Open data · Residence for sale
Golden visas for sale.
Many countries sell investors the right to live there: buy a home, put money in a fund or a bank, or lend to the government, and you get a residence permit, often called a golden visa. It is not a passport, though some lead to citizenship after years of living there. Here are the programmes and numbers we have collected so far, where each one comes from, and how far to trust it. It is not yet everything those documents contain: what we have and haven't extracted is listed on GitHub.
Looking for passports? See citizenship by investment →
All the numbers, sources and downloads in the data portal →
- 74,552
- numbers about residence programmes
- 1,037
- documents and articles behind them
- 143
- residence programmes
- 86
- countries
Every programme
143 ways to buy the right to live in a country
Every residence programme for investors we found, open and closed, in 86 countries. Where a programme's rules lead to citizenship, it says so under its name. Click a country for its prices over time, its numbers and its documents. Programmes that sell citizenship itself are on the citizenship by investment page.
143 residence programmes
CountryProgrammeLowest priceStatusWhat we have
Australia
Business Innovation and Investment visa
Closed4,106 numbers · 84 rules2012–2024
Can lead to citizenship under the usual residence rules for permanent residents.
Australia
Significant Investor visa
Closed1,787 numbers · 58 rules2012–2024
Can lead to citizenship under the usual residence rules for permanent residents.
Belarus
Belarus permanent residence permit for foreign investors (Law No. 105-З of 4 January 2010, art. 53)
Open1 number · 3 rulessince 2010
Bulgaria
Permanent residence for investors
Open39 numbers · 29 rulessince 2005
Was the first step to citizenship for investors until 2022; ordinary citizenship after 5 years of permanent residence is still possible.
Cayman Islands
Permanent residence, independent means
OpenNo numbers · 19 rulessince 2012
Can lead to citizenship: from 1 May 2026 holders may apply to become British Overseas Territories citizens (the usual residence rules still apply).
Cayman Islands
Substantial business presence residency
not determinedOpenNo numbers · 35 rulessince 2012
China
China permanent residence for foreign direct investors (外国人在中国永久居留审批管理办法 2004, arts. 6(1) and 7)
OpenNo numbers · 18 rulessince 2004
Egypt
Deposit residence
Closed1 number · 5 rules2018–2019
Could lead to citizenship: after five years in a row the Interior Minister could grant citizenship, and the deposit then went to the state.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia Golden Visa (10-year residence and multiple-entry visa for large investors)
not determinedStatus unclearNo numbers · 5 rulesdates not recorded
Guatemala
Guatemala temporary residence for investors (residencia temporal para inversionistas, Código de Migración art. 75(d))
Status unclearNo numbers · 15 rulesdates not recorded
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan AIFC Investment Tax Residency Programme (Astana International Financial Centre)
OpenNo numbers · 37 rulessince 2022
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan investor visa ('golden visa', инвесторская виза) with residence permit of up to 10 years
Status unclearNo numbers · 3 rulesdates not recorded
Nicaragua
Nicaragua residence as investor (residente inversionista, Ley 761 Ley General de Migración y Extranjería arts. 32, 35; nationality for investor residents art. 55)
not determinedStatus unclearNo numbers · 12 rules1993
Can lead to citizenship: investors who set up a business that helps development may apply after two years of permanent residence.
Panama
Panama residence as investor or businessperson in the City of Knowledge (Inversionista o Empresario Ciudad del Saber)
not determinedOpen19 numbers · 2 rulesdates not recorded
Panama
Qualified Investor Program
Open98 numbers · 56 rulessince 2020
Can lead to citizenship: holders and their families may apply after five years in a row of residence.
Portugal
Golden visa
Open747 numbers · 162 rulessince 2012
Can lead to citizenship: after 6 years of legal residence until 2018, 5 years from July 2018, and 10 years from 19 May 2026 (7 for EU nationals and Portuguese-speaking countries).
Seychelles
Permanent residence for investors
OpenNo numbers · 15 rulessince 2013
Can lead to citizenship: investors need 11 years of residence in total.
Taiwan
Hong Kong and Macao investor residence
OpenNo numbers · 30 rulessince 1999
Can lead to citizenship rights: Hong Kong and Macao residents may settle with full citizenship rights after one year of continuous residence (or two years with 270 days a year).
Taiwan
Taiwan residence and settlement for nationals without household registration through investment (入出國及移民法 第9條第1項第6款)
not determinedStatus unclearNo numbers · 9 rulesdates not recorded
Turkey
Turkey short-term residence permit for owners of real property (Yabancılar ve Uluslararası Koruma Kanunu 6458, art. 31(1)(b))
not determinedStatus unclearNo numbers · 14 rulesdates not recorded
United Kingdom
Tier 1 (Investor) visa
Closed6,690 numbers · 103 rules2008–2022
Can lead to citizenship: permanent settlement after 2 to 5 years depending on the amount, then citizenship 12 months after settlement and 5 years' residence.
