Golden Visa Programs in 2026: Where Investment-Based Residency Still Makes Sense
Investment-based residency had a dramatic 2024–2025: Spain ended its Golden Visa entirely in April 2025, Portugal scrapped the real-estate route, and Greece tiered up to €800,000 in its hottest zones. Plenty of programs still work — you just need to pick the right one for your goals. Use our Relocation Country Wizard to compare destinations on tax, cost of living, and quality of life before you commit capital.
1. Greece
Why Greece?
- Tiered minimums: €800,000 in Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini, and other high-demand zones; €400,000 in the rest of the country; €250,000 for restoration of listed buildings or conversion of commercial property to residential.
- No stay requirement: You hold residency without needing to physically live there, which is rare among EU programs.
- Family-inclusive: Spouse, children up to 21, and dependent parents are covered on the same investment.
- Path to citizenship: Seven years of residency plus a language and integration test.
Quick Tip: If you are buying for actual living rather than as a pure capital play, look outside the €800K zones — coastal Peloponnese and northern Greece still qualify at €400K and offer lower cost of living.
2. Portugal
Why Portugal?
- Real estate is out, funds are in: The 2023 reform closed the property route. Active options today are €500,000 into a qualifying Portuguese investment fund, €500,000 in research, €250,000 in cultural heritage, or creating ten jobs.
- Minimal physical presence: Seven days in year one, fourteen days in each subsequent two-year cycle.
- Five-year track to citizenship: One of Europe's faster timelines, and Portuguese passports are strong.
- Crypto- and remote-worker-friendly culture: Lisbon and Porto have deep expat communities and English is widely spoken in business settings.
Quick Tip: Read fund prospectuses carefully — some "Golden Visa funds" still carry heavy real-estate exposure that may not survive future regulatory changes. Pick funds invested in operating businesses or diversified equities.
3. Italy
Why Italy?
- Multiple investment lanes: €250,000 in an Italian innovative startup, €500,000 in shares of an Italian company, €1,000,000 philanthropic donation to culture, education, or research, or €2,000,000 in Italian government bonds.
- Two-year visa renewable for three more, then convertible to long-term EU residency.
- Flat-tax incentive (separate but stackable): High-net-worth individuals can elect a €200,000 annual flat tax on foreign income for up to fifteen years.
- No active management required: You commit capital, you don't have to run a business.
Quick Tip: The startup route at €250K has the lowest entry point in Western Europe but carries real risk — diligence the startup like an angel investor, not a tourist.
4. Malta
Why Malta?
- MPRP structure: A government contribution (€60,000–€100,000 depending on the property route), property purchase from €375,000 or rental from €14,000/year, and a €10,000 NGO donation.
- EU residency in roughly six months: Among the fastest EU processing windows.
- English is an official language: Smooth daily life, contracts, and banking for English speakers.
- Schengen access without local stay obligations: No minimum residence days per year.
Quick Tip: Citizenship by direct investment was wound down — the current Citizenship by Naturalisation for Exceptional Services route is far stricter and slower. If you want a Maltese passport, plan for years of genuine residence after the MPRP.
5. Hungary
Why Hungary?
- Relaunched in 2024: The Guest Investor Programme accepts €250,000 in a qualifying real-estate fund, €500,000 in residential property, or a €1,000,000 donation to a Hungarian higher-education institution.
- Ten-year residency, renewable, with low administrative friction.
- Family inclusive: Spouse and minor children, with parents addable separately.
- Central EU geography: Budapest is a three-hour flight from most of Europe.
Quick Tip: The fund route is the cleanest from a paperwork perspective; direct property purchase pulls you into Hungarian property tax and ongoing management overhead.
6. Latvia
Why Latvia?
- Lower thresholds than southern Europe: €250,000 in real estate, €280,000 in a Latvian-bank subordinated deposit, or €100,000 in a Latvian business that creates jobs and pays a state fee.
- Five-year temporary residency renewable to permanent, with a path to citizenship after ten years.
- Schengen access: Free travel across the EU.
- Quietly competitive cost of living: Riga is a fraction of Lisbon or Athens.
Quick Tip: Latvia's program flies under the radar, which is exactly why thresholds remain low. If you want a low-friction EU foothold without becoming part of the next regulatory crackdown, this one is worth a hard look.
7. Cyprus
Why Cyprus?
- Permanent Residency by Investment: €300,000 in new property, a Cyprus-registered company, or a fund.
- Permanent — not renewable: Approval gives indefinite residency from day one, with two months in every two years to keep it active.
- Low corporate tax (12.5%) and a non-dom regime that's useful for entrepreneurs and remote business owners.
- EU member with English-friendly business environment.
Quick Tip: Cyprus's old citizenship-by-investment ended in 2020. Marketing that promises a Cyprus passport in months is misleading — citizenship now requires genuine, prolonged residence.
8. Turkey
Why Turkey?
- Direct citizenship — not residency: $400,000 in real estate held for three years, $500,000 in fixed capital, or a $500,000 deposit in a Turkish bank.
- Family included on a single investment.
- Visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 100+ countries plus E-2 treaty access to the United States.
- Faster processing: Three to six months end to end is typical.
Quick Tip: Real-estate prices in Istanbul are quoted in lira and can swing fast — get an independent valuation in dollars and confirm the title is clean before wiring funds. Currency volatility is a feature, not a bug, of this market.
9. United Arab Emirates
Why the UAE?
- 10-year Golden Visa: Property investment of AED 2,000,000 (about $545,000), or qualifying business, professional, or specialist categories — including AI, doctorate-holders, and high-earning specialists.
- Zero personal income tax: A real differentiator versus EU programs.
- No physical-residency requirement to keep the visa active.
- Family included: Spouse and children of any age, plus domestic-staff sponsorship.
Quick Tip: "Off-plan" Dubai property carries real delivery and developer risk. Pay only into RERA-escrow projects with a proven developer, and treat the visa as a bonus on top of an investment that has to make sense on its own.
10. Mauritius
Why Mauritius?
- Property Acquisition Scheme: Buy a residential unit in an approved IRS, RES, or PDS development from $375,000 and qualify for residency for you and your dependents for as long as you own it.
- Premium Travel Visa: A one-year renewable option for income-earning remote workers and retirees, with no investment requirement.
- Income-tax cap of 15%, plus territorial-style treatment of foreign-source income that isn't remitted.
- English- and French-speaking, politically stable, and well-connected to Africa, India, and Asia.
Quick Tip: Mauritius is small enough that the right development matters more than the right country — pick based on whether you would actually want to live there, not on yield projections.
What about Spain?
Spain's Golden Visa officially closed in April 2025 after years of debate over its impact on housing prices. Existing visa-holders can renew, but no new applications are accepted. If Spain was your target, the closest 2026 substitutes are Portugal (lifestyle), Greece (climate, lower cost), or Cyprus (low tax, quick processing).
Conclusion
Investment-based residency works best when the visa is a side-effect of a deal you would do anyway. Pick a country where you can actually picture spending time, then check that the program's tax treatment, family inclusion, and citizenship timeline match your plan. Ready to compare on cost of living, healthcare, and lifestyle before you wire seven figures? Try the Relocation Country Wizard and run your shortlist through it first.
