Golden Visa Countries 2026: Every Country That Offers Residency or Citizenship by Investment

Twenty-four countries currently run a formal residency- or citizenship-by-investment programme. Commonly called "golden visas," these programmes grant legal residency or citizenship in exchange for a qualifying economic contribution, typically real estate, government bonds, business investment, or a direct contribution to a national fund.

This guide covers every active golden visa country in 2026, organised by region, with the minimum investment, what the programme grants and the route to citizenship for each. Nine further programmes have closed, been paused, or never opened, and they are listed at the end.

Europe

Europe remains the most popular destination for golden visa investors, thanks to Schengen zone travel, strong rule of law, and clear paths to EU citizenship.

Portugal

• Programme: Golden Residence Permit (ARI)
• Minimum investment: €500,000 (qualifying investment funds, venture capital, or cultural/heritage contributions)
• Real estate route: Removed in October 2023
• Processing: 12-24 months or more to the first residence card (as of mid-2026)
• Residency type: Temporary (renewable every 2 years)
• Path to citizenship: 10 years for most foreign nationals, 7 years for EU and CPLP nationals, counted from when the residence permit is issued (Lei Orgânica 1/2026, in force 19 May 2026)
• Schengen access: Yes
• Key advantage: The lowest stay requirement in the EU: 7 days in the first year, then 14 days per two-year period

Greece

• Programme: Greece Golden Visa
• Minimum investment: €250,000 (renovation/conversion projects), €400,000 (standard areas), or €800,000 (prime areas including Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini)
• Processing: roughly 4-6 months outside busy offices, 6-9 months on average, longer where offices are congested
• Residency type: 5-year renewable
• Path to citizenship: 7 continuous years of lawful residence
• Schengen access: Yes
• Key advantage: Real estate investment still available; €250,000 entry for renovation projects is the lowest in the EU Schengen zone

Malta

• Programme: Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP)
• Minimum investment: property of at least €375,000 (purchase) or €14,000 a year (lease), plus a €37,000 government contribution, a €2,000 NGO donation and a €60,000 administrative fee for the main applicant
• Processing: 4-8 months
• Residency type: Permanent
• Path to citizenship: none by investment. The scheme was ruled unlawful by the EU Court of Justice on 29 April 2025 (Case C-181/23) and is closed; ordinary naturalisation needs about 5 years of aggregate residence and is discretionary
• Schengen access: Yes
• Key advantage: English-speaking, permanent status, generous family inclusion

Italy

• Programme: Investor Visa for Italy
• Minimum investment: €250,000 (innovative startup), €500,000 (Italian limited company), €1M (philanthropic donation), or €2M (government bonds), as published by Italy's official investor visa portal
• Processing: 3-6 months
• Residency type: 2-year investor visa, then renewable residence permit
• Path to citizenship: 10 years
• Schengen access: Yes
• Key advantage: Access to one of the world's largest economies; €250K startup route is affordable

Cyprus

• Programme: Fast-Track Immigration Permit
• Minimum investment: €300,000 (new residential property, other real estate, company shares or fund units) plus secured annual income of €50,000, which must come from abroad on the new-home route. Adult children invoking the same investment multiply it: €600,000 for one, €900,000 for two, and each must show €50,000 of secured annual income in their own right
• Processing: the Migration Department estimates about 2 months to examine a completed application, counted from the submission of a complete file rather than from first contact
• Residency type: Permanent (lifetime)
• Path to citizenship: 7 years (cumulative within last 10 years)
• Schengen access: No (Cyprus not yet in Schengen)
• Key advantage: Lifetime permanent residency with minimal stay requirements; one of the fastest EU programmes

Hungary

• Programme: Guest Investor Programme
• Minimum investment: €250,000 (approved real-estate fund, held 5 years) or €1,000,000 (donation to a Hungarian higher-education institution). The €500,000 direct property purchase written into the legislation never came into operation
• Processing: 3-4 months
• Residency type: 10-year renewable
• Path to citizenship: 8 years
• Schengen access: Yes
• Key advantage: Competitive pricing in a central European Schengen member

