Guide
Italy golden visa cost against Europe's other open golden visas, 2026
Updated
Spain has gone and Portugal takes no property money, but five meaningful European routes remain. Here they are compared on price, what you must buy and time required there.
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How this calculator works
- Programme rules change quickly. Figures reflect the published rules as of this page's updated date, always verify current status and fees with the official programme or a licensed immigration adviser before committing money.
- Portugal: the real-estate and capital-transfer routes ended in October 2023 (Law 56/2023, "Mais Habitação"). The surviving fund route requires €500,000 in qualifying non-real-estate funds. AIMA's fee table was replaced from 1 March 2026 and we could not read its current values (aima.gov.pt). So no Portuguese government fees are modelled here: get the current taxas from AIMA before budgeting.
- Portugal, naturalisation: the rules changed on 19 May 2026 (Organic Law 1/2026). Naturalisation now needs 10 years of legal residence, 7 for citizens of Portuguese-speaking countries and EU member states (justica.gov.pt).
- Spain is excluded because the programme ended on 3 April 2025 under Organic Law 1/2025, applications are no longer accepted.
- Greece: tiers in force since 1 September 2024. €800,000 in Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands with over 3,100 inhabitants; €400,000 elsewhere (both with a 120 m² minimum property size). €250,000 anywhere for commercial-to-residential conversions or listed-building restorations (migration.gov.gr).
- Greece, fees: the ministry lists a €2,000 electronic fee plus a €16 charge for printing the permit. Only the €16 card charge is modelled per family member, because the ministry's page does not publish a separate family-member fee (migration.gov.gr).
- Malta (MPRP): property-purchase route, €375,000 minimum qualifying property (or €14,000 a year in rent), held for five years. Add a €60,000 non-refundable administrative fee, a €37,000 government contribution, a €2,000 donation to a Maltese NGO and a €500 residence card per person (residencymalta.gov.mt, S.L. 217.26 as amended by LN 310/2024 and LN 146/2025).
- Malta, dependants: each adult dependant other than the spouse adds €7,500, which the calculator does not apply automatically. Add it yourself for parents, grandparents or adult children (residencymalta.gov.mt).
- UAE: the Dubai Land Department issues a 10-year renewable golden residence permit for Dubai property worth AED 2,000,000 or more. Main-applicant service fees total AED 9,884.75: medical AED 700, Emirates ID AED 1,153, residency confirmation AED 2,856.75, DLD fees AED 4,020, administrative fees AED 1,155. Each additional sponsored family member adds AED 100 (dubailand.gov.ae).
- UAE, dependants and duration: each dependant also pays their own visa, medical and Emirates ID fees, which the DLD schedule does not price, so they are not modelled. The federal portal's summary table lists real-estate investors under a five-year duration (u.ae), so confirm the duration for the emirate you buy in.
- Italy: investor-visa thresholds are €250,000 (innovative start-up), €500,000 (an Italian limited company), €1m (philanthropy) or €2m (government bonds) (investorvisa.mise.gov.it). The portal does not publish an application fee schedule, so no Italian government fees are modelled. Consular visa and residence-permit charges apply and should be confirmed with the consulate and questura.
- Cyprus: permanent residence via €300,000 (plus VAT) in a first-sale house or apartment, or €300,000 in other real estate, company share capital or collective-investment units. You also need a secured annual income from abroad of at least €50,000, rising by €15,000 for a spouse and €10,000 per dependent minor child (Migration Department, gov.cy).
- Cyprus, fees: a €500 fee is charged on submission plus €70 per person for the Alien Registration Certificate (Migration Department, gov.cy).
- No currency conversion is applied, each result is shown in the programme's own currency. Professional fees (lawyers, due diligence), property transfer taxes and health insurance are excluded and can be substantial.
How much is a golden visa in Europe? The open programmes at a glance
| Country | Minimum | What you invest in | Physical presence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greece | €250,000–€800,000 | Real estate (tiered by location; €250k conversions/listed) | None required to renew |
| Portugal | €500,000 | Qualifying non-real-estate investment fund | Average 7 days per year |
| Malta (MPRP) | €474,500 all-in (purchase route) | Property + government contribution and fees | No minimum stay |
| Italy | €250,000–€2,000,000 | Start-up, company shares, philanthropy or bonds | No minimum for the permit |
| Cyprus | €300,000 + VAT | New residential property | Visit at least once every two years |
Greece: cheapest entry, tighter rules
Since 1 September 2024 Greece prices by location. €800,000 in Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands with over 3,100 inhabitants; €400,000 everywhere else, both with a 120 m² minimum property size. €250,000 anywhere for commercial-to-residential conversions or listed-building restorations. Golden-visa properties can no longer be used for short-term lets (migration.gov.gr).
Portugal: funds only, but a path to citizenship
Portugal's surviving route is €500,000 into a regulated investment fund that is not real-estate linked. Its physical-presence requirement is famously light: an average of about seven days a year.
Its citizenship clock is no longer the draw it was. Since 19 May 2026 naturalisation requires 10 years of legal residence, or 7 years for citizens of Portuguese-speaking countries and EU member states, under Organic Law 1/2026 (justica.gov.pt). Confirm the current route rules and fees with AIMA.
Italy vs Malta and Italy vs Greece golden visa, with Cyprus
Malta's MPRP is permanent residence bought with a bundle (residencymalta.gov.mt):
- €375,000 minimum property purchase, or €14,000 a year in rent;
- a €60,000 administrative fee;
- a €37,000 government contribution;
- a €2,000 NGO donation;
- a €500 residence card each;
- €7,500 for every adult dependant other than the spouse.
Italy's investor visa starts at €250,000 for an innovative start-up, €500,000 for an Italian limited company, €1m for philanthropy or €2m in government bonds (investorvisa.mise.gov.it). It needs no minimum stay for the permit itself.
Cyprus grants permanent residence from €300,000 plus VAT in a first-sale house or apartment, with a secured annual income from abroad of at least €50,000 (gov.cy). Hungary also operates a guest-investor residence programme, reworked since its 2024 launch. It is newer and less tested, so verify its current routes and thresholds directly before relying on it.
Run your own numbers, programme, route and family size, in the calculator. Every threshold above matches its tables.