{"data":{"program":{"slug":"timor-leste-business-visa-class-i-ii","name":"Timor-Leste Business Visa Class I / II","url":"https://www.imidaily.com/timor-leste-business-visa-class-i-ii/","country":"Timor-Leste","region":"Asia","program_type":"Active Investor Visa","status_granted":"Temporary Residency","min_investment_usd":0,"investment_options":["Business Investment"],"investment_range":null,"passive_investment":"No","min_annual_income_usd":0,"income_range":"**Max Years of Validity**: 2","min_net_worth_usd":null,"max_years_validity":null,"max_years_extension":2,"annual_stay_days":183,"pr_or_citizenship_possible":true,"years_to_pr":6,"years_to_citizenship":10,"tax_residency_required_for_naturalization":"Yes","dual_citizenship":"Permitted","visa_free_countries":55,"notable_visa_free":[],"settlement_blocs":[],"country_attributes":["Low cost of living"],"program_attributes":["**Min Net Worth (US$)**: 0"],"experts":[],"details":{"overview":"Timor-Leste's investor route runs through the **business visa**, which the Law on Migration and Asylum divides into **Class I** and **Class II**. Article 38 provides that Class I is for business prospecting, valid for a maximum of **60 days** with multiple entries and **not extendable** (subject to Article 51), while Class II is for **members and administrators of a commercial company registered or to be registered in Timor-Leste** who hold a relevant position and remain in the country for **more than 183 days per year**. Class II is issued initially for **six months and is extendable for periods of two years**, with multiple entries; extension is conditional on the company actually being registered and on continuing corporate, labour and fiscal compliance, plus the 183-day presence ([Law No. 11/2017 of 24 May, Law on Migration and Asylum](https://www.migracao.gov.tl/pdf/LIA%202017%20English.pdf)).\n\nThe Migration Service publishes the operational detail: applications are lodged at Migration Service headquarters in Vila Verde, Dili, or at an embassy or consulate; fees are **US$100 for Class 1 and US$150 for Class 2** (same for new grants and extensions); and the means-of-subsistence test under **Article 15** is **US$100 per entry plus US$50 per day of stay**. The document list is extensive — commercial registration, tax certificate, medical certificate and criminal record among them ([Serviço de Migração — Business Visa](https://migracao.gov.tl/wp/business-visa/)).\n\nImportantly, **the visa rules impose no minimum investment**. The relevant capital numbers come from company law, and they are very low. SERVE, the business registration authority, states that the **minimum share capital is US$1.00 with no maximum**, that a **Joint Stock Company (Sociedade Anónima) requires a minimum of US$50,000**, and that a **foreign branch or permanent representation requires US$5,000**, all under **Company Act Law No. 10/2017 of 17 May** ([SERVE — FAQs](https://serve.gov.tl/faqs/teste-2/)). TradeInvest Timor-Leste confirms the same figures — minimum share value of US$1 for a Sociedade Unipessoal Limitada or Sociedade por Quotas, US$50,000 for a Sociedade Anónima and US$5,000 for a permanent representation — and notes SERVE registration in about five working days ([TradeInvest Timor-Leste](https://www.tradeinvest.tl/node/17)).\n\nThe residence ladder is comparatively generous. Article 40 provides a visa to establish residence (90 days, multiple entry); Article 55 sets out residence-permit types; **Article 59** makes the temporary residence permit valid **two years, renewable**; and **Article 64** grants permanent residence after **at least ten consecutive years of legal residence**, or **six years holding a temporary residence permit**, or **five years married to a national**. Article 63 confirms permanent residence has no validity limit. Fees are modest: US$100 for a temporary residence permit and US$150 for permanent ([Law No. 11/2017](https://www.migracao.gov.tl/pdf/LIA%202017%20English.pdf)). The law was amended by **Law No. 10/2021** ([Serviço de Migração — Legislation](https://migracao.gov.tl/wp/legislation/)).\n\nLarger investors can also pursue benefits under the **Private Investment Law No. 15/2017** ([Private Investment Law 15/2017](https://customs.gov.tl/wp-content/uploads/formidable/2/ENG-Law-15_2017.pdf)); a current practitioner overview of the regime is available in a 2026 doing-business guide ([Morais Leitão — Doing Business in Timor-Leste, March 2026](https://www.mlgts.pt/xms/files/site_2018/guias/2026/Doing_Business_Timor-Leste_MAR-26.pdf)).","how_to_qualify":"**Route selection**\n- **Class I** — business prospecting: maximum **60 days**, multiple entries, **not extendable** (subject to Art. 51) ([Law No. 11/2017, Art. 38](https://www.migracao.gov.tl/pdf/LIA%202017%20English.pdf)).