{"id":14839,"date":"2026-11-10T16:26:07","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T16:26:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novomove.com\/golden-visa-family-usa-client-story\/"},"modified":"2026-11-10T16:26:07","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T16:26:07","slug":"golden-visa-family-usa-client-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novomove.com\/pt\/golden-visa-family-usa-client-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Generations, One Golden Visa: Cyrus and Amy&#8217;s Application"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"nm-lede wp-block-paragraph\">Cyrus and Amy aren&#8217;t applying for Portugal&#8217;s Golden Visa just for themselves. Their application covers five people: the two of them, their two young sons, and Cyrus&#8217;s mother, who is in her seventies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"nm-lede wp-block-paragraph\">Cyrus made the investment in November 2025, and his application went in 12 days later. The rest of the family followed in February 2026. All five now have the same biometrics appointment at AIMA in Porto, in early spring 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large nm-client-photo\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/golden-visa-family-documents.jpg\" alt=\"A stack of document folders and printed pages on a kitchen table, next to a child&#x27;s drawing of a house\" class=\"wp-image-14836\" srcset=\"https:\/\/novomove.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/golden-visa-family-documents.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/novomove.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/golden-visa-family-documents-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/novomove.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/golden-visa-family-documents-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/novomove.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/golden-visa-family-documents-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/novomove.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/golden-visa-family-documents-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/novomove.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/golden-visa-family-documents-16x12.jpg 16w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Illustrative image.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their application isn&#8217;t finished, but it&#8217;s a useful one to follow. It shows what a family Golden Visa involves when three generations are on the same file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"nm-glance\">\n<style>\n.nm-ans{border-left:3px solid #F5C518;padding-left:22px;}\n.nm-ans p{color:#1B2A4A;}\n.nm-lede{font-size:20px;line-height:1.65;color:#1B2A4A;}\n.nm-client-photo img,.nm-break img{border-radius:18px;aspect-ratio:4\/3;object-fit:cover;width:100%;}\n.nm-glance{background:#fff;border:1px solid #EDEFF3;border-radius:18px;box-shadow:0 1px 3px rgba(10,15,30,.04);padding:26px 28px;margin:32px 0 8px;font-family:inherit;}\n.nm-glance .nm-g-k{font-size:12.5px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.1em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#5a6b8c;margin-bottom:18px;}\n.nm-glance .nm-g-grid{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(2,minmax(0,1fr));gap:18px 28px;}\n.nm-glance .nm-g-l{font-size:13px;color:#5a6b8c;margin-bottom:2px;}\n.nm-glance .nm-g-v{font-size:16px;font-weight:600;color:#1B2A4A;line-height:1.45;}\n.nm-glance .nm-g-tl{display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;align-items:center;gap:10px 14px;margin-top:22px;padding-top:20px;border-top:1px solid #EDEFF3;}\n.nm-glance .nm-g-step{display:flex;flex-direction:column;}\n.nm-glance .nm-g-step span:first-child{font-size:13px;color:#5a6b8c;}\n.nm-glance .nm-g-step span:last-child{font-size:17px;font-weight:700;color:#1B2A4A;}\n.nm-glance .nm-g-line{flex:1 1 60px;min-width:40px;height:2px;background:#EDEFF3;position:relative;}\n.nm-glance .nm-g-days{position:absolute;left:50%;top:-11px;transform:translateX(-50%);background:#FFFBF0;border:1px solid #F2E6BE;border-radius:999px;padding:1px 10px;font-size:12.5px;font-weight:700;color:#8a6d00;white-space:nowrap;}\n.nm-pull{margin:36px 0;font-size:28px;font-weight:600;line-height:1.3;letter-spacing:-0.01em;color:#1B2A4A;font-family:inherit;}\n@media (max-width:700px){.nm-glance .nm-g-grid{grid-template-columns:1fr;}}\n<\/style>\n<div class=\"nm-g-k\">Their application at a glance<\/div>\n<div class=\"nm-g-grid\">\n<div><div class=\"nm-g-l\">Visto<\/div><div class=\"nm-g-v\">Golden Visa (investment fund route), five applicants<\/div><\/div>\n<div><div class=\"nm-g-l\">Fam\u00edlia<\/div><div class=\"nm-g-v\">Cyrus (investor), Amy, their two young sons and Cyrus&#x27;s mother<\/div><\/div>\n<div><div class=\"nm-g-l\">Applied through<\/div><div class=\"nm-g-v\">AIMA&#x27;s online Golden Visa portal<\/div><\/div>\n<div><div class=\"nm-g-l\">Servi\u00e7o Novomove<\/div><div class=\"nm-g-v\">NIFs and a bank account, then our Golden Visa package<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"nm-g-tl\">\n<div class=\"nm-g-step\"><span>Investment made<\/span><span>12 Nov 2025<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"nm-g-line\"><span class=\"nm-g-days\">12 days<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"nm-g-step\"><span>Application submitted<\/span><span>24 Nov 2025<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"nm-g-line\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"nm-g-step\"><span>Biometrics, all five<\/span><span>Early spring 2027<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who can come on one Golden Visa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Golden Visa is built around one investor, but the residence it gives can extend to the family. In Cyrus&#8217;s case that meant:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>his wife<\/strong>, Amy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>their two sons<\/strong>, both under six when they started<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>his mother<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Parents are the part people often don&#8217;t expect. A parent who is <strong>65 or older doesn&#8217;t need to prove they depend on you<\/strong> financially.  