Compare the Best Golden Visa Programs
Cyprus | Greece | Malta | Portugal | Montenegro | UAE | Thailand | Georgia | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overview | Best for Financial Optimization | Best Value for Program Costs | Cheapest Option for Full Family | Most Diverse Range of Options | Fastest Citizenship Processing Time | Favorite for Tax Optimization | Best for Frequent Luxury Travelers | Best for Access to Diverse Markets |
EU Member | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Candidate | No | No | Possible Candidate |
Schengen Area | Candidate | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No, but visa-free travel allowed |
CBI Rank | 8 | N/A | 7 | N/A | 8 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Language | Greek, Turkish | Greek | Maltese, English | Portuguese | Montenegrin | Arabic | Thai | Georgian |
Other Languages | English, Chinese, Russian | English, French | Italian, French | English interest | English | English, Pashto, Balochi, Hindi, Persian | English | English, Russian |
Language Requirement(Official, Citizenship) | N/A | Yes | N/A | Yes | No | N/A | N/A | Yes |
Language Suggested | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes, location dependent |
Residency Length | Lifetime | 5 years | Lifetime | 5 years | N/A | 2,5, or 10 years | 5,10 or 20 years | 1 year |
Minimum Investment- Residency | 300,000 Euros | 250,000 Euros | 165,00 Euros | 350,000 Euros | N/A | 500,000 AED | 600,000 THB | 100,000 USD |
Investment Type | Real Estate | Real Estate or Securities | Securities | Real Estate or Investmentor Job Creation | N/A | Real Estate, Investment, Company Formation | Membership Fee | Real Estate or Investment |
Family Included | Spouse, Parents, Children (age 25) | Up to 4th generation | Spouse, Children (age 26 and studying), parents, dependent siblings | N/A | Spouse and Children | Separate Family Packages | Spouse and Children (age 26) | Spouse and Children (age 26) |
In-Country Stay Requirement | Visit once every 2 years | No | No | 7 days annually | N/A | No | No | No |
Residency Status | Permanent | Temporary | Permanent | Permanent | N/A | Temporary | Temporary; permanent with non-immigrant visa after 3 years | Temporary; permanent after 5 years |
Investment Return | No | Possible | Possible | No | N/A | No | No | No |
Duration of Process | 2-3 months | 2-3 months | 6-8 months | 6 months to 1 year | N/A | 1 month | 1 month | Up to 6 months |
Minimum Investment- Citizenship | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 350,000 Euros | N/A | N/A | 300,000 USD |
Family Included | N/A | See residency | N/A | See residency | Spouse, Children | N/A | N/A | Spouse, Children (age 26) |
Citizenship Status | N/A | 7 years residency completion or ancestry link | N/A | 5 years residency completion | Direct | N/A | 10 year permanent residency completion | Direct; 10year residencyprogram completion also an option |
Duration of Process | N/A | 7 years residency | N/A | 6 years, including residency requirements | 3 months | N/A | N/A | Up to 6 months |
National Healthcare Provided | Yes | No | Yes, if employed | Yes | No | No | Yes, new retirement health program soon | No |
Official Retirement Program | No, specific tax policies onpensions | No, developing tax policies on x (retirement) | Yes, investment program with tax benefits | Yes, specific taxpolicies on all foreign income | No | Yes, retirement visa program | Yes, retirement visa program | No |
Personal Income Tax | 20% - 35% with 19,500€ (~21,500$) p.a. tax-free (20%-50% tax breaks may apply) | 9 – 44% | In-country 35% Foreign 15% | 14.5 – 48% | 9 or 11% | None | 0 – 37% | 20% |
Corporate Tax | 12.5% | 24% | 35% | 21% | 9% | 0 – 55%, at Emirate level | 20% | 15% |
Rental Income Tax | 20 – 35% | 15 – 45% | 0 – 35% | 15% | 9%, with deductions | 5% | N/A | <1% |
VAT | 19%, with reductions | 24%, new properties | 0 – 18% | 23%, standard | 21% | 5%, residential properties exempt | 10% | 18% |
Real Estate Taxes | Stamp Duty 0.15 – 0.2% | Transfer Tax: 3% (resales) Land Registry: 0.48–0.58% +VAT Property Tax: 0–2% Local Real Estate Duty (TAP): 0.025–0.035% Property Sales: 15% |
Stamp Duty, transfers 3.5% | Immovable Property Tax: 0.3–0.8% Property Purchase Tax (IMT): 0–8% Stamp Duty: 0.4–6.7% |
Transfer Tax, land or previously transferred 3% Capital Gains, sale of property: 9% Property Tax, based on usage (not ownership): 0.25–1% | Land Registry Fee: 4%, split by buyer and seller | N/A | Property Tax: 0% |
Other Tax Considerations | Capital Gains, corporate: 24% Capital Gains, personal: 15% Inheritance and Gift Tax: 10–40% |
Capital Gains, corporate 25% Capital Gains, personal: 28% | Import Tax: 0 – 12% | |||||
Estimated Real Estate ROI (Rental) | 7% | 4% | 5% | 5% | 4-8% | 1% | 4% | 8-10% |
Double Tax Treaties | 67 | 57 | 70 | 52 | 42 | 90 | 61 | 56 |
There are a lot of factors to consider when determining which are the best golden visa programs for you, your family, and your financial goals. Some programs have a greater initial investment price while others may cost more in the long-term due to taxation policies. Another aspect to consider is whether permanent relocation is the objective or rather having more opportunities to travel.
Healthcare, retirement programs, and return on investments can also shine a light on the best golden visa programs for your particular needs and milestones in life. To help make things easier at Immigration Explorer, we have created a custom comparison chart to give you an in-depth, but easy-to-read way to compare the best golden visa programs across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. To find out more details on the programs, for both residency and citizenship options, consult our country pages and let us help you take the next step!