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The cheapest European golden visa in 2026 is the Latvia Golden Visa at €60,000 (€50K equity in a small Latvian company (≤50 employees, ≤€10M turnover/balance) + €10K state fee), per the Immigration Law of Latvia (Imigrācijas likums), Section 23(1) — likumi.lv consolidated Latvian text; president.lv 2026-06-19 and Saeima/LSM 2026-08-20 on the new law, likumi.lv, verified 2026-09-09.
Open, with reforms: New Immigration Law adopted 2026-06-11, returned by the President 2026-06-19, re-adopted by the Saeima 2026-08-20 and promulgated 2026-09-01; its core provisions take effect 1 January 2027: the real-estate and subordinated-deposit routes end for new applications, a €150K state-fund route (+€10K state payment, 5-year lock-up) is added, and equity-route permits shorten from 5 to 2 years. Until then the routes below stay open and applications accepted before entry into force are decided under the current law. The interest-free government-bonds route was deleted by the 23 April 2026 amendment.
Official-source programme facts
Active European residency-by-investment programmes ranked by the headline minimum recorded in the source-verified WhereNext golden-visa facts registry, with route caveats and official provenance kept inline.
Verified rows
| Rank | Programme | Headline minimum | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latvia Golden Visa Latvia Residence Permit by Investment Open, with reforms. New Immigration Law adopted 2026-06-11, returned by the President 2026-06-19, re-adopted by the Saeima 2026-08-20 and promulgated 2026-09-01; its core provisions take effect 1 January 2027: the real-estate and subordinated-deposit routes end for new applications, a €150K state-fund route (+€10K state payment, 5-year lock-up) is added, and equity-route permits shorten from 5 to 2 years. Until then the routes below stay open and applications accepted before entry into force are decided under the current law. The interest-free government-bonds route was deleted by the 23 April 2026 amendment. Latvia tightened due-diligence after 2022 Russian-applicant scrutiny. Residency permits issued before political shifts remain valid. Programme guide | €60,000 €50K equity in a small Latvian company (≤50 employees, ≤€10M turnover/balance) + €10K state fee = €60K total — the cheapest route. (PMLP) | likumi.lv Immigration Law of Latvia (Imigrācijas likums), Section 23(1) — likumi.lv consolidated Latvian text; president.lv 2026-06-19 and Saeima/LSM 2026-08-20 on the new law Verified |
| 2 | Malta MPRP Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP) Open, with reforms. Legal Notice 146 of 2025 (July 2025) reformed fee structure: unified €37K government contribution, spouse+minor children free, adult dependants reduced to €7.5K. Malta EU-scrutinised; IIP (passport sales) already closed in 2025. MPRP reformed rather than terminated but future tightening possible. Programme guide | €99,000 €99K verified government fees post-L.N. 146/2025 (€60K administrative fee [€15K on submission + €45K on approval] + €37K contribution + €2K NGO donation; adult dependants €7.5K each). PLUS a mandatory property commitment: €375K purchase OR €14K/yr lease anywhere in Malta or Gozo (no lower tier) for 5 years (Residency Malta). True minimum entry ≈ €169K via the lease route. | residencymalta.gov.mt Residency Malta Agency (RMA) Verified |
| 3= | Portugal Golden Visa Portugal Golden Visa (ARI) Open. Nationality reform ENACTED: Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026 published in Diário da República 18 May 2026, in force 19 May 2026. Citizenship clock now 7 years (Portuguese-speaking/CPLP + EU nationals) or 10 years (all others); pending applications keep the prior regime. Source: Diário da República + Ministério da Justiça. The €1.5M capital-transfer route (bank deposit / government bonds) closed to new applications on 7 October 2023 with the real-estate routes (Lei 56/2023). Real estate removed 2023; citizenship timeline lengthened (Lei Orgânica 1/2026). Programme continues but politically less durable than a decade ago. Programme guide | €250,000 €250,000 non-refundable cultural/heritage capital transfer is the cheapest route (Lei 23/2007 art. 90.º-A vi; a 20% low-density-territory reduction to €200K exists but is geography-restricted). (The fund route is €500K.) | aima.gov.pt Lei 23/2007 art. 90.º-A, via AIMA (AIMA does not publish the ARI thresholds — see notes) Verified |
