Golden Visa Europe 2026: What's Left and What It Costs
In 2022, an investor with EUR 500,000 could choose between half a dozen EU property-based golden visas. In 2026, with the same money, the choice of programmes offering a directly owned property in a capital city has narrowed to exactly one — and it requires only half that budget.
The consolidation happened fast. Spain terminated its golden visa in April 2025. Portugal removed the real-estate route in 2023. Greece repriced its programme out of the mid-market. What remains across the EU is a short list with very different structures — funds here, contributions there, direct ownership almost nowhere. This is the map of golden visa Europe in 2026, drawn honestly.
A word on who's drawing it: we are CORVUS, an attorney-at-law office in Riga, and our practice is the Latvian programme. We state Latvian figures with precision because they're our daily work; for the internal mechanics of other countries' programmes, treat the numbers below as the orientation they are and verify current terms with local counsel before committing funds anywhere — including with us.
The 2026 Map, Country by Country
| Country | Status 2026 | Entry point | What you own |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | Terminated April 2025 | — | — |
| Portugal | Property route removed 2023 | Funds from EUR 500,000 | Fund units |
| Greece | Repriced | EUR 800,000 prime zones / EUR 400,000 elsewhere / EUR 250,000 conversions-heritage only, rental ban | Property |
| Malta | Active | ~EUR 300,000–375,000 property + ~EUR 100,000 contributions | Property (plus non-recoverable contributions) |
| Hungary | Active | EUR 250,000 via real-estate fund | Fund units — no direct property |
| Latvia | Active | EUR 250,000 property or EUR 100,000 share capital | Titled property in the Land Book / shareholding |
Spain needs the shortest entry: the programme is gone. Investors who were mid-research in 2025 are the largest single group now redistributing across the remaining programmes — we wrote a separate piece on where Spain's would-be applicants are going.
Portugal still runs a golden visa, but not the one most people remember. Since 2023 the route is investment funds, from EUR 500,000. You hold units, a manager holds the assets. For fund-minded investors that's fine; for the classic "apartment with my name on the title" buyer, Portugal left the market. Our Latvia vs Portugal comparison covers the switch in detail.
Greece kept property but moved the price. The zones investors actually want — Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini — now cost EUR 800,000; the rest of the country is EUR 400,000. The advertised EUR 250,000 tier applies only to conversions and heritage restorations, with a short-term rental ban attached. Real offer, narrow niche — the Latvia vs Greece breakdown runs the arithmetic.
Malta remains active with a composite price: roughly EUR 300,000–375,000 in property plus around EUR 100,000 in government contributions. The contributions are the point to understand — that part of the budget buys status rather than an asset you hold.
Hungary is the newest entry, at EUR 250,000 — through a real-estate fund. The number matches Latvia's property threshold; the structure doesn't. You never own an actual property, and everything said above about fund exposure applies.
Latvia is the outlier on the map: EUR 250,000 buys one completed property — including a new build in central Riga — with full title registered in the public Land Book. Or EUR 100,000 into the share capital of a Latvian company — one of the lowest entry points in the EU, and the lowest headline figure among the programmes on this map. The permit runs up to five years, covers spouse and children under 18, and requires one short visit per year, with no residence obligation and no language exam.
Three Questions That Sort the Whole Market
After enough consultations, we've found the 2026 market sorts itself with three questions.
Do you want to own the asset directly? If yes, your list is Greece, Malta and Latvia — the fund programmes (Portugal, Hungary) are out regardless of price. If direct title in a capital city matters, the list is Latvia alone: Greece's capital costs EUR 800,000, Malta's property component sits above EUR 300,000 before contributions.
What's the real budget? Under EUR 400,000 all-in, the mainstream options reduce to Hungary's fund or Latvia's two routes. Under EUR 150,000, only Latvia's share-capital route exists. Above EUR 800,000, the whole map opens and the decision becomes lifestyle rather than arithmetic.
How much of your life will the permit demand? Programmes differ sharply in maintenance. Latvia's regime — one visit per year, annual card registration, EUR 5,000 renewal each five years, no language requirement ever for the TRP — is among the lightest in the EU. Check the equivalent obligations of any programme you shortlist; a cheap entry with heavy presence requirements can cost more, in life terms, than an expensive one that leaves you alone.
There's a fourth question we're asked weekly and answer the same way every time: "which programme is best?" None of them is best. One of them fits your budget, your ownership preferences and your citizenship — and for a EUR 250,000–400,000 property-minded investor in 2026, the honest shortlist has become very short indeed.
Not sure which route fits your situation? Send us the basics — we reply with a free preliminary assessment.
Free preliminary assessmentFine Print That Changes Outcomes
Every programme on the map carries conditions that don't fit in a table. Three Latvian ones we insist clients understand before anything else, because they decide eligibility and budget:
The investment route is closed to citizens of Russia and Belarus under current Latvian law — no structuring changes that. The open Latvian route for them is the EU Blue Card through qualified employment.
Latvia's one-off state fees sit on top of the investment: 5% of the property price, or a flat EUR 10,000 on the share-capital route, plus per-person review and card fees — the complete cost breakdown itemises everything, worked examples included.
And the legislative picture moves. As of July 2026, Latvia's existing Immigration Law remains fully in force, including the real-estate route; a new law was adopted by Parliament but returned by the President for a second review and has not entered into force. We track this daily and structure client cases to stay robust under any outcome — and we'd urge equal diligence about pending changes anywhere else you consider. The last three years' lesson is written across the top of this article: programmes close faster than investors decide.
Shortlisting for Your Budget?
If your passport is American, Canadian, Turkish, Gulf or South Asian, start with your country guide — each maps the Latvian offer onto one nationality's specifics. Otherwise, tell us your budget, family composition and citizenship, and we'll give you a frank read on whether the Latvian programme fits — and exactly what it would cost you, line by line. If it doesn't fit, we'll say so plainly.
Contact CORVUS for an assessment of your situation →
This article is general information, not legal advice. Figures for Latvia are current as of July 2026 and may change; terms of other countries' programmes should be verified with local counsel in those jurisdictions. Contact us for advice on your specific situation.
Author: Valērija Barišņikova — sworn attorney (Latvia), CORVUS Attorneys-at-Law (ZAB Corvus Vanags Legal SIA). Reviewed by Andrejs Voroncovs — sworn attorney (Latvia), founder of CORVUS Attorneys-at-Law. Mag. iur. with distinction, University of Latvia; member of the Latvian Bar Association and of its commission for tax and financial matters. Profile → The firm has handled migration cases since 2004 — hundreds of cases for clients from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Egypt, the UAE, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the USA and Canada. Member of the Russell Bedford international network.