Compare programs · 3 selected

Three programs, side by side.

Compare up to three programs across the factors that actually decide it. A table shows rules, not fit — the fit question is what a specialist call is for. Figures are indicative and subject to verification.

Program 1
Golden Visa
Program 2
Golden Visa
Program 3
Golden Visa

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Outcome

Legal outcome: Latvia Golden Visa
Temporary residency
Hungary Golden Visa
Long-term residency · Path to citizenship
UAE Golden Visa & Residency
Temporary residency · Long-term residency

Investment and cost

Minimum: Latvia Golden Visa
€50,000
Hungary Golden Visa
From €250,000 · 2 routes
UAE Golden Visa & Residency
From AED 2,000,000 · 5 routes

Qualifying routes

Business investment
Real estate (closed to new applicants since 15 September 2026)

Investment fund
Government contribution

Real estate
Deposit
Talent
Company formation

Known cost categories

Qualifying investment
Government fees

Qualifying investment
Government fees

Not specified

Timeline

Estimated timeline: Latvia Golden Visa
1 to 3 months
Hungary Golden Visa
2 to 3 months
UAE Golden Visa & Residency
7–10 business days

Presence and renewal

Physical presence: Latvia Golden Visa
Minimal
Hungary Golden Visa
None
UAE Golden Visa & Residency
Variable

Minimum stay: Latvia Golden Visa
No minimum ongoing physical presence is required for the temporary residence permit; a visit is required to collect the card and provide biometrics. Physical presence is required later for permanent residence or citizenship.
Hungary Golden Visa
No minimum stay is required to maintain the investor residence permit. Real presence in Hungary matters only for a later national residence card or citizenship.
UAE Golden Visa & Residency
Golden Visa holders have no stated minimum stay — the source states holders are not required to visit the UAE every 180 days to maintain their visa. Confirm presence obligations for other residence routes.

Validity: Latvia Golden Visa
A new equity-route permit is issued for up to two years (Immigration Law of 20 August 2026, Article 27(1), point 10). Permits issued before 15 September 2026 stay valid until the end of their registration or validity term.
Hungary Golden Visa
Up to 10 years, extendable for the same purpose by up to a further 10 years while the investment or donation conditions remain met.
UAE Golden Visa & Residency
Golden Visa: 10 years (Cabinet Resolution No. 65 of 2022). The Dubai property residence permit is issued for two years (Dubai Land Department).

Renewal: Latvia Golden Visa
To stay longer, the holder applies for a repeat permit, and the qualifying investment must be maintained. PMLP states that the new law abolishes annual permit registration in several cases. Permanent residence and citizenship have separate conditions.
Hungary Golden Visa
Fund-route investors must still hold the fund units when they apply to extend; donation-route permits may extend without further investment.
UAE Golden Visa & Residency
The Golden Visa can be renewed, with ICP approval, on the same conditions under which it was granted (Cabinet Resolution No. 65 of 2022): maintain the qualifying investment, business or nomination conditions.

Family

Who is included: Latvia Golden Visa
Spouse, minor children
Hungary Golden Visa
Spouse, minor children, adult dependent children
UAE Golden Visa & Residency
Spouse, minor children, adult dependent children, parents

Conditions

Minor children: Requires kinship documentation and notarised consent from the other parent.

Spouse: Separate family reunification permit, with its own fee.
Minor children: Separate family reunification permit, with its own fee.
Adult dependent children: Adult children are not family members for this permit. An adult child, sibling or other direct-line relative can join only if unable to take care of themselves because of their state of health; dependent parents of the investor or spouse can also apply.

Adult dependent children: Golden Visa holders may sponsor children of any age; dependants receive the same visa validity as the primary holder.
Parents: Sponsorship requirements depend on the residence route.

Mobility and rights

Verified rights: Latvia Golden Visa
Schengen travel
Hungary Golden Visa
Schengen travel
UAE Golden Visa & Residency
Not specified

Path to PR or citizenship

Onward path: Latvia Golden Visa
Not specified
Hungary Golden Visa
Path to citizenship
UAE Golden Visa & Residency
Not specified

Main restrictions

Applicant

Valid health insurance coverage for the main applicant and all included dependants.
Proof of monthly subsistence funds; the required amount differs by route.

Comprehensive health insurance, or the means to pay for health care, covering the applicant and each family member.

Investors, entrepreneurs, specialised talents, outstanding students, and humanitarian pioneers and frontline heroes are the Golden Visa's eligible categories, each with its own qualifying criteria.

Nationality: Latvia Golden Visa
Citizens of Russia and Belarus cannot request a temporary residence permit on the share-capital investment ground.
Hungary Golden Visa
Applicant must be a non-EU/EEA ("third-country") national.
UAE Golden Visa & Residency
Not specified

Background: Latvia Golden Visa
Police clearance certificate from the country of residence and country of origin; no criminal record permitted.
Hungary Golden Visa
Must not be subject to an expulsion order, entry ban or Schengen (SIS) alert, and must not endanger Hungary's public order, public security or national security.
UAE Golden Visa & Residency
Applicants undergo criminal-record checks and security clearance through UAE authorities; prior visa violations must be disclosed.

Qualification

Documented lawful source of the investment funds.

Documented lawful source of the investment or donation funds.

Real-estate investors must wholly own property (or hold an eligible mortgage from a specified local bank) worth at least AED 2,000,000.
Comprehensive health insurance is required for the main applicant and all sponsored family members.

Risks and trade-offs

Material risks

Latvia's real-estate residence-permit route closed to new applications on 15 September 2026, when the new Immigration Law (adopted 20 August 2026, promulgated 1 September 2026) took effect.
For the equity route, the qualifying company must maintain at least EUR 40,000 in annual tax payments (EUR 100,000 for a medium or large company); failing to do so can affect the permit.
A holder's repeat permit requires that the investment still qualifies under the previous law. In its last version, that law accepted one property in Riga, Jūrmala or the other areas it listed, or up to two properties outside them, worth at least EUR 250,000 in total.

The EUR 500,000 direct real-estate route was announced for a January 2025 launch and removed by Act LXXXIV of 2024, published on 20 December 2024, before it took effect.
Citizenship is not automatic. Time on the guest investor permit does not count toward the 8 years, which start only with a long-term residence status such as a national residence card. The card needs at least 3 years of real presence in Hungary (each absence under 4 months, and no more than 270 days in total) and is granted only if the stay is consistent with Hungary's interests; a court cannot change a refusal on that ground. About 11 years in total is the earliest realistic date.
Fund-route capital must remain invested for at least 5 years; early withdrawal is likely to affect the residence permit.

Requirements, fees and processing estimates can change.
Visa holders must maintain the qualifying investment, business or nomination conditions, and residency can be cancelled for violations of UAE law or visa conditions.
Ongoing conditions apply after the visa is issued: the qualifying investment or other basis must be maintained, and the holder and family must keep comprehensive health insurance.

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3 programs selected