Golden visa countries: the eight programmes in the dataset

1. Portugal

   open, from EUR 250,000

   Portugal issues a two-year residence permit for investment (ARI) for EUR 500,000 in a non-real-estate fund, EUR 500,000 in scientific research, EUR 250,000 in cultural heritage, EUR 500,000 in a company creating five jobs, or the creation of ten jobs. Seven days of presence in the first year and fourteen in each later period keep it alive. Property has not qualified since 7 October 2023, and since 19 May 2026 naturalisation takes ten years of residence rather than five.¹

2. Greece

   open, from EUR 250,000

   Greece grants a five-year investor permit for a single property of at least 120 m2 costing EUR 800,000 in Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and the larger islands, EUR 400,000 elsewhere, or EUR 250,000 for a conversion or listed restoration anywhere. No stay is required and the permit renews while the property is held; short-term letting is barred. Naturalisation needs seven years of physical residence, which the permit alone does not produce.²

3. Italy

   open, from EUR 250,000

   Italy issues a two-year investor visa, renewable for three years, for EUR 2,000,000 in government bonds, EUR 500,000 in an Italian company, EUR 250,000 in an innovative start-up or a EUR 1,000,000 philanthropic donation, the investment to be completed within three months of entry. The authority states no minimum stay. Permanent residence follows five years of residence and naturalisation ten.³

4. Malta

   open, from EUR 99,000 in government payments plus rent or property

   Malta grants permanent residence from the outset under the MPRP for a EUR 375,000 property purchase or a EUR 14,000 annual rental, each held for five years and each paired with EUR 99,000 of fixed contributions and fees. Applicants show assets of EUR 500,000 or EUR 650,000 with a financial component and apply through a licensed agent. No stay is required, and there is no route from the programme to citizenship. Current figures date from 1 January 2025.⁴

5. Hungary

   open, from EUR 250,000

   Hungary issues a ten-year guest investor permit, renewable once, for EUR 250,000 in approved real-estate fund units held five years or a EUR 1,000,000 donation to a higher-education trust. The EUR 500,000 direct property option ended on 15 January 2025. No stay is required, the spouse and dependent children are included, and the permit is not a citizenship route.⁵

6. Cyprus

   open, from EUR 300,000

   Cyprus grants a permanent residence permit under Regulation 6(2) for EUR 300,000 in a new residential property, a company employing five people or a Cypriot fund, with secured annual income of EUR 50,000 plus allowances for dependants. The holder must visit once every two years and evidence the investment and health insurance annually. Naturalisation requires long physical residence and is not accelerated by the permit.⁶

7. Latvia

   changing, from EUR 50,000

   Latvia issues a five-year temporary permit for EUR 50,000 in a qualifying company plus a EUR 10,000 state payment, or for a EUR 250,000 property plus a 5% state payment. The row is marked "changing": amendments passed on 11 June 2026 would end the property route from 1 January 2027, but the President returned them on 19 June 2026 and they are not in force. Annual registration is required; permanent residence follows five years and citizenship ten with a language test.⁷

8. Spain

   closed

   Spain closed its investor residence visa on 3 April 2025, when Ley Orgánica 1/2025 emptied articles 63 to 67 of Ley 14/2013. No new applications are accepted. Holders keep their permits and renewal rights under a transitional provision. The row stays in the dataset so that the closure is recorded with its date and source.⁸

"From" gives the lowest minimum on any route before fees; for Malta it gives the fixed government payments that both routes carry, since the rent alone would understate the outlay. Programmes are listed in dataset order, which is the order of the table on the homepage.