Portugal Begins to Reopen

Portugal is beginning to restore some normality as they gradually reopen businesses and ease their lock-down regulations. The Portuguese Government announced last week that they have a phased plan to begin resuming certain services such as schools, shops, restaurants, cafes and cinemas over the coming month. The process has already begun but will be gradual and the guidelines still recommend that the nation stays at home as much as possible to avoid a second spike of the virus.

Compared to many of Portugal’s European neighbours, the country has coped with the COVID-19 outbreak remarkably well. Current figures of confirmed cases sit at 26,182 with just 1,089 deaths. With Spain just next door, who have sadly suffered 26,000 fatalities, it’s a miracle that Portugal’s figures have stayed so low.

Portugal’s Government and national health service has handled the pandemic exceptionally well and has been praised for having one of the highest testing rates in the world, performing over 46,000 tests per million, according to Statista. This is a great testament of how well the country can manage a crisis and should sit well with those who have been considering investing in Portugal for a residency visa.

The Portuguese Golden Visa programme is very much still open for business and it is possible to begin this process without visiting the country. Interest from potential investors during this period has remained high, and we foresee an influx of interested applicants moving forward in the coming months as things begin to normalise. For more details, please contact our experts.