The reasons why people from different parts of the world migrate to Europe are very diverse. While some people are looking for a better economic stability, others do it for the love of the culture of a country, while others do it for work or study. In any case, whatever the reason, Europe represents a great continent in which to make a life.
This turns Europe into a very attractive place for investors to stablish part or all of their businesses in the continent, and being able to get a residency in one country belonging the EU/EEA, also opens the possibility of more easily doing businesses with the rest of this important economic and political area.
Is it worth investing in Europe to acquire a Golden Visa?
However, for investors outside of the EU/EEA and Switzerland, it might be a bit steeper to be able to get into the important market of Europe. And even for people not interested in doing business, the idea of being able to reside in Europe is still a highly attractive one.
This is a fact that many European countries knew, and have started taking advantage of this by offering the Golden Visa Europe Program. A program that some countries around the world are using to encourage international investment, and for countries in Europe, it has been giving very good results.
A Golden Visa is a citizenship by investment or residency by investment program. It is directed to wealthy foreign nationals who want to acquire residency in a certain country by investing a substantial amount of money or by purchasing a property.
In order to obtain a Golden Visa in Europe, the basic requirement is to invest a certain amount of money (mostly an amount above the €250,000), but the exact minimum amount, and the type of investments applicable vary.
Which European countries offer the Golden Visa program?
Some of the most popular programs in Europe are:
- Portugal
- Spain
- Greece
- Malta
- Cyprus
- Latvia
From these, Portugal, Spain and Greece have been attracting a good amount of international investors, thanks to a mix of global importance, good deals in real estate and current economic outlook of the country.
Portugal is the most popular country in terms of their Golden Visa Program, and Spain accommodates in a second place, with the advantage of low prices in its major cities for a high quality house.
To have a clearer idea, Portugal and Spain offer a Golden Visa to investors outside of the EU/EEA and Switzerland for buying a property for a minimum of €500,000, or other alternative investments, being real estate the most popular and viable option.
While Greece, a country which is still considerably affected by the Eurozone crisis, offers much lower prices in properties, as well as a lower starter price to acquire their Golden Visa, with a minimum investment of more than €250,000 in real estate; half the price it would cost to get a Golden Visa in the most popular programs.
It is worth considering that although some countries have better economic prospects than others, being able to live freely in EU countries is already an excellent gateway to doing business, earning passive income or retiring in such an important continent.