8 European countries still grant residence for a passive investment in 2026, from €50,000 in Latvia to €512,000 in Bulgaria. Spain closed in April 2025. The permit is paid once. The tax is paid every year, so each is shown with what a $1M earner owes once there.
In short, current to September 2026
Source: the Patrician.ch board, an original ranking of 100 residence addresses across 48 countries and territories. Tax rates, thresholds and routes are sourced. Cost, safety, schools, sun and beauty are Patrician.ch editorial indices. Figures current to September 2026. Updated . Cite as: Patrician.ch, Golden visas still open in Europe 2026: all 8, from €50K, patrician.ch/answers/golden-visas-still-open-in-europe/, September 2026.
Ordered by the lowest published entry point. Tax on $1M is the Patrician.ch model at the best placed address on the board in that country.
| Country | From | Routes | Stay required | To a passport | Tax on $1M once there |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Latvia | €50,000 | €50,000 in a small Latvian company, €250,000 in property plus a 5% state fee, or €280,000 in a 5 year bank deposit plus a €25,000 fee. | none | naturalization after at least 10 years of residence, with language and history exams | not on the board |
| Malta | €150,000 | a government contribution, a home bought or leased, and a donation, from about €150,000 all in when leasing. Permanent residence from the start, and parents and grandparents can be included. | none | standard naturalization. Citizenship by investment was struck down by the EU Court of Justice in April 2025 | 34% at Valletta |
| Hungary | €250,000 | €250,000 in an accredited real estate fund, or a €1,000,000 donation to a university. Direct property left the program in January 2025. A 10 year permit, renewable once. | none | 8 years of continuous full time residence and a Hungarian exam | not on the board |
| Italy | €250,000 | €250,000 in an innovative startup, €500,000 in an Italian company, a €1,000,000 philanthropic donation, or €2,000,000 in government bonds. | none stated, intent to reside | 10 years of residence | 45% at Tuscany |
| Greece | €250,000 | €800,000 for 1 home of at least 120 square meters in Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and the larger islands, €400,000 elsewhere, €250,000 for a commercial conversion or a listed building, or €500,000 in bonds or a fixed deposit. Golden visa homes may not be let short term. | none | 7 years of residence and a Greek exam | 43% at Athens |
| Portugal | €250,000 | €500,000 in qualifying investment funds, €500,000 in scientific research, €250,000 in culture or the arts, or a company creating 10 jobs. Property left the program in October 2023. | 7 days a year on average | 10 years from the first residence card for most nationalities, 7 for EU and Portuguese speaking countries, under the law in force from 19 May 2026 | 49% at Lisbon |
| Cyprus | €300,000 | €300,000 plus VAT in a new home, commercial property or a Cyprus investment fund, with €50,000 a year of income from abroad. Permanent residence from the start. | 1 visit every 2 years | standard naturalization | 34% at Limassol |
| Bulgaria | €512,000 | €512,000 in licensed investment funds, held 5 years. Permanent residence from the start. | none | 5 years after permanent residence, with a basic Bulgarian test | not on the board |
| Program | When | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | 3 April 2025 | Organic Law 1/2025 ended new applications |
| Malta, citizenship | April 2025 | the EU Court of Justice struck down citizenship by investment. The residence program survives |
| Netherlands | 2024 | the investor residence route closed |
| Ireland | February 2023 | the Immigrant Investor Programme closed |
| United Kingdom | February 2022 | the Tier 1 Investor visa closed |
The permit gives you the right to live there. Tax residence follows the days you spend and where your life sits, usually 183 days a year. These are the addresses on the board in the 5 golden visa countries that have one, ordered by what a $1M earner keeps.
Every route in, worldwide: residence by investment. The regimes that cut the tax itself: special tax regimes for new arrivals. Terms defined: golden visa, citizenship by investment.
8: Latvia, Hungary, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Portugal and Bulgaria.
Spain closed on 3 April 2025. Ireland, the UK and the Netherlands closed earlier. Malta's citizenship by investment was struck down in April 2025, but its residence program remains.
Latvia, from €50,000 invested in a small Latvian company, plus fees.
Among the larger programs, Hungary and Italy start at €250,000, and Greece at €250,000 for a commercial conversion or a listed building.
Yes. The main route is €500,000 in qualifying investment funds, with about 7 days a year of presence. Property stopped qualifying in October 2023.
Citizenship now takes 10 years of residence for most nationalities, counted from the first residence card, under the nationality law in force from 19 May 2026.
No. Spain stopped taking new applications on 3 April 2025.
Spain can still be reached through its non lucrative, digital nomad and entrepreneur visas, all of which expect residence there.
€800,000 for a single home of at least 120 square meters in Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and the islands above 3,100 people, €400,000 elsewhere, and €250,000 for a commercial conversion or a listed building.
Bonds or a fixed deposit of €500,000 also qualify. A golden visa home may not be let short term.
Greece and Bulgaria, at 5 to 7 years.
Bulgaria grants permanent residence at once and citizenship 5 years later. Greece asks 7 years of residence and a language exam. Hungary asks 8 years of full time residence.
No. It gives you the right to live there. Tax residence follows the days you spend, usually 183 a year, and where your home and family sit.
The tax on $1M at the best placed address on the board runs from 34% in Cyprus to 49% in Portugal.
The engine takes what you earn and what you hold, then orders every address on the board against it.
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Tax figures use a simplified marginal model with indicative 2026 brackets for a non-US single filer, ignore social contributions, most deductions, wealth taxes, and treaties, and are not advice. Residence rules change often. Verify before acting.