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    Compare · 2026 · Updated 2026-09-25

    Golden Visa Comparison 2026

    This golden visa comparison sets Portugal, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Spain and the UAE side by side on entry cost, minimum stay, time to citizenship and whether the money comes back. The lowest mainstream entry is €250,000 (Italy's startup route, Greece's conversion route, Hungary's fund or Portugal's cultural donation); Portugal's fund route is €500,000, and Spain closed on 3 April 2025.

    Golden visa comparison table (2026)

    Country Status From Real estate? Min stay Citizenship Money back?
    Portugal Open €500,000fund · or €250k cultural donation (non-recoverable) No (ended 2023) 7 days in year 1, then 14 per 2 years 10 years (7 for CPLP) Fund units (value at risk) · donation no
    Greece Open €250,000conversion · €400k–€800k property Yes None 7 years Yes (asset)
    Italy Open €250,000startup · invest after approval No None for first 5 years ~10 years Most routes (not the €1M gift)
    Hungary Open €250,000real-estate fund (5-yr hold) Via fund None ~8 years of actual residence Fund units (value at risk)
    Spain Closed —ended 3 April 2025 — — — —
    UAE (Dubai) Residence only ~AED 2mproperty, or no-investment routes Yes Golden Residence not cancelled after 180 days abroad No automatic path Property capital at risk

    Entry figures are the lowest qualifying amount, not the all-in cost. Citizenship periods are counted from residence, and low or no physical presence slows the clock; Portugal's is 7 years for EU and Portuguese-speaking (CPLP) nationals and 10 for most others, counted from when the first residence permit is issued. Run the real numbers with our Portugal, Greece, Italy, Cyprus and UAE calculators.

    Which is right for you?

    Cheapest active route

    Italy's €250,000 startup route or Greece's €250,000 property-conversion route — both around the lowest mainstream entry, and both leave you holding an asset rather than making a gift.

    Italy →Greece →

    Fastest to an EU passport

    Greece, at seven continuous years of lawful residence plus a B1 Greek and civics exam, is the shortest of these routes to citizenship, but the years help only if you genuinely live there. Portugal and Italy are ten years for most applicants.

    Greece →

    Least time in the country

    Greece and Hungary have no minimum stay, Italy exempts investors from its continuity-of-stay rules for the first five years, and Portugal asks for 7 days in the first year and 14 days in each following two-year period. Low presence also means slow (or no) progress toward citizenship.

    Italy →Greece →Portugal →

    Money back vs a donation

    If getting your capital back matters, favour routes where you keep an asset: Greek property, an Italian startup or bond, or a Portuguese fund. None guarantees a return, and the value can fall. Avoid the pure donations — Portugal's €250k cultural gift and Italy's €1M philanthropic route are not recoverable.

    Portugal →Italy →

    Residency without a passport

    If you want long-term residence in a country with no personal income tax and do not need an automatic citizenship path, UAE Golden Residence offers five- or ten-year categories and can be obtained without investment under some professional, talent or student routes.

    UAE →

    What closed and changed

    Europe's golden visas are getting fewer, pricier and slower, so a comparison from even a year ago is misleading. The moves that matter now: Spain closed its programme on 3 April 2025; Portugal removed real estate in 2023 and lengthened its citizenship clock in 2026 (now counted only from when your residence card is issued); Greece raised its property thresholds to as much as €800,000 in high-demand areas in 2024; and the UAE Golden Visa creates no citizenship entitlement, although citizenship is separately available only through a discretionary nomination process.

    The programmes in brief

    Portugal

    Real estate is gone; the live routes are a €500,000 investment fund or a €250,000 cultural donation. Light stay requirement, family included — but the 2026 nationality law lengthened the road to a passport, and the AIMA backlog is real.

    Greece

    The only one of these still built on property: €250,000 for a conversion or restoration, €400,000 or €800,000 for a standard purchase. No minimum stay, and the shortest citizenship clock at seven continuous years of genuine residence plus the naturalisation exam.

    Italy

    The de-risked option: from €250,000 in a startup, and you invest only after a free pre-approval, so your capital is never at stake while you wait. No minimum stay for the first five years; low government fees.

    Hungary

    €250,000 in a registered Hungarian real-estate fund, or a €1 million donation to a university foundation. Direct property purchase does not qualify. No mandatory minimum stay for the permit, but permanent residence and citizenship need actual residence.

    Spain

    Closed to new applicants since 3 April 2025. Existing holders keep and can renew their permits, but there is no new investment route — the Non-Lucrative and Digital Nomad visas are the remaining ways in.

