Residency Through Property: 10 Countries

The map of property-linked residency has been redrawn twice in three years, and most of what is published online is out of date.

Portugal removed real estate from its golden visa in October 2023. Spain closed its investor residence route entirely on 3 April 2025 under Organic Law 1/2025. Greece raised its prime-area threshold to EUR 800,000. Meanwhile Saudi Arabia opened residential property to foreign buyers in most major cities in January 2026, transforming a route that had been theoretical for international investors.

What follows is the live picture as of August 2026, ranked by a combination of entry cost, speed and what the permission actually gets you. Every threshold reflects the qualifying investment only: government fees, due diligence charges, transfer taxes and legal costs sit on top and are frequently 8% to 25% of the headline figure.

Comparison Table

Thresholds verified August 2026. Programmes change without long notice. Confirm with licensed counsel before committing capital.

1. United Arab Emirates

Threshold: AED 2,000,000, approximately $545,000, in property. Grants: a 10-year renewable Golden Visa. Citizenship path: none.

The UAE has become the default answer for internationally mobile wealth, and the numbers explain why. Henley and Partners recorded roughly 142,000 millionaires projected to migrate internationally in 2025, a decade high, with the UAE leading net inflows at around 9,800 while the UK was on track to lose about 16,500.

The mechanics are unusually straightforward. A purchase at or above AED 2 million qualifies, off-plan and mortgaged properties can qualify subject to conditions, and the visa runs for ten renewable years. There is no personal income tax, no capital gains tax on property, and no minimum stay beyond entering the country once every six months.

What makes it different: the qualifying asset sits in a market that returned roughly 25% prime price growth in 2025 and close to 200% over five years, per Knight Frank. Most golden visa property markets are flat or declining. The UAE is the only major programme where the qualifying purchase has recently outperformed the visa's own value. Our luxury villa investment guide covers which communities that growth came from.

The honest trade-off: there is no realistic citizenship pathway. UAE naturalisation exists but is discretionary and rare. This is a residency product, not a passport product.

2. Greece

Threshold: EUR 250,000, 400,000 or 800,000 depending on location and property category. Grants: a 5-year renewable residence permit with Schengen access. Citizenship path: yes, after 7 years of genuine residence.

Greece is now the strongest property-led route into the EU, largely by default: it kept the real estate option alive while Portugal removed it and Spain closed altogether.

• EUR 800,000 in high-demand areas, meaning Attica including Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands with populations above 3,100. Properties must be at least 120 square metres.
• EUR 400,000 in most other regions.
• EUR 250,000 survives only for restricted categories, principally conversions of commercial buildings to residential use and restorations of listed properties.

Critical restriction: Greek law prohibits golden visa properties from being used for short-term rentals. Nightly letting is not permitted; long-term letting of six months or more is allowed. Buyers modelling returns on nightly rates are modelling something they cannot legally do.

Stay requirement: none for the residency itself. Progressing to citizenship requires actual residence, typically 183 days a year, which is a materially different commitment.

3. Turkey

Threshold: $400,000 in real estate. Grants: full citizenship. Speed: typically 6 to 12 months.

Turkey runs the fastest direct citizenship-by-investment route in the world, at a price point well below the Caribbean's effective all-in cost for larger families. There is no residency requirement, no language test and no minimum stay, and dual citizenship is permitted.

The mechanics: the property must be valued at $400,000 or more by a valuer accredited under Turkish banking regulation, the title deed carries a three-year resale restriction, and the transaction must be with a Turkish citizen or company. Spouse and children under 18 can be included; parents and adult children cannot.

Passport value: visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to more than 110 destinations. The genuinely distinctive feature is E-2 eligibility, which allows Turkish citizens to apply for the United States investor visa, a pathway unavailable to nationals of most large countries including India and China.

The risk to price in: the threshold moved from $250,000 to $400,000 in June 2022. Thresholds in this category historically move up, not down.

4. Saudi Arabia

Threshold: SAR 4,000,000, approximately $1.07 million, in residential property. Grants: Real Estate Owner Premium Residency, renewable and tied to continued ownership. Citizenship path: none.

Saudi Arabia belongs on this list for the first time in a meaningful way. A foreign ownership law effective January 2026 permits non-Saudis to purchase residential property directly in designated zones of Riyadh, Jeddah and the giga-project developments including NEOM, Qiddiya and Red Sea Global, ending a decades-old restriction. Mecca and Medina remain restricted.

The Real Estate Owner track requires a property that is residential, fully completed (off-plan does not qualify at application), entirely mortgage-free, and independently appraised by a TAQEEM-accredited valuer. The application fee is SAR 4,000, not to be confused with the SAR 4 million asset threshold, a distinction routinely garbled in secondary coverage.