For Cyrus&#8217;s mother, that took a whole category of paperwork off the list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The investment came first<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cyrus chose the fund route: <strong>\u20ac500,000 in a qualifying Portuguese investment fund<\/strong>. He chose the fund himself. We don&#8217;t give investment advice, and you should pick a fund on its own merits, with independent financial advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We started with the groundwork. In August 2025 we got tax numbers (NIFs) for Cyrus, Amy and both boys. In October they had a consultation with our partner lawyer, and in November they took our Golden Visa package. The investment went in on 12 November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How the money reaches the fund<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether you need your own Portuguese bank account to invest depends on the fund. Some funds only accept money from a Portuguese account in your name. Others have a pooled client account that takes the transfer directly from abroad. Cyrus&#8217;s fund was the second kind, so the money went from the US straight to the fund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They opened a Portuguese account anyway, for the fees and for later, and it took longer than the investment did. US citizens face extra checks at Portuguese banks because of US tax reporting rules, and not every bank is set up for them.  If you&#8217;re American, start the bank account early, especially if your fund needs the money to come from a Portuguese account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Racing the 90-day clock<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most supporting documents are only accepted for a limited time, often <strong>90 dias<\/strong>.  That set the whole timetable. Once the documents were issued, the application had to go in before they expired, and Cyrus&#8217;s went in on 24 November 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two things caught them out on the way:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Apostilles on copies.<\/strong> Close to submission, AIMA asked for apostilled copies of the passports and Social Security cards, not just plain copies.  Nothing can be added once the application is in, so check this early.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>A new passport and an FBI check.<\/strong> Amy needed a new passport, and her FBI background check had to be apostilled at federal level, by the US Department of State.  Both take weeks, so the rest of the family&#8217;s applications went in on 4 February 2026.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"nm-pull\">Five applicants, three generations, one biometrics appointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AIMA booked four out of five<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Golden Visa applicants wait for AIMA to call them for biometrics, usually around eight months after applying.  In summer 2026 AIMA sent appointments for Amy, the boys and Cyrus&#8217;s mother. It didn&#8217;t send one for Cyrus, the investor whose application the others depend on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was an AIMA error. Our partner lawyer raised it with AIMA, and in August all five were rebooked together: <strong>early spring 2027, at AIMA in Porto.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That&#8217;s a long wait, and it&#8217;s typical of the Golden Visa right now. AIMA can&#8217;t speed it up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large nm-break\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/golden-visa-family-porto-street.jpg\" alt=\"A sunny Porto street with azulejo-tiled houses and a small square with a playground\" class=\"wp-image-14837\" srcset=\"https:\/\/novomove.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/golden-visa-family-porto-street.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/novomove.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/golden-visa-family-porto-street-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/novomove.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/golden-visa-family-porto-street-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/novomove.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/golden-visa-family-porto-street-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/novomove.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/golden-visa-family-porto-street-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/novomove.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/golden-visa-family-porto-street-16x12.jpg 16w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Illustrative image.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What&#8217;s next<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In early spring 2027 all five will give fingerprints and photos in Porto, with their original documents. After that comes the wait for the residence cards. We&#8217;ll update this story when they have them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">In Cyrus&#8217;s own words<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We asked Cyrus three questions about the process so far. Here are his answers, as he wrote them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What surprised you?