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Citizenship List

25 Great Golden visa programs in the World

Golden visa programs offer immediate permanent residency or citizenship to foreign investors who buy a real estate or business investment. Due to its popularity, Governments of various countries provide a red carpet welcome to such investors.

Golden visa programs attract investors to invest in real estate or direct business investment and is gaining much more attention among investors from Middle East, Pakistan and parts of Asia. The most popular route is real estate investment because the real estate demand is so high in Europe and can be sold later. Once the investment is made, the investor is granted residency (or ) permanent residency (or) citizenship depending on the size of the investment made.

Portugal

Portugal

Golden Residence Visa

Minimum Investment: EUR 500,000

  • Recoverable real estate investment
  • 7days per year minimum residency
  • Portugal (EU) passport after 6 years.
  • European Residency for your family.
  • PR after 5 years of residency.
  • Visa free travel to EU schengen zone

Dominica

Dominica

Citizenship by investment

Minimum Investment: USD 100,000

  • Cheapest citizenship program.
  • No residency requirement
  • No visit to Dominica required.
  • Real estate investment USD 200,000
  • CIP open to all country nationals
  • Visa free travel to 110 countries

St Kitts and Nevis

St Kitts Nevis

Citizenship by Investment

Minimum Investment: USD 250,000

  • Popular caribbean citizenship program
  • Visa free travel to Schengen, UK
  • Easy second passport & citizenship
  • No residence requirements or taxes.
  • Easy investor and family immigration
  • No restriction on dual citizenship.

Grenada

Grenada

Citizenship by Investment

Minimum Investment: USD 200,000

  • Newly launched citizenship program.
  • No residence requirements.
  • Real estate investment ($350,000)
  • Visa free travel to China
  • Very fast processing time (2 months).
  • Apply for E2 treaty investor visa to the US

Cyprus

Cyprus

Citizenship by Investment

Real Estate Investment

Minimum EUR 2,000,000

  • 100% Real Estate Investment
  • Excellent European Passport
  • Maintain investment for 3 years.
  • No residency requirement.
  • Passport within 3-4 months.

Malta

Malta

Citizenship by Investment

Malta Individual Investor Program (MIIP)

Minimum: approx EUR 900,000

  • EU Passport
  • Fast processing 3-4 months
  • €650k Donation + €150k Govt bonds
  • Passport after 12 months
  • Visa free travel to over 180+ countries.

Belgium

Belgium

Belgium Business Immigration

Minimum: EUR 350,000

  • Residency in European financial capital.
  • Travel freely in Schengen zone
  • Belgium passport after 5 years.
  • No residency requirement.
  • No Restrictions on dual citizenship.

Spain

Spain

Golden visa

Minimum Investment: EUR 500,000

  • Spanish residency program
  • Real estate investment
  • No residence requirements.
  • Freely travel in Schengen
  • European residence permit

Hungary

Hungary

Golden visa

Minimum: EUR 300,000

  • Fast track PR in Hungary.
  • Buy Government bonds for 5 years.
  • Travel freely in Schengen zone
  • Life time settlement permit.
  • No residency requirements.

Saint Lucia

St Lucia

Citizenship by investment

USD 100,000

  • Second passport with citizenship
  • Visa free travel to 125 countries including UK, Schengen
  • Fast track processing within 2 months.
  • Investment in Government bonds, real estate or business
  • Lifetime family citizenship.

Greece

Greece

Greek Residency Program

Minimum: EUR 250,000

  • Real estate property investment
  • Permanent residency in Greece
  • No residence requirements.
  • No language, interview, business experience
  • Freedom to travel within Schengen
  • Citizenship after 7 years

Switzerland

Switzerland

Swiss Residence Program

CHF 1 million

  • Business Investment or Retirement
  • Swiss Residence Permit
  • Swiss Canton of your choice
  • PR after 10 years
  • Swiss citizenship after 12 years.

United Kingdom

UK

UK Tier 1 Investor Program

Minimum: £2 million

  • Easy Qualification Requirements
  • Fast processing 2 months
  • No business experience required
  • No language, interview, medical tests
  • Easy path to British citizenship and passport.
  • Popular program post Brexit

New Zealand

  • New Zealand issues investor visa to third country citizens, who invests a minimum NZ$ 1.5 million (over 4 years) or NZ$ 10 million (over 3 years). You have to spend 44 days every year during the investment period. Acceptable investment options are public or private NZ companies, NZ Government bonds, Property investment with commercial returns. New Zealand passport is one of the best passports in the world for travel.

