A golden visa is a residence permit granted in exchange for a qualifying investment — real estate, fund subscriptions, government contributions or business creation, depending on the country. In 2025-2026 this landscape changed faster than at any point in its history: Spain terminated its program, the EU’s top court ended Malta’s citizenship-by-investment scheme, Portugal doubled its citizenship timeline, and Caribbean programs came under EU visa-free-access review. Plenty of pages online still describe programs that no longer exist. This page tracks every major golden visa program in 2026, with the current minimums and rules — verified 25 July 2026 and re-checked on a rolling schedule.
Quick answer (verified 25 July 2026): The major golden visa / residency-by-investment programs still open in 2026 are Portugal (from €250,000), Greece (from €250,000 in limited cases, typically €400,000-€800,000), the UAE (AED 2M ≈ USD 545,000), the USA’s EB-5 (from $800,000), Italy (from €250,000), Hungary (from €250,000), Cyprus (from €300,000), Panama (from $200,000-$300,000) and the five Caribbean citizenship programs (from $200,000). Spain’s golden visa closed in April 2025; Malta’s citizenship-by-investment route was ended by an EU court ruling the same month.
Every major program at a glance
| Program | Status (Jul 2026) | Minimum investment | Main route | Path to citizenship |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | Open | €250,000-€500,000 | €500k regulated investment funds (no real estate since Oct 2023) | 7-10 yrs residence (changed May 2026; 7 for CPLP/EU nationals) |
| Greece | Open | €250,000-€800,000 | Real estate, three-tier pricing by zone; short-term letting banned | 7 yrs residence (with physical presence) |
| UAE | Open | AED 2,000,000 (~$545,000) | Property (50%-paid rule dropped Feb 2026), deposits, funds, talent routes | No standard naturalisation path |
| USA (EB-5) | Open | $800,000 (TEA) / $1,050,000 | Job-creating investment via regional centers; rural filings prioritized | Green card → citizenship after 5 yrs |
| Italy | Open | €250,000-€2,000,000 | Startup €250k / company €500k / bonds €2M / donation €1M | 10 yrs residence |
| Malta (MPRP) | Residency open; citizenship route closed Apr 2025 | Property + contribution (figures under revision) | Permanent residence via property + government contribution | No investment route to citizenship (ECJ ruling) |
| Cyprus | Open | €300,000 + VAT | New residential/commercial property, shares or funds + €50k/yr income | 8 yrs actual residence (slow with minimal presence) |
| Hungary | Open | €250,000 | Approved real-estate fund (direct property option abolished Dec 2024) | No fast track; standard naturalisation |
| Spain | Closed Apr 2025 | — | Alternatives: non-lucrative visa, digital nomad visa | 10 yrs (2 for Ibero-American nationals) |
| Panama | Open — $300k route ends Oct 15, 2026 | $200,000-$300,000 | Qualified Investor (real estate, rises to $500k in October) or Friendly Nations routes | Eligible after 5 yrs |
| Caribbean CBI (5 programs) | Open — under EU review | $200,000-$250,000 donation | Direct citizenship (not residency): St Kitts, Dominica, Grenada, Antigua, St Lucia | Immediate citizenship — but EU visa-free access is under active threat |
Minimums are the entry-level figures for the cheapest qualifying route and exclude government fees, legal fees and dependants. Several figures changed within the last 18 months — always confirm current rules before committing funds.
The 2025-2026 shake-up: what closed and what changed
- Spain terminated its golden visa on 3 April 2025 (housing-affordability politics). Applications filed before that date were grandfathered.
- Malta’s citizenship-by-investment program was ruled contrary to EU law by the Court of Justice of the EU on 29 April 2025 and discontinued; its residency program (MPRP) continues.
- Portugal kept its golden visa but raised the citizenship timeline from 5 to 7-10 years in May 2026 — full analysis here.
- Hungary abolished its direct-property option in December 2024, leaving the €250,000 fund route.
- Caribbean programs harmonized at a $200,000 floor in 2024; the EU has since made investor-citizenship schemes an explicit ground for suspending visa-free access, and the US restricted visas for nationals of Antigua & Barbuda and Dominica from January 2026.
- Earlier exits: UK (2022), Ireland (2023), Netherlands (2024).
Residency vs. citizenship by investment — the distinction that matters
A golden visa buys residency: the right to live in (or lightly maintain ties to) a country, usually renewable while the investment is held. Citizenship-by-investment (Caribbean programs) delivers a passport directly. Inside the EU, direct citizenship sales are effectively over after the Malta ruling — the realistic EU route is now residency first, naturalisation later (7-10 years in most programs). That makes two questions decisive when choosing a program: how much physical presence the residency requires, and how long the citizenship clock runs. Portugal remains notable on the first (about 7 days a year on average); no major EU program is now fast on the second.
How to choose (and what we’d ask you first)
- Goal: eventual EU passport with minimal relocation → Portugal’s fund route is the reference point, now on a 7-10 year horizon.
- Goal: property-backed EU residence → Greece (from €400,000 in most regions; €250,000 only for conversion/heritage projects) or Cyprus (€300,000, with income requirements).
- Goal: a base in a zero-income-tax hub → UAE, with the lowest friction and fastest processing, but no citizenship path.
- Goal: US green card → EB-5, with rural-project filings currently processed fastest.
- Goal: immediate second passport → Caribbean CBI, priced from $200,000 — but weigh the live EU visa-free-access risk before committing.
Program hubs
Detailed, continuously verified guides per program: Portugal · Greece · UAE · USA EB-5 · Italy · Malta · Cyprus · Hungary · Spain alternatives · Panama · Caribbean CBI
Tools: Program status tracker — open/closed with verified dates · Cost calculator — recoverable capital vs sunk cost
Also on InvestAndMigrate: Golden visas for crypto wealth — every real route · Documenting crypto source of funds · Panama’s $300k deadline (Oct 15, 2026) · Spain’s alternatives after the golden visa · Portugal’s 2026 citizenship law
Verified 25 July 2026 against primary reporting and official sources. Program rules change frequently — we re-check volatile programs monthly. Nothing on this page is legal or investment advice, and no visa or citizenship outcome can be guaranteed.