Subject: Re: Residency by Investment in EU for US citizen
<< Rubic, do you have any insight into the time to go from starting the process (golden visa or D7/D8) to being able to move to Portugal? I see some comments online that the golden visa process can be up to 18 months long, which is a much longer timeframe than I expected, if true. >>

Let's ignore the Golden Visa since it doesn't make any sense for
your circumstances(*). So let's focus on the D7 visa.

Before you apply for the D7 visa, you'll want to visit the
country and decide where you'll live, because you'll need
an official lease agreement prior to your visa application.
You could potentially sign a lease to live somewhere in
a city you've never visited, but we can assume that won't be
the case in your situation ;-)

The general order of items to complete prior to applying for
your visa will be:

1. Obtain NIF (tax number)
2. Open a bank account in Portugal
3. FBI criminal background check
4. Proof of private health insurance coverage or travel insurance with medical benefits
5. Proof of accommodation in Portugal (most likely, a lease agreement)

This isn't a complete list, but these are the items that require
time and/or expense to obtain. There is other paperwork to do if
you want to import household goods or obtain a Portuguese driver's
license, but that can wait until your visa is approved.

Next, you will apply for an in-person appointment at the consulate
(or embassy). The location of this appointment is determined by
the US state you currently reside in. This appointment may be
scheduled anywhere from one, two, three or more months from when
you contact the consulate/embassy for an appointment.

Timing is one of the most stressful aspects of applying for
the visa. Decisions on visa applications may take anywhere from
15 to 60 days, though most are processed within 30 days. You can
apply no earlier than 6 months and no later than 15 days prior
to your intended arrival in Portugal.

You have 120 days from the visa validity date during which you
can reside in Portugal and convert this visa into a residence
permit. Once your visa is granted, you must arrive in Portugal
within 90 days to convert it into a residence permit. This visa
permits you to take two round-trips from the US to Portugal
during these 120 days.

So you can see it's best to have a lot of flexibility on your
part, but usually you can plan for 6-12 months from the time
you request a visa appointment.

-Rubic

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(*) Unless you're willing to risk €500,000 in a potentially
risky and unproductive rehabilitation project. Or in scientific
research. Or an art donation.