Guide
Golden Visas & Investment Residency
What is a golden visa?
A golden visa is a residence permit a country grants in exchange for a significant investment — usually real estate, a government-approved fund, a business, or a bank deposit. It lets you and your family live in the country without a job offer, and after enough years of residence it can open a path to permanent residency and eventually citizenship. The key distinction from citizenship by investment is that a golden visa gives you residency first, not a passport outright.
About this guide
This guide compares the leading golden visas side by side — what counts as a qualifying investment, how much you must put in, how little time you actually have to spend in-country, and whether the residency can lead to citizenship — then links to a full breakdown of each.
Pathways compared
42
Countries covered
34
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Singapore Global Investor Programme
|
Investment Residency | SGD 10M (~$7.5M) | Business / fund / family office | Varies | 2+ yrs (PR first) | No |
New Zealand Active Investor Plus
|
Investment Residency | NZD 5M (~$3M) | Growth / managed funds | 117 days / 3-4 yrs | 5 years | Yes |
UAE Golden Visa (Real Estate)
|
Investment Residency | AED 2M (~$545k) | Real estate | None | By invitation | Yes |
Korea D-8 Investor/Startup
|
Investment Residency | $100,000 (KRW 100M) | Corporate investment | — | 5 years | No |
|
Korea Public Investment Residence
|
Investment Residency | KRW 300M+ (~$220k) | Public business investment | — | 5 years | No |
Luxembourg Investor Residence
|
Investment Residency | €500,000 | Business / company | — | 5 years | Yes |
U.S. E-2 Investor
|
Investment Residency | ~$100k+ (substantial) | Active treaty business | Run the business | Not directly | Yes |
|
U.S. EB-5 Investor
|
Investment Residency | $800,000 (TEA) | Job-creating enterprise | Maintain green card | 5 years | Yes |
Malta Permanent Residence
|
Investment Residency | ~€375k property + contributions | Property + government contribution | None | PR (no direct citizenship) | Yes |
Cyprus Permanent Residence
|
Investment Residency | €300,000 | Property / company / fund | Residence within 1 year; lapses after 2-year absence | No direct citizenship | Yes |
Italy Investor Visa
|
Investment Residency | €250,000 | Startup / company / bonds | No minimum | 10 years | Yes |
Greece Golden Visa
|
Investment Residency | €250k–€800k | Real estate (tiered) | None | 7 years | Yes |
Andorra Passive Residence
|
Investment Residency | €600,000 | Bonds/property + €47.5k deposit | 90 days/yr | 10 years | No |
Portugal Golden Visa
|
Investment Residency | €500,000 | Funds / business / cultural | ~7 days/yr | Changing: 7-10 years | Yes |
Latvia Investor Residence
|
Investment Residency | €50,000 + €10,000 fee | Company / real estate / bank / securities | Annual registration | 10+ years | limited |
Chile Investor Residency
|
Investor Residency | $500,000 | Business project | — | — | Yes |
Hungary Guest Investor Residence
|
Investment Residency | €250,000 | Real-estate fund / donation | No minimum stated | 8+ years | Yes |
Argentina Investor Visa
|
Investor Residency | Productive investment (varies) | Business | — | — | Yes |
Uruguay Investor Residency
|
Investor Residency | $525,000 | Real estate / business | None | 3-5 years | Yes |
Bahamas Economic PR
|
Investment Residency | $750,000 real estate | Real estate | None | 10 years | — |
|
Bahamas Homeowner's Card
|
Property Residency | $250,000 home | Real estate | None | — | — |
Panama Friendly Nations Visa
|
Investor Residency | $200,000 (real estate/deposit) | Real estate / deposit | 1 day/2 yrs | 5 years | Yes |
|
Panama Qualified Investor
|
Investor Residency | $300,000 ($500k from Oct 2026) | Real estate / stocks / deposit | None | 5 years | Yes |
|
Panama Reforestation Visa
|
Investor Residency | $100,000 (reforestation) | Forestry | 1 day/2 yrs | 5 years | Yes |
Georgia Permanent Residence (Investment)
|
Investment Residency | $300,000 | Real estate / business | — | 10 years | — |
|
Georgia Property Residence Permit
|
Investment Residency | $150,000 | Real estate | — | 10 years | — |
Malaysia My Second Home
|
Investment Residency | Fixed deposit (tiered RM500k+) | Fixed deposit | 90 days/yr (tiered) | Not a path | — |
|
Malaysia Premium Visa Programme
|
Investment Residency | RM1M deposit + RM40k/mo | Deposit + income | — | Not a path | — |
Costa Rica Investor Residency
|
Investor Residency | $150,000 ($100k forestry) | Real estate / business / forestry | 1 visit/yr | 7 years | Yes |
Bosnia and Herzegovina Real Estate Residence
|
Real Estate Residency | Property purchase | Real estate | — | — | — |
Dominican Republic Investor Residency
|
Investor Residency | $200,000 | Business / real estate | — | PR + fast citizenship | Yes |
Ecuador Investor Visa
|
Investor Residency | $48,200 | Real estate / deposit / equity | — | 3 years | Yes |
Moldova Investment Residence
|
Investment Residency | Investment (varies) | Business | — | — | — |
Brazil Investor Visa — Business
Lowest
|
Investor Residency | BRL 150k–500k | Innovation / business | — | 4 years | Yes |
|
Brazil Investor Visa — Real Estate
|
Investor Residency | BRL 700k–1M | Urban real estate | — | 4 years | Yes |
Colombia Investor Visa (M-6)
|
Investor Residency | ~$33k company / ~$115k real estate | Company or real estate | — | 5 years | Yes |
Fiji Investor Permit
|
Investment Residency | FJD 250,000 (~$110k) | Business | — | — | — |
Paraguay Investor Pass
|
Investor Residency | $70,000 | Business investment | — | 3 years | Yes |
Vietnam Investor Visa
|
Investment Residency | Investment (tiered) | Business | — | — | — |
Philippines SIRV
|
Investment Residency | $75,000 | Business / deposit | — | Not a path | — |
El Salvador Investor Residency
|
Investor Residency | Investment (varies) | Business | — | — | Yes |
Vanuatu Investor Residence
|
Investment Residency | ~$89,000 (VUV 10M) | Investment | — | Not a path | — |
No pathways match that filter.