A Second Passport or Residency — Managed End to End
From Caribbean citizenship in under six months to EU Golden Visas with a path to a European passport — we identify the right programme for your goals and manage every step of the process, from investment selection to approval. You deal with us; we deal with everything else.
Active programmes covered
Years of advisory experience
Free eligibility tests
Visa-free countries (top passports)
One firm. The whole process.
Programme Selection
We map your goals — travel, tax planning, EU access, business flexibility — against every active programme to identify the right fit. This is not a one-size-fits-all decision.
Investment Coordination
Whether you are buying qualifying real estate, subscribing to a fund, or making a government contribution, we identify compliant opportunities and coordinate the investment process with our partner network.
Full Application Management
We handle document preparation, notarisation, apostilles, translation, due diligence files, and application submission. Our legal partners in each jurisdiction manage the local process. You review and sign; we do the rest.
Due Diligence Preparation
Every CBI and most RBI programmes require background checks on the applicant. We prepare a clean due diligence file in advance — identifying and resolving anything that could delay or derail an application.
Family Members
Most programmes allow spouses, children, and in some cases parents and siblings to be included. We handle the full family application, ensuring all dependants are correctly registered.
Post-Approval Support
Once approved, we help with banking introductions, tax planning in the new jurisdiction, and — where applicable — managing the residency requirements needed to convert to citizenship.
Citizenship by Investment Programmes
These programmes grant full citizenship — and a new passport — directly in exchange for a qualifying investment or contribution. Processing times range from around 45 days (Vanuatu) to roughly 6–9 months for the Caribbean programmes.
Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda's CBI programme offers four investment routes, starting from USD 230,000 for a family of up to four. Direct citizenship in 3–6 months, with visa-free access to 154+ destinations including the UK, Schengen Area, and Canada. No residency requirement beyond 5 days in the first 5 years.
Dominica
Dominica's citizenship by investment programme offers one of the most affordable entry points in the Caribbean — EDF donations from USD 200,000 for a single applicant — combined with some of the fastest processing at 2–3 months. This comprehensive guide covers both investment routes, passport access, due diligence standards, family inclusion, and the value proposition that keeps Dominica at the top of Caribbean CBI rankings.
Dominica
Dominica's CBI programme has been in continuous operation since 1993 and is consistently rated the best-value citizenship by investment programme globally. Two investment routes from USD 200,000, direct citizenship in 2–3 months, no residency requirement, and visa-free access to 145+ destinations.
Egypt
Egypt's Citizenship by Investment programme offers four qualifying routes, starting from USD 250,000. Direct citizenship is granted within 6–12 months. No residency requirement, no Arabic language test, and dual citizenship is now fully permitted.
Grenada
Grenada's citizenship by investment programme has one feature no other Caribbean CBI programme can match: an E-2 Treaty with the United States dating from 1989. Grenadian citizens can apply for a US E-2 Treaty Investor Visa, providing a route to live and work in the USA. NTF route from USD 235,000.
Grenada
Grenada's citizenship by investment programme has a feature no other Caribbean programme can match: a bilateral investment treaty with the United States that allows Grenadian citizens to apply for the US E-2 investor visa. This makes Grenada CBI the gateway for internationally mobile investors who want both a strong Caribbean passport and a renewable right to live and work in the USA.
Jordan
Jordan's citizenship by investment programme offers a direct route to Jordanian nationality through several active investment routes — from productive business investment to share purchase and job creation. A July 2025 overhaul phased out passive options such as treasury bonds and bank deposits. Processing is among the fastest for any citizenship programme at 3–6 months, no residency is required, and Jordanian citizenship carries significant strategic value in the Arab world even with a modest visa-free travel ranking.
North Macedonia
North Macedonia's citizenship by investment programme offers direct citizenship for €200,000 invested in a private investment fund, with no residency requirement and a processing time of 4–6 months. The Macedonian passport provides Schengen visa-free access — its most significant practical benefit — and the country's EU candidate status raises the possibility of future EU membership. We present a balanced assessment of this relatively new programme.
