Buying property still buys residency in some countries — and in others, that door has closed. In 2026 the UAE grants a 10-year Golden Visa at AED 2M, Cyprus gives permanent EU-country residency from €300,000 of new-build, and Montenegro attaches a residence permit to any property purchase. But Spain scrapped its property Golden Visa on 3 April 2025, and the UK has offered no residency-by-property route since 2022. This guide compares the live routes across INOVO's markets — the exact thresholds, who each family member is covered for, whether you land inside or outside the EU, and which investor each route actually suits. Rules in this space change frequently; every figure below is current for 2026, and INOVO connects each client to a licensed immigration specialist before any commitment.
Four of INOVO's seven markets grant residency directly for a property purchase in 2026: the UAE, Cyprus, Montenegro and Indonesia (Bali). Three do not: Spain ended its property Golden Visa on 3 April 2025, Thailand never tied residency to real estate, and the UK closed its investor route in 2022. The live property-to-residency routes are: - UAE — AED 2,000,000 (about US$545,000) in property earns a 10-year renewable Golden Visa. - Cyprus — €300,000 (plus VAT) in new-build property earns permanent residency in an EU member state. - Montenegro — any qualifying property purchase supports a one-year renewable temporary residence permit, in an official EU-candidate country. - Indonesia/Bali — property or deposited funds worth about IDR 2 billion (roughly US$130,000) earns the Second Home Visa (5 or 10 years). Spain, Thailand and the UK require a different, non-property visa (covered below). The rest of this guide breaks down each route by threshold, family coverage and EU status.
The UAE grants a 10-year renewable Golden Visa to anyone who owns property worth AED 2,000,000 (about US$545,000) or more — and off-plan purchases from approved developers qualify, which is where INOVO focuses. There is no longer a minimum down-payment or mortgage-value rule; the AED 2M threshold is on the property value itself, and it can be met across one or more properties. The UAE route is the most flexible of any market here: - Term: 10 years, renewable as long as you hold the asset. - Family: spouse, children of any age (with conditions), and parents can all be sponsored, plus domestic staff. - Tax: no personal income tax, no capital gains tax, and no property tax on the individual. - EU status: non-EU (Gulf), but with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to much of the world on the UAE's growing agreement list. Best suited to: investors who want a fast, low-friction second base, zero personal tax, and a 10-year horizon without EU ambitions. The AED 2M entry point and off-plan eligibility make Dubai the default choice for most of INOVO's clients.
Yes — €300,000 (plus VAT) invested in new-build residential property earns permanent residency in Cyprus, an EU member state, under the fast-track Regulation 6(2) route. This is permanent residency, not citizenship: Cyprus ended its citizenship-by-investment programme in 2020, so property no longer leads to an EU passport. What the €300,000 route delivers: - Threshold: €300,000 minimum (before VAT), on new-build bought from a developer — resale property does not qualify for the fast-track. - Status: permanent residency for life, with a light physical-presence requirement (a visit once every two years). - Family: covers the spouse and financially dependent children up to age 25. - Income: applicants must show a secure annual income from outside Cyprus (guideline around €50,000, rising per dependent). - EU status: full EU member. PR lets you live in Cyprus indefinitely, though it does not by itself grant the right to work or to free movement across other EU states. Best suited to: investors who want a permanent foothold inside the EU, a Mediterranean base, and a clear low-tax residency — and who value permanence over the (now-closed) passport route.
Buying property in Montenegro supports a temporary residence permit — renewed annually — and Montenegro is an official EU-candidate country targeting accession around 2028, not yet a member. There is no Golden Visa or citizenship-by-investment here: Montenegro closed its CBI programme at the end of 2022, so the route today is residence-by-property, not a passport. How it works: - Threshold: no fixed statutory minimum price — ownership of registered residential property is the qualifying basis for the permit. - Status: one-year temporary residence permit, renewable; a path to permanent residency opens after five years of continuous legal residence. - EU status: EU candidate. The investment thesis is buying ahead of a potential 2028 accession, when an EU membership re-rating could lift both property values and the value of residency held. - Family: family members can be included on the residence application. Best suited to: investors making an early, pre-accession EU play — comfortable holding a candidate-country asset for the upside if and when Montenegro joins, rather than needing settled EU rights today.
No. Spain abolished its Golden Visa on 3 April 2025, and property purchase no longer grants any residency right — regardless of the amount invested. The old €500,000 real-estate route is fully closed to new applicants. Anyone marketing Spanish property as a residency route in 2026 is describing a programme that no longer exists. The residency routes into Spain today are not linked to property: - Non-Lucrative Visa — for those living on passive income or savings, with no work in Spain. It requires proof of roughly €28,800 per year for the main applicant, plus about €7,200 for each dependent, and full private health cover. - Digital Nomad Visa — for remote workers and the self-employed serving clients mostly outside Spain, requiring income of roughly €2,760 per month (about 200% of the Spanish minimum wage). EU status: Spain is a full EU/Schengen member, so either visa gives Schengen mobility — but through income, not real estate. Best suited to: buyers who want a Spanish home for lifestyle and rental yield, and who qualify for residency separately through income. Property in Spain remains a sound asset; it is simply no longer a visa.