| 3= | Greece Golden Visa Greece Golden Visa (Investor Permanent Residence Permit) Open, with reforms. Tiers set by Law 5100/2024 art. 64 (in force 5 April 2024; ministry circular 9 of 24 Sept 2024): €800K in Attica, the Thessaloniki regional unit, Mykonos, Thira and islands over 3,100 inhabitants; €400K elsewhere; €250K for commercial-to-residential conversions and listed-building restorations; golden-visa properties may not be short-term let (€50K fine under Migration Code art. 100 as amended). Law 5275/2026 (Feb 2026) amended family-member provisions, not the tiers. A separate short-term-rental registration freeze applies in central Athens (districts 1–3, through end-2026) and Thessaloniki (from Mar 2026) — an urban registry rule. Reformed in 2024 rather than closed; unlikely to close outright but thresholds may rise further. Programme guide | €250,000 €250,000 for commercial→residential conversion or listed-building restoration, nationwide. | migration.gov.gr Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum — Circular 9 of 24 Sept 2024 implementing Law 5100/2024 art. 64 (Migration Code art. 100 as amended) Verified |
| 3= | Hungary GIVP Hungary Guest Investor Visa Programme (GIVP) Open, with reforms. Direct €500K real estate option removed 15 January 2025. Two routes remain. Hungary-EU rule-of-law tensions; programme could face EU scrutiny. 2025 reform removed the direct-RE route — further narrowing possible. Programme guide | €250,000 €250,000 in MNB-approved real estate investment fund (min 40% Hungarian residential exposure). | oif.gov.hu Hungarian National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (OIF) Verified |
| 3= | Italy Investor Visa Italy Investor Visa Open. Launched 2017, stable. Flat-tax regime amount increased €100K→€200K for residence transfers after 10 Aug 2024 and to €300K (+€50K per family member) from 1 Jan 2026 (Law 199/2025) — further changes possible. Programme guide | €250,000 €250,000 in an Italian innovative startup (startup innovativa). | investorvisa.mise.gov.it Italian Ministry of Economic Development (MISE) Verified |
| 7 | Cyprus PR Cyprus Permanent Residence by Investment Open, with reforms. Annual-income requirement raised from €30K to €50K (2023 reform). The Cyprus Parliament was considering a major reform of the programme as of June 2026 (not yet enacted); further tightening is expected as Cyprus prepares for Schengen accession. Parents/in-laws already excluded (2023). Citizenship fast-track removed (2026). Programme likely to tighten further with Schengen accession. Programme guide | €300,000 €300,000 investment + €50,000 annual secured income requirement. | moi.gov.cy Cyprus Civil Registry and Migration Department Verified |
| 8 | Luxembourg Investor Luxembourg Investor Residence Permit Open. Stable programme within a financially sophisticated jurisdiction. Unlikely to change materially in the short term. Programme guide | €500,000 €500K into an existing or new Luxembourg company (commercial/industrial/craft). Real estate explicitly excluded from qualifying investments. | guichet.public.lu Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Verified |
Methodology: Figures are programme headline minimums from each registry note, ranked ascending; programmes with equal figures share a rank (shown as “3=”). They are not all-in household budgets: fees, property commitments, currency conversions, and route conditions remain attached in each row. Scope: active European residency-by-investment programmes only — direct-citizenship programmes (e.g. Türkiye), closed programmes (e.g. Spain), and tax- or wealth-based residence permits are excluded by definition.
Data-derived answers
The cheapest European golden visa in 2026 is the Latvia Golden Visa at €60,000 (€50K equity in a small Latvian company (≤50 employees, ≤€10M turnover/balance) + €10K state fee), per the Immigration Law of Latvia (Imigrācijas likums), Section 23(1) — likumi.lv consolidated Latvian text; president.lv 2026-06-19 and Saeima/LSM 2026-08-20 on the new law, likumi.lv, verified 2026-09-09.
The table ranks 8 active European residency-by-investment programmes by their headline minimum figure, lowest first; programmes with equal figures share a rank. Latvia Golden Visa is first at €60,000. Each row keeps the registry’s route note, programme status, official source, and verification date attached.
Malta MPRP’s €99,000 figure is a government-fee floor rather than an investment, so its full registry note applies: €99K verified government fees post-L.N. 146/2025 (€60K administrative fee [€15K on submission + €45K on approval] + €37K contribution + €2K NGO donation; adult dependants €7.5K each). PLUS a mandatory property commitment: €375K purchase OR €14K/yr lease anywhere in Malta or Gozo (no lower tier) for 5 years (Residency Malta). True minimum entry ≈ €169K via the lease route. Source: residencymalta.gov.mt, verified 2026-09-09.
This is a neutral programme-facts reference based on official-source registry records. It does not assess a person’s circumstances or replace advice from a licensed immigration professional.