Programmes
Residence and citizenship routes worldwide, arranged by programme. Each entry leads to the articles and the conditions read from the administering authority.
Citizenship by Investment
Programmes granting citizenship to investors who meet a statutory contribution or investment requirement. Eligibility, contribution levels and due-diligence procedure are set by each country's own law and change over time.
Digital Nomad
A digital nomad visa is a family of residence routes rather than a single programme. States issue this kind of permit to people who work remotely for an organisation or for clients based outside the issuing country, and the conditions are set by each country's own law.
What the programmes have in common is that the income must come from outside the issuing state, usually alongside a minimum income threshold and a permit term shorter than those of investment residence routes.
The largest difference is the one least often read closely: A digital nomad permit is not automatically the first step of a route to permanent residence or citizenship. Some states count time held on such a permit towards the residence condition for naturalisation and others do not, and tax obligations in the issuing state differ from programme to programme.
Because this is a family of programmes, income thresholds, permit terms and tax obligations are not stated on this page; they belong to the page for each specific programme.
The Legation Times articles are listed below. The full catalogue of residence and citizenship routes is under Programmes.
E-2
The United States treaty investor visa. Only nationals of countries holding a qualifying treaty of commerce and navigation with the United States may apply, and the visa is tied to the business the applicant directs.
EB-5
The United States investor immigration route, granting permanent residence to investors who create the number of jobs the statute requires. The capital threshold depends on whether the project sits in a targeted employment area.
Golden Visa
Residence granted to investors who meet a statutory investment threshold, most commonly in Europe. Thresholds, residence obligations and the route to permanent residence or citizenship differ from country to country.
Investor Visa
Investor routes that do not fall into the categories with a section of their own. It covers smaller or country-specific residence-by-investment programmes.
MPRP
The Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP) is a residence route administered by Residency Malta Agency. It grants permanent residence to an applicant who satisfies a property condition and a set of statutory fees at the same time.
What separates the MPRP from most investment residence routes in Europe is that it does not rest on an investment expected to return anything. The applicant holds a property in Malta or Gozo, by purchase or by lease, and separately pays an administrative fee, a contribution to the Government and a donation to a registered Maltese charity. The property obligation does not end on approval: After five years, the holder must still maintain a residential property in Malta.
The property thresholds, each of the fees and the status of every option are kept on the MPRP programme page under Programmes, together with the date each figure was last checked and the source it came from. This page does not repeat those figures, because they change and only one place is updated. The legal framework is published by Residency Malta Agency at residencymalta.gov.mt.
The Legation Times articles on the programme are listed below. The full catalogue of residence and citizenship routes is under Programmes.
Retirement Visa
Residence routes for retired people living on a pension or passive income. Conditions usually turn on a monthly income floor, health cover and a residence obligation in the issuing country.
Start-up Visa
Residence routes for founders and entrepreneurs. Applications are assessed on a business proposal rather than a fixed capital sum, and several countries also require a letter of support from a designated body.
