Mar 06, 2025 04:41 PM IST
US President Donald Trump has also floated the idea of launching a ‘Golden Visa’ program offering citizenship for
Did you know that you can be a country’s citizen even if you were not born there? To do that, however, you will need a ton of money.
A number of countries offer ‘Golden Visas’ to wealthy individuals who wish to become global citizens. This arrangement of paying to become citizens benefits both parties—the country gets funds for various developmental projects, while the visa holders get access to a number of services and privileges available to the country’s citizens.
What’s more is that Golden Visa holders don’t even need to stay in the country offering the special visa to avail the benefits.
But how much do you need to spend to get a Golden Visa? Here’s a list of some of the world’s costliest Golden Visa offerings.
List of costliest Golden Visas
Malta
A Golden Visa from Malta costs $6.2 million (nearly ₹54 crore) and offers visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel to about 190 destinations. Malta’s Golden Visa also gives access to countries that are part of the European Union along with access to world-class international schools and universities and full citizenship.
Italy
Italy offers Golden Visas on investments between €250,000 to €2 million ( ₹2.35 crore to ₹18.82 crore). The visa offers the right to live, work and study in Italy along with visa-free travel to Europe’s Schengen area.
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
UAE offers a Residence by Investment opportunity to its Golden Visa holders on a minimum investment of AED 2 million (nearly ₹4.75 crore). The visa holders get the right to live in any of the seven emirates of the UAE along with the opportunity of adding their spouse or unmarried children of any age to the visa program at no additional cost.
Greece
Another European country, Greece, offers a Residence by Investment option to wealthy individuals on a minimum specialised real estate investment of €250,000 (about ₹2.35 crore). The country’s special visa offers visa-free travel within Europe’s Schengen Area without the requirement of residing in Greece. It also allows the visa holder to apply for citizenship after seven years of residence.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers one of the cheapest methods of getting access to visa-free travel across Europe with a Golden Visa available to people making a minimum investment of just €300,000 (over 2.82 crore). The country’s special visa offers the right to live and study in Cyprus but visa holders don’t need to reside in the country. However, they must visit once every two years.
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