Golden Visas
The Cheapest Golden Visas in the World (Residency by Investment)
A golden visa buys residency, not a passport: you invest, you get the right to live somewhere, and citizenship (if you want it) comes later through naturalisation. Below is every program we track, 61 of them currently active, ranked by the cheapest qualifying route. For a passport straight away, see citizenship by investment.
The cheapest golden visas in the world are the Philippines ($15,000), Nicaragua ($30,000), Egypt ($35,000), Colombia ($44,000) and Cambodia ($50,000).
65 of 70
Philippines active
Special Investor's Resident Visa (SIRV) & SRRV retiree visa
from $15k
SIRV (BOI) and SRRV (PRA) run in parallel.
Nicaragua active
Investor Residency
from $30k
path to citizenship
Immediate PR; 2026 amendment ends dual citizenship for naturalising citizens.
Egypt active
Residency by Investment (real estate / deposit)
from $35k
Distinct from Egypt's citizenship-by-investment program.
Colombia active
Migrant (M) Investor Visa
from $44k
path to citizenship
Thresholds pegged to SMLMV (minimum wage).
Cambodia active
My Second Home (CM2H)
from $50k
path to citizenship
10-year visa via approved real estate; distinct from Cambodia's citizenship-by-investment.
Mauritius active
Occupation/Residence Permit by Investment
from $50k
path to citizenship
10-year permits; PR path.
Latvia active
Residence Permit by Investment
from $55k
path to citizenship
Active since 2010.
Slovakia active
PR by Real Estate / Business Investment
from $55k
path to citizenship
From completeness scan; verify officially.
Guatemala active
Investor Visa
from $60k
path to citizenship
From completeness scan; verify officially.
Paraguay active
Permanent Residency for Investors (SUACE / Investor Pass)
from $70k
path to citizenship
Direct permanent residency; Investor Pass streamlined 2026.
Mexico active
Residency by Economic Solvency / Investment
from $74k
path to citizenship
Thresholds pegged to UMA; set per consulate.
Malta active
Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP)
from $77k
Residency only; does NOT lead to citizenship. Excludes sanctioned/high-risk nationalities.
Cape Verde active
Residency by Property Investment
from $88k
path to citizenship
From completeness scan; verify officially.
Brazil active
VIPER Investor Permanent Residence
from $92k
path to citizenship
CNIg resolutions; real estate or business.
Costa Rica active
Investor Residency (Inversionista)
from $100k
path to citizenship
$150k reduced rate expires 14 July 2026, reverts to $200k.
Kenya active
Class G Investor Permit
from $100k
path to citizenship
From completeness scan; verify officially.
Rwanda active
Investor Permit / Citizenship by Investment
from $100k
path to citizenship
From completeness scan; verify officially.
Azerbaijan active
Residence by Investment
from $120k
path to citizenship
From completeness scan; verify officially.
Vietnam pending
Vietnam Golden Visa (proposed)
from $120k
path to citizenship
Announced 2025; not yet implemented (DT investor visa exists).
United Arab Emirates active
UAE Golden Residency (Golden Visa)
from $136k
10-year renewable; no sponsor.
Malaysia active
Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H)
from $150k
Revised 2024, three tiers.
Anguilla active
Anguilla Residency by Investment (ARBI)
from $150k
path to citizenship
Economic Residence Act 2019.
Montserrat active
Permit of Economic Residence
from $150k
path to citizenship
Under Immigration Act; guidance notes dated 2020.
Montenegro active
Temporary Residence by Property Ownership
from $163k
path to citizenship
CBI closed 2022; property residence, EUR 150k min from Jan 2026 (non-EU).
Japan active
Business Manager Visa
from $187k
Not a golden visa; reformed Oct 2025 (6x capital increase).
Panama active
Qualified Investor Visa + Friendly Nations Visa
from $200k
path to citizenship
Qualified Investor real-estate min rises to $500k after 15 Oct 2026.
Portugal active
Residency Permit for Investment Activity (ARI / Golden Visa)
from $220k
path to citizenship
Real-estate route removed Oct 2023; funds/business/research/donation remain.
Namibia contested
Investor work/residence permits (no formal golden visa)
from $225k
path to citizenship
No enacted RBI program; framework drafted, awaiting Cabinet. Case-by-case permits.
Thailand active
Long-Term Resident (LTR) Visa
from $250k
10-year visa; multiple categories.
Palau active
Palau Economic Investment Program
from $250k
path to citizenship
From completeness scan; verify officially.
Isle of Man active
Innovator Founder Visa (Tier 1 Investor suspended)
from $255k
path to citizenship
Tier 1 Investor (GBP 2M) suspended Feb 2022; Innovator route active.
