How to Get Residence Permit in Europe?
A guide to select the best residency by investment option
Attention!
You cannot live in any European country with a permanent residence permit.
The truth about permanent residencyTIME:
2 - 9 Months
VISA-FREE:
Schengen Countries
Golden Visa Europe
What are the main benefits of having a European visa (residence permit)?
Safe Future for Your Family
Always have a plan B, get a European residency which is the most satisfying alternative. Europe offers stability, safety and many other advantages.
European Education
Your children will have access to the highly-developed European education system at a moderate price.
European Life
Change your life by living in Europe. Have access to all European opportunities and live in safety and security.
Free Movement in Europe
Get the freedom of travel. You are allowed to travel throughout the Schengen countries freely.
WHICH IS THE BEST EUROPEAN RESIDENCY FOR YOU?
Guide to find the most suitable option
Clarification of Terms Programme List Quick Guide ToolsIMMIGRATION TERMS
Click on the play button to see the short video.
First of all, we have to enlighten some common terms. According to our experience with hundreds of clients, it is easy to misunderstand and mix some essential terms, see below.
Residency or citizenship?
Citizenship
European citizenship provides you with a free settlement and life in any European Union (EU) country. That means you may live and work (be employed); your children can access education in any EU country. With your European passport, you can travel visa-free in most countries in the world. For example, Malta citizenship offers visa-free travel to 182 countries and eTA to the USA. As you see, a European Union citizenship is very precious. Unfortunately, a second EU passport is quite expensive. Find more about European citizenship programs…
Residency
European permanent and temporary residency by investment secures you the right to settle down and live, and in many cases work in your new country -- but only in that country. Please note that even a permanent residence permit does not give you the right to live and settle down or work in ANY European country. You may have access to the medical system, your children can go to school in that country. You will be a European resident, so you have free access to Europe as a traveler and also as a businessman. Holding a European residence permit makes it easy and free to travel throughout Europe and to obtain visas to other countries, e.g. USA, UK.
Temporary or permanent residence permit?
We have received many questions about permanent residency. There is a fake news that permanent residency allows to live and work in any European country. It is not true. Both temporary and permanent residency offer you almost the same rights and benefits that citizens enjoy. The only exceptions are the freedom to live and work in any European country, voting in national government elections and hold a European passport.
As its name indicates, the temporary residence permit is limited in time (usually 1-5 years), while the permanent residence permit is issued for your life. Regarding your rights, temporary and permanent residencies are the same. A temporary permit should be renewed after expiration which may take time and additional costs.
Residence permit or work permit or visa?
A residence permit is your permit to be a resident in the country. The work permit is a permission to be employed (to get a job) in the country. If you do your own business, you do not need any work permit as you are not employed by another company. Some resident permits (Latvia, Malta, etc.) enable you to work in that country, while others (Greece, Cyprus, etc.) do not allow you to work in the country.
European visa or Golden visa are nicknames of European residency programmes. European visa programmes offer you and your family EU residency for a permanent or temporary period. You will have the right to live, in many cases work in your new country of residence, and travel visa-free throughout the Schengen area of the EU.
LATVIA
- Most affordable option
- From €60,000
- Investment: Bond, business, property
- Time: 3 months
MALTA
- Immediate PERMANENT residency
- From €125,000
- Investment: Donation
- Time: 6-9 months
PORTUGAL
- Easy upgrade to citizenship
- From €280,000
- Investment: Property
- Time: 4 months
ITALY
- The most affordable
- From €15,000
- Investment: No
- Time: 3-6 months
GREECE
- Totally online
- From €250,000
- Investment: Property
- Time: 2-3 months
CYPRUS
- Profitable investment
- From €300,000
- Investment: property
- Time: 4 months
How can you find the most suitable residence permit?
Here is your quick guide to decision
It is not easy to select the best programme for you as there are too many factors you should consider. We have gained a lot of experience during the last 8 years meeting and talking with hundreds of clients. So we help you to find the best option in an easy and fast way. Frankly, there are only two main factors you should consider: your desire and your budget. What you wish and what you can get. Hope and reality. Let us see them in details.
The budget makes you actual and practical. If you have 100,000 USD and you want to buy a luxury apartment in New York's best place -- you will fail. Your budget will determine what options are available and what are not available for you. So your budget — the maximum amount of money, you can spend for — will divide the residency options into two parts: available — not available.
Of course, you would like to have everything. Residency by investment programmes are far from perfection, they cannot offer everything. To know your wish list is very important. You should create your own list, and you should also know how important is one or the other element. You have to set up your priorities. With your wish list, you can find the most appropriate option.
You may consider the following questions to clarify your wish list:
General questions
- Do you have a clean police record?
- Are you able to prove the source of your fund?
- Do you want to include your family (spouse, children, parents)?
- What type of investment do you prefer?
