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The only 2026 residency-by-investment comparison that covers every active programme across 15 fields — source-verified against official regulators, re-checked every 30–120 days, and linked to our full written guide for each programme.
Sorted by minimum qualifying investment (cheapest first). Tap any row for our dedicated guide. For closed programmes (Spain, Ireland, Netherlands, UK Tier 1), see the “Recently closed” section below.
| Programme | Min. Invest | Primary Route | Processing | Presence | Citizenship | PR | Family | Schengen | EU Citz | Closure Risk | Verified | Source | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇦🇺Australia NIV | €0 | Proven exceptional achievement in Professions, Sport, Arts, or Academia/Research. State/territory/Australian-organisation endorsement required before application. | 4–8 mo | None | 4 yr | Day 1 | Spouse, Minors, Adult kids (medical), Parents (dep) | — | — | Low | 2026-04-15 | Australian Department of Home Affairs | ⚠Launched 7 December 2024, replacing the Global Talent Visa (GTV) and Business Innovation a… | Guide |
| 🇲🇺Mauritius Residence | €46K | Occupation Permit (Investor) — minimum $50K business investment; 3-year renewable permit. | 2–4 mo | None | 7 yr | 3 yr | Spouse, Minors, Parents (dep) | — | — | Low | 2026-04-15 | Economic Development Board Mauritius | — | Profile |
| 🇱🇻Latvia Golden Visa | €60K | €50K equity in Latvian company + €10K one-time state payment. Company must pay ≥€40K/year in taxes. | 2–3 mo | None | 10 yr | 5 yr | Spouse, Minors, Adult kids (edu) | ✓ | ✓ | Low-Med | 2026-04-15 | Office of Citizenship and Migration Affa… | — | Guide |
| 🇸🇹São Tomé CBI | €83K | Non-refundable government contribution. | 4–8 mo | None | 0 yr | Day 1 | Spouse, Minors | — | — | Medium | 2026-04-15 | São Tomé and Príncipe Government… | ⚠Henley Index 2026 debut #8. Newer programme with lower profile than Caribbean CBI. | Profile |
| 🇳🇷Nauru CBI | €97K | Non-refundable contribution to the Economic and Climate Resilience Programme. | 3–5 mo | None | 0 yr | Day 1 | Spouse, Minors | — | — | Medium | 2026-04-15 | Republic of Nauru Citizenship Unit | ⚠Launched at COP29 (November 2024). Revenue funds climate-resilience adaptation for the Pac… | Profile |
| 🇲🇹Malta MPRP | €114K | Rental property (€14K/year anywhere in Malta, €12K in Gozo/southern Malta), held 5 years. | 8–14 mo | None | 5 yr | Day 1 | Spouse, Minors, Adult kids (medical), Parents (dep) | ✓ | ✓ | Low-Med | 2026-04-15 | Residency Malta Agency | ⚠Legal Notice 146 of 2025 (July 2025) reformed fee structure: unified €37K government contr… | Guide |
| 🇻🇺Vanuatu CBI | €120K | Development Support Program (DSP) donation — non-refundable. | 1–2 mo | None | 0 yr | Day 1 | Spouse, Minors | — | — | Elevated | 2026-04-15 | Vanuatu Citizenship Office | ⚠Programme reopened in 2026 after temporary suspension. Processing affected by Vanuatu Nati… | Profile |
| 🇩🇲Dominica CBI | €184K | Economic Diversification Fund (EDF) donation — non-refundable. Post-2024 standardised regional minimum. | 4–6 mo | None | 0 yr | Day 1 | Spouse, Minors, Adult kids (edu), Parents (dep) | — | — | Elevated | 2026-04-15 | Commonwealth of Dominica Citizenship by … | ⚠OECS Memorandum of Agreement standardised the regional $200K minimum effective 1 July 2024… | Profile |
| 🇬🇩Grenada CBI | €184K | National Transformation Fund (NTF) donation. | 4–6 mo | None | 0 yr | Day 1 | Spouse, Minors, Adult kids (edu), Parents (dep) | ✓ | — | Medium | 2026-04-15 | Grenada Citizenship by Investment Commit… | ⚠OECS MoA standardised regional $200K minimum 1 July 2024; NTF donation raised from $150K s… | Profile |
| 🇦🇬Antigua CBI | €184K | National Development Fund (NDF) donation for single applicants. | 3–5 mo | ~1 d/y | 0 yr | Day 1 | Spouse, Minors, Adult kids (edu), Parents (dep) | ✓ | — | Medium | 2026-04-15 | Antigua & Barbuda Citizenship by Investm… | ⚠OECS MoA standardised regional $200K minimum 1 July 2024; UWI Fund offers $260K covering u… | Profile |
