The cheapest golden visas in 2026, ranked by real floor

This list ranks residency-by-investment and citizenship-by-investment routes by their published investment floor. expatriates.ai tracks 28 investment routes across 25 countries; you can compare the full universe in the full ranked list.

The floor is not the full moving budget. It does not make the programs equivalent. A low deposit in a business account has a different cost profile from a nonrefundable donation. A citizenship donation has a different legal outcome from a renewable long-stay visa. The table separates the published floor from the nature of the outlay.

The word “golden visa” gets used loosely. Here it means a route where investment, deposit, capital, property, a contribution, or a membership payment is central to the permission to live in or obtain status from a country. That includes some residency routes and some citizenship routes.

The Netherlands is the outlier at the top of the list. DAFT is not a broad global golden visa. It is a US-citizens-only self-employment route under the 1956 treaty. The requirement is to register a Dutch business and keep about €4,500 in its account. On this list, that shows up as the $4,900 floor. If you want the country-level context, see Netherlands visa and residency routes.

Thailand is also cheap on entry price, but the money is not an investment in the usual sense. The Thailand Privilege Visa is a membership-fee program. The notes describe it as pure pay-for-a-long-stay visa with concierge perks, no income or asset test, no permanent residency, no citizenship, and no work rights. For other Thai routes, compare Thailand visa and residency options.

France sits above Thailand but is a different animal. The Passeport Talent business creator route is for founders building a real business in France. The floor reflects project financing, not necessarily liquid cash sitting in an account. The route also has education or experience and personal-resource conditions. Compare that with the wider France visa and residency list.

The deposit and capital routes tend to look cheaper because the money is tied to a business account, company capital, fixed deposit, real estate, or other asset rather than a pure donation. That can matter if you care about recoverability. It also adds obligations: a real business, a bank deposit, property purchase, or continued residence.

Vietnam is a good example. The investor route uses capital in a Vietnamese company and grants a residence card. The notes say permanent residence is possible only after three continuous years, not from the investment alone, and that there is no retirement or digital-nomad visa. See Vietnam visa and residency routes for the route in context.

Malaysia’s MM2H Silver route has a $150,000 fixed deposit, but the notes also say property purchase is now mandatory, with a 10-year resale lock. Up to 50% of the deposit is withdrawable after buying property. It is a renewable long-stay visa, not a route to Malaysian permanent residency or citizenship.

Costa Rica and Panama both show asset-based investment options. Costa Rica allows $150K in real estate, a registered business, shares, or moveable assets. Panama allows $200K in titled real estate or a $200K 3-year bank fixed deposit for the Friendly Nations investment route.

The citizenship-by-investment rows have a different pattern. The published floor is usually a contribution, donation, or approved real estate option. The trade-off is simple: the outcome can be citizenship rather than a residence permit, but donation routes are a spend, not a recoverable deposit.

Nauru’s Economic & Climate Resilience Citizenship program is listed at $105,000 investment/deposit. The notes describe it as a climate-funding CBI, with no residence needed, but also a new program with a smaller visa-free footprint and evolving international acceptance.

Vanuatu’s Development Support Program is listed at $130,000 investment/deposit and is described as fast citizenship through a donation. The major caution is travel value: the EU suspended visa-free access for Vanuatu passport holders over due-diligence concerns.

The Caribbean citizenship programs shown here start at Dominica’s $200,000 investment/deposit, then Antigua and Barbuda at $230,000 investment/deposit, Grenada at $235,000 investment/deposit, and St Lucia at $240,000 investment/deposit. The notes distinguish donation, real estate, fund, and bond options, plus program-specific conditions such as interviews or physical visits.

Use the ranking to narrow the field, not to choose a country. The published floor answers one question: where does the official money requirement start? It does not answer whether the route matches your nationality, family situation, work plans, tax position, or tolerance for tying up capital.

For a broader comparison, start with the free visa and residency finder. Then open the country pages for routes that look plausible. The low floor may be attractive, but the legal outcome matters more: temporary residence, permanent residence, renewable long-stay permission, or citizenship are not interchangeable.

Finally, treat every published requirement as an entry point, not a guarantee. If your facts match a route’s published bar, the government still makes the decision on the application.