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FAQ · SearchOffshore

What Is a Golden Visa?

A golden visa is a residency or citizenship programme that grants the right to live, work or travel in a country in exchange for a qualifying investment — typically in real estate, government bonds, a local business or a national development fund. They are offered by countries across Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean and beyond, and are used by UHNW individuals and families seeking tax residency optimisation, global mobility or a second passport.

The Full Answer

Golden Visas — How They Work and Where

Golden visa programmes — formally known as Investor Visa, Residency by Investment (RBI) or Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programmes depending on what they grant — allow qualifying investors and their immediate families to obtain residency rights or citizenship in exchange for a defined minimum investment. The investment threshold, qualifying investment types and benefits vary significantly by programme.

Residency by investment programmes (selected):

  • UAE: The UAE Golden Visa grants 10-year renewable residency for qualifying investors, entrepreneurs, professionals and property buyers. Thresholds vary by category — property investment of AED 2 million qualifies in most cases. No UAE income tax on personal income
  • Portugal: The Portugal Golden Visa (ARI) has been significantly restructured — real estate investment in most categories is no longer eligible from 2023. Qualifying investments now focus on fund investment, job creation and cultural contribution. Portugal offers a path to EU citizenship after 5 years
  • Malta: The Malta Permanent Residence Programme and Malta Citizenship by Investment programme offer EU residency and citizenship respectively, with qualifying property rental or purchase plus government contribution
  • Greece: The Greece Golden Visa provides EU residency via real estate investment, currently from €250,000 (subject to recent increases in certain areas)
  • Singapore: The Global Investor Programme (GIP) provides Singapore Permanent Residence for qualifying investors meeting the investment criteria — businesses, funds or family offices

Citizenship by investment programmes: Several Caribbean nations — St Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia — offer citizenship (not just residency) by investment, typically via donation to a national development fund or qualifying real estate purchase. Cayman Islands, BVI and Bermuda do not offer citizenship by investment programmes.

Obtaining residency or citizenship in a low-tax jurisdiction does not automatically change an individual's tax residency for home-country tax purposes. UK, US and many other countries' tax laws are based on domicile, physical presence, habitual residence or citizenship — simply holding a golden visa in a second country does not break home-country tax residence. Tax residence planning in connection with golden visa programmes requires specialist advice from qualified tax advisors in both the home country and the target jurisdiction before any investment is committed.

Related Questions

Golden Visas — Further Questions

Not automatically. Obtaining a golden visa — even one that formally grants residency rights — does not by itself change your tax residency status in your home country. Tax residency is determined by each country's domestic rules, which typically focus on physical presence (number of days spent in a country), domicile, habitual residence or other connecting factors. To change tax residency, an individual typically needs to: cease to be tax resident in their home country (which requires meeting specific departure tests); and establish genuine tax residency in the target jurisdiction (which requires physical presence, settled accommodation and ties to that jurisdiction). In the UK, for example, the Statutory Residence Test determines UK tax residence — simply holding a UAE or Portuguese golden visa does not affect UK residence status under the SRT. Specialist advice from a qualified tax advisor is essential before relying on a golden visa for tax planning purposes.
The right programme depends entirely on the individual's objectives. For EU access and a path to EU citizenship, Portugal, Malta or Greece are the established options — each with different investment thresholds, physical presence requirements and citizenship timelines. For a Middle East base with zero personal income tax, the UAE Golden Visa is widely used by UHNW individuals and entrepreneurs. For Caribbean citizenship with a second passport for global mobility, St Kitts and Nevis or Antigua and Barbuda are the most established programmes. The programme that is "best" is the one that meets the specific combination of investment budget, residency requirements, travel document value and tax planning objectives — and that requires assessment with qualified advisors who know the current programme conditions, which change frequently.
Established government-run golden visa programmes in reputable jurisdictions — UAE, Portugal, Malta, Greece, Singapore, the Caribbean CBI jurisdictions — are legal and legitimate programmes, subject to thorough due diligence on applicants including AML checks, source of funds verification and background screening. They are not anonymous. The EU has scrutinised some EU member state citizenship by investment programmes for the risk that EU citizenship could be acquired without genuine connection to the member state, and Portugal's programme has been restructured in response. As with any investment programme, applicants should use licensed and regulated advisors and should verify the current status of any programme before committing, as conditions and eligibility criteria change.
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