United States
Gold Card
OpenNo numbers · 11 rulessince 2025
Can lead to citizenship: it gives ordinary permanent residence, and citizenship can follow after five years.
United States
Investor visa (EB-5)
Open30,924 numbers · 135 rulessince 1991
Can lead to citizenship: after five years of permanent residence (a green card).
Lowest price: the minimum one person invests or donates on the main route today (or when it closed), before fees, checked by hand against the rules; tap or hover on a price for how it was chosen. Numbers: figures published about the programme (applications, approvals, money raised…). Rules: prices and conditions over time, from the laws. Click a country for everything we have on it.
Latest changes
What changed most recently
Compare
Price, applications and money, side by side
The latest yearly figure we have for each residence programme, with what it counts. Click any number for its source.
ProgrammeLowest price · for one person, main routeApplications · latest yearLet in · latest year, as countedMoney raised · latest year, as counted
Andorra
––––Andorra residence without gainful activity by investment in Andorran assets (residència sense activitat lucrativa, "passive residence"; Llei 9/2012 qualificada d’immigració, arts. 95-96)
Azerbaijan
–––Azerbaijan temporary and permanent residence by investment, real estate, deposit or securities (Migration Code arts. 45.1.2-45.1.3-2 and 52.1.2-52.1.5)
Belarus
–––Belarus permanent residence permit for foreign investors (Law No. 105-З of 4 January 2010, art. 53)
Canada
–Quebec Investor Program
China
–––China permanent residence for foreign direct investors (外国人在中国永久居留审批管理办法 2004, arts. 6(1) and 7)
Colombia
–––Colombia investor visa (Visa M Inversionista, Resolución 5477 de 2022 art. 79; formerly visa de residente por inversión extranjera directa and visa de migrante como inversor inmobiliario)
Curaçao
–––Curaçao investor residence permit ('Investors permit 2014', Richtlijnen Investors permit 2014 under art. 7 Landsverordening Toelating en Uitzetting)
Ecuador
–––Ecuador temporary residence visa as investor (visa de residencia temporal inversionista, Ley Orgánica de Movilidad Humana arts. 59-60)
Georgia
–––Georgia investment residence permit (Law on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons, art. 15(h); unlimited residence under art. 15(k))
Georgia
–––Georgia short-term residence permit for owners of real property (Law on the Legal Status of Aliens and Stateless Persons, art. 15(j))
Greece
Golden visa
Each figure is the latest yearly one we have, so years differ between programmes, and so do the measures (one country counts applications, another visas issued): the small print says which. Prices and money stay in each programme's own currency. We don't convert them, because the data holds no sourced exchange rates; sorting by an amount groups currencies.
What the numbers show
Six things this data tells you
2,901
investors were granted a Portuguese golden visa in 2023, the most in any year we have; in 2025 it was 2,685. Family members come on top.
7,021
applications for a Greek golden visa in 2025, against 1,969 in 2018.
14,373
applications to the US investor visa (EB-5) in budget year 2015, the peak; 6,654 in budget year 2025.
919
investor visas issued by Spain in 2021, its busiest year in our data. Spain closed its golden visa in 2025.
12
residence programmes have closed since 2020, in 9 countries, most recently in Mauritius, Spain, Australia.
15
residence programmes can lead to citizenship after some years of living there, according to the rules recorded in our notes. Each says how, under its name.
Who buys
Who buys a golden visa
Few countries say who buys their golden visas. These are the best figures we found: Portugal's goes most often to Americans, and the US investor visa to Chinese buyers.
Portugal golden visa
Investors granted residence, 2025
AIMA, Portugal's migration agency (2025 report)
US EB-5 investor visa
Visas used, investors and their families, fiscal 2024
US State Department, Report of the Visa Office 2024
Follow one nationality
Where buyers from one country go
Pick a nationality to see which residence programmes report buyers from there, and how their numbers moved. Each programme counts in its own way (applications, approvals, visas), so the charts are never added up.
The stories behind the numbers
Who buys golden visas, what they cost, and why Europe is closing them one country at a time. Written from this data, in the newsletter.
Explore
Every number, and where it comes from
Pick a country and what you want to see: every number we have about its residence programmes. Each dot is one number from one document. The line follows the most official figure; click anything to open the source at the right page.
Over time
When each programme opened and closed
Every residence programme as a bar from launch to closure, with what happened to it on top. Choose which kinds of events to show; click a dot for its source, or a name for the country's page.
Loading events…
Open today ClosedDashed: closed or not running, end date not recorded.
