Golden Visa Finder 2026
Enter your budget, family size, and preferences. We rank the 28 active residency-by-investment programmes worldwide against your criteria and show the best matches with rationale and caveats. No sales call. No email wall.
Data sourced from AIMA (Portugal), Residency Malta Agency, Italian MISE, Greek Ministry of Migration, MNB (Hungary), USCIS, Singapore EDB, Dubai ICP, and other official regulators. Last updated 11 October 2026.
Quick answer
Key facts
- 28 active programmes ranked every active residency-by-investment programme — re-verified every 30–120 days against official regulator sources.
- Personalised matching budget + family + citizenship timeline + presence tolerance — not a generic list.
- Closed/changed flagged Spain (April 2025), Portugal real-estate (2023), Ireland IIP — programme stability is a real risk factor and explicit in results.
- Cheapest entry: ~€250K Hungary Golden Visa fund subscription · highest open: USCIS EB-5 ($800K TEA / $1.05M non-TEA).
- Sources: official regulators AIMA · Residency Malta Agency · Italian MISE · Greek Migration · MNB · USCIS · Singapore EDB · Dubai ICP · 20+ others.
Golden visa investment ladder — 12 programmes ranked
From €0 to €215K minimum investment. Green bars include Schengen access AND an EU citizenship pathway; amber bars have one of the two; grey bars have neither.
Verified · WhereNext Golden Visa Index
- Australia NIV€0 (~$0)
- Mauritius Residence€43K (~$50K)
- Latvia Golden Visa€60K (~$70K)
- Nauru CBI€77K (~$89K)
- São Tomé CBI€77K (~$89K)
- Malta MPRP€99K (~$115K)
- Vanuatu CBI€112K (~$130K)
- Dominica CBI€172K (~$199K)
- Antigua CBI€198K (~$229K)
- Grenada CBI€202K (~$234K)
- St Lucia CBI€207K (~$240K)
- St Kitts CBI€215K (~$249K)
USD equivalents use the ECB reference for 2026-09-01: USD 1.159 per EUR; approximate, not a transaction rate.
| # | Programme | Min. investment | Pathway | Schengen | Cit. yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇦🇺 Australia NIV | €0 (~$0) | Residency only | No | 4 yr |
| 2 | 🇲🇺 Mauritius Residence | €43K (~$50K) | Residency only | No | 7 yr |
| 3 | 🇱🇻 Latvia Golden Visa | €60K (~$70K) | EU citizenship | Yes | 10 yr |
| 4 | 🇳🇷 Nauru CBI | €77K (~$89K) | Residency only | No | — |
| 5 | 🇸🇹 São Tomé CBI | €77K (~$89K) | Residency only | No | — |
| 6 | 🇲🇹 Malta MPRP | €99K (~$115K) | Residency only | Yes | 5 yr |
| 7 | 🇻🇺 Vanuatu CBI | €112K (~$130K) | Residency only | No | — |
| 8 | 🇩🇲 Dominica CBI | €172K (~$199K) | Residency only | No | — |
| 9 | 🇦🇬 Antigua CBI | €198K (~$229K) | Residency only | Yes | — |
| 10 | 🇬🇩 Grenada CBI | €202K (~$234K) | Residency only | Yes | — |
| 11 | 🇱🇨 St Lucia CBI | €207K (~$240K) | Residency only | Yes | — |
| 12 | 🇰🇳 St Kitts CBI | €215K (~$249K) | Residency only | Yes | — |
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Which Golden Visa programme is cheapest in 2026?
Portugal’s €200,000 cultural-heritage donation route is the cheapest qualifying investment among major EU programmes, followed by Hungary’s €250,000 MNB-approved real estate fund, Greece’s €250,000 tier (for commercial-to-residential conversion or listed-building restoration anywhere in Greece), and Italy’s €250,000 innovative-startup route. Latvia offers €60,000 for its company-investment route, which is meaningfully cheaper but has a narrower profile (requires a Latvian operating business paying ≥€40K/year in taxes). All Malta, Cyprus, and non-EU programmes sit above €300,000 minimum. Source: WhereNext golden-visa-facts registry, April 2026.
Which Golden Visa has the fastest path to citizenship?
Since 19 May 2026 Portugal’s timeline is 7 years (CPLP/EU nationals) or 10 — no longer the fastest of the mainstream EU golden-visa programmes. Greece’s 7-year qualifying period (with a B1 Greek language test) is shorter than Portugal’s 10 for most applicants; Luxembourg’s ordinary naturalisation period is 5 years. Turkey’s Citizenship-by-Investment route (not strictly a golden visa) grants citizenship on approval of the investment application (qualifying property stays under a 3-year resale restriction), but without EU access. For speed combined with EU access, Italy’s 10-year timeline is slower but more predictable. Source: WhereNext golden-visa-facts registry, April 2026.
Which Golden Visa requires no physical presence?
Greece, Malta MPRP, Hungary GIVP, Latvia, Cyprus PR, and the UAE Golden Visa all have no minimum-stay requirement to maintain the permit. Portugal requires an average of 7 days per year. The US EB-5 green card effectively requires US residency (absences over 6 months risk abandonment). Australia NIV and Singapore GIP both require substantial presence to maintain status and to qualify for citizenship. Source: WhereNext golden-visa-facts registry, April 2026.
Which Golden Visa has the lowest programme-closure risk?
Based on our scoring (closure-risk 0–10, higher = more at risk): Italy Investor Visa (2) and UAE Golden Visa (2) are the most stable. Portugal’s closure risk is elevated (4) due to the April 2026 nationality-law amendment. Greece (3) is stable but its thresholds may rise further. Cyprus PR (6) is the highest-risk EU option due to Cyprus’s pending Schengen-accession alignment. Spain’s programme is already closed (formal termination 3 April 2025); Ireland, the Netherlands, and UK Tier 1 investor routes were all closed before 2024. Source: WhereNext golden-visa-facts registry, April 2026.
This tool is informational and does not constitute legal or tax advice. Programme rules change frequently — we revise our data every 30–120 days and every programme’s last-verified date is visible in the results. Before committing capital, consult a qualified immigration lawyer in the target country and a cross-border tax adviser.