Latvia

• Programme: Residence Permit by Investment
• Minimum investment: €50,000 (company investment) or €250,000 (real estate)
• Processing: 1-3 months
• Residency type: 5-year renewable
• Path to citizenship: naturalisation requires 5 years of permanent-resident status, which follows the temporary-residence period rather than running alongside it
• Schengen access: Yes
• Key advantage: One of Europe's lowest thresholds

Turkey

• Programme: Citizenship by Investment (exceptional acquisition under the Turkish citizenship regulation)
• Minimum investment: $400,000 in real estate, held for 3 years. The alternatives are $500,000 in a bank deposit, $500,000 in fixed capital, $500,000 in government bonds, or creating 50 jobs
• Residence alternative: a short-term residence permit through property needs a title-deed value of at least $200,000 (since 16 October 2023). This is residence only, and the $400,000 and $500,000 figures buy citizenship, not a residence permit. Conflating the two is the most common error in Turkish programme comparisons
• Citizenship: granted on approval, with no prior residence requirement
• Schengen access: No (Turkey is not an EU or Schengen member)
• Key advantage: The largest economy of any programme granting citizenship outright, with no prior residence required
• Official sources: Investment Office of the Presidency and the Presidency of Migration Management

Caribbean

The Caribbean is home to the world's most established citizenship-by-investment programmes, offering immediate passports with strong global mobility.

St Kitts & Nevis

• Programme: Citizenship by Investment (since 1984)
• Minimum investment: $250,000 (Sustainable Island State Contribution, covering a main applicant or family of up to four) or $325,000+ (real estate, seven-year hold)
• Processing: 3-6 months
• Citizenship: Immediate
• Visa-free countries: no official count is published by the CBI unit
• Key advantage: Oldest and most established CBI programme; includes UK and EU visa-free travel

Antigua & Barbuda

• Programme: Citizenship by Investment
• Minimum investment: $230,000 (NDF, charged flat regardless of family size) or $300,000 (real estate)
• Processing: 3-6 months
• Citizenship: Immediate
• Visa-free countries: no official count is published by the CBI unit
• Key advantage: Best value for larger families

Grenada

• Programme: Citizenship by Investment
• Minimum investment: $235,000 (National Transformation Fund donation, the same for a single applicant or a family of four) or, for real estate, $350,000 to buy an approved unit outright, or $270,000 for a share in a co-owned unit, held for five years, plus a $50,000 government fee. The minimum valuation of that co-owned unit is quoted inconsistently across two instruments that are both in force, at $540,000 in S.R.O. 15 of 2024 and $440,000 in S.R.O. 21 of 2025, so confirm the figure with your agent before committing
• Processing: the Investment Migration Agency targets approval within 60 business days of submission, and end to end to passport issuance runs about 6 to 8 months. Applications cannot be filed directly: only a government-authorised Local Agent can submit one
• Citizenship: Immediate
• Visa-free countries: no official count is published by the CBI unit
• Key advantage: The only Caribbean CBI programme with E-2 Treaty Investor Visa access to the United States

Dominica

• Programme: Citizenship by Investment (since 1993)
• Minimum investment: $200,000 (Economic Diversification Fund) or $200,000 (real estate)
• Processing: 3-6 months
• Citizenship: Immediate
• Visa-free countries: no official count is published by the CBI unit
• Key advantage: Lowest single-applicant threshold in the Caribbean

St Lucia

• Programme: Citizenship by Investment
• Minimum investment: $240,000 (National Economic Fund) or $300,000 (real estate)
• Processing: 3-6 months
• Citizenship: Immediate
• Visa-free countries: no official count is published by the CBI unit
• Key advantage: Government bonds option available ($300,000, held for 5 years)

Middle East

United Arab Emirates

• Programme: UAE Golden Visa
• Minimum investment: AED 2 million (~€500,000) in property, or qualification by profession (entrepreneurs, scientists, professionals, outstanding students)
• Processing: 2-4 weeks
• Residency type: 10-year renewable
• Path to citizenship: Not available through investment. UAE citizenship is granted by nomination only, under Federal Decree-Law 16/2021
• Key advantage: Zero income tax, fastest processing of any programme worldwide

Jordan

• Programme: Investor Residency
• Minimum investment: $750,000+ in various qualifying investments
• Processing: 2-4 months
• Residency type: Renewable
• Path to citizenship: Possible after extended residency
• Key advantage: Gateway to Middle Eastern markets

