Profile and eligibility
Review nationality, family circumstances, source of funds and your intended use of residency. Identify questions requiring specialist review before you commit.
Residency by investment in Europe
Compare Portugal, Greece, Hungary and Latvia around your budget, family and plans. Understand the investment, additional costs and time each residence route requires before choosing where to apply.
Start your residency enquiry
Share your contact details and citizenship. An adviser will discuss your family, budget and preferred countries, then explain the next information needed.
Choose residency around your plans
Start with how you will use the permit: a family base, access to education, business needs or a future move. Your budget, source of funds, family ages and ability to attend appointments help narrow the four routes.
Compare the qualifying investment with government fees, professional costs and ongoing commitments. Keeping a residence permit, becoming tax resident and qualifying for citizenship are separate questions, each with its own conditions.
Countries to explore
Four published routes to compare. Figures are starting investment amounts; government payments, fees, taxes and other costs are additional.
Four residency routes, side by side
An initial comparison of the current routes. Investment thresholds exclude fees and family costs; review the country-specific conditions before committing.
| At a glance |
Portugal
|
Greece
|
Latvia
|
Hungary
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum investment | from €250,000 | from €250,000 | Company investment from €50,000, plus a €10,000 state payment and other costs | from €250,000 |
| Main route | Fund subscription, business, research or cultural support — not real estate | Special qualifying conversion or listed-building routes from €250,000; standard property thresholds of €400,000 or €800,000 depend on location | Qualifying company share-capital investment; former property and subordinated-bank grounds are closed to new applicants | Qualifying real estate fund units from €250,000, subject to investment risk, or a €1m qualifying university donation |
| Processing time | Preparation, appointments and official review vary by case | Property readiness, appointments and official review vary | Preparation plus official review; request a current case estimate | Entry route, investment evidence and official review vary |
| Family | Spouse, children and dependent parents may qualify | Spouse, children up to 21 and the parents of both spouses | Spouse and qualifying minor children, subject to individual eligibility | Spouse and qualifying minor children; other relative categories require separate review |
| Stay and permit upkeep | About seven days of presence per year for the permit; renewal has separate conditions | No minimum stay to retain the investment permit; renewal conditions still apply | Company-investor permit up to two years; continued capital and annual company tax conditions apply | No minimum annual stay for the investment permit; keep qualifying investment and permit conditions |
What the residency service covers
A written comparison, a document checklist and an application plan, followed by the agreed filing and renewal support.
A written route comparison
Set Portugal, Greece, Hungary and Latvia against the same criteria: qualifying investment, extra costs, family eligibility, attendance and renewal obligations.
An applicant-specific checklist
List the records needed for each family member, with translation, legalisation and validity requirements identified.
A pre-filing review
Check the available records for missing evidence, inconsistent details and certificates approaching expiry. Record what still needs to be resolved.
Submission and appointments
Coordinate the agreed filing route, requests for information and attendance requirements. The relevant authority makes the decision.
A renewal and handover plan
Explain the issued permit, relevant review dates and the investment or family conditions that must continue to be met.
From route selection to residence application
Five stages. Document readiness, investment arrangements and authority workloads determine the timetable.
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01
Discuss your objectives
Outline your family, budget and plans. Identify which of the four published routes merits a closer review.
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02
Compare eligible routes
Receive a written shortlist covering investment and additional costs, family rules, attendance and renewal conditions.
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03
Prepare the records
Work through the applicant-specific checklist, translations and funding evidence. Review missing or expiring documents before filing.
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04
Coordinate filing and visits
Follow the selected investment and submission sequence. Arrange the required appointments and respond to authority requests.
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05
Review the decision
Explain the outcome and any further action. If approved, set out the permit conditions, renewal dates and responsibilities.
Discuss your residency options
Tell us your preferred countries, family circumstances and available investment budget. We will help identify suitable routes and the costs, documents and next steps to review.
Questions about residency
Questions the comparison cannot answer: full budgets, documents, tax residence and future status.
How do I choose a country?
Begin with how you intend to use residency: a family base, a business location or a longer-term move. Compare those priorities with the official programme conditions before narrowing your options.
What does residency by investment cost in total?
The comparison shows starting investments, not a complete family budget. Add the applicable state contribution, permit and card charges, due diligence, translations, insurance, taxes, professional work and ongoing investment or company costs. Ask for an itemised estimate for your selected country and family before transferring funds.
Which documents will I need?
Expect identity and civil-status documents, evidence of lawful funds, investment records and any route-specific police, insurance or accommodation evidence. The required language, certification and validity period vary by country and whether the application is initial or a renewal. Confirm the checklist before ordering translations or legalisation.
Does residency lead to citizenship?
Not by itself. A residence permit and a passport are separate statuses, and naturalisation is governed by its own rules: a set number of years of lawful residence, usually with a language or integration requirement and a real physical presence test. Where citizenship is the longer aim, it is worth saying so at the outset, because the routes differ in how well they serve it.
Is residency the same as tax residency?
No. Holding a residence permit does not by itself make you tax resident. Tax residency follows each country’s own tests, which usually count the days you spend there and ask where your personal and economic centre sits, so it is possible to hold a permit in one country and remain tax resident in another. The two should be considered together rather than one after the other.
What should I prepare for the first conversation?
A short outline of your preferred countries, family circumstances, intended use of residency and the questions you want to explore is a useful starting point. Do not send passports or other sensitive documents through this initial form.