How to get European citizenship by Investment: Complete Guide
Most often citizenship of the European Union is obtained through naturalisation. You need to obtain a resident status and live in the country for several years.
In some EU countries, there are investment residence permit programs that simplify the path to citizenship. In Malta, cosmopolitans can obtain citizenship for exceptional services by direct investment after one or three years as a resident.
Author •Albert Ioffe
Answered questions on how to obtain citizenship in European countries
How to get European citizenship by Investment: Complete Guide
EU citizenship helps to ensure a safe future for you and your family, make a profitable investment, give your children a good education and the opportunity to build a career abroad. In addition, citizens of the EU countries receive quality social security and health care services.
Many EU countries allow people to obtain a second citizenship without renouncing the first one. This is important for those who want to maintain their previous status and rights in their home country.Uncover the advantages of European citizenship and the fastest way to obtain an EU passport
Uncover the advantages of European citizenship and the fastest way to obtain an EU passport
9 benefits of EU citizenship
Free residence in any country of the European Union (EU).
The opportunity to get a job in any EU country with an EU passport.
Travel without visas in the EU and Schengen countries.
Visa-free travel to an average of 170+ countries.
Purchase of real estate in any of the 27 EU countries.
Access to social security such as pensions, benefits.
Opportunity to educate children in prestigious universities.
Quality healthcare.
Stable high standard of living, safety.
How to get EU citizenship
There are three ways to become a citizen of the European Union:
by repatriation;
by naturalisation;
by investment.
Each option has its own limitations. They are not available to everyone and the programs do not work in every country.
Repatriation programs operate in Hungary, Germany, Finland and some other countries. Their participants receive a residence permit or an EU passport. The main condition is the presence of close relatives who were citizens of the country.
Some programs limit participants' date of birth or the period that relatives have lived in the state. For example, in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, citizenship can be obtained only if relatives lived there during the period of independence of the countries. If relatives lived in these countries during the Soviet era, it will not work to obtain a passport upon repatriation.
Citizenship by naturalisation assumes that a person first receives a residence permit, then a permanent residency, and only then a passport. The procedure takes from 6 to 12 years.
It is difficult to obtain citizenship by naturalisation. First, they draw up a residence permit card and they will not give it easily as you need a good reason to move. Acceptable reasons include: an invitation from an employer, university studies or marriage to a citizen of the country. After a few years of permanent residence, you can get a permanent residence permit, then citizenship.
Citizenship for exceptional services by direct investment is offered by Malta. Malta passports are issued on the basis of naturalisation after a few years in resident status.
Portugal, Greece, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, and Malta offer residency by investment programs. In Austria and Switzerland, you can get a residence permit card for financially independent people. These statuses will allow you to solve some of the tasks now to eventually get citizenship.
Sliema, Malta. In this EU country, you can obtain a second citizenship on the basis of direct investment. You do not need to move or renounce your first citizenship to do this
Investment citizenship in the EU
Wealthy people can obtain status in several countries of the European Union. In most cases, we are talking about a residence permit and less often about citizenship. It will not be possible to buy a passport as states have strict requirements for applicants and the process of obtaining a status takes months.
Wealthy people can obtain status in several countries of the European Union. In most cases, we are talking about a residence permit and less often about citizenship. It will not be possible to buy a passport as states have strict requirements for applicants and the process of obtaining a status takes months.
Depending on the program, the applicant meets a number of investment conditions. Among them may be:
a non-refundable contribution to a state fund;
a purchase or long-term lease of real estate;
buying government stocks or bonds.
In a number of countries, the state becomes the guarantor of the return of funds for several years. Considering that the economies of the EU countries are stable, the investor receives a significant guarantee of return on the money invested.
Is it possible to immediately obtain EU citizenship by investment?
It is impossible to obtain citizenship immediately. We will explain what are the stages previous to citizenship.
A residence permit is the first step towards obtaining citizenship. Many countries only offer residence permits for investment. These include Portugal, Greece, Spain.
After the residence permit, the investor can obtain citizenship by naturalisation. To do this, you need to live in the country for five to ten years.
Citizenship for exceptional service by direct investment is available in Malta. This is also citizenship by naturalisation. The investor receives a residence permit and after one or three years, citizenship.
