us another couple of weeks to formalise the deal, pay taxes and all state fees. The agent then selected a local insurance company to take care of the medical policies.

Then our clients submitted a ready-made case of documents for a residence permit in Portugal through the online service of SEF management. In 4 days the spouses received an invitation to submit biometrics. The application was accepted for consideration and in 1.5 months our investor's family was approved residence for 1 year with the possibility of further multiple extensions.

What makes the residence permit status in Portugal attractive for investors?

The D7 visa and the ‘Golden Visa’ of Portugal have several fundamental differences. Opening a temporary visa is relevant for financially independent people who do not plan to acquire personal bank accounts in the country. Residency on investment options opens much more opportunities for foreigners. Speaking about the advantages of residence permit in Portugal, most often noted opportunities:

• living and developing in a European country;
• moving with your family;
• free movement within the EU countries;
• tax optimisation;
• obtaining a residence permit and Portuguese citizenship after 5 years of residency.

Obtaining a residence permit in Portugal by Russians through third countries since February 2022 has become a kind of trend. For filing foreigners more often choose a country with a visa-free regime with Russia, which is just Turkey. The presence of a Turkish residence permit is a strong argument that an applicant for a temporary visa or residence permit can appeal to the Portuguese Consulate.

Need help in obtaining residency? Do you want to know more about attractive programmes and options for residence permits? Contact the international agency GARANT IN and we will find a personalised solution for you.