Asia-Pacific

Thailand

• Programme: Long-Term Resident (LTR) Visa
• Minimum investment: $500,000 in Thai government bonds, FDI, or property. The Wealthy Global Citizen category also requires at least $1M in assets and personal income of at least $80,000 a year in the two years before applying
• Processing: 1-3 months
• Residency type: 10-year (5 + 5)
• Path to citizenship: Extremely rare through investment
• Key advantage: One of the longest visa terms in Asia. The 17% flat personal income tax rate often attached to the LTR visa applies only to the Highly-Skilled Professionals category, so Wealthy Global Citizens do not get it

Malaysia

• Programme: Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H)
• Minimum investment: a fixed deposit in a licensed Malaysian bank, priced in US dollars by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture: Silver USD 150,000, Gold USD 500,000, Platinum USD 1 million. Up to 50% of the deposit can be withdrawn after approval for a home, education, medical care or tourism. A fourth category covers the Special Economic Zone and Special Financial Zone
• Compulsory property purchase: this is the cost most comparisons miss. Every mainland tier requires buying a home after approval, at RM 600,000 or above on Silver, RM 1 million on Gold and RM 2 million on Platinum, and it cannot be sold for 10 years (you may only upgrade to a more expensive one). Failure to comply revokes the pass
• Participating fee: RM 1,000 on Silver and RM 3,000 on Gold, one-off per principal, but RM 200,000 on Platinum
• Minimum stay: 90 cumulative days a year. Between 25 and 49, the principal or a dependant can satisfy it
• Residency type: a renewable pass of 5 years (Silver), 15 years (Gold) or 20 years (Platinum)
• Work and business: not allowed on Silver or Gold. Permissible on Platinum only
• Path to citizenship: Not through this programme
• Key advantage: Low cost of living, English widely spoken, and tax exemption on incoming funds such as the deposit

Singapore

• Programme: Global Investor Programme (GIP)
• Minimum investment: SGD 10 million (~$7.5 million) to set up or expand a Singapore business, on the direct-investment option. This is not a passive route: it also carries a business track-record test. The fund and family-office options are set considerably higher, so check the current tiers against Singapore EDB's published criteria before budgeting
• Processing: 6-12 months
• Residency type: Permanent residency
• Path to citizenship: After 2 years of PR
• Key advantage: A major financial hub, and one of the world's strongest passports

New Zealand

• Programme: Active Investor Plus Visa
• Minimum investment: NZD 5 million over 3 years on the Growth category, or NZD 10 million over 5 years on the Balanced category
• Processing: 6-12 months
• Residency type: Leads to permanent residency
• Path to citizenship: 5 years after residency granted
• Key advantage: Small, stable, English-speaking nation with outstanding quality of life

Vanuatu

• Programme: Development Support Programme, one of several Vanuatu citizenship routes
• Minimum investment: $130,000 for a single applicant, per the Citizenship Office's published fee schedule. This is a government fee schedule rather than a contribution in the Caribbean sense, and Vanuatu runs several programmes at different prices, including the CIIP route at around $260,000
• Processing: no official service standard supports the 30-to-45-day timelines quoted by agents. The published process describes a citizenship commission decision, a decision letter about a week later, and three months, extendable by two, to complete the oath and pay the fees
• Citizenship: on completion of the oath and fees
• Key advantage: The lowest published entry price of any citizenship-by-investment programme
• Official source: Vanuatu Citizenship Office fees and charges

Americas

United States

• Programme: The Gold Card, created by Executive Order 14351 (signed 19 September 2025, open to applications since December 2025), and the older EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa
• Gold Card minimum: a non-refundable $1,000,000 gift plus a $15,000 DHS processing fee, charged per person. Each family member needs their own gift and fee, so a family of four costs about $4 million plus $60,000, not $1,015,000. The corporate route is $2,000,000 per employee, plus a 1% annual maintenance fee and a 5% transfer fee
• EB-5 minimum: $800,000 (Targeted Employment Area) or $1,050,000 (standard)
• Processing: EB-5 runs 24-48+ months, with significant backlogs for some countries
• Residency type: a successful Gold Card applicant receives lawful permanent residence as an EB-1 or EB-2 holder, subject to visa availability. EB-5 grants a conditional green card that becomes permanent after 2 years
• Path to citizenship: 5 years after the green card
• What to watch: the $15,000 fee is non-refundable and paid up front, while the gift follows vetting. Approval is discretionary rather than guaranteed. The gift is unrecoverable, with no enterprise, no at-risk investment and no job-creation requirement, which is what separates the Gold Card from EB-5. Because it rests on an executive order rather than legislation, a future administration could end it, and US permanent residents are taxed on worldwide income
• Official sources: Executive Order 14351 in the Federal Register and trumpcard.gov

