Investing in funds is one of the fastest, most tax efficient, and most hassle-free ways to get your Golden Visa and start your journey to EU citizenship via Portugal.
Let’s examine one of the best-established Golden Visa funds – the BlueCrow Growth Fund.
Introducing BlueCrow Growth Fund
BlueCrow was founded in 2010, in partnership with Pictet and Baloise banks and with a focus on wealth management.
Its venture capital activities began in 2016, shortly followed the year after by launching one of Portugal’s first innovation funds with tax benefits.
The BlueCrow Growth Fund is one of Portugal’s oldest and longest-established qualified Golden Visa funds.
It was launched with seed investors in 2018, just as the investment funds Golden Visa route began.
The current fund size is €40 million, with a target size of €70 million.
BlueCrow Growth Fund in Brief
- Investment Focus: Agricultural, retail, and hospitality real estate yielding assets
- Minimum Investment: €105,000
- Minimum Overall Investment for Golden Visa: €500,000
- Fund Timeline: 7 years
- Subscription Deadline: December 2022
Interested in BlueCrow Growth Fund?
Investment Focus Areas
The BlueCrow Growth Fund aims to achieve diversification in its real estate investment strategy.
To achieve that, it focuses on a threefold approach – with a Portugal-focused portfolio comprised of yielding assets in agricultural, industrial, and tourism.
BlueCrow’s current stated objective is to maintain and optimize the existing portfolio, while also enhancing the profitability of the companies within it.
Let’s take a look at the strategy for each type of asset in the BlueCrow portfolio.
Agricultural Assets
BlueCrow expands this area of its portfolio by identifying companies developing high yielding farm assets around Portugal, such as land, but also processing and recycling facilities.
Example regions include: Comporta and Alcacer for the best pines and rice production, Minho and Douro for the best wine production areas, and Évora, Bejas and Sines for the best quality olive oil, cork and nut groves production.
Industrial Assets
For the industrial arm of its portfolio, BlueCrow aims to expand by investing in industrial facilities and warehousing spaces for production and assembly, plus the storage of industrial goods.
These facilities will accommodate strong local and international industrial brands. BlueCrow currently has 10 industrial properties in its portfolio.
Leisure and Hospitality Assets
Expansion plans here focus on sustainable locations and medium-sized tourism operators in or near to city centres of Portugal.
The goal is to partner with international tourism players to invest in niche but highly sought-after offerings
BlueCrow aims to buy and develop a further five to seven properties, on top of its current four.
Investment Fees
- Setup fee: 5%
- Annual management fee: 1%
- Performance fee: 10%
Why Invest in Funds for your Golden Visa?
Investing in a fund such as the BlueCrow Growth Fund offers significant benefits over direct real estate investment.
- The overall cost of investment is lower with funds
- Your tax liabilities may be lower with funds (especially if you live outside Portugal)
- Ownership and management are more simple with funds
When you buy a property directly in Portugal, you’ll have several associated costs to pay. The largest of these is transfer tax (IMT), which can be as much as 7.5% of the total value of the property.
Then you have stamp duty at 0.8%, plus the ongoing the annual municipality tax (IMI). On top of that, property purchase involves various fees for lawyers and notaries, which further add to the overall cost of investment.
What’s more, there’s the ongoing hassle of maintaining your property and generating regular income from tenants. In contrast, fund investment removes those stressors altogether, with a hassle-free investment managed by professionals.
Fund investment is truly the “set and forget” Golden Visa route.
Before you go…
Investing in funds is one of the best ways to get your Portugal Golden Visa – with many benefits over the traditional property route.
As one of Portugal’s first eligible Golden Visa funds, the BlueCrow Growth Fund offers an interesting opportunity for potential investors, with a diversified strategy focused on yielding real estate assets around Portugal.
Interested in BlueCrow Growth Fund?