| 🇵🇹Portugal Golden Visa | €200K | Qualifying CMVM-registered fund; ≥60% Portuguese-companies allocation; 6–8 year hold typical. | 36–40 mo | ~7 d/y | 10 yr | 5 yr | Spouse, Minors, Adult kids (edu), Parents | ✓ | ✓ | Low-Med | 2026-04-15 | Agência para a Integração, Migrações e A… | ⚠April 2026 nationality-law amendment pending presidential signature — extends citizenship … | Guide |
| 🇲🇰N. Macedonia CBI | €200K | €200K into an approved Macedonian investment fund. | 6–12 mo | None | 0 yr | Day 1 | Spouse, Minors, Adult kids (edu) | ✓ | — | Medium | 2026-04-15 | North Macedonia Ministry of Interior… | ⚠Lesser-known programme with significantly lower profile than Caribbean CBI peers. Limited … | Profile |
| 🇱🇨St Lucia CBI | €221K | National Economic Fund (NEF) donation. | 3–6 mo | None | 0 yr | Day 1 | Spouse, Minors, Adult kids (edu), Parents (dep) | ✓ | — | Medium | 2026-04-15 | Saint Lucia Citizenship by Investment Un… | ⚠OECS MoA standardised regional $200K minimum 1 July 2024; Saint Lucia set donation at $240… | Profile |
| 🇰🇳St Kitts CBI | €230K | Sustainable Island State Contribution (SISC) — replaces the Sustainable Growth Fund. Non-refundable donation to federal consolidated fund. | 4–6 mo | None | 0 yr | Day 1 | Spouse, Minors, Adult kids (edu), Parents (dep) | ✓ | — | Medium | 2026-04-15 | St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Inves… | ⚠Sustainable Island State Contribution (SISC) replaces the pre-2024 Sustainable Growth Fund… | Profile |
| 🇪🇬Egypt CBI | €230K | Non-refundable contribution to Egyptian Treasury. | 6–9 mo | None | 0 yr | Day 1 | Spouse, Minors | — | — | Low-Med | 2026-04-15 | Arab Republic of Egypt — Cabinet General… | — | Profile |
| 🇬🇷Greece Golden Visa | €250K | Standard real estate outside prime-zone list. | 2–6 mo | None | 7 yr + B1 lang | 5 yr | Spouse, Minors, Adult kids (edu), Parents (dep) | ✓ | ✓ | Low-Med | 2026-04-15 | Enterprise Greece / Greek Ministry of Mi… | ⚠Short-term-rental ban (€50K fine) introduced in 2025; further threshold changes possible. | Guide |
| 🇭🇺Hungary GIVP | €250K | MNB-approved real estate fund; ≥40% NAV in Hungarian residential real estate; 5-year hold. | 1–2 mo | None | 8 yr + A2 lang | 5 yr | Spouse, Minors | ✓ | ✓ | Medium | 2026-04-15 | Hungarian National Directorate-General f… | ⚠Direct €500K real estate option removed 15 January 2025. Two routes remain. | Guide |
| 🇮🇹Italy Investor Visa | €250K | Equity investment in Italian limited company (SRL/SPA). | 3–6 mo | None | 10 yr + B1 lang | 5 yr | Spouse, Minors, Adult kids (medical), Parents (dep) | ✓ | ✓ | Low | 2026-04-15 | Italian Ministry of Economic Development… | — | Guide |
| 🇵🇦Panama Qualified Investor | €276K | Real estate purchase, free of liens. Held 5 years. Temporary reduced threshold until 15 Oct 2026. | 1–3 mo | None | 5 yr | Day 1 | Spouse, Minors, Adult kids (edu), Parents (dep) | — | — | Medium | 2026-04-15 | Servicio Nacional de Migración de Panamá | ⚠$300K real estate threshold expires 15 October 2026; reverts to $500K after that date. | Guide |
| 🇨🇾Cyprus PR | €300K | Residential real estate purchase. | 2–3 mo | None | Not via this route | Day 1 | Spouse, Minors, Adult kids (edu) | — | ✓ | Medium | 2026-04-15 | Cyprus Civil Registry and Migration Depa… | ⚠Annual-income requirement raised from €30K to €50K (2023 reform). Further alignment expect… | Guide |
| 🇹🇷Turkey CBI | €368K | Real estate purchase (residential or commercial), held 3 years. Combined properties allowed. Valuation and DAB currency document must all show ≥USD 400K. | 3–9 mo | None | 0 yr | Day 1 | Spouse, Minors | — | — | Low-Med | 2026-04-15 | Republic of Turkey Ministry of Interior … | — | Profile |
| 🇨🇭Switzerland Lump-Sum | €450K | Negotiated annual lump-sum tax contribution to canton. No minimum capital or investment — the tax IS the qualifying contribution. | 3–6 mo | 183+ d/y | 10 yr | 5 yr | Spouse, Minors | ✓ | — | Low-Med | 2026-04-15 | Swiss Federal Tax Administration | — | Guide |
| 🇹🇭Thailand LTR | €460K | Wealthy Global Citizens: USD 1M+ total assets including USD 500K+ in Thai government bonds, Thai real estate, or Thai-listed equities. | 1–3 mo | None | Not via this route | — | Spouse, Minors | — | — | Low-Med | 2026-04-15 | Thailand Board of Investment | — | Guide |
