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Take Chance of The European Residency by Investment Changes
The current time is ideal for those seeking diverse investment and economic gains to apply for European Residency by Investment, before major changes.
In times of uncertainty and the desire to move, European Residency by Investment programs or the so-called golden visa programs stand as an indispensable factor to benefit from global advantages and opportunities.
The benefits of European Residency by Investment include the possibility of linking the family with the investor, eligibility for European citizenship in the future, travel, residence, work and use of health facilities and educational systems in all Schengen countries.
About European Residency by Investment and expected changes
The four countries offering European Residency by Investment programs have announced upcoming changes and some have already implemented them. The changes in Greece and Spain were very significant, Malta was moderate, and Portugal has only taken some minor steps.
The changes in Greece and Spain included the possibility of canceling the mentioned programs in the first months of 2025, Malta made several changes in the area of required costs and changes in the requirements for family members, while Portugal changed the module of its program to speed up the processing of applicants for its program.
European residency programs can be used as a model for the future in the face of geopolitical instability, as a gateway to global citizenship, or as incentives to diversify the economy, expand investment and open businesses.
While real estate is an attractive tool for wealthy buyers looking to establish their lives or businesses in the EU because it provides a European residency permit and tax benefits, it has unfortunately started to affect European citizens because it has led to a massive increase in the cost of housing prices, which is the main reason behind the changes and cancellation of current European residency programs.
Greece and Spain are the latest countries to plan to scrap or update their own programmes, following a number of others that have already done so, most recently Ireland and Cyprus, with Portugal updating its programme in late 2023 and Malta in late 2024.
Countries offering European Residency by Investment changes
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1. Spanish European Residency by Investment
Spain is seriously considering scrapping its Spanish European Residency by Investment programme by April 2025, which was launched in 2013 and offers non-EU citizens a European residency permit after investing €500,000 in Spanish property or by investing around €1 million in companies.
The decision to scrap the programme was approved in November 2024 and published in the Official Gazette on January 3 that the programme will be scrapped on April 3. Sources have indicated that the main reason for the cancellation is the Spanish left-wing coalition’s repeated calls to end the programme because it has caused housing problems in Spain and weakened the purchasing power of Spanish citizens. However, investors can still apply for the programme until then.
2. Greek European Residency by Investment
In a similar move to Spain, Greece is also considering abolishing the Greek European Residency by Investment Programme without specifying an actual timeframe, with the possibility of benefiting from the VAT on property purchases until 2026, which is estimated at around 26%.
The Greek Residency Programme was established in 2013 and attracts foreign investment and aspiring residency from Europe after investing in Greek property.
In addition to considering abolishing the programme, several other changes have recently been implemented to the programme, including changing the required investment costs from €250,000 to €400,000 in remote areas and €800,000 in major cities such as Athens. The phenomenon of renting out the property used to obtain residency for a short period has also been banned.
The changes will apply from the beginning of September 2024, and for those who made their investments during that period, they have until January 1, 2025 to complete their investments according to the previous conditions, provided that the real estate purchase transactions are completed before May 1, 2025.
The government has prepared a new method by which Greek residency can be obtained in addition to the usual method for real estate, which is to invest €250,000 in a start-up company or in equity funds, provided that the company in which the investment is made is approved by Greece.
In addition, other new investment options have been introduced, such as buying shares in the capital of companies, government or institutional bonds, or renting hotel spaces, all for a minimum of €400,000.
3. Portuguese European Residency by Investment
Portugal’s cancellation of the real estate investment program at the end of 2023 was one of the reasons for the current changes in European Residency by Investment programs, with Spain and Greece taking on the remaining weight of Portugal, which was they still adopting the real estate investment method.
Although Portugal is one of the best residency by investment programs, it has seen a slowdown in processing applicants in the past three years, prompting the government to change the program unit and allocate more places and staff to resolve outstanding issues and speed up new processes.
4. European Permanent Residency in Malta
The European Residency by Investment Program in Malta has decided to increase the investment costs for obtaining a permanent residence permit with several amendments to the conditions for adding eligible dependents with the main applicant, which were implemented in early 2025.
In detail, the amounts required to prove the assets owned by the applicant, the amounts required to purchase or rent the property with the value of the contribution for each type, the administrative procedures and those related to adding dependents have been increased, in addition to changes in the required ages when adding family members with the main investor. For more information, read our article entitled Changes to Malta Permanent Residency.
How to benefit from European Residency by Investment in 2025
According to the European Residency by Investment and citizenship by investment programs market and in light of the current and upcoming changes, applicants have 3 options, the first of which is to expedite the application for these programs before they are canceled or changed.
The second option is to take advantage of the Portuguese Golden Visa program and the Maltese permanent residency, as they still maintain their weight and attractiveness, as they offer residency and permanent residency in Europe, respectively.
We conclude the options by heading to citizenship by investment programs, as Caribbean countries offer a strong passport after investment starting from $ 200,000 and no need for residency and many advantages, the most important of which is entry to 150 countries without a visa.
Contact Global Citizen Consultants, the authorized office for obtaining residency and second citizenship through investment programs around the world and gain comprehensive knowledge of the latest developments and alternatives.
About Author
Taher Shehab
As co-founder and CEO, Taher Shehab has guided Global Citizen Consultants to be a leader in providing citizenship by investment in over 20 territories, including the Caribbean.
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