Canada

• Programme: Start-Up Visa
• Minimum investment: No fixed minimum, but must secure support from a designated Canadian angel investor group ($75,000+), venture capital fund ($200,000+), or business incubator
• Processing: 12-24 months
• Residency type: Permanent
• Path to citizenship: 3 years of physical presence
• Key advantage: Direct path to Canadian permanent residency and citizenship

Panama

• Programme: Qualified Investor Visa (Panama also runs the separate Friendly Nations Visa)
• Minimum investment: $300,000 in real estate, but only until 15 October 2026, when the real-estate minimum rises permanently to $500,000 under Decreto Ejecutivo 193 of 15 October 2024. The stock-market route is already $500,000 and the fixed-term bank deposit route is $750,000
• Processing: 3-6 months
• Residency type: Permanent
• Path to citizenship: 5 consecutive years of residence, reduced to 3 years for foreigners married to a Panamanian national or with a child born in Panama to a Panamanian parent
• Key advantage: US dollar economy, territorial tax system, strategic location
• Official source: Decreto Ejecutivo 193, Gaceta Oficial

Africa

Mauritius

• Programme: Mauritius Residence by Investment
• Minimum investment: $375,000 (real estate in approved developments)
• Processing: 2-4 months
• Residency type: Permanent (for 10 years, renewable)
• Path to citizenship: After sustained residency
• Key advantage: Zero capital gains tax, English/French-speaking, gateway to African markets

Programmes That Have Ended or Are Paused

Nine programmes that still appear in older comparisons are no longer open to new applicants:

• Spain Golden Visa: Abolished on 3 April 2025. Organic Law 1/2025, the justice-service efficiency law rather than an immigration law, emptied Articles 63 to 67 of the 2013 Entrepreneurs Law. Applications filed before that date are decided under the rules in force when they were filed, and permits valid on 3 April 2025 keep their validity for the term for which they were issued. Renewals are processed under the rules in force when the first permit was granted. The renewal provision is headed at real-estate investors while its operative text covers investors generally, so anyone who qualified through capital, funds or deposits should have counsel confirm their renewal position rather than treating it as settled. Source: BOE consolidated text
• Malta MEIN (Citizenship by Investment): Terminated in 2025 after the EU Court of Justice ruled on 29 April 2025, in Case C-181/23, that it breached EU law. Malta's MPRP residence programme is a separate scheme and remains open
• Australia Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP): Closed permanently to new applications on 31 July 2024, taking the Significant Investor stream with it. Applications lodged before that date are still being processed. Australia's replacement, the National Innovation visa (subclass 858), is often listed as a golden visa but is not one: it is an invitation-only visa for exceptional talent, granted on an expression of interest, with no investment threshold at all. Source: BIIP closure, Department of Home Affairs
• Ireland Immigrant Investor Programme: Closed to further applications from close of business on 15 February 2023, not paused. Applications already on hand at that point continued to be considered, and approved investors and projects were unaffected. Over its lifetime the programme approved almost €1.252 billion of investment. Source: Minister's closure announcement, gov.ie
• Montenegro Citizenship by Investment: Closed to new applications on 31 December 2022 and not renewed. Approved applications and granted citizenships remain valid, but no new investors can enter
• UK Tier 1 Investor Visa: Closed February 2022
• Cyprus Citizenship by Investment: Suspended November 2020. Cyprus still runs the Fast-Track Immigration Permit for residence, which is listed above
• Bulgaria CBI: Ended January 2022
• Moldova CBI: Never launched despite legislation

How to Choose the Right Country

Consider these factors when selecting a programme:

Your primary goal: Is it travel freedom? Tax optimisation? A backup plan? Quality of life? EU access?

