The Cheapest Ways to Get EU Residency by Investment
Key findings
- Latvia has one of the lower published EU investment entry amounts, but the money goes into a company with continuing obligations.
- Greece, Hungary, and Italy form the clearest €250,000-tier EU investor-residence candidates.
- Cyprus is a €300,000 permanent-residence pathway, but it is not direct citizenship and has income, insurance, investment-maintenance, and absence rules.
A relatively low investment threshold can make EU residence look like a straightforward purchase. In practice, the cheapest options often ask the investor to take on something more involved than owning a holiday home: company exposure, a restricted property project, or capital that must remain committed for years.
The ranking below compares entry amounts. Its citizenship column answers a different question, and one that can require a much larger commitment of time. Residence obtained through investment does not by itself deliver an EU passport.
Compare the field: see our full golden visa guide.
Cheapest EU residency-by-investment pathways
| Rank | Country | Pathway | Time to citizenship | Minimum investment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latvia | Latvia Investor Residence | 10+ years | €50,000 + €10,000 state payment |
| 2 | Greece | Greece Golden Visa | 7 years | €250k–€800k |
| 2 | Hungary | Hungary Guest Investor Residence | 8+ years | €250,000 |
| 2 | Italy | Italy Investor Visa | 10 years | €250,000 |
| 5 | Cyprus | Cyprus Permanent Residence | PR; actual residence required | €300,000 + income requirement |
| 6 | Malta | Malta Permanent Residence | PR (no direct citizenship) | ~€375k property + contributions |
| 7 | Portugal | Portugal Golden Visa | 7-10 years | €500,000 |
| 7 | Luxembourg | Luxembourg Investor Residence | 5 years | €500,000 |
A small entry amount can carry a larger obligation
Latvia’s lowest company-capital route illustrates the tradeoff. The company must support continuing tax-payment requirements, so the applicant needs to understand the business behind the investment. A low capital contribution is less useful if the enterprise cannot maintain the conditions on which residence depends.
The September 2026 changes also make older comparisons unreliable. Former Latvian property, bank, and securities options are not routes for a new application under the current system. The new law provides for a state-established fund, but the migration authority says it has not been created and cannot yet accept this kind of application. A legal provision is not necessarily an investment someone can make today.
The same care matters within the €250,000 tier. Greece's lowest property threshold applies to special-purpose investments rather than ordinary residential property everywhere. A price filter that produces an appealing apartment listing may therefore have little to do with the property that qualifies. The legal category of the asset matters as much as the asking price.
These distinctions make liquidity part of the comparison. Money committed to qualifying assets is money that cannot simultaneously fund a move, cover an emergency, or support a business elsewhere. The lowest entry figure is useful only after the rest of the household budget remains viable.
Residence and citizenship ask different things of the investor
An applicant seeking a second base has different priorities from one intending to move permanently. The former may value a manageable residence obligation; the latter needs a route compatible with everyday work, family life, and eventual settlement.
Naturalization adds its own residence and other requirements. A published number of years is therefore a possible legal timeline, not a delivery date purchased with the investment. For someone whose main goal is citizenship, the meaningful comparison includes how much of those years they can actually spend building a life in the country.
Investment is one way to support a move
For someone who intends to live in Europe, the cheapest workable route may not involve an investment at all. A Bulgarian pension application, a qualifying Croatian job, or an existing European citizenship asks a different question about the applicant’s life. These routes belong in their own comparisons, rather than being assigned a zero-euro place in an investor ranking.
The distinction can preserve capital that the household needs for the move itself. An investor route is most relevant when its rights and obligations fit the plan better than the options already supported by the person’s income, work, or family history.
Source notes
- Latvia’s migration authority explains the law effective September 15, 2026: qualifying company-investment routes remain, former property, bank, and securities routes use transition provisions, and the proposed state-established fund is not yet available for applications.
- Hungary's official guest investor residence guidance lists the €250,000 real-estate fund investment certificate pathway and €1,000,000 donation pathway.
- Cyprus's official Migration Department investor Immigration Permit guidance lists a €300,000 minimum investment across property, company-share-capital, and Cyprus investment-fund categories.
- Greece's Golden Visa pathway has a €250,000 floor for special-purpose investments, not the ordinary price for most residential property in Athens, Thessaloniki, or major islands.
Methodology
Figures are based on the official sources linked below and in the individual pathway guides. Where pathways are ranked by cost, mixed currencies are compared using approximate equivalents and amounts shown are the lowest qualifying option per program. Ranked tables use competition ranking: pathways with the same ranked value share a rank, and the next rank is skipped. Program terms change often; confirm the current rules with the relevant government authority before applying.
Latvia’s migration authority supports the investor comparison. Additional residence examples use the official sources linked from their pathway pages.