\n- **Class II** — for **members or administrators of a commercial company registered or to be registered in Timor-Leste** holding a relevant position and remaining **more than 183 days per year**; initial **six months**, extendable for **two-year** periods, multiple entries ([Law No. 11/2017, Art. 38](https://www.migracao.gov.tl/pdf/LIA%202017%20English.pdf)).\n\n**Corporate requirements (SERVE)**\n- Register the company with SERVE; **minimum share capital US$1.00** with no maximum for a Sociedade Unipessoal Limitada or Sociedade por Quotas; **US$50,000** for a Joint Stock Company (Sociedade Anónima); **US$5,000** for a foreign branch or permanent representation — under **Company Act Law No. 10/2017 of 17 May** ([SERVE — FAQs](https://serve.gov.tl/faqs/teste-2/); [TradeInvest Timor-Leste](https://www.tradeinvest.tl/node/17)).\n- Registration takes roughly **five working days** ([TradeInvest Timor-Leste](https://www.tradeinvest.tl/node/17)).\n\n**Means of subsistence (Article 15)**\n- **US$100 per entry plus US$50 per day of stay** ([Serviço de Migração — Business Visa](https://migracao.gov.tl/wp/business-visa/)).\n\n**Documentation**\n- Commercial registration certificate, tax certificate, medical certificate and criminal record, among other items on the Migration Service's published list ([Serviço de Migração — Business Visa](https://migracao.gov.tl/wp/business-visa/)).\n\n**Fees**\n- **Class 1: US$100. Class 2: US$150.** The same amounts apply to new applications and extensions ([Serviço de Migração — Business Visa](https://migracao.gov.tl/wp/business-visa/)).\n- Residence permits: **US$100** temporary, **US$150** permanent ([Law No. 11/2017, fee annexes](https://www.migracao.gov.tl/pdf/LIA%202017%20English.pdf)).\n\n**Where to apply**\n- Migration Service headquarters, **Vila Verde, Dili**, or a Timorese embassy/consulate abroad ([Serviço de Migração — Business Visa](https://migracao.gov.tl/wp/business-visa/)).\n\n**Extension conditions (Class II)**\n- Effective **company registration**, continuing **corporate, labour and fiscal compliance**, and **at least 183 days per year** of presence ([Law No. 11/2017, Art. 38](https://www.migracao.gov.tl/pdf/LIA%202017%20English.pdf)).\n\n**Moving onto residence**\n- Article 40 provides a **visa to establish residence** (90 days, multiple entry); Article 59 makes the **temporary residence permit valid two years, renewable**; Article 60 sets the requirements ([Law No. 11/2017](https://www.migracao.gov.tl/pdf/LIA%202017%20English.pdf)).","benefits":"- Effectively **no investment threshold**: the business visa rules set none, and the general company minimum share capital is **US$1.00** ([Law No. 11/2017, Art. 38](https://www.migracao.gov.tl/pdf/LIA%202017%20English.pdf); [SERVE — FAQs](https://serve.gov.tl/faqs/teste-2/)).\n- Extremely low government fees — **US$100 for a Class 1 business visa and US$150 for Class 2**, the same for extensions ([Serviço de Migração — Business Visa](https://migracao.gov.tl/wp/business-visa/)).\n- Class II business visas are **extendable in two-year blocks** with multiple entries, giving a stable long-term footing for an active business owner ([Law No. 11/2017, Art. 38](https://www.migracao.gov.tl/pdf/LIA%202017%20English.pdf)).\n- A statutory temporary residence permit of **two years, renewable**, for **US$100** ([Law No. 11/2017, Arts. 59 and fee annexes](https://www.migracao.gov.tl/pdf/LIA%202017%20English.pdf)).\n- An accelerated permanent-residence route: **six years** holding a temporary residence permit rather than the standard ten consecutive years of legal residence — and permanent residence has **no validity limit** ([Law No. 11/2017, Arts. 63–64](https://www.migracao.gov.tl/pdf/LIA%202017%20English.pdf)).\n- **Dual citizenship is effectively permitted**: Timorese citizenship is lost only where the person voluntarily acquires a foreign citizenship **and** declares renunciation ([Law No. 9/2002, s. 14](https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/1257570/1504_1217942293_law-no-9-2002-on-citizenship.pdf)).\n- Company registration through SERVE takes about **five working days** ([TradeInvest Timor-Leste](https://www.tradeinvest.tl/node/17)).