Cheapest Investor Visa In Europe

There are various options to get a residence permit in the EU. This includes having real estate or starting a business. Working as an entrepreneur, freelancer or in a highly skilled occupation also grants you a residence permit in several countries. In this article we will discuss one of the cheapest ways to get a residence permit in Europe:  the Spanish residency visa for investors.(By Szymon Krawczyk)

Investor visa in Europe refers to the step by step guidelines and requirements that individuals need to meet while applying for European citizenship through investment. The rules and regulations differ across countries, but most of them are similar. As they say that all cities are unique in their own sense, so are the requirements according to the city.

Cheapest Investor Visa In Europe

EU countries are known as hot destinations for expats and tourists from all over the world. Several countries in the region offer temporary or permanent residence for foreign investors. This is possible through various residency or investor visas and schemes such as Citizenship by Investment, Economic Residence Permit (CIP) or Individual Investor Programme (IIP). In this article we’ll talk about some of the cheapest countries where you can get a European Visa as an investor.

VisaHQ provides the most comprehensive information on visa and permit requirements, application costs, processing times for US travel visas in Europe. The U.S. Consulate General recommends scheduling appointments as soon as practically possible. If a personal interview is required at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate, you must schedule an appointment for an interview before traveling to the Embassy or Consulate.

There are number of golden visa programs operating in Europe, you may have heard a lot about Portugal and Greece but not Malta. This is because Maltese residency program is not widely promoted and the benefits of scheme is little known to foreign investors.

Golden visa programs should not be confused with investor visas. Below are official golden visa programs in

Europe.

First we start with Malta.

1. Malta Residency (MPRP)

Under the New Malta Permanent Residency program (MPRP) popularly known as “Maltese Golden visa”, launched on March 29,  2021, makes it cheaper, you only have to pay 100K euros (one time Govt fee as donation)  under renting option. The total cost for families will reach around 125K euro (inclusive of all agency, lawyer fees and rent for one year which is 10K euro per year). It is not recoverable investment, works like one off donation to Malta. Remember you get schengen permanent residency.

There is another option is directly buying real estate for 300K plus Govt fees and other costs.

This program will allow you to rent a place for five years or buy a property directly in Malta.

All Main applicants must prove net assets worth atleast total of 500K euro in total assets (eg. property, savings, investments etc), else you cannot apply for Malta residency. 

Health insurance coverage and no criminal record. The full breakdown of prices is available here

Remember: Malta requires you pay a flat fee to government, which is non-refundable. It is not investment.

. Here are some of the benefits of Maltese golden visa scheme.

– Passive investment scheme.
– Permanent residence in Schengen area
– No living requirements
– Free movement in schengen area
– Permanent residence certificate
– Full PR for family
– No age limit for children
– Live, work, study – settle – for an infinite time.
– Grandparents or parents can also included for additional fee
– Citizenship after 5 years.
– Tax advantages
– Allowed switch to  citizenship scheme (residency to citizenship)

Processing time is 8 months. You need to also visit Malta in person once after approval for biometrics for the e-residence permit to be issued. We ask you to apply well in advance.

Remember with Malta, you will be renting a home instead of buying a real estate, making it more cheaper.

MPRP is the only program in Europe which issues residency card as well as residence certificate, which is valid for a lifetime. It is also important to know this program allows you to work.

The Residency Malta Agency oversees both the programs.

2. Portugal

Portugal is simply a fantastic scheme there are reasons being so popular. It is the KING of all Golden visa schemes. It is the best program out there if you are after EU citizenship with some patience. There is a reason for this. During covid, real estate is the best investment and this way you dont lose money. Residential real estate demand and prices practically resisted covid in capitals and coastal areas. Lockdown measures have showed us how important a home is.

Portugal can be slightly expensive program requires €280,000 if you invest  280K euros in residential properties or buyback hotel shares or even in 350k euro investment funds.

Important to understand here if you invest in investment funds or 5 star hotels, it is fully recoverable after 5 years plus yields paid by the developer. It is the best program out there.

If you buy a residential property, yes it can also be sold after 5 years plus brings rental income. You won’t waste money. Note that property can be transferred down to generations (no inheritance tax in Portugal). As with the costs, you can expect total five year net costs of approx 12K euro per person for PGV including all charges on top of property investment.

All in all, after five years, you will be only spending 12K-15K euro as residual costs, considering the entire 280K euro is refunded. The trick makes the Portugal also the cheapest GV scheme.