The Premium Residency system now runs seven tracks, including a SAR 800,000 one-time fee for permanent unlimited-duration residency with no property requirement at all. The programme ranked ninth on the Henley Global Residence Program Index 2026, with more than 40,000 applications filed between January 2024 and July 2025.

The honest trade-off: residential resale liquidity in Saudi Arabia is not yet comparable to Dubai, London or Singapore, and the regulatory framework is new. This is an early-cycle position.

5. Malta

Threshold: EUR 375,000 purchase, or a lease at EUR 14,000 a year. Grants: permanent EU residency under the Malta Permanent Residence Programme. Citizenship path: a separate and considerably more expensive process.

Malta offers permanent rather than temporary residency, which is the differentiator. Schengen travel for up to 90 days in any 180-day period is included, there is no minimum stay, and the family definition is unusually broad: spouse, children under 18, disabled children, children aged 18 to 28, and dependent parents and grandparents.

The real cost sits well above the property figure. On top of EUR 375,000 you pay a EUR 60,000 administrative fee, a EUR 37,000 government contribution, EUR 7,500 per adult dependent, a EUR 2,000 charitable donation and roughly 7% in transfer costs. All-in for a purchase route is commonly cited around EUR 474,000 to EUR 500,000 before furnishing.

Applicants must also demonstrate either EUR 500,000 in global net assets including EUR 150,000 liquid, or EUR 650,000 including EUR 75,000 in financial assets. The investment must be held for five years.

6. The Caribbean Five: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia

Threshold: from $200,000 in government-approved real estate. Grants: full citizenship. Speed: typically 4 to 9 months.

These five programmes now operate a coordinated $200,000 price floor, introduced to end the mutual undercutting that had drawn scrutiny from Brussels and Washington. Donation routes sit alongside the real estate options: Dominica from $200,000, Antigua and Barbuda from $230,000, Grenada from $235,000, St Lucia from $240,000, St Kitts and Nevis from $250,000.

Real estate options generally require purchase into pre-approved developments, usually branded resort or villa projects, with holding periods of five to seven years. Passports deliver visa-free access to more than 140 destinations. Grenada is the strategic standout, combining visa-free China access with United States E-2 treaty eligibility.

Read the fine print. An approved-development share is not the same asset as freehold real estate you selected yourself. Resale is typically restricted to the next citizenship applicant, which means the buyer pool for your exit is the programme itself. Price your exit accordingly. St Kitts introduced mandatory biometrics for applicants in early 2026, part of a broader regional tightening.

7. Cyprus

Threshold: EUR 300,000 plus VAT in new-build property. Grants: permanent residency. Speed: roughly 2 to 3 months, among the fastest in the EU.

Cyprus offers fast permanent residency with a low relative threshold and an English-speaking legal and financial services environment. Note that Cyprus is an EU member but not yet in Schengen, so the travel benefit is narrower than Greece or Malta.

The property must generally be new-build purchased from a developer, and applicants must show secured annual income from abroad. The former citizenship-by-investment programme was terminated in 2020 following an EU investigation, a useful reminder about programme durability generally.

8. Qatar

Threshold: from $200,000 in approved property for residency, or $1,000,000 for the enhanced permanent tier. Grants: renewable residency. Citizenship path: none.

Qatar's route is the lowest-cost real estate residency in the Gulf and processes quickly. The $200,000 tier grants residency for the owner and family for as long as the property is held. The $1 million tier adds broader benefits including access to health and education services.

Foreign purchase is restricted to designated freehold and leasehold zones, principally The Pearl, Lusail, West Bay Lagoon and a defined list of additional districts.

9. Panama

Threshold: $300,000 in real estate. Grants: permanent residency. Citizenship path: yes, after five years.

Panama's Qualified Investor visa grants permanent residency on a $300,000 purchase, with a straightforward five-year path to naturalisation for those who genuinely reside. Foreign ownership carries the same rights as citizens, unusual in Latin America, and there are no restrictions on coastal or island purchase of the kind Brazil imposes.

The territorial tax system means foreign-sourced income is not taxed. The practical constraints are banking, which is rigorous, and the fact that naturalisation in Panama, unlike Turkey or the Caribbean, actually requires living there.

10. Mauritius

Threshold: $375,000 in an approved scheme property (PDS, IRS or Smart City). Grants: a residence permit for the holder and dependants, valid while the property is held. Citizenship path: long and discretionary.

Mauritius is the credible Indian Ocean option and increasingly a base for South African, Indian and French capital. Purchase into an approved scheme at $375,000 or above grants residence for the investor, spouse and dependants. There is no capital gains tax, no inheritance tax, and a headline income tax rate of 15% with favourable treatment of foreign-source income for qualifying residents.

The constraint is that foreign purchase is confined to approved schemes rather than the open market, which narrows both selection and resale liquidity.