St Kitts and Nevis
St Kitts and Nevis launched the world's first citizenship by investment programme in 1984. Forty years on, it remains one of the strongest, with visa-free access to 157+ countries, a rigorous due diligence reputation, and a SISC contribution route from USD 250,000.
St Lucia
St Lucia's CBI programme is notable for its government bonds route — the only Caribbean CBI pathway that returns the investor's capital after a five-year hold. NEF donation route from USD 240,000 and real estate at USD 300,000 are also available. Visa-free access to 146+ countries.
Turkey
Turkey's citizenship by investment programme has seen the fastest growth of any CBI programme globally in recent years, driven by strong demand from MENA, Central Asian, and Pakistani investors. The property route requires a $400,000 minimum purchase with a three-year hold. We give an honest picture of who the Turkish passport is right for — and what its limitations are.
Turkey
Turkey's citizenship by investment programme grants full Turkish citizenship within three to six months of a qualifying investment — no residency requirement, no language test, no interview. The property route requires a minimum investment of $400,000 with a three-year hold period. The Turkish passport provides visa-free access to approximately 114 countries, but does not include Schengen — a distinction every prospective applicant must understand clearly before investing.
Vanuatu
Vanuatu's Development Support Programme (DSP) remains the fastest citizenship by investment programme in the world — 45 to 60 days from application to passport. At $130,000 for a single applicant, it is also among the most accessible. However, following the European Council's revocation of Schengen visa-free access in December 2024, the Vanuatu passport's travel reach has been meaningfully reduced. We present the full picture.
Residency by Investment — Golden Visas
These programmes grant long-term or permanent residency rights in exchange for a qualifying investment. Several offer a pathway to full citizenship after meeting residency and language requirements.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica offers one of the most accessible investor residency programmes in the Americas — a $150,000 investment in property or business qualifies under the Inversionista category. Combined with a stable democracy, natural beauty, a well-educated population, and a low-cost high-quality lifestyle, it is consistently popular with investors from North America, Europe, and beyond.
Cyprus
Cyprus Permanent Residency (Category F) is one of the most practically useful residency-by-investment programmes in Europe. A minimum €300,000 property purchase plus €50,000/year overseas income grants permanent, never-expiring residence rights in an EU member state, with no minimum stay obligation and the option to become a Cyprus tax resident under the highly favourable non-domicile regime.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers one of the most accessible permanent residency programmes in Europe: €300,000 invested in new-build residential property, combined with €50,000 per year in documented overseas income, secures a permanent residency permit with no renewal requirement. For investors who want an EU-backed lifestyle base with attractive tax treatment, Cyprus delivers — though citizenship requires a genuine long-term commitment to the island.
Greece
Greece's Golden Visa remains the only major EU programme that still allows direct residential property purchase as the qualifying investment. A three-tier threshold structure — €250,000, €400,000, and €800,000 — applies depending on location and property type, with the highest tier covering Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, and Santorini.
Italy
Italy's Investor Visa (Golden Visa) offers four routes to Italian residency, with minimum investments from €250,000 in innovative startups to €2 million in government bonds. Italian citizenship follows after 10 years of legal residency. For those of Italian descent, the citizenship by descent route may be far faster — we advise on both.
Portugal
Portugal's Golden Visa remains one of Europe's most sought-after residency programmes, offering a clear path to an EU passport with as few as seven days' physical presence per year. The residential property route closed in October 2023, but four active investment routes — including qualifying funds from €500,000 and cultural contributions from €250,000 — continue to attract investors from across the globe.
Qatar
Qatar's residency by investment programme is a straightforward proposition: purchase qualifying freehold property in a designated development and receive a renewable residency permit. It is a solid option for investors who want a Gulf base, particularly those with business interests in the region — but it carries no path to Qatari citizenship, and for travel document purposes, the UAE Golden Visa is stronger for most investors.
United Arab Emirates
The UAE Golden Visa grants a renewable 10-year residence permit to property investors, company investors, and skilled professionals. There is no path to UAE citizenship by investment. The programme's appeal is different: it offers long-term residency in a zero income tax, zero capital gains tax jurisdiction, with straightforward banking, excellent infrastructure, and rapid processing.