18 programmes have no start date recorded, so they aren't drawn
Albania (Albania permanent residence for strategic investors (Law 79/2021 art. 91.2)), Canada (Quebec Investor Program), Colombia (Colombia migrant visa as company partner or owner (Visa M Socio o Propietario, Resolución 5477 de 2022 art. 75; under Resolución 6045 de 2017 art. 48: visa de migrante como empresario)), Colombia (Colombia investor visa (Visa M Inversionista, Resolución 5477 de 2022 art. 79; formerly visa de residente por inversión extranjera directa and visa de migrante como inversor inmobiliario)), Cyprus (Golden visa (permanent residence)), Ethiopia (Ethiopia Golden Visa (10-year residence and multiple-entry visa for large investors)), Ethiopia (Ethiopia property-based residential ID and visa for foreign property buyers), Guatemala (Guatemala temporary residence for investors (residencia temporal para inversionistas, Código de Migración art. 75(d))), Isle of Man (Isle of Man Tier 1 (Investor) Migrant route (Isle of Man Immigration Rules)), Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan investor visa ('golden visa', инвесторская виза) with residence permit of up to 10 years), Mauritius (Residence through property purchase), Panama (Panama residence as investor or businessperson in the City of Knowledge (Inversionista o Empresario Ciudad del Saber)), Panama (Panama residence as small-business investor (Inversionista de Pequeña Empresa)), Seychelles (Eden Island residence permit), Turkey (Turkey short-term residence permit for owners of real property (Yabancılar ve Uluslararası Koruma Kanunu 6458, art. 31(1)(b))), Taiwan (Taiwan alien resident certificate for foreign investors (入出國及移民法 第23條第1項第4款)), Taiwan (Taiwan residence and settlement for nationals without household registration through investment (入出國及移民法 第9條第1項第6款)), Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe Investor Residence Permit).Timeline
How the rules changed
Launches, closures, new prices and new rules for golden visas, newest first. Add other kinds of events, or pick one country, and click any event for its source.
Every number
All 74,552 numbers about residence programmes
Search and filter everything we collected on residence by investment. Each row opens the document it comes from.
Pick a country, or type a search to look through all 74,552 numbers (that fetches every country's data, a few megabytes).
How far to trust this
Uncertain numbers, fully documented
Governments publish little on golden visas, change how they count, and revise their figures, sometimes by a factor of three. So we don't give one “true” number. We record every figure separately, say what kind of figure it is, and link it to its source.
Every number is labelled
- Final figure (62,440) · The official number for a period that's over.
- Early figure (4,995) · An official number that may still be revised.
- Calculated by us (4,045) · Calculated by us from official records: a plain sum of the source's own rows, not a number printed in it.
- Estimate (447) · An estimate, often by the IMF, of what happened.
- Reported (1,151) · Passed on by someone else, such as a newspaper or the EU quoting a government.
- Claim (87) · Said by someone with a stake, such as a minister, without published data behind it.
- Forecast (1,216) · A prediction for a period that wasn't over yet.
- Budget target (171) · What the government planned to collect, not what it got.
Every number was checked
- Not complete yet. We have not yet extracted every table from every document we store. Each document has a status (not reviewed, partial, complete) in the coverage file, and gaps are listed as to-dos.
- One dataset, two pages. Citizenship and residence programmes are kept in the same tables, with the same documents and checks; this page shows only residence programmes. Figures about immigration in general, or background such as sugar exports, belong to no programme and are counted on neither page.
- Stored documents. Across the whole dataset we keep copies of 1,706 official documents, so every quote can be checked against the exact file we read, even if the original disappears.
- Quotes found. Each number comes with a short quote from its source, and we checked that 113,862 quotes across the dataset appear in the stored document.
- Read twice. A second, independent reader went back to the documents for 40,036 numbers without seeing ours. Where the two disagreed, we checked the page by hand.
- What's missing. Most countries publish the number of permits but not the money invested, and few say who the buyers are. Family members are often counted separately, or not at all.
Use this data
Free to use, with credit
Download residence by investment
- Every residence programme CSV · 143 rows
- Their prices and rules CSV · 4,345 rows
- Every number on this page CSV · 74,552 rows
- Their timeline CSV · 824 rows
- The documents they cite CSV · 1,037 rows
Same columns as the full dataset; every row keeps its source id, which the documents file explains.
The full dataset
- In the data portal: search, filter and download every table, each row with its source, page and quote
- Every number, both kinds and context CSV
- Every document CSV
- The timeline CSV
- Prices and rules CSV
- Everything on GitHub, including the stored documents
Credit
Free to use for anything, including commercially, under CC BY 4.0. Please credit “Oscar Leo, oscarleo.com” and link to this page, and cite the original source of any number you use.
Found a mistake?
Or have a document we don't? Open an issue on GitHub with the source and page. Data last updated 2026-10-14.
Looking for passports? See citizenship by investment →
The stories behind the numbers
Who buys golden visas, what they cost, and why Europe is closing them one country at a time. Written from this data, in the newsletter.