Choosing a golden visa

Start with what the permit is for: travel, a home, a future passport or a tax base. The answer rules most programs in or out before price comes into it.

What do you need it for?

• Travel. An EU residence permit gives Schengen travel. A US green card or a UAE visa does not.
• A future passport. Time to citizenship ranges from 5 years after a US green card to 10 years or more in Portugal and Italy. Malta offers no investment route at all.
• A home. If you plan to live there, minimum-stay rules matter less than tax and schooling.
• A tax base. A permit does not make you tax resident by itself. See tax residence for investors.

The programs side by side

Indicative, as at 7 Oct 2026. Fees, family members and taxes are additional. USA EB-5: A petition filed before 1 January 2027 keeps today's amounts. Regional-center visas authorised to 30 Sep 2027; direct EB-5 has no end date. The full comparison is on golden visas compared.

Minimum stay

Greece asks for no stay to keep the permit. Portugal asks for 7 days in the first year, then 14 days every 2 years. A US green card expects you to live in the US. Low stay keeps a permit alive, but counts for little towards citizenship. Greece, for example, needs Greek tax assessments for the years you count.

Time to citizenship

Portugal now needs 10 years for most nationals. Under the Nationality Law, nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries and EU citizens need 7. Greece has 7-year and 12-year routes; plan on 12 for now. A US green card holder can apply after 5 years. Check whether your home country allows dual citizenship before you count on a second passport.

What the money buys

Portugal works through a fund subscription, with no real estate. Greece, Malta, the UAE and Panama are property-led. Italy and the US EB-5 put money into a business. EB-5 investments must create 10 full-time jobs.

The family

Who can be included, and at what cost, differs widely. See families and dependants.

Download this guide (PDF)

The same text as this page, with its law-as-at date.

Website

First name *

Email *

Country of residence *Choose a countryAfghanistanÅland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBritish Virgin IslandsBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCabo VerdeCambodiaCameroonCanadaCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChina (mainland)Christmas IslandCocos IslandsColombiaComorosCook IslandsCosta RicaCôte d'IvoireCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzechiaDemocratic Republic of the CongoDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEswatiniEthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorth MacedoniaNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestinePanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRepublic of the CongoRéunionRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint BarthélemySaint HelenaSaint LuciaSaint MartinSaint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint MaartenSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSt Kitts and NevisSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTürkiyeTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUS Minor Outlying IslandsUS Virgin IslandsUzbekistanVanuatuVatican CityVenezuelaVietnamWallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabwe

We use these details to send this guide and keep a record of your request. Harper Greene Corp. is responsible for them. Fields marked * are needed to send it. You can withdraw consent, or ask to see, correct or delete your details, at any time. Privacy Notice

Email me this guide. Harper Greene may use my details to send it and keep a record of my request. * Also email me when residence or citizenship rules change, and when you publish a new guide. These emails may invite me to a consultation. Harper Greene may use my name, email, country of residence and any citizenship or timing I give for this. I can unsubscribe at any time.

Email me the guide →