Golden visa and residency by investment: Portugal, Italy and Greece

This desk answers one question: how to get, and keep, the right to live in Portugal, Italy or Greece. It is written from the laws themselves, checked on the date shown on each page, with every source listed at the bottom, for people who want the option of Europe, not necessarily the move.

The golden visa countries we cover

Three residency by investment programs, one guide each, at the same depth: Portugal, Italy and Greece.

Golden visa programs compared side by side

The right program depends on what you want to hold, how much time you will spend in the country, and whether citizenship matters to you.

Every row is sourced and dated, and the figures come from the country pages. For the pair by pair reading (Greece vs Portugal, Italy vs Greece, Portugal vs Italy), see Greece vs Portugal vs Italy golden visa.

Tools: which program, what it costs, what you need

How it works

1. Take the quiz

   A few questions on budget, family, passport and how much time you expect to spend there. See which program fits.

2. Compare and read

   Check the dated comparison and the country guide. Every rule links to its official source and the date we checked it.

3. Talk to us

   Tell us what you need. If you want, we introduce you to a vetted visa or fund partner.

4. The partner files

   Our partners handle the application. We do not file applications, and we are paid when we introduce you.

An independent guide by people who did it. We are paid when we introduce you to vetted partners. We don't file applications. How that works.

Golden visa requirements, in plain words

Residency by investment is legal residence in one country in exchange for an investment the law defines, renewable while you keep the investment. It is not citizenship and it is not a passport.

Each country decides what counts, how much, how long you must keep it and how often you must visit. In Portugal the investment must be complete when you file and the fund units kept five years from the permit grant. In Greece the property price must be paid in full before you apply. In Italy you show at least €1,000,000 of funds (€2,000,000 for the bonds route), certify their lawful origin and commit to invest within three months of entering the country. All three countries are EU and Schengen members. Citizenship is a separate, much longer road in each: ten years of legal residence in Portugal for most nationalities since 19 May 2026, seven years of lawful and permanent residence in Greece, ten in Italy.

Golden visa cost: the investment and the fees

The investment is most of the cost; state fees vary widely, from about €116 for the Italian visa plus permit card fees to €9,261.70 per main applicant for a first Portuguese permit at standard rates.

Greece charges €2,000 for the permit plus €16 for the card. In Portugal each family member pays a grant fee of €8,418.90 at standard rates. Around the fees sit the costs the state does not set: lawyers, fund charges and, in Greece, the property transfer tax of 3% of the taxable value, paid by the buyer, plus a 3% municipal surcharge on that tax. When VAT applies instead, on new buildings, is. The cost calculator adds it up, and the cheapest golden visa in Europe counts it properly.

Why only these three residency by investment countries

This desk covers EU residency by investment in Portugal, Italy and Greece only: three Mediterranean countries with open investor routes where we can check things on the ground. It is not about the UAE golden visa, which is a different program outside the EU.

Spain's golden visa ended on 3 April 2025. Other EU programs exist, and we explain them briefly on residency by investment in Europe, but we only write in depth where we can stand behind the detail. Programs change, and the European Commission has asked member states to put strong checks on investor residence schemes, so nothing here is a promise that a route will still exist when you apply.

If you hold a particular passport

Your passport changes the paperwork, the tax and sometimes the best route, so we gathered the rules for seven passports on one page: golden visas by passport.

• Americans
• British citizens
• South Africans
• Indian citizens
• Gulf residents
• Brazilians
• Turkish citizens

Standalone pages for Americans, UK citizens, Indians and Gulf residents are planned; until then, each section above is the full version.

Holding the option: if you mostly live elsewhere

Most people who apply do not plan to move. Our holding the option shelf covers what the permit asks of you if you live somewhere else.

• Renewals and minimum stay
• Keeping the permit while living elsewhere
• Visits and Schengen time
• Tax residency traps
• Schools, if you do spend time there

Portugal, Italy or Greece

Which golden visa fits you?

7 questions · 2 min

Take the quiz → Or compare Portugal, Greece and Italy

Talk to us: a free 20-minute call

Tell us what you are weighing. If it helps, we introduce you to a vetted visa or fund partner who handles the application. We do not file applications, and we are paid when we introduce you.

Talk to us Or take the quiz first

Not ready yet? Get rule-change alerts for Portugal, Italy and Greece: when a rule, fee or threshold changes, we tell you what changed and link the official source.

Questions we hear most

What is a golden visa?