| 🇲🇨Monaco Residence | €500K | €500K+ deposit at a Monaco bank (amount varies by bank; some require more). Deposit remains under your ownership. | 3–6 mo | 90+ d/y | 10 yr | 10 yr | Spouse, Minors | — | — | Low | 2026-04-15 | Government of the Principality of Monaco | — | Guide |
| 🇱🇺Luxembourg Investor | €500K | €500K into an existing Luxembourg company with commercial/industrial/craft activity; maintain existing employment for 5 years. | 4–6 mo | 90+ d/y | 5 yr + B1 lang | 5 yr | Spouse, Minors, Adult kids (edu), Parents (dep) | ✓ | ✓ | Low | 2026-04-15 | Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembo… | — | Guide |
| 🇦🇪UAE Golden Visa | €516K | Property valued at AED 2M+ (~USD 545K / ~€516K). Single or multiple properties registered to same owner. | 1–2 mo | None | Not via this route | — | Spouse, Minors, Adult kids (edu), Parents | — | — | Low | 2026-04-15 | UAE Federal Authority for Identity, Citi… | — | Guide |
| 🇺🇸USA EB-5 | €736K | Target Employment Area (TEA) investment — rural or high-unemployment areas. Must create/preserve 10 full-time US jobs. | 17–120 mo | 183+ d/y | 5 yr | 2 yr | Spouse, Minors | — | — | Low-Med | 2026-04-15 | US Citizenship and Immigration Services… | — | Guide |
| 🇳🇿NZ Active Investor Plus | €2.8M | Growth category: managed funds, direct NZ business investments, angel/venture. Held 36 months. 21 days NZ presence required. | 3–6 mo | ~7 d/y | 5 yr | 3 yr | Spouse, Minors, Adult kids (medical), Parents (dep) | — | — | Low-Med | 2026-04-15 | Immigration New Zealand | ⚠Rules relaxed in 2025 — Growth category (NZD 5M) has much lower physical-presence requirem… | Guide |
| 🇸🇬Singapore GIP | €6.9M | SGD 10M in new or existing Singapore business; must create ≥30 jobs (50%+ Singapore Citizens, ≥10 new). | 6–12 mo | 183+ d/y | 2 yr | Day 1 | Spouse, Minors | — | — | Low | 2026-04-15 | Singapore Economic Development Board… | — | Guide |
Method:Every row is sourced from the canonical regulator (shown in the “Source” column) and re-verified every 30–120 days. Closure risk is a 0–10 internal score. If a cell in this table conflicts with your lawyer’s advice, trust your lawyer — programme rules change with legal notices; this page syncs within 30 days of material changes.
Programme formally terminated 3 April 2025. No new applications accepted.
Read the alternatives guide →Latvia’s €60,000 company-equity route is the absolute cheapest but has a narrow profile (requires a Latvian operating business paying ≥€40K/year in taxes). Among mainstream residency-by-investment programmes, Portugal’s €200,000 cultural-heritage donation is the cheapest — non-refundable but cheapest qualifying investment among major EU options. Hungary, Greece, and Italy follow at €250K.
Hungary’s Guest Investor Visa Programme at 4–8 weeks end-to-end, followed by Italy’s Investor Visa at 3–6 months (nulla osta processed in parallel with consulate visa). UAE property- based Golden Visa can resolve in 1–2 months once property is registered. Portugal currently averages 36–40 months due to the AIMA backlog.
Greece, Malta MPRP, Hungary GIVP, Latvia, Cyprus PR, Italy Investor Visa, and the UAE Golden Visa all have no minimum stay to maintain the permit. Portugal requires an average of 7 days per year. US EB-5 green card effectively requires US residency (absences over 6 months risk abandonment). Swiss lump-sum residency requires actual Swiss residence. Singapore GIP requires substantial physical presence.
Each programme’s lastVerified date is shown in the comparison table. We re-check every programme against its official regulator within 30–120 days (shorter for high-volatility programmes like Portugal, longer for stable programmes like Italy). Material changes (programme closure, threshold reform, law amendment) are updated within 7 days of news and trigger an update to every dependent page on the site.
Our free Golden Visa Finder takes your budget, family size, citizenship timeline, and presence tolerance — and ranks the 12 active programmes against your criteria with rationale and caveats for each.
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