One property. Two decisions: the investment and the immigration route

Two questions behind every real estate golden visa

A property can be a good home or a sound investment and still fail as the basis of a residence application, and a purchase that qualifies on paper can be a poor asset. Keep two question lists open throughout. On the first, assess the property, its price and its costs. On the second, ask how that exact purchase, in that ownership structure, satisfies the named route on the day you file and for the life of the permit.

The lists meet at four points: the value that counts, the name on the title, the financing and how long you must keep the property. There, a commercial choice can decide the immigration outcome, so check each one twice.

Golden visa property routes compared

Six property-based residence routes appear in Wealthy Expat’s program records, and four accept new applicants. Each amount is the stated minimum for the property, not the total budget.

Each route has its own page: the Dubai Golden Visa, Paraguay residency, Costa Rica residency, the Latvia golden visa and the Hungary golden visa. Panama and Serbia, outside the program catalog, have their own guides: the Panama Qualified Investor Visa and Serbia residency. Latvia and Hungary also appear, with the UAE, among the golden visa programs.

Due diligence on the property itself

For the property decision, ask who checks the title, the seller’s authority, any obligations attached to the asset and the terms of the purchase agreement. Clarify which professional represents you, not the seller. Request a complete account of transaction and ownership costs, and mark any information that comes from the seller rather than from an independent assessment.

If rental income appears in the proposal, ask how it was estimated, which expenses were deducted and what happens if occupancy is lower. A forecast should remain a forecast in your budget.

Keep the visa’s costs apart from the purchase’s. In Dubai, the Dubai Land Department charges a Golden Visa investor one package of AED 9,884.75, with the medical examination and the 10-year Emirates ID included; its two-year investor visa costs AED 10,212.50. Neither includes the cost of buying the property; the UAE golden visa cost guide lists the fees line by line.

Golden visa real estate rules to confirm before you sign

For the immigration decision, ask who confirms each point below for the exact route, and record each answer with the person responsible for it. The program records show them differing from route to route:

• The value that counts. The Dubai Land Department works from the purchase value. GDRFA Dubai asks for a DLD property status statement and may accept a valuation from an office licensed by DLD. A DLD valuation of a residential apartment costs from AED 4,000, plus the Knowledge and Innovation Dirhams of AED 10 each.
• The name on the title. Dubai’s Golden Visa needs the property wholly owned and in the applicant’s name; GDRFA requires a joint owner’s share to be worth at least AED 2,000,000. Costa Rica accepts real estate in your personal name, not a company’s.
• Financing. ICP, the federal authority, allows a loan from an approved local bank. In Dubai, the bank must confirm the amount paid; in Abu Dhabi, the investor’s own capital in the property must be at least AED 2,000,000.
• Off-plan purchases. ICP accepts off-plan property from an approved developer, and Abu Dhabi asks for evidence that at least AED 2,000,000 has been paid to the developer. In Paraguay, a purchase by private contract needs at least 30% of the declared investment already paid.
• The use. Paraguay excludes a purchase for exclusively personal or family use, so a home bought only to live in does not qualify there.
• What must exist first. The Dubai Land Department asks for an existing title deed and for the applicant to be inside the UAE; in Paraguay, the documents proving the investment may not be more than 180 days old.

Ask, in writing, what happens if the application does not proceed as expected. A developer’s or an agent’s assurance that a unit qualifies is a commercial statement; the decision belongs to the authority.

When a property route closes or changes

Whether a route still exists is part of the due diligence. Latvia’s new Immigration Law, in force since 15 September 2026, provides no residence permit for a real estate purchase. Applications filed before that date are examined under the previous law, and holders may apply, while their permit is valid, for a repeat permit of up to five years if the investment still qualifies, no ground for refusal applies and the state payment set by the transitional provisions is made. New applicants can use the company equity route, from EUR 50,000, except citizens of Russia and Belarus.

Hungary never opened its direct property route. Residential property worth at least EUR 500,000 was due to qualify from January 2025; Act LXXXIV of 2024, published on 20 December 2024, removed the route before it took effect. Today’s guest investor routes are EUR 250,000 in units of a real estate fund registered by the Hungarian National Bank, held for at least five years, or a EUR 1,000,000 donation. A fund unit is not a property you own: its due diligence concerns the manager, the redemption terms and the fees.

Elsewhere, ask what the rule depends on. Costa Rica’s USD 150,000 was set by Law 9996 for the law’s own term, and the law’s five-year window for incentives closed on 14 July 2026; the regulation in force still states the amount, so confirm it with DGME in writing before committing capital. Paraguay’s real-estate route dates from April 2026 and has no settled track record. For any route, ask which rule applies on the day you file.

Holding the property for the life of the permit

Ask about retention and the practical work of selling before you buy. In Dubai, GDRFA requires a lien on the property throughout the Golden Residency and states that the property may not be disposed of during the 10-year residency. The Golden Visa is renewed, with ICP approval, on the same conditions under which it was granted, so the property must still qualify then.

Where a record states no holding period, ask. Paraguay’s program record states none for real estate, so ask how long the property must be kept; its permanent residents lose the status after more than three years of absence without justification. Costa Rica renews temporary residency every two years; ask DGME whether the property must still be held at each renewal.

Then weigh sale costs, market uncertainty and your willingness to own the asset for that long, and proceed with two clear assessments, unresolved questions included. If you are weighing several countries, Wealthy Expat’s strategy assessment brings the route, family and budget questions together.