Your budget: Published minimums run from $130,000 for Vanuatu citizenship and €50,000 for Latvia's company-investment residence route at the low end, to SGD 10 million for Singapore at the top. Be realistic about total cost, which includes legal fees, due diligence, government fees, taxes, and ongoing maintenance.

Your timeline: Need something fast? Cyprus and the UAE are the quickest to a residence permit. Bear in mind that a fast permit is not a fast passport: since May 2026 Portugal's naturalisation clock runs 10 years for most nationals (7 for EU and CPLP) and only starts when the permit is issued, so Greece's 7 years of lawful residence is now the shorter EU route.

Your family situation: Programmes like Malta and the Caribbean nations allow parents and even siblings. Others limit inclusion to spouse and minor children. Check how the price scales: Antigua's fund route is flat for any family size, while the US Gold Card charges its full gift and fee per person.

Your tax situation: Some programmes (UAE, Caribbean) offer zero income tax environments. Others (Portugal, Italy) have special tax regimes for new residents.

Working With an Immigration Lawyer

Investment migration is a complex field where mistakes are expensive and sometimes irreversible. A specialist immigration lawyer can:

• Assess which programme genuinely fits your situation (not just sell you the most expensive one)
• Navigate due diligence requirements, especially for applicants with complex business backgrounds
• Manage the application process from start to finish
• Coordinate with local professionals (notaries, bankers, real estate agents)
• Protect your interests if complications arise

Compare verified immigration lawyers by country and specialisation at Golden Visa Lawyers.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest golden visa?

For citizenship, Vanuatu is the cheapest published route at $130,000 for a single applicant under the Development Support Programme. In the Caribbean, Dominica starts at $200,000. For residence rather than citizenship, Latvia's company-investment route starts at €50,000, and Greece's conversion-and-restoration tier starts at €250,000. The cheapest headline figure is rarely the cheapest total: government fees, due diligence charges, legal costs and mandatory holding periods vary widely between programmes, and several countries charge per family member rather than a flat family price.

Which country has the best golden visa?

There is no single best programme, because the answer depends on what you are buying. For EU citizenship on the shortest clock, Greece requires 7 continuous years of lawful residence, which since May 2026 is shorter than Portugal's 10 years for most nationals. For the lowest stay requirement, Portugal asks 7 days in the first year and 14 days per two-year period after that. For an immediate passport, the five Caribbean programmes and Turkey grant citizenship rather than residence. For speed to a residence permit, the UAE issues in 2 to 4 weeks.

Which countries can Americans move to permanently through investment?

Every programme on this page is open to US citizens. Americans most often use Portugal, Greece and Italy in Europe, Panama and the Caribbean programmes closer to home, and the UAE. Two points matter specifically for US citizens. The United States taxes its citizens on worldwide income wherever they live, so a second residence does not end a US filing obligation. And Grenada is the only Caribbean citizenship-by-investment programme whose passport carries access to the US E-2 Treaty Investor visa.

Does any country pay you to become a citizen?

No. Every programme on this page runs the other way: you contribute capital, buy qualifying assets, or make a non-refundable donation, and the country grants residence or citizenship in exchange. The closest thing to a discount is a programme that charges one flat price for a whole family, such as Antigua and Barbuda's National Development Fund route at $230,000 regardless of family size, or Grenada's National Transformation Fund at $235,000 for a single applicant or a family of four.

Do golden visas lead to EU citizenship?

Residence programmes in EU member states can lead to citizenship through ordinary naturalisation, never through the investment itself. Greece requires 7 continuous years of lawful residence, Cyprus 7 years cumulative within the last 10, Hungary 8 years, and Portugal 10 years for most nationals, or 7 for EU and CPLP nationals, counted from when the permit is issued. Malta's direct citizenship-by-investment scheme was struck down by the EU Court of Justice on 29 April 2025 and is closed, so no EU member state now sells citizenship outright.

Conclusion

The golden visa market in 2026 offers more options than ever, but also more complexity. Programmes are evolving, thresholds are changing, and due diligence requirements are tightening globally. The right choice depends entirely on your individual circumstances, your goals, your budget, your family, and your timeline.

Use this guide as your starting point, then consult with a qualified immigration lawyer to turn your plan into reality.