Liberty, formerly known as Liberty Legal, has rebranded and opened a new office in Beverly Hills, expanding its services beyond immigration law to include “destination services” that handle the post‑permit steps required for families relocating to Europe.
Rebranding and new office
- The firm now operates under the name Liberty (website www.libertylex.com).
- A Beverly Hills office has been added, giving the firm a U.S.‑based presence to meet the growing demand from American families.
- The team consists of 14 trilingual professionals located in Lisbon, Milan and Beverly Hills.
Scope of services
Liberty’s “destination services” cover tasks that follow the issuance of a residence permit, including:
- Obtaining tax numbers and opening bank accounts.
- Coordinating property purchases based on client briefs.
- School placement and curriculum planning.
- Registering for health services and identifying English‑speaking doctors.
- Exchanging foreign driving licences (e.g., U.S. licences must be exchanged within 90 days of Portuguese residency).
- Setting up utilities and certifying residential addresses.
Portuguese and Italian investor‑visa programs
| Feature | Portugal | Italy |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum investment | €500,000 into a CMVM‑regulated fund or €200,000 in a GEPAC‑certified cultural project (real‑estate no longer qualifies after Oct 2023) | €250,000 in an innovative startup or €500,000 in equity of an Italian company or €2 million in government bonds (real‑estate excluded) |
| Residency → citizenship timeline | Non‑EU nationals must wait 10 years for a passport; a language and culture test was added in 2026. | No minimum stay required; naturalisation also follows a 10‑year residency period. |
| Tax regime for new residents | Successor to the Non‑Habitual Resident (NHR) regime: flat 20 % tax on qualifying professional income for ten years; most foreign‑source income exempt (pensioners excluded). | Article 24‑bis flat tax: fixed annual payment of €300 000 (for transfers from Jan 2026) plus €50 000 per family member, replacing ordinary taxation on foreign income. |
The choice between the two programs often hinges on a simple arithmetic comparison: a fixed annual sum versus a percentage of income. Monteiro notes that roughly one‑third of families change their preferred country after the numbers are run.
Integrated relocation sequencing
Liberty emphasizes that the order of decisions—school, town, lease, tax‑resident date—determines the overall success of the move. Errors in sequencing can force costly reversals. A case study involved a couple in their late 60s who initially selected a fourth‑floor walk‑up in Cascais; after reassessing mobility needs, Liberty secured a ground‑level, elevator‑accessible residence that better matched their long‑term lifestyle goals.
Legal advocacy
In 2025 the Portuguese Parliament proposed extending naturalisation timelines and retroactively applying the new rules to existing Golden‑Visa holders. Liberty commissioned a constitutional opinion and filed an amicus curiae brief with the Constitutional Court in December 2025. The court’s decision (Acórdão 1133/2025) struck down four of the contested provisions; the revised legislation was promulgated in May 2026.
Market context and U.S. focus
- Portugal recorded 1,543,697 foreign residents at the end of 2024—almost four times the 2017 total.
- In 2024, 2,081 investment permits were issued, with the majority granted to nationals of the United States, China and Russia (in that order).
- The Beverly Hills office places Liberty directly in the decision‑making environment of American families, allowing early engagement on country choice, tax modeling, curriculum planning and school shortlists before any on‑the‑ground actions in Europe.
Practical considerations for families
- Curriculum planning often precedes location decisions; a 20‑year educational map can prevent later conflicts between school systems and naturalisation requirements.
- Tax residency date determines which tax regime applies for the subsequent decade.
- Timing is critical: the 90‑day window for exchanging a U.S. driving licence in Portugal, and the ten‑year wait for citizenship, must be built into the relocation timeline.
For families evaluating Portuguese versus Italian investor visas, Liberty recommends a holistic approach that treats country selection, town choice, school curriculum and tax residency as a single, sequenced decision rather than four independent choices.
Source article: www.imidaily.com
