A colloquial term for European Residency-by-Investment programmes — most notably Portugal, Greece, and Italy — granting residence in exchange for an approved investment.
Golden Visa is the informal market name for European Residency-by-Investment programmes that emerged in the 2010s. The original Portuguese Golden Residence Permit Programme (2012) gave the category its name; the term has since been applied across Spain (closed 2025), Greece, Italy, Hungary, and several others.
The defining features of a Golden Visa are: (a) a defined investment threshold, (b) a residency permit granted on investment, (c) very low minimum physical-presence requirements during the residency period (often 7–14 days per year), and (d) a path to citizenship after 5–10 years if statutory integration tests are met.
Since 2022, several Golden Visa schemes have been restructured under political and EU pressure — Portugal closed the real-estate route in 2023, Spain closed entirely in 2025, and Greece raised thresholds in popular districts.