If you’re new to golden visas and residency by investment, this page is the five-minute orientation: what these programs actually are, how this site is organised, and the three questions that cut the field from twelve programs to two or three worth your time.
The idea in one paragraph
A golden visa is a residence permit granted in exchange for a qualifying investment — a fund subscription, a property purchase, a donation or a business, depending on the country. A few programs (mainly in the Caribbean) go further and grant citizenship directly. In exchange you get the right to live in that country, often with minimal actual presence required, and in many cases a path to permanent residency or a passport years down the line.
The three questions that narrow everything
- What’s the goal? An eventual EU passport, a Plan-B residency, a tax base, or a fast second passport — different goals point at entirely different programs.
- Will you actually move? Some routes expect real relocation; others (Portugal’s ~7 days/year is the famous example) let you keep your life where it is.
- What’s the money, and where did it come from? Budgets from $200,000 to $1M+ open different doors — and every serious program will scrutinise your source of funds, especially if your wealth is in crypto.
How the site is organised
- The program comparison — every major program’s current status, minimums and citizenship timeline in one table. Start here.
- Program hubs — deep, continuously verified guides per country, like the Portugal hub. More hubs are being added through 2026.
- Guides — cross-cutting topics: crypto routes, source-of-funds documentation, comparisons like D7 vs D8 vs Golden Visa.
- News — rule changes, interpreted: what each change means for applicants, not just what happened.
How to read us
Every material fact on this site carries a “verified on” date and a source. This field changes fast — Spain’s program died in 2025, Portugal’s citizenship timeline doubled in 2026, Panama’s entry price rises in October 2026. If a date looks old relative to the news, ask us before acting. And treat one rule as absolute: anyone guaranteeing you a visa outcome is lying — governments decide applications, not agencies.
Ready to apply this to your own situation? Book a consultation — or read typical investor journeys to find the profile closest to yours.