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8 active residency-by-investment programmes impose no annual minimum-stay requirement to keep the permit — Cyprus PR, Greece Golden Visa, Hungary GIVP, Italy Investor Visa, Latvia Golden Visa, Malta MPRP, Panama Qualified Investor, and UAE Golden Visa — though periodic renewal-visit conditions still apply to several (see each row), per each programme's official regulator, verified 2026-08-07 to 2026-08-19.
Official-source programme facts
Active residency-by-investment programmes whose registry stay field permits maintaining the permit without relocation, with renewal caveats and official-source verification shown per programme.
Verified rows
Listed alphabetically — every programme in this set shares the same zero-day annual requirement, so no ranking is implied.
| Programme | Annual stay field | Headline minimum | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
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 | 0 days/year Visit once every 2 years to maintain permit. | €300,000 €300,000 investment + €50,000 annual secured income requirement. | moi.gov.cy Cyprus Civil Registry and Migration Department Verified |
Greece Golden Visa Greece Golden Visa (Investor Permanent Residence Permit) Open, with reforms. Law 5275/2026 reshaped the tiers; a short-term-rental registration freeze applies in central Athens (districts 1–3, through end-2026) and Thessaloniki (from Mar 2026) — an urban registry rule, not a Golden-Visa threshold change. Reformed in 2024 rather than closed; unlikely to close outright but thresholds may rise further. Programme guide | 0 days/year No minimum stay required to maintain the permit. | €250,000 €250,000 for commercial→residential conversion or listed-building restoration, nationwide. | migration.gov.gr Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum (page predates the 2024 tier reform — see notes) Verified |
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 | 0 days/year No minimum stay required. Visit at least once per year for renewal paperwork. | €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 |
Italy Investor Visa Italy Investor Visa Open. Launched 2017, stable. Flat-tax regime amount increased €100K→€200K for new electants from Aug 2024 — further changes possible. Programme guide | 0 days/year None required for the permit. Tax residency triggers at 183+ days. | €250,000 €250,000 in an Italian innovative startup (startup innovativa). | investorvisa.mise.gov.it Italian Ministry of Economic Development (MISE) Verified |
Latvia Golden Visa Latvia Residence Permit by Investment Open, with reforms. New Immigration Law passed the Saeima 2026-06-11 (scraps the real-estate + subordinated-deposit routes, adds a €150K fund route, cuts equity-route validity 5→2yr); President returned it 2026-06-19, so the routes below remain in force pending the autumn re-vote. Source: PMLP + IMI Daily. Latvia tightened due-diligence after 2022 Russian-applicant scrutiny. Residency permits issued before political shifts remain valid. Programme guide | 0 days/year No minimum stay; visit yearly for renewal. | €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, Section 23(1) (likumi.lv consolidated text) Verified |
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 | 0 days/year No minimum stay. Residence is permanent from day one. | €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 |
Panama Qualified Investor Panama Qualified Investor Visa Open. Real-estate minimum is B/.300,000 with no expiry date. Last amended by Decreto Ejecutivo 193 of 15 October 2024; no further change announced. Open with no announced change. Legislated on three times in five years and the real-estate threshold has moved in both directions (B/.500,000 in 2022, back to B/.300,000 in 2024), so the figure is live policy rather than settled — but every amendment has extended the programme, and the 2024 decree added investor protections for pre-construction buyers. Programme guide | 0 days/year No minimum stay required to maintain permanent residency. | €276,000 ~€276K (B/.300,000) real estate, free of liens. Whichever route you use, DE 722 art. 5 requires the investment to be maintained — or reinvested on the decree’s terms — for five years, with annual proof filed through MICI, or the residency is cancelled. The decree sets the amount as a floor (“la suma mínima desde”), not a temporary rate: there is no sunset date and no higher real-estate tier. | gacetaoficial.gob.pa Gaceta Oficial de Panamá — Decreto Ejecutivo 193 de 15 de octubre de 2024 Verified |
UAE Golden Visa UAE Golden Visa Open. Active government priority; thresholds have eased rather than tightened over time. Programme guide | 0 days/year No minimum stay. Golden-visa holders are exempt from the standard six-month absence rule (u.ae) — the residence lapses only if it expires while the holder is abroad. | €516,000 ~€516K (AED 2,000,000) property investment — full valuation required, not just down payment. | icp.gov.ae UAE Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security (ICP) Verified |
Methodology: The set contains every active residency-by-investment programme whose registry record shows no annual minimum-stay requirement. Renewal visits and other maintenance conditions remain attached in each row; a zero permit-stay requirement does not describe citizenship residence rules.
Data-derived answers
8 active residency-by-investment programmes impose no annual minimum-stay requirement to keep the permit — Cyprus PR, Greece Golden Visa, Hungary GIVP, Italy Investor Visa, Latvia Golden Visa, Malta MPRP, Panama Qualified Investor, and UAE Golden Visa — though periodic renewal-visit conditions still apply to several (see each row), per each programme's official regulator, verified 2026-08-07 to 2026-08-19.
No — several of these programmes still attach periodic conditions even though no annual minimum stay applies. Per programme: Cyprus PR — Visit once every 2 years to maintain permit.; Greece Golden Visa — No minimum stay required to maintain the permit.; Hungary GIVP — No minimum stay required. Visit at least once per year for renewal paperwork.; Italy Investor Visa — None required for the permit. Tax residency triggers at 183+ days.; Latvia Golden Visa — No minimum stay; visit yearly for renewal.; Malta MPRP — No minimum stay. Residence is permanent from day one.; Panama Qualified Investor — No minimum stay required to maintain permanent residency.; UAE Golden Visa — No minimum stay. Golden-visa holders are exempt from the standard six-month absence rule (u.ae) — the residence lapses only if it expires while the holder is abroad..
It includes the 8 active residency-by-investment programmes whose registry records show no annual minimum-stay requirement (0 days per year). The list does not mix in direct-citizenship, talent, tax-residence, HNW-residence, or business-permit categories.
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.