Guide
Portugal golden visa ending: which golden visas ended, and when
Updated
Closed programmes are now so many that checking status is the first step of any golden-visa plan. Here is what has ended, when, and what, if anything, replaced it.
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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.
The closures, in order
| Programme | Route that closed | Closed | What remains |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cyprus citizenship (CIP) | Citizenship for €2m+ investment | November 2020 | Permanent residence from €300,000 + VAT continues |
| UK Tier 1 (Investor) | £2m in UK investments | 17 February 2022 | Nothing equivalent, route closed to new applicants |
| Montenegro citizenship | Citizenship by investment | 31 December 2022 | Programme lapsed |
| Ireland IIP | €1m investment / €500,000 endowment | 15 February 2023 | Nothing equivalent |
| Portugal (property routes) | €500,000 real estate and capital transfer | October 2023 (Law 56/2023) | €500,000 fund route, business and culture routes |
| Netherlands investor permit | €1.25m investment | 1 January 2024 | Programme scrapped |
| Spain (entire programme) | €500,000 real estate and other routes | 3 April 2025 (Organic Law 1/2025) | Nothing, no investor residence route |
Why programmes are closing
Housing pressure is the common thread. Portugal's Law 56/2023 ("Mais Habitação") and Spain's Organic Law 1/2025 both framed the closure as a housing-affordability measure, ending property-linked routes while Portugal kept non-property investment alive. The UK closed Tier 1 (Investor) in February 2022 over illicit-finance concerns; Cyprus suspended its citizenship scheme in November 2020 after an undercover investigation.
What this means if you were planning to apply
- Spain: no new applications since 3 April 2025. Visas issued before that date run their course under transitional rules.
- Portugal: buying property no longer qualifies, the practical route is €500,000 into a qualifying (non-real-estate) investment fund, which our calculator models.
- Everywhere: closure usually comes with months of warning and a surge of last-minute applications. If a programme you are counting on is politically contested, price in the possibility it closes before you complete.
Dates are taken from the closing legislation or official announcements (for example Ireland's Immigrant Investor Programme closed to new applications from close of business on 15 February 2023, gov.ie). Verify current status on the official programme site before committing funds; this page states the position as of its updated date.