A residence permit granted in exchange for an investment the law defines, renewable while you keep the investment. It gives you the right to live in one country. It is not citizenship and it is not a passport.

Which golden visa countries do you cover?

Portugal, Italy and Greece, all EU and Schengen members with open investor routes in 2026. Spain's golden visa ended on 3 April 2025. We do not cover the UAE golden visa, which is a different program outside the EU.

Which country has the cheapest golden visa?

Of our three, the lowest legal minimums are €250,000 in Greece (converted or listed buildings only) and Italy (registered innovative startups, with €1,000,000 of funds to show). The cheapest mainstream route is a €400,000 home in Greece outside the high demand areas.

What are the golden visa requirements?

Each program sets its own: the qualifying investment, made and kept for a set period, proof of where the money came from in Italy, and a few days in the country in Portugal. In Greece the property must be paid for in full before you apply; in Italy you commit to invest within three months of entering the country.

How much does a golden visa cost?

The investment is most of it: €500,000 in Portugal, from €250,000 in Italy and Greece. State fees range from about €116 for the Italian visa plus permit card fees, to €2,000 plus €16 for the card in Greece, to €9,261.70 per main applicant for the first permit in Portugal at standard rates. Legal fees, fund costs and purchase taxes come on top.

Can I still get a golden visa by buying property?

In Greece, yes, one property. In Portugal, no, since 7 October 2023. In Italy, property never qualified.

Does a golden visa give me an EU passport?

No. Citizenship is a separate application after years of genuine residence: ten years in Portugal for most nationalities, seven in Greece and ten in Italy. None of the three sells citizenship.

Do you handle the application?

No. We explain the routes and, if you ask, introduce you to partners who handle applications. We are paid for that introduction.

Sources

1. Lei n.º 23/2007 (Foreigners Act), consolidated text, Articles 3, 82, 90-A, 98, 99, Procuradoria-Geral Distrital de Lisboa (consolidated text of the law published in Diário da República). Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
2. Lei n.º 56/2023 (Mais Habitação), Articles 42, 53 and 55, Procuradoria-Geral Distrital de Lisboa. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
3. Decreto Regulamentar n.º 84/2007, Articles 65-B to 65-K (ARI rules), Procuradoria-Geral Distrital de Lisboa. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
4. Autorização de Residência para Investimento (Art. 90.º-A), AIMA, Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
5. Tabela de taxas e demais encargos a cobrar pelos procedimentos administrativos (fee table, updated 26 February 2026), AIMA. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
6. Lei n.º 37/81 (Nationality Law), consolidated text, Articles 6 and 15, Procuradoria-Geral Distrital de Lisboa. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
7. Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026 (amendment to the Nationality Law), Articles 5, 7 and 8, Procuradoria-Geral Distrital de Lisboa. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
8. Law 5100/2024, codified Migration Code text including Article 100 (investor residence), Ministry of Migration and Asylum, Hellenic Republic. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
9. Circular 9 of 24 September 2024 on investor residence permits (golden visa), Ministry of Migration and Asylum. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
10. Golden Visa (information page), Ministry of Migration and Asylum. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
11. Naturalization of foreign nationals (procedure record), MITOS, National Register of Administrative Procedures, Hellenic Republic. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
12. Property transfer tax (ΦΜΑ): taxable persons and calculation, Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE). Official source. Last checked 30 October 2026.
13. Decreto Legislativo 286/1998, Article 26-bis (entry and residence for investors), text in force, Normattiva, Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
14. Legge 193/2024, Article 35 (venture capital funds added to the investor visa), Normattiva. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
15. Investor Visa for Italy, applicant guide (2021 edition, Ministry of Economic Development), hosted by the Embassy of Italy in Abuja, Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
16. Consular fee table (extract), October to December 2026, Consulate General of Italy in Los Angeles. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
17. Legge 91/1992 (Citizenship Law), Articles 3-bis, 9 and 9.1, Normattiva. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
18. EU countries, European Union. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
19. Ley Orgánica 1/2025 and consolidated Ley 14/2013 (end of Spain's investor residence), Boletín Oficial del Estado. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
20. Commission recommendation on investor citizenship and residence schemes (press release IP/22/1731, 28 March 2022), European Commission. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.

This page is general information, not legal, tax, immigration or investment advice. Rules and fees change, so check the sources above and the date we last checked them. No approval, permit or timeline is guaranteed. We are paid for introductions; here is how.