United States
The EB-5 programme offers a structured route to a US green card — and ultimately citizenship — through a qualifying investment starting at $800,000 in a Targeted Employment Area. Processing backlogs remain significant, but for the right applicant, no other programme delivers what EB-5 delivers: full US permanent residency.
Check your eligibility in minutes
Our interactive eligibility tools assess your position against each programme's requirements — investment amount, background, residency intentions, and family size.
- Compare programmes against your goals and budget
- Estimate your timeline to a passport or residency
- Understand 2024–2026 threshold rule changes
- No obligation — answers in minutes
Take an interactive test
Each tool checks your position against a programme's requirements — investment amount, background, residency intentions, and family size — in just a few minutes.
Caribbean CBI Eligibility
Compare all 5 Caribbean programmes and see which suits your goals, budget, and passport objectives.
Take the testPortugal Golden Visa Eligibility
Check whether you qualify for Portugal's fund or cultural investment route and estimate your timeline.
Take the testGreece Golden Visa Eligibility
See whether your planned property investment meets the 2024 threshold rules for Athens, Mykonos, or other regions.
Take the testUAE Golden Visa Eligibility
Check eligibility across UAE's property, professional talent, and investor routes for a 10-year residence visa.
Take the testEB-5 Investor Visa Eligibility
Assess your eligibility for the US EB-5 programme by investment amount, project type, and job creation requirements.
Take the testCanada Start-up Visa Eligibility
Assess your business and funding eligibility for Canada's Start-up Visa and pathway to permanent residency.
Take the testMalta MEIN — Abolished
Malta's investor citizenship programme was struck down by the European Court of Justice in April 2025. See our full guide to the history and current EU alternatives.
Take the testAbolished Programmes
These programmes have been discontinued. We maintain comprehensive guides explaining what each offered, why it was abolished, and what the best current alternatives are.
Australia
Australia's Business Innovation and Investment Programme (BIIP) — which underpinned the Subclass 188 visa — and the Business Talent visa (Subclass 132) both closed permanently to new applications on 31 July 2024. This guide explains what replaced them, what current pathways exist for business owners and investors seeking Australian permanent residency in 2026, and what the path to Australian citizenship looks like.
History & alternativesBulgaria
Bulgaria offered one of the few EU citizenship pathways via investment available at a significantly lower price point than Malta or Cyprus. The programme was abolished in March 2022 following years of European Commission pressure over money laundering risks and the principle that EU citizenship should not be commercially available. Bulgaria became a full member of the Schengen Area on 1 January 2025 (air and sea controls were lifted in March 2024, land controls on 1 January 2025), meaning that Bulgarian residency now carries Schengen access — but citizenship by investment is no longer possible.
History & alternativesCanada
Canada's Start-Up Visa Programme closed to new applicants on 31 December 2025, with IRCC citing an overwhelming backlog exceeding 46,000 cases. Existing applicants with commitment certificates issued in 2025 may still submit by 30 June 2026. For those seeking Canadian PR in 2026, we outline the best current routes and advise on IRCC's upcoming replacement programme.
History & alternativesCyprus
The Cyprus Citizenship by Investment programme was one of Europe's most sought-after routes to an EU passport — and one of its most expensive. It was suspended in November 2020 after an Al Jazeera undercover investigation revealed systemic due diligence failures. The programme no longer exists. Cyprus retains a Permanent Residency by Investment programme, and citizenship is now available only through standard naturalisation after seven years of legal residency.
History & alternativesMalta
Malta's MEIN citizenship by investment programme was wound down in 2025 following the European Court of Justice judgment of 29 April 2025. The structured investment-for-citizenship route no longer accepts new applications. This guide explains what happened, what the new merit-based pathway involves, and which alternative EU citizenship routes our clients are now pursuing.
History & alternativesMalta
Malta's Exceptional Investor Naturalisation (MEIN) programme was the most prestigious citizenship by investment route ever operated anywhere in the world. This guide details how the programme worked, what it cost, who it suited, and why it was abolished by a European Court of Justice judgment in 2025.