\n- Timor-Leste uses the **US dollar**, and its fees and capital minimums are denominated in USD, removing FX risk from the structure ([SERVE — FAQs](https://serve.gov.tl/faqs/teste-2/); [Serviço de Migração — Business Visa](https://migracao.gov.tl/wp/business-visa/)).","citizenship_timeline":"Timor-Leste has a workable, if long, naturalisation route. Section 12 of **Law No. 9/2002 on Citizenship** requires an applicant to be an adult, to have been a **usual and regular resident for at least ten years** (counted before 7 December 1975 or after 20 May 2002), to **speak one of the official languages** (Tetum or Portuguese), to have adequate moral and civic standards, to be self-sufficient, and to have knowledge of Timorese history and culture. Section 11 provides a shorter marriage route — five years of marriage plus two years of residence and language ability — and section 16 lists grounds of opposition ([Law No. 9/2002](https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/1257570/1504_1217942293_law-no-9-2002-on-citizenship.pdf)).\n\n**Dual citizenship is effectively permitted.** Section 14 provides that Timorese citizenship is lost only where the person voluntarily acquires a foreign citizenship **and declares that they renounce** Timorese citizenship — so acquiring another nationality does not by itself cost the Timorese one ([Law No. 9/2002, s. 14](https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/1257570/1504_1217942293_law-no-9-2002-on-citizenship.pdf)).\n\nThe route from investor to citizen is therefore: Class II business visa (six months, then two-year extensions, requiring 183 days per year in country) → temporary residence permit (two years, renewable, US$100) → permanent residence after **six years** on a temporary residence permit or **ten consecutive years** of legal residence → naturalisation after **ten years** of usual and regular residence with language and civics requirements ([Law No. 11/2017, Arts. 38, 59, 64](https://www.migracao.gov.tl/pdf/LIA%202017%20English.pdf); [Law No. 9/2002, s. 12](https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/1257570/1504_1217942293_law-no-9-2002-on-citizenship.pdf)).\n\nBecause both the Class II visa and the naturalisation test are presence-based (183 days per year; usual and regular residence), this is a **genuine relocation route with tax-residence consequences**, not a paper-residence product.","legal_basis":"The controlling statute is **Law No. 11/2017 of 24 May, the Law on Migration and Asylum**, as amended by **Law No. 10/2021** ([Law No. 11/2017](https://www.migracao.gov.tl/pdf/LIA%202017%20English.pdf); [Serviço de Migração — Legislation](https://migracao.gov.tl/wp/legislation/)). The operative provisions for this visa are **Article 15** (means of subsistence), **Article 38** (business visa Classes I and II, durations and extension conditions), **Article 40** (visa to establish residence), **Article 55** (types of residence permit), **Article 59** (temporary residence permit valid two years, renewable), **Article 60** (requirements), **Article 63** (permanent residence has no validity limit) and **Article 64** (permanent residence after ten consecutive years of legal residence, six years on a temporary residence permit, or five years married to a national), together with the fee annexes ([Law No. 11/2017](https://www.migracao.gov.tl/pdf/LIA%202017%20English.pdf)).\n\nThe administering authority is the **Serviço de Migração de Timor-Leste**, which publishes the business-visa procedure, document list and fee schedule and receives applications at its Vila Verde headquarters in Dili or through Timorese missions abroad ([Serviço de Migração — Business Visa](https://migracao.gov.tl/wp/business-visa/)).\n\nCompany formation — the substantive precondition for a Class II visa — is governed by **Company Act Law No. 10/2017 of 17 May** and administered by **SERVE**, which sets the minimum share capital at US$1.00 generally, US$50,000 for a Joint Stock Company and US$5,000 for a foreign branch or permanent representation ([SERVE — FAQs](https://serve.gov.tl/faqs/teste-2/); [TradeInvest Timor-Leste](https://www.tradeinvest.tl/node/17)). Investment incentives sit under the **Private Investment Law No. 15/2017** ([Private Investment Law 15/2017](https://customs.gov.tl/wp-content/uploads/formidable/2/ENG-Law-15_2017.pdf)).\n\nNaturalisation is governed by **Law No. 9/2002 on Citizenship** ([Law No. 9/2002](https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/1257570/1504_1217942293_law-no-9-2002-on-citizenship.pdf))."}},"as_of":"2026-11-15T00:23:25.913Z"},"meta":{"publisher":"IMI Daily","attribution":"Source: IMI Daily (https://www.imidaily.com). Free to use with credit to IMI Daily and a link to the item's url.","license":"https://www.imidaily.com/api/terms","disclaimer":"General information only, not legal, tax or investment advice. Rules change often; confirm with the official source or a licensed professional before acting.","generated_at":"2026-11-15T00:23:25.913Z"}}