The Consulate General of Portugal in Macau and Hong Kong has registered about 1,500 requests from people wanting to live in the country, Consul Paulo Cunha Alves announced today (Thursday).

The information was advanced during the webinar Invest in Portugal. Your Next Place, whose main mission was to attract investment and promote Portugal as an investment destination for citizens of Macau and Hong Kong.

Alves explained that in the first semester the number of people who applied to the Macau-based consulate for a criminal record was around 1,500.

The criminal record is one of the requirements for the gold visa and residency process in Portugal.

Total investment raised through gold visas increased 2.9 per cent in the first half, compared to the same period in 2019, to 383 million euros, according to accounts made by Lusa based on SEF statistics.

In the first six months of the year, the total investment resulting from the granting of a Residence Permit for Investment (ARI) amounted to 383 million euros, 2.9 per cent more in the first half of 2019.

In June, a company specializing in obtaining gold visas in Portugal told Lusa that requests for information from Hong Kong residents soared after Beijings announcement about the national security law imposed on the former British colony.

At the event, which had as one of the organizers the aicepPortugalGlobal Trade&Investment Agency(AICEP), Consul Paulo Cunha Alves also underlined the success of foreign investment in Portugal and which places the country on the radar of several companies in the world.

Alves also said that the Portuguese consulate will always be available to support investments through Hong Kong and Macau.

Meanwhile, the investment advisor at the Portuguese Embassy in Beijing, Patrcia Conceio, said that foreign investment is central to the countrys economy

It has a tremendous impact on all companies, he stressed.

In order to capture the attention of investors attending the online conference, Patrcia Conceio said that Portugal is the second safest country in the European Union, according to the index of security threats.

The fact that Portugal is part of the European Union and that it is a link to Portuguese-speaking countries gives potential investors access to a market of more than 700 million people, she emphasized.

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Portuguese consulate for Macau and HK received 1,500 residence requests this year - Macau Business