Guernsey active
Investor / Entrepreneur Residency
from $260k
path to citizenship
From completeness scan; verify officially.
Hungary active
Guest Investor Residence Permit
from $272k
path to citizenship
Relaunched 2024; EUR 500k property option removed Jan 2025.
Greece active
Greece Golden Visa
from $275k
path to citizenship
Tiered real estate since 2024; EUR 250k conversion/restoration niche; new EUR 250k startup route.
Italy active
Italy Investor Visa
from $275k
path to citizenship
Suspended for Russian/Belarusian nationals (incl. dual) since 2023.
South Africa active
Financially Independent Permit / Business Visa
from $281k
path to citizenship
Immigration Act 2002.
South Korea active
Investment Residency (F-2, Public Business / Real Estate)
from $300k
path to citizenship
Real-estate/tourism track deadline extended to Apr 2026.
Kazakhstan active
Kazakhstan Golden Visa (10-year investment residency)
from $300k
path to citizenship
Launched May 2025.
Cyprus active
Immigration Permit for Investors (PR by investment)
from $327k
path to citizenship
Citizenship-by-investment ended Nov 2020; PR program active.
Bahrain active
Golden Residency Visa
from $345k
Property minimum reduced to BHD 130k (2026).
Indonesia active
Golden Visa (Visa Emas)
from $350k
Launched July 2024.
Romania pending
Romania Golden Visa (proposed)
from $435k
path to citizenship
Draft legislation under parliamentary review; not yet in force.
Switzerland active
Residence via Lump-Sum Taxation (forfait fiscal)
from $490k
path to citizenship
Not a golden visa; residence via lump-sum tax deal with a canton. 5 cantons abolished it.
Chile active
Chile Investor Visa
from $500k
path to citizenship
From completeness scan; productive investment only (real estate excluded).
Oman active
Investor Residency (10-year Golden Residency)
from $520k
Launched Sept 2025.
Uruguay active
Legal residence + investment tax-residency routes
from $525k
path to citizenship
No investment gate for legal residence; investment fast-tracks tax residency.
Luxembourg active
Residence Permit for Investors
from $545k
path to citizenship
Active but repeal legislation proposed (2025); very low uptake.
Monaco active
Residence Permit (means-based)
from $545k
path to citizenship
No formal priced program; residency via financial self-sufficiency.
San Marino active
Economic Residence by Investment
from $545k
path to citizenship
From completeness scan; verify officially.
Bulgaria active
Bulgaria Golden Visa (fund investment)
from $560k
path to citizenship
CBI ended 2022; PR via AIF/ETF fund investment.
Cayman Islands active
Residency Certificate for Persons of Independent Means / Permanent Residence
from $640k
path to citizenship
25-year certificate + permanent-residence route.
Kuwait active
Investor Residency (10/15-year)
from $650k
New, launched late 2025.
United States active
EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program
from $800k
path to citizenship
RIA 2022; regional-center program authorized to 30 Sep 2027.
Canada active
Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (federal IIP terminated 2014)
from $880k
path to citizenship
Federal IIP terminated 2014; Quebec program active.
Bahamas active
Economic Permanent Residence (real estate)
from $1M
path to citizenship
Minimum raised to BSD 1M (Jan 2025); fast-track at 1.5M.
Seychelles contested
Investor Permanent Residence (no conventional golden visa)
from $1M
path to citizenship
Discretionary; foreigners cannot freely buy property.
Saudi Arabia active
Premium Residency
from $1.1M
Multiple tiers; property ownership route from Jan 2026.
Jersey active
High Value Residency
from $2.2M
path to citizenship
Crown Dependency; high-value residency by tax contribution.
Bermuda active
Economic Investment Certificate + Residential Certificate
from $2.5M
path to citizenship
Policy revised June 2024.
New Zealand active
Active Investor Plus Visa
from $3M
path to citizenship
Revamped April 2025; two tiers.
Czechia active
Czech Investment Visa
from $3.3M
path to citizenship
From completeness scan; verify officially.
Hong Kong active
New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (New CIES)
from $3.9M
path to citizenship
Relaunched March 2024.
Singapore active
Global Investor Programme (GIP)
from $7.4M
path to citizenship
Revised May 2025; grants Permanent Resident status.
Serbia active
Temporary Residence by Business / Real Estate
from varies
path to citizenship
No formal priced minimum; company formation or property.
Qatar active
Permanent Residency by Investment
from varies
Under Law No. 10 of 2018; thresholds set by Council of Ministers, not published.
Amounts are the cheapest qualifying route, converted to USD from the binding local-currency figure. Programs change often and many exclude specific nationalities. This is a starting point for comparison, not legal advice. Building something? Use the free Golden Visa API.