    UAE (Dubai)

    Five- or ten-year self-sponsored residence, depending on the category and channel. Some professional, talent and student routes need no investment; Golden Residence itself creates no citizenship entitlement.

    The headline is not the whole cost

    Every "from €250,000" figure hides the real bill. On top of the investment sit government fees (charged per family member), legal fees, and — for funds — subscription and management fees that compound over years. A donation is spent; a fund or property can be recovered but ties up capital and carries market risk. Before you compare programmes on their headline, compare them on their all-in cost for your family, which is exactly what our per-country calculators are for.

    Get quotes from verified lawyers

    Once you have a shortlist, the right lawyer makes the difference between a smooth application and a stalled one. Compare verified golden-visa lawyers in each country — compared on credentials and verification — and get quotes for your situation.

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    Frequently asked questions

    What is the cheapest golden visa?

    Among the mainstream European programmes, the cheapest entry is around €250,000 — Italy's innovative-startup route, Greece's property-conversion route, Portugal's cultural donation and Hungary's real-estate fund all start there. Latvia is cheaper still: from €50,000 invested in the share capital of a small Latvian company, plus a one-off €10,000 state payment, so about €60,000 in total, through a business investment that carries more risk. Caribbean citizenship by investment starts at US$200,000 (Dominica's fund route), though that buys a passport, not EU residency, so it is a different product. If you want a chance of getting capital back, an investment route (Italy's startup, Greek property, a Hungarian or Portuguese fund) beats a donation, though none guarantees a return.

    What is the cheapest golden visa in Europe?

    On headline cost, Latvia: about €60,000 in total (€50,000 in a small Latvian company's share capital plus a one-off €10,000 state payment), through a business investment that carries more risk. Among the programmes in the table above, €250,000 is the floor: Italy's innovative startup, Greece's commercial-to-residential conversion, Hungary's real-estate fund and Portugal's cultural donation, which is non-recoverable (Portugal's fund route starts at €500,000). Remember the headline is not the whole cost — government fees, legal fees and, for funds, management fees all add up, which our per-country calculators show.

    Which golden visa is fastest to citizenship?

    Of these, Greece has the shortest qualifying period at seven years, versus about ten for Portugal and Italy. But Greek citizenship requires genuine physical residence, so the seven years only count if you actually live there. The UAE Golden Visa itself creates no entitlement to citizenship; UAE citizenship is a separate, discretionary nomination process.

    Italy vs Portugal golden visa — which is better?

    Italy is more capital-efficient and lower-risk: from €250,000, and you invest only after a free pre-approval, with no minimum stay for the first five years. Portugal's fund route is €500,000 and the 2026 nationality law set its citizenship clock at 10 years for most applicants, the same as Italy's. Portugal has the deeper expat infrastructure and asks for 7 days in the first year and 14 days in each following two-year period.

    Spain vs Portugal golden visa?

    There is no contest anymore: Spain closed its golden visa on 3 April 2025, so Portugal is the live choice. If you specifically wanted Spain, its Non-Lucrative and Digital Nomad visas remain, but they are income-based lifestyle visas, not investment routes.

    Which golden visas have closed or changed?

    Spain closed its programme in April 2025. Portugal removed the real-estate route in 2023 and lengthened its citizenship clock in 2026. The UAE Golden Visa creates no citizenship entitlement, although investors are among the categories that may be nominated separately at the government's discretion. Greece raised its property thresholds in 2024.

    Does the UAE (Dubai) golden visa lead to citizenship?

    No automatic path comes with the visa. The UAE Golden Visa is long-term residence and creates no citizenship entitlement. UAE citizenship is a separate, discretionary nomination process, and investors are among the categories that may be nominated. If an EU passport is your goal, compare Portugal, Greece or Italy; if UAE residence and the absence of UAE personal income tax are the priorities, compare the residence rules and your separate tax-residency position carefully.

    Can I get my investment back?

    It depends on the route, not the country. Property, funds, company shares and government bonds are assets you can eventually recover (subject to market value and holding periods). Donations — Portugal's cultural route and Italy's €1 million philanthropic route — are gifts you do not get back. The comparison table above flags which is which.

    Official sources, checked 2026-09-25

    Disclaimer. This guide is general information, not legal, tax, immigration or financial advice. Programme rules, thresholds and citizenship timelines are current for 2026 and change frequently — Spain's closure (Organic Law 1/2025, 3 April 2025), Portugal's 2026 nationality reform and the UAE's residence-only framework are all reflected here. Confirm the current figures and your eligibility with a licensed lawyer in the relevant country before committing funds. Last reviewed 2026-09-25.