The plan has worked and the Portuguese economy has been stimulated by people coming in, buying property and then often bringing their families in and settling there. Cape Verde was Portugal’s oldest colony, and after gaining independence in the 20th century a vast majority of its residents resettled in Portugal. Most Portuguese, like other South Africans, are Christians. In 2012, Portugal was bailed out with all the so called PIGS countries (Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain) unlike Greece and Spain, Portugal put together a whole lot of interesting incentives to attract investments and to modernise and stimulate the economy, the Golden Visa being one of them,  primarily aimed at non-European investors buying real estate. It’s a relatively simple programme, but if you’re trying to become a European citizen, there’s complexity and you need to know how to follow the process to the letter,” says Rissik. History. Following its heyday as a global maritime power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence of Brazil, its wealthiest colony, in 1822. Students and backpackers seek out countries around the world with working holiday visa programs for under 30’s, promoting international work and travel for millennials. “South Africans like Portugal because it’s a first world country and it’s part of the EU. The largest minority population are Africans from Cape Verde, which is located off the west coast of Africa. The Portuguese explored the coasts of South Africa in the late 15th century, and nominally claimed them as their own with the erecting of padrões (large stone cross inscribed with the coat of arms of Portugal placed there as part of a land claim). This is quite a unique programme in that you only need to spend seven days a year in Portugal. Coming soon... Home | Terms | Contact | RSS, Trapped South African expat teachers in Cambodia have nowhere to turn, South African high-salary expats furious over proposed new tax law, Wealthy South African expats due for 45 per cent tax rate, Last South African QROPS removed from list by HMRC, New Zealand based South African expats fear civil war over land grabs, American Expat Living in Spain - Interview with Jiab & Jim, German Expat Living in Jordan - Interview with Bastian, American Expat Living in Italy - Interview with Alexa, American Expat Living in Germany - Interview with Cherie, Filipino Expat Living in United Arab Emirates - Interview with JM Kayne. Tourism is being very heavily driven by the government with airport taxes having been dropped, and Portugal is now a popular tourism destination for Europeans and South Africans. Portuguese South Africans (Portuguese: luso-sul-africanos) are South Africans of Portuguese ancestry. Most importantly it’s a very tax-friendly jurisdiction. And in the face of economic and political uncertainty in South Africa, immigration agency Sable International has experienced a 300% jump in enquiries. “The overwhelming feeling from all the lawyers that we deal with and the people that we talk to in Portugal is that the Golden Visa is working for the country and they will do what they can within the law to try and make it as easy as possible.”. “As a South African resident tax payer, you would declare that on your income tax return and you would get a credit for the 28% that you’ve paid in Portugal – this is because of the treaty between Portugal and South Africa,” concludes Rissik. There are many football clubs in South Africa that are of Portuguese origin. Finding jobs in Portugal has improved slightly in recent years as the country recovers from an economic crisis. The Mission is looking forward to assisting you, whether to visit South Africa on holiday or business, to study, work or invest in the country as well as looking after the needs of South African nationals visiting or residing in Portugal. In order to become a Portuguese tax resident and to take advantage of the non-habitual tax programme, investors need to legally be able to reside in Portugal and spend 183 days or more in Portugal. The Portuguese explored the coasts of South Africa in the late 15th century, and nominally claimed them as their own with the erecting of padrões (large stone cross inscribed with the coat of arms of Portugal placed there as part of a land claim).