- Do you want to do business in Europe?
- Do you want to use the residence permit for traveling only, or do you want to move to the country and live there?
Questions for settlement
- Is it a safe country? Is there any racism?
- Can I get citizenship?
- What is the climate of the country?
- What are the living costs?
- Will I survive with my English?
- Are there good schools for my children?
- How much tax should I pay?
DECISION TOOLS
Tools to compare residency programmes
Total prices of the programmes for single applicant
Which family members can be included?
| Who? | Cyprus | Greece | Italy | Latvia | Malta | Portugal | Spain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spouse | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Minor Children | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Adult Children | -25 | -21 | -24 | No | dependent | full-time student | full-time student |
| Dependent Parents | 65 | Yes | 65 | No | Yes | 65 | Yes |
| Spouse's Parents | 65 | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No |
Dependent means financially dependent, children must be at higher-level education.
What type of investments are available?
| Investment (euro) | Cyprus | Greece | Latvia | Malta | Portugal | Spain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Property | 300,000 | 250,000 | 250,000 | - | 280-500,000 | 500,000 |
| Business | - | 400,000 | 50,000 | - | 350,000 | - |
| Government Bond | - | 400,000 | 250,000 | 250,000 | - | 2,000,000 |
| Bank Deposit | - | 400,000 | 280,000 | - | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 |
Property investment is the minimum buying price of the property
Countries offering permanent residence or temporary residence
| Cyprus | Greece | Italy | Latvia | Malta | Portugal | Spain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial status | Permanent | Permanent 5 yrs | Temporary 1yr | Temporary 5yrs | Permanent | Temporary 1yr | Visa 1yr |
| Renewal | No need | Every 5yrs |
Every year | Every 5yrs |
No need |
Every 2yrs Investment should be kept |
Every 2yrs |
| Update to permanent | No need | No need | 5 yrs continues living | 5 yrs continues living | No need | 5 yrs | 5 yrs continues living |
| Update to citizenship | 7 yrs continues living | 7 yrs continues living | 10 yrs continues living | 10 yrs continues living | 18 yrs continues living | 5 yrs | 10 yrs continues living |
| Work Permit | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Continues living means that you should actually live in the country and spend most of the time there.
Spain issues a visa for the first year which will be replaced by a temporary permit after one year.
How easy to do business in the country?
NOTE: if you establish a business in any of the below countries, you can make business in ANY European country.
| Cyprus | Greece | Latvia | Malta | Portugal | Spain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easiness of Doing Business% | 92 | 85 | 101 | 83 | 96 | 98 |
| Total Tax% | 46 | 106 | 73 | 90 | 81 | 96 |
| Relative Ranking | 2 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
Easiness of Doing Business% is compared to Germany (=100%) -- the higher the better
Total Tax% is total amount of tax to be paid (Germany is 100%) -- the lower the better
Relative Ranking means the overall ranking among the countries
How easy and fast is the process?
| Cyprus | Greece | Italy | Latvia | Malta | Portugal | Spain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time (months) | 3-4 | 2-3 | 3-6 | 3 | 6-9 | 6 | 4 |
| Requirements | Moderate | Easy | Easy | Easy | High | Moderate | Moderate |
Safety
| Cyprus | Greece | Italy | Latvia | Malta | Portugal | Spain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global Peace Index | 61 | 66 | 32 | 35 | NA | 4 | 31 |
| Legatum Safety | 44 | 31 | 23 | 35 | 22 | 29 | 28 |
| Numbeo Safety | 33 | 66 | 68 | 45 | 49 | 29 | 36 |
| Average Safety | 46 | 54 | 41 | 38 | 36 | 21 | 32 |
Scores are expressed as rankings. Source: Global Peace Index, The Legatum Prosperity Index, Numbeo
Living in the country issues
| Cyprus | Greece | Latvia | Malta | Portugal | Spain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 bedrooms apartment in the capital city (euro/month) | 715 | 600 | 480 | 1300 | 1100 | 1100 |
| Monthly cost for a family of 4 (very good level) (euro/month) | 2510 | 2150 | 2000 | 2700 | 2000 | 2300 |
| Living Conditions Score | 90 | 88 | 88 | 95 | 91 | 94 |
| Quality of Health Care Score | 80 | 79 | 71 | 82 | 79 | 82 |
| Quality of Environment Score | 57 | 66 | 70 | 61 | 60 | 61 |
| Quality of Education Score | 78 | 75 | 81 | 78 | 77 | 83 |
| Climate | subtropical | Mediterranean | continental | Mediterranean | Mediterranean | Mediterranean |
Scores are expressed on a scale of 100. Source: The Legatum Prosperity Index
European Residency by Investment
Where are the countries offering residency?
Dark blue countries are part of the EU and the Schengen zone
Light blue countries are part of the EU but not the Schengen zone
