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then you simply complete steps #1 through #7 as outlined above. This gives you the right to acquire Portuguese citizenship at a time--provided you maintain your status as a Portuguese residen You then have the security you seek of a second national status which you can take up at any time--only taking the final step when whatever events you fear might happen do happen.
The investment in Portugal
The prime qualification for residency is the ownership in Portugal of a "hearth." This house or apartment can be of any value provided it qualifies as a residence.
However, the property should have a minimum value of about $US30,000 on the basis that "a man of means" is unlikely to own property of lesser value to be his residence. In other words, the Portuguese authorities do have an element of discretion in determining whether or not you are a "man of means." You can remove this discretion by considering only properties with a purchase price of $US30,000 or higher.
There's a second reason for considering higher value proper- ties: the principles of investment. While the "entry price" of $US30,000 is lower than the sum you need in places like Paraguay, there's an important difference: you've purchased an asset which you're free to sell at any time. You can repatriate the proceeds of the sale without restriction (provided you complied with Portuguese exchange control law and imported capital into Portugal through the central bank when you made the purchase).
If carefully selected, the property should appreciate over time and could repay the entire legal and other costs associated with the seeking of residency and, ultimately, citizenship.
Naturally, were you to sell your Portuguese property (and not purchase another one) before achieving Portuguese nationality, your principle claim to residence would lapse. Nevertheless, you do have this option. Your investment in Portugal is not "dead money" but a growing, income-producing asset.
Of course, once you have become a Portuguese citizen, you no longer need to own a Portuguese property: such ownership is only the principle requirement of residence.
A passive real estate investment can also be more secure than an investment in a business in a new country and culture where the ways of doing things are unfamiliar. And, the "entry price"