History & alternativesMoldova
Moldova's Citizenship by Investment programme was one of the most affordable in the world, requiring a minimum donation of €100,000 to a government fund. It was suspended in 2022 and formally abolished in 2023 as Moldova pursued EU candidate status and faced international pressure over programme integrity. Moldova was granted EU candidate status in June 2022 and opened accession negotiations in 2024. The CBI programme no longer exists.
History & alternativesMontenegro
Montenegro's Citizenship by Investment programme was introduced in 2019 with a fixed window of 2,000 approvals and expired as scheduled on 31 December 2022. The programme offered a Montenegrin passport — providing Schengen-free travel and access to an EU candidate country — for a donation plus real estate investment. No replacement programme has been announced. Montenegro remains an EU candidate country with ongoing accession negotiations.
History & alternativesSpain
Spain formally abolished its Golden Visa programme on 3 April 2025, ending the €500,000 residential property route and all investment-linked residency routes under Organic Law 1/2025. Applications filed before that date continue to be processed under the previous rules. This guide explains the closure, who is affected, and the viable alternatives for investors who want Spanish residency or an EU passport in 2026.
History & alternativesUnited Kingdom
The UK Tier 1 (Investor) Visa was one of the world's most prestigious investor residency programmes, offering a pathway to Indefinite Leave to Remain and British citizenship in exchange for a minimum £2 million investment in UK government bonds or active UK companies. It was abolished abruptly on 17 February 2022, accelerated by the Russia-Ukraine conflict and a long-standing accumulation of money laundering and national security concerns. No direct replacement exists. The UK has no passive investment route to residency or citizenship.
History & alternativesUnderstanding citizenship & residency by investment
A Practical Guide to Using Your Second Passport
When to use which passport, how to manage multiple nationalities at international borders, airline booking practicalities, and the legal obligations every dual national must understand.
ReadAccelerated Citizenship Routes: The Fastest Legitimate Paths to a Second Passport
When time is a factor, understanding which citizenship programmes process applications fastest — and what speed costs in terms of investment, passport quality, and programme integrity — is essential.
ReadAfrican Citizenship and Residency by Investment: An Honest Assessment for 2026
An overview of African CBI and residency-by-investment options — Egypt, Rwanda, Comoros, Djibouti, and Ghana's Right of Abode — covering investment thresholds, passport travel strength, due diligence standards, and a candid assessment of which programmes offer genuine value for HNW internationally mobile individuals.
ReadAntigua & Barbuda Citizenship by Investment 2026
Antigua & Barbuda offers one of the most competitively priced Caribbean CBI programmes, with a family-of-four NDF donation starting at $230,000 and one of the lowest physical presence requirements of any programme. Its UWI tuition fund option is unique among Caribbean programmes.
ReadAntigua and Barbuda Citizenship by Naturalisation: The Long-Stay Route
Antigua and Barbuda offers citizenship by naturalisation after five years of lawful continuous residence — a separate route from the citizenship-by-investment programme that suits a very different type of applicant.
ReadArmenia: Residency, Citizenship by Descent, and the Emerging Investment Destination in the South Caucasus
Armenia has emerged as an unexpected destination for investors, remote workers and diaspora returnees. With a flat 20% income tax, straightforward residency by investment, and citizenship by descent for those of Armenian heritage, this small Caucasus republic offers a distinctive and underexplored set of opportunities.
ReadFree citizenship & residency consultation
Our specialists advise on every active programme — Caribbean CBI, Portugal, Greece, UAE, EB-5, and more. We identify the right route for your goals and manage the process end to end.
Talk to a citizenship specialist
Our advisers can identify the right programme for your goals — passport or residency — and manage the full application process from eligibility check to approval.
Important notice on immigration and investment advice
Citizenship and residency by investment programmes are complex and subject to frequent change. Investment thresholds, eligibility rules, and programme availability can be altered or withdrawn with limited notice. The information on this website reflects our understanding as of 2026 and should not be relied upon as current legal or immigration advice.
All applications should be made with the assistance of a qualified immigration lawyer in the relevant jurisdiction. Global Investments acts as an adviser and coordinator — not as an immigration lawyer. Investment values can fall as well as rise. Past programme availability does not guarantee future availability.