Citizenship for exceptional service by direct investment is available in Malta. This is also citizenship by naturalization. The investor receives a residence permit and after one or three years, citizenship.
Investors can also obtain citizenship in Bulgaria. At the beginning of 2021, the program was updated: applicants contribute approximately one million euros, receive permanent residence and then citizenship after five years of resident status.
EU citizenship by investment: the amount of money to obtain it
A passport of any EU country is relatively expensive and it takes several years to obtain a status. In some countries, you have to live there permanently to become a citizen. Therefore, there is no easiest country to get citizenship in Europe.
Cost and timing of obtaining EU citizenship
Status
Investment amount
Timing of obtaining a passport
Conditions to live in a country
€690,000+
14–36 months, including 1 or 3 years of residency
14–36 months
€112,000+
5–6 months for registration of permanent residence and 5 years in the status of a permanent resident
None if permanent residence is enough;
1 year of uninterrupted residence before obtaining citizenship, before that — residence for 4 out of 5 years
€250,000+
4–6 months to obtain a residence permit, then 5 years in resident status before applying for citizenship
7 days a year
€250,000+
3–6 months to obtain a residence permit, then 7 years in resident status
None, if a residence permit is enough;
at least 183 days a year to obtain citizenship
€500,000+
2–3 months to obtain a residence permit, then 5 years in resident status and 5 years with permanent residence
7 days a year to maintain a residence permit;
at least 183 days a year to obtain permanent residence and citizenship
If you need to obtain conveniently cheaper citizenship by investment, rather than buying EU citizenship, we suggest considering alternatives outside the European Union. For example, the programs of the Caribbean states: Saint Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Dominica.
Caribbean citizenship allows you to visit the Schengen area and the UK without a visa. The only exception is Dominica: holders of Dominica passports have to get a visa to enter the UK. This is an alternative to European citizenship by investment.
Montenegro citizenship can also be considered as an alternative. This country is the first applicant to join the European Union in 2025. Today, investors with the country’s passport can already travel through the Schengen area without visas.
Investments under the Montenegro citizenship program start from €450,000. It takes about six months to get the status.
In 2021, the Montenegrin citizenship program ends and the government will be reviewing its terms.Until then, investors still have the opportunity to obtain a passport, e.g. through purchase of an apartment in the five-star Cruiser hotel.
Petrovac, Montenegro. The country is on the list to join the European Union. When it happens, Montenegrin citizens will get the right to live in any country of the region
Citizenship in Europe by investment: pitfalls
Cost of participation for family members. Together with the investor, his relatives can obtain European citizenship including the spouse, children and parents. Each country has its own requirements such as the age limit for children and parents with complete financial dependence on the investor.
In some countries, you have to pay extra regarding status for family members. For example, additional investment for obtaining citizeship of Malta is €50,000 for each relative.
Additional expenses. In addition to the investment, the applicant pays duties, fees, taxes and legal services. The amount depends on the country, selected status, options and family composition.
Living in the country. Malta does not require to live permanently in the country in order to obtain citizenship. To maintain a residence permit in Portugal to then obtain citizenship, you need to spend seven days a year in the country. But there are also stricter conditions.
You need to live permanently in Greece and Spain to obtain a passport but you cannot leave the country for more than six months. The same rule applies to those who have received permanent residence in Malta and want to become a citizen. To maintain the status of a resident, you do not need to permanently live in any of these countries.
In some European countries, e.g. Greece, there is a condition: in order to obtain citizenship, a resident cannot leave the country for more than ten months within the last five years.
Porto, Portugal. In this country, an investor is not required to live permanently in order to obtain a passport. It is enough to become a resident and spend seven days a year in Portugal and after five years apply for citizenship
Ban on second citizenship. Some countries do not allow second citizenship. For example, in order to obtain a Spanish passport, you have to renounce the citizenship of another country.
In Malta, Portugal and Greece you can get a second citizenship as you do not have to give up the first one.
Immigrant Invest is a licensed agent of residence permit and permanent residence programs in the European Union. We also help to obtain citizenship of Malta for exceptional merit.
Our lawyers accompany an individual at every stage on the way to residency and citizenship in the EU and help after obtaining the status. The first step is choosing the right program. To choose a status for your tasks and budget, sign up for a consultation.
Immigrant Invest is a licensed agent for government programs in the European Union and the Caribbean.
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