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"nm-ans wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;How much work (and how many notaries!) would go into the package of completed and apostilled application documents. Online chat forums and AI responses tend to make the process feel easier and quicker than it actually will be.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What was harder than expected?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"nm-ans wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Getting a simple checking account opened at a Portuguese bank from abroad \u2014 despite having a straightforward picture with respect to my income, assets and purpose for the bank account.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What do you wish someone had told you at the start?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"nm-ans wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The importance of timing when it comes to compiling the application documents and getting (many of the documents) apostilled. The Federal-level apostille process can take months in the U.S., which can lead to some documents &#8216;going stale&#8217; and impacting the whole timeline.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If you&#8217;re applying as a family<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Parents aged 65 or over<\/strong> can join without proving financial dependency.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Renew passports early<\/strong> if any are close to expiry. A new passport can push a family member&#8217;s application back by weeks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>FBI checks need a federal apostille<\/strong>, from the US Department of State.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ask about apostilled copies<\/strong> of passports and Social Security cards before you submit.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Watch the 90-day validity<\/strong> of your documents. It decides when you can apply.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Check how your fund takes the money.<\/strong> Some only accept a transfer from a Portuguese bank account; others take it directly from abroad through a pooled account.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"nm-cta\">\n<style>\n.nm-cta{background:#1B2A4A;border-radius:20px;overflow:hidden;color:#fff;box-shadow:0 24px 60px rgba(10,15,30,.18);margin:48px 0 0;font-family:inherit;}\n.nm-cta img{width:100%;aspect-ratio:16\/9;object-fit:cover;display:block;margin:0;}\n.nm-cta .nm-cta-body{padding:38px;}\n.nm-cta .nm-cta-pill{display:inline-block;background:#F5C518;color:#1B2A4A;border-radius:999px;padding:6px 14px;font-size:13px;font-weight:700;}\n.nm-cta p{font-size:17px;line-height:1.65;color:rgba(255,255,255,.86);margin:18px 0 22px;}\n.nm-cta .nm-cta-btns{display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:12px;}\n.nm-cta .nm-btn-p{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;background:#F5C518;color:#1B2A4A !important;padding:14px 24px;border-radius:12px;font-weight:700;font-size:16px;text-decoration:none;}\n.nm-cta .nm-btn-p:hover{background:#E3B30C;}\n.nm-cta .nm-btn-s{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;color:#fff !important;border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,.4);padding:14px 24px;border-radius:12px;font-weight:700;font-size:16px;text-decoration:none;}\n.nm-cta .nm-btn-s:hover{background:#fff;color:#1B2A4A !important;}\n<\/style>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/cta-porto-riverside-family.jpg\" alt=\"A family of three generations walking along the sunny Douro riverside in Porto\">\n<div class=\"nm-cta-body\">\n<span class=\"nm-cta-pill\">Bringing the whole family?<\/span>\n<p>Children, a spouse and even parents can join a Golden Visa application. Book a free 15-minute call and we&#x27;ll go through who can come and what each of them needs.<\/p>\n<div class=\"nm-cta-btns\">\n<a class=\"nm-btn-p\" href=\"\/pt\/consulta-gratuita\/\">Book a Free 15-Minute Call \u2192<\/a>\n<a class=\"nm-btn-s\" href=\"\/pt\/golden-visa-portugal\/\">See the Golden Visa service<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"nm-legal wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:14px;line-height:1.6;color:#8a94a6;border-top:1px solid #EDEFF3;padding-top:22px;margin-top:36px\">Images are illustrative. This application is still in progress. Every application is different, and AIMA requirements and timelines change. Investment funds carry risk, and Novomove doesn&#x27;t give investment advice. Novomove is a relocation technology platform that coordinates licensed Portuguese lawyers, not a law firm.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A US family of five, from toddlers to a grandmother, applying for Portugal&#8217;s Golden Visa through a \u20ac500,000 fund. What the paperwork and AIMA have involved so far.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14835,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14839","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-client-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novomove.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14839","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novomove.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novomove.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novomove.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novomove.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14839"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novomove.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14839\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novomove.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novomove.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novomove.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14839"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novomove.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}