Which golden visa is cheapest for an Indian family?

Malta costs the least in cash terms if you rent rather than buy, because the fixed fees are around €99,000 and the rest is rent. Hungary and Latvia start at €250,000. Greece starts at €250,000 only for special conversion properties; most Greek purchases need €400,000. The cheapest is not the best for every family, which is why we ask about your goal first.

Do I have to move abroad to keep the visa?

Portugal asks for about seven days a year. Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Malta, Italy and the UAE have no minimum stay to keep the permit. Cyprus needs one visit every two years. Living abroad matters only if you want permanent residence or citizenship later.

Can I send the money from India legally?

Yes, through your bank under the RBI Liberalised Remittance Scheme, up to US$250,000 per person each financial year, with a Form A2, your PAN and the TCS that applies. A couple doubles the yearly amount. Bigger amounts are planned over two years. We do this planning with your chartered accountant before anything is filed.

Will a golden visa give me a European passport?

Not by itself. Portugal now needs ten years of residence for citizenship, Greece seven years of actual living plus a language test, Italy ten years. Malta and Cyprus do not sell citizenship any more. Turkey gives citizenship for a property purchase, but India does not allow dual citizenship, so you would give up your Indian passport.

What does Lifeset Overseas charge?

Our fee is fixed and told to you after the first call, with 18% GST included. It covers the Indian side of the file and coordination with the lawyer abroad. Government fees, lawyer fees abroad and the investment itself are separate and paid by you directly.

How long does a golden visa take?

It depends on the country. Greece outside Athens has been taking four to nine months. Portugal has a long queue and often takes over a year. Malta takes a few months of checks. The UAE takes two to three weeks once the property is bought. Each programme page gives the honest current picture, and nobody can promise a date.

Golden visas · for Indian families

Golden visas for Indian families: which country your money can really buy into, and what it gets you

A golden visa is a residence permit you get by investing in a country. It lets your family live there, travel in Europe, and put the children in good schools — usually without leaving your life in India. Some programmes have closed. Some changed their rules this year. Below is every programme we work on, with the true starting amount, checked on the date shown. Then call us, because the right choice depends on your budget and your family, not on a list.

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Every claim below is checkable — tap any of them

2 questions

Which programme fits your money and your goal?

1. How much can your family invest?

2. What do you want from it?

Open in 2026

Every programme, with the real starting number

Programme	Starts at	Stay rule	Permit
Portugal Golden Visaregulated fund route · minimum	€500,000	Average 7 days a year (14 days per two-year permit period)	Two years, then renewals while the investment is held
Greece Golden Visaoutside Athens, Thessaloniki and the big islands	€400,000	None — you may never set foot in Greece after biometrics	Five years, renewable indefinitely while the investment is held
Malta Permanent Residence Programmeplus a property bought or rented	≈ €99,000 in fees	None to keep the status	Permanent residence certificate, indefinite — not a temporary permit
Italy Investor Visainnovative start-up route · €500,000 for an established company	€250,000	None to hold the permit	Two-year investor visa and permit, renewed for three-year periods while the investment is held
Hungary Guest Investor Programmeregulated real-estate fund units	€250,000	None to hold the permit	Ten years, renewable once for a further ten
Latvia Golden Visaproperty purchase + 5% state duty (about €262,500 all told)	€250,000	None required to keep the permit	Five-year temporary residence permit
Cyprus Permanent Residencein new residential property, commercial property, a Cyprus company or fund units	€300,000 + VAT	Visit Cyprus at least once every two years or the permit is cancelled	Permanent — no expiry date
UAE Golden Visatitle-deed value of Dubai property — or zero, on the talent track	AED 2,000,000	None — and unlike ordinary UAE residence, six months abroad does not cancel it	—
Turkey Citizenship by Investmentproperty by official valuation, held three years — or US$500,000 in a deposit, bonds or fund	US$400,000	—	—

Closed or paused — still being sold to Indian families

Spain Golden VisaClosed — Spain’s golden visa closed to new applications on 3 April 2025. Pre-deadline files continue and existing holders can renew.

What a golden visa really gives you

You invest, and the country gives your family a residence permit. Most European permits let you travel across the Schengen area without a visa. Some have no minimum stay, so you keep living in India. A permit is not a passport. Citizenship needs years of real living in that country, and some countries do not offer it through investment at all.

Why the money is the hard part, not the visa

Under RBI rules a resident Indian can send US$250,000 abroad each financial year. Most programmes need more. So we plan who sends what, and in which year, with your chartered accountant. From 1 April 2026, remittances above ₹10 lakh for investment carry 20% TCS, which comes back later but must be paid first. Missing this step is how good files get stuck.

Which programmes have closed

Spain closed its golden visa on 3 April 2025. The UK has had no investor visa since 2022. Australia closed its business investor programme in 2024. Canada stopped taking new Start-up Visa cases from 1 January 2026. If someone offers you one of these today, they are selling something that does not exist.

What we do, honestly

We tell you if a programme fits, prepare and apostille the Indian documents, build the source-of-funds file, plan the remittances, and work with the lawyer or licensed agent in that country who lodges the application. We do not sell property, do not recommend funds, and never promise an approval or a date.

Talk to us

Tell us your budget and your goal. We tell you the route.

Fifteen minutes on the phone settles which country, which route, and how the money should leave India. No fee for this call.

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Questions we get on the phone

Malta costs the least in cash terms if you rent rather than buy, because the fixed fees are around €99,000 and the rest is rent. Hungary and Latvia start at €250,000. Greece starts at €250,000 only for special conversion properties; most Greek purchases need €400,000. The cheapest is not the best for every family, which is why we ask about your goal first.
Portugal asks for about seven days a year. Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Malta, Italy and the UAE have no minimum stay to keep the permit. Cyprus needs one visit every two years. Living abroad matters only if you want permanent residence or citizenship later.
Yes, through your bank under the RBI Liberalised Remittance Scheme, up to US$250,000 per person each financial year, with a Form A2, your PAN and the TCS that applies. A couple doubles the yearly amount. Bigger amounts are planned over two years. We do this planning with your chartered accountant before anything is filed.
Not by itself. Portugal now needs ten years of residence for citizenship, Greece seven years of actual living plus a language test, Italy ten years. Malta and Cyprus do not sell citizenship any more. Turkey gives citizenship for a property purchase, but India does not allow dual citizenship, so you would give up your Indian passport.
Our fee is fixed and told to you after the first call, with 18% GST included. It covers the Indian side of the file and coordination with the lawyer abroad. Government fees, lawyer fees abroad and the investment itself are separate and paid by you directly.
It depends on the country. Greece outside Athens has been taking four to nine months. Portugal has a long queue and often takes over a year. Malta takes a few months of checks. The UAE takes two to three weeks once the property is bought. Each programme page gives the honest current picture, and nobody can promise a date.

Also see: investor and founder visas (USA, Canada, New Zealand, UK, Australia) · Canada PR by profession · all PR routes