Australia Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 188) vs Portugal Golden Visa (ARI)
A factual side-by-side comparison of two residency programmes. All figures are drawn from the canonical program pages — follow either link in the table header for sources and the full profile.
Key Differences at a Glance
- ›Portugal Golden Visa (ARI) is faster: 6 months vs 18 months for Australia Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 188).
- ›Faster to citizenship: Portugal Golden Visa (ARI) at ~5 years, vs 9 for Australia Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 188).
- ›Lower capital: Australia Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 188) (150,000 USD) vs 500,000 for Portugal Golden Visa (ARI).
Australia Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 188) Australia · entrepreneur | Portugal Golden Visa (ARI) Portugal · investment | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Australia | Portugal |
| Category | Entrepreneur | Investment |
| Application Fee | $4,000 | $5,400 |
| Minimum Income | — | — |
| Minimum Investment | $150,000 | $500,000 |
| Processing Time | 18 months | 6 months |
| Family Included | Spouse or de facto partner and dependent children included in the provisional visa; all must meet health and character requirements | No additional investment required for dependent family members |
| Path to PR | Yes — 5 years | Yes — 5 years |
| Path to Citizenship | Yes — 9 years | Yes — 5 years |
| Physical Presence | Business Innovation stream requires genuine establishment of a business in Australia and physical presence during the provisional visa period | Only 7 days per year in the first year, and 14 days per every subsequent 2-year period |
| Dual Citizenship | Allowed | Allowed |
| Tax Impact | Provisional visa holders residing in Australia are generally treated as Australian tax residents and taxed on worldwide income | Minimal physical presence means most holders do not trigger Portuguese tax residency; those who do may qualify for NHR status |
| Tax Residency Trigger | 183 days/yr | 183 days/yr |
| Worldwide Taxation | Yes | Yes |
| Renewal Cost | — | $2,700 |
About Australia Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 188)
The Subclass 188 Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) Visa is a provisional five-year visa requiring a state or territory government nomination, designed for business owners, investors, and entrepreneurs who wish to establish or manage a business in Australia. There are multiple streams — Business Innovation, Investor, Significant Investor (AUD$5M), and Entrepreneur — each with distinct net asset and business turnover thresholds. After meeting stream-specific requirements, holders can apply for the permanent Subclass 888 Business Innovation and Investment visa.
Full Australia Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 188) profile →About Portugal Golden Visa (ARI)
Portugal's Golden Visa (Autorização de Residência para Investimento) grants residency through qualifying investment, with a minimal physical presence requirement of just 7 days per year. As of 2024, real estate investment is no longer eligible; qualifying routes include fund subscriptions, capital transfers, and job creation.
Full Portugal Golden Visa (ARI) profile →Gotchas to Watch For
Australia Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 188)
- ⚠**PROGRAMME CLOSED TO NEW APPLICANTS from 1 July 2024.** Only previously-lodged cases in the pipeline are being processed. A successor visa was announced in the Dec 2024 migration strategy — verify current status.
- ⚠Provisional 4-year visa does NOT automatically convert to PR — the 888 requires active compliance with stream conditions
- ⚠State quotas dried up well before the federal closure — many would-be applicants received no nomination
Portugal Golden Visa (ARI)
- ⚠Real estate investment no longer qualifies as of October 2023 reform
- ⚠AIMA backlog means residence card issuance currently takes 1-2+ years
- ⚠Investment must be maintained for minimum 5 years (citizenship eligibility window)
- ⚠IFICI tax regime generally does not apply to passive investors
- ⚠Source-of-funds AML documentation is strictest among EU Golden Visas
Neutral reference — we don't recommend one programme over another. Programmes change: always verify each detail against the official source linked on the individual program pages.