Thailand does not grant residency for buying property — foreigners cannot own land, and even freehold condo ownership (capped at 49% of a building) carries no visa. Instead, Thailand offers two long-stay visas bought or qualified for separately from any real estate. - Thailand Privilege (formerly Elite Visa): a membership programme granting 5 to 20 years of long-stay rights, with fees starting around THB 650,000 for the entry tier. It is a paid long-stay privilege, not permanent residence, and unrelated to property. - Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa: a 10-year visa for wealthy individuals, wealthy pensioners, remote professionals and skilled workers. Qualification is income- and asset-based — typically US$80,000 annual income, or US$1,000,000 in assets for some categories — and can include tax and work-permit benefits. EU status: non-EU (Southeast Asia). Best suited to: lifestyle buyers and long-stay residents who want a Thai condo for use and yield, and who obtain their stay through Privilege or LTR rather than expecting the property itself to carry a visa. INOVO structures the property purchase; a Thai specialist handles the visa.
Indonesia offers two routes for Bali-focused investors, and one is directly asset-backed. The Second Home Visa grants a 5-year or 10-year stay to applicants who either hold about IDR 2 billion (roughly US$130,000) in an Indonesian state bank, or own qualifying property of equivalent value. The Investor KITAS is a work-and-stay permit obtained by investing in an Indonesian company. - Second Home Visa: about US$130,000 in deposited funds or property value; 5 or 10 years; suited to retirees and passive long-stayers who do not need to work locally. - Investor KITAS: granted through shareholding/investment in a PT PMA (foreign-owned company), typically in the region of IDR 10 billion of company investment; permits business activity and is renewable. Ownership note: foreigners cannot hold Indonesian freehold (Hak Milik). Bali property is held on leasehold or Hak Pakai (right-to-use) structures — a critical point INOVO addresses in every Bali transaction. EU status: non-EU (Southeast Asia). Best suited to: the Second Home Visa fits passive lifestyle investors; the Investor KITAS fits those running or funding a business on the island. Both pair naturally with an INOVO-sourced Bali residence.
No. The UK offers no residency for buying property, and its main investor route is closed. The Tier 1 (Investor) visa — which never required property but was the closest wealth-based route — was shut to new applicants in February 2022 and has not returned. Owning UK real estate confers no immigration status whatsoever. The remaining business-migration routes are effort-based, not asset-based: - Innovator Founder visa — for those launching an innovative, endorsed business in the UK. It is judged on the business idea and endorsement, not on capital parked in property. - Skilled Worker and other sponsored routes — tied to employment, not investment. EU status: the UK is outside the EU (post-Brexit), so it offers neither EU residency nor Schengen access. Best suited to: buyers who want UK property purely as an asset — capital preservation, rental income, or a base for family already with UK status — and who understand it delivers no visa. For residency, the UAE, Cyprus, Montenegro and Bali routes above are the actionable options.
The single biggest split across these markets is EU access, and it cleanly separates the routes: - Inside the EU: Cyprus is the only INOVO market granting residency-by-property inside the EU today (permanent residency from €300,000 new-build). Spain is in the EU but its property route is gone — residency there now comes only via income-based visas. - EU candidate: Montenegro offers residence-by-property while sitting outside the bloc, with an accession target around 2028 — a bet on future EU status rather than present-day EU rights. - Non-EU, fast and flexible: the UAE (AED 2M, 10 years, zero personal tax) is the strongest non-EU route for speed and simplicity. Bali/Indonesia (about US$130,000) suits passive lifestyle residents. Thailand offers long-stay via Privilege or LTR, unlinked to property. - No route: the UK grants no residency by property at all. How to choose: if you want an EU foothold, Cyprus is the direct route and Montenegro the speculative one. If you want the lowest-friction second base with no tax, choose the UAE. If lifestyle and yield lead your thinking, Bali and Thailand fit — with residency handled separately. INOVO sources the property in each market and connects you to the licensed immigration and tax specialist who executes the visa. We do not give immigration advice ourselves; we make sure the right expert does.
Yes. Off-plan property from approved UAE developers counts toward the AED 2,000,000 (about US$545,000) threshold for the 10-year Golden Visa. There is no separate minimum down-payment rule — the qualification is on the property's value, which can be met across one or more units. INOVO's off-plan focus in Dubai is built around this route.
No. Cyprus ended its citizenship-by-investment programme in 2020, so property no longer leads to a passport. The €300,000 new-build route grants permanent residency in Cyprus — a lifelong right to live there as an EU-country resident — but it is residency, not citizenship, and does not by itself confer the right to work or free movement across the EU.
Spain abolished the Golden Visa programme on 3 April 2025. Property purchase — including the former €500,000 route — no longer grants any residency. Spain remains an excellent market for a lifestyle home and rental yield, but residency now comes only through income-based routes such as the Non-Lucrative Visa or the Digital Nomad Visa, which are unrelated to real estate.
Montenegro is an official EU candidate country, targeting accession around 2028, but is not yet a member. Buying qualifying property supports a one-year renewable temporary residence permit, with a path to permanent residency after five years. It closed its citizenship-by-investment scheme at the end of 2022, so today the route is residence-by-property, not a passport — and the thesis is buying ahead of potential EU membership.
Not in the usual freehold sense. In Bali, foreigners cannot hold Hak Milik freehold; property is held on leasehold or Hak Pakai (right-to-use) structures. In Thailand, foreigners cannot own land but can own condominiums freehold, capped at 49% of a building. INOVO structures ownership correctly in both markets before any purchase, and residency in each is handled through separate visa routes.
No. UK property ownership confers no immigration status. The Tier 1 (Investor) visa closed to new applicants in February 2022 and has not reopened, and there is no residency-by-property route. UK real estate can serve as an asset for capital preservation or rental income, but for actual residency the actionable routes across INOVO's markets are the UAE, Cyprus, Montenegro and Bali.
No. INOVO sources and structures the property, arranges payment plans, and coordinates the process — then connects you to a licensed immigration and tax specialist in that country who handles the visa or residency application. Because rules in this space change frequently, we confirm every current threshold and requirement with the specialist before you commit.
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