Netherland

  • Netherlands has launched a “Dutch Foreign investor visa” scheme granting immediate residency to foreign investors who invest atleast € 1.25 millioncapital in a dutch company or joint venture.  Permanent residency is granted after 5 years which can be converted into citizenship easily after 5 years of uninterrupted residence.

Canada

  • Canada has Quebec investor program running who must intend to settle in Quebec and must invest CAD$ 800,000.  You have to show that you have experience in running a business and also hold net assets CAD$ 1.6 million. After 3 years of living, you may apply for Canadian citizenship.

United States

  • USA has immigrant investor green card program (EB5) with minimum investment $1 million in urban cities or $500,000 (rural) which must be invested in a commercial business creating atleast 10 jobs.  You can live anywhere in US and spouse can apply as well. Processing time is about 12 months. This program is only interesting if you want to physically move and live in the US. Please note that after 5 years, you can apply for the US passport provided you have lived 50% (2.5 years out of 5 years) in US. Also US taxes on worldwide income.

Antigua & Barbuda

  • Antigua & Barbuda has Caribbean citizenship by investment program under donation route ($200,000 non-refundable limited offer till may 2016) or real estate ($400,000) or direct business investment ($10million) granting passport to investors within 4-6 months. Antigua passport allows visa free travel to over 100+ countries UK, EU schengen countries, Canada and more.

Monaco

  • Monaco is the second smallest country in the world, has been preferred home for ultra high net worth and very wealthy individuals in the french riviera. The country has very good stable real estate market. Monaco has no double taxation agreements. Monaco grants residency to foreign nationals who are able to invest €1 million in commercial businesses. You must live 10 years in Monaco to get citizenship (renounce previous one).

Bulgaria

  • Bulgaria has currently running “Immigrant investor programs”  inviting foreigners to invest atleast €512,000 (fast track option) in Government bonds leading to bulgarian citizenship. Another option is €300,000 in real estate leading to PR (permanent residency). Please note that at the time of writing this article, bulgaria is not a schengen member state and has plans to join schengen zone soon with Romania, Croatia.  After 5 years of holding PR, it is possible to apply for bulgarian citizenship.

Singapore

  • Singapore has “Global investor program” for foreigners who must invest atleast SG$ 2.5 million in a business or a GIP fund. The turnover of the company has to be SG$ 50 million in the recent year or SG$200 million in the past 3 years. The investor visa can be renewed for 3 years or 5 years.  Singapore passport is one of the best travel documents in the world.  Singapore is currently the most expensive country to live, overtaking oslo, tokyo and london.

Ireland

  • Ireland Immigrant investor program is open to non european nationals who wish to invest atleast €500,000 in irish company or €1 million in irish bonds (no interest paid) or donation of €500,000 or mixed investment of €950,000 ( €450,000 real estate + €500,000 irish bonds). The residence permit is issued for 5 years or 3 years depending on the investment. No minimum residency requirements enforced, except a visit to ireland once a year is required. Under the irish naturalisation law, you are required to live 5 years in ireleand, before applying for citizenship.

Australia

  • Australia has “investor stream” visa  program with the designated business investment of AUD$ 1.5 million in australian state or territory. The “significant” investor visa scheme with AUD$ 5 million and “premium” investor visa scheme has AUD$ 15 million for those who has successful business career. After 4 years of holding the investment, will lead to permanent residency and later australian citizenship.

 

Hong Kong

  • Hong Kong has HK$ 6.5 million (approx US$800,000) business investment visa program, for foreign investors who must establish a business and invest in a HK company. The processing time is 2-3 months and visa is issued to investor  with renewals in every one or two years. The Capital Investment Entrant Scheme in Hong Kong was officially suspended as of 15 January 2015.  The HK SAR passport is one of the widely respected and best travel documents in the world.

Austria

  • 

Austria is central hub of central europe having rich cultural values, known for music, operas and Viennese style coffee, business and trade. Austria has currently “business” residency program where third country nationals need to create and invest in a austrian company. The minimum expenses to run a company is about $100,000 per year.  The business visa is issued to individual and his family which is renewable every one or two years, depending on the turnover and profits of the company. After 10 years of uninterrupted living in Austria, it is possible to apply for Austria citizenship (with german knowledge)

Austria also has provisions in citizenship law, where austrian citizenship given to foreign individual who do “extraordinary contribution to Austria” e.g business investment of €10 million. However such citizenship through investment program is currently defunct.