What Has Closed or Changed

Spain: closed. Organic Law 1/2025 removed the investor residence provisions for new applications with effect from 3 April 2025. Transition rules preserve processing and renewal for certain existing cases. Any guide still listing Spain at EUR 500,000 is out of date.

Portugal: real estate removed. The programme remains active but property has not qualified since October 2023. Current routes run through investment funds at EUR 500,000, cultural or artistic support from EUR 250,000, research, business investment and job creation. Portugal retains the fastest citizenship timeline in Europe at five years with only seven days of annual presence required, which keeps it competitive even without the property option.

Hungary and Italy: not property routes. Both sit around EUR 250,000 entry, but through bonds, funds or startup investment rather than real estate. They appear on golden visa comparison tables and are frequently mislabelled.

Georgia: threshold raised to $150,000 for the real estate residency route from 1 March 2026.

How to Choose

Price is the last question, not the first. Three decisions come before it.

Do you want a passport or the right to live somewhere? Turkey and the Caribbean deliver citizenship. The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar deliver residency with no realistic naturalisation path. Greece, Malta, Cyprus, Panama and Portugal sit in between.

Do you want the qualifying asset to be a home or a financial instrument? Greece, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, Panama and Mauritius keep real estate as the asset itself. Portugal moved to funds. If the goal is a family residence you will actually use, that distinction determines the entire shortlist.

How durable is the programme? Spain's closure and Portugal's reform showed these routes can change with limited notice. The Gulf programmes are tied to national economic strategy, Vision 2030 and UAE diversification, rather than to EU-level political pressure, which is a meaningfully different risk profile.

In most of these jurisdictions the qualifying property is a flat or declining asset you are required to hold. In the UAE it has been the best-performing prime market in the world. The opportunity cost of the qualifying capital is very different from one programme to the next.

If the UAE is your shortlist, start with freehold versus leasehold, since only freehold title in a designated area supports the visa, then browse current properties for sale.

Sources

• Official programme portals: Residency Malta Agency, Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum, Saudi Premium Residency Center, UAE government portal, Turkish Presidency of Migration Management
• Henley and Partners, Global Residence Program Index 2026 and wealth migration data
• Knight Frank, The Wealth Report 2026

This article is general market information, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Investment thresholds, eligibility criteria and programme availability change without extended notice. Engage licensed counsel in the relevant jurisdiction before committing capital.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country gives citizenship for buying property?

Turkey, at $400,000 in real estate with a three-year holding period and no residency requirement, is the fastest and largest such programme. Five Caribbean states (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia) also grant citizenship through approved real estate from $200,000.

Does buying property in Dubai give you residency?

Yes. A property purchase of AED 2,000,000 or more, approximately $545,000, qualifies for the UAE Golden Visa, a ten-year renewable residency. Off-plan and mortgaged properties can qualify subject to conditions. It does not lead to citizenship.

Can you still get a Portugal golden visa through real estate?

No. Portugal removed the real estate option in October 2023. The programme remains open through investment funds from EUR 500,000, cultural support from EUR 250,000, and business or job-creation routes. Portugal still offers Europe's fastest citizenship timeline at five years.

Is the Spain golden visa still available?

No. Spain closed its investor residence route to new applications on 3 April 2025 under Organic Law 1/2025. Transition rules preserve processing and renewal for certain existing cases, but any guide still listing Spain at EUR 500,000 is out of date.

What is the cheapest property route to EU residency?

Greece at EUR 250,000, though that tier is now restricted to commercial-to-residential conversions and restorations of listed buildings. Most standard purchases fall into the EUR 400,000 or EUR 800,000 bands depending on location. Cyprus at EUR 300,000 is the cheapest unrestricted route, but is outside Schengen.

Do golden visa programmes require you to live in the country?

Most do not, for the residency permit itself. Greece and Malta have no minimum stay, Portugal requires seven days a year, and the UAE requires one entry every six months. Progressing from residency to citizenship almost always requires genuine physical presence, typically 183 days a year for five or more years.

Can foreigners buy property in Saudi Arabia now?

Yes. A foreign ownership law effective January 2026 permits non-Saudis to buy residential property in designated zones of Riyadh, Jeddah and the giga-projects including NEOM, Qiddiya and Red Sea Global. Mecca and Medina remain restricted. A SAR 4 million completed, mortgage-free property qualifies for Premium Residency.

What are the total costs beyond the property price?

Typically 8% to 25% of the headline figure, covering government fees, due diligence, transfer taxes and legal costs. Malta is the clearest example: on top of a EUR 375,000 purchase come a EUR 60,000 administrative fee, a EUR 37,000 government contribution, dependant fees, a charitable donation and around 7% in transfer costs.

Can you rent out a golden visa property?

It depends on the programme. Greece specifically prohibits short-term letting of golden visa properties, allowing only long-term lets of six months or more. The UAE places no such restriction. Caribbean approved-development shares are usually tied into an operator's rental pool rather than let independently.