Only four countries in Europe offer citizenship by investment these are Malta, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Cyprus (on hold). Several European countries offer residency programs by investment and these are Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Selected countries in Europe grant a second citizenship by investment. Some are members of the European Union, therefore passport holders can live, work and study anywhere in the 27 countries part of the EU. Other countries with citizenship programs are part of the Schengen Area which have a common travel visa policy, and some countries belong to both. European citizenship by investment programs have distinctive features in common which are:
Some countries in Europe with a citizenship by investment program are not part of the European Union but they are in the Schengen Area such as Montenegro.
The Schengen Area comprise of 26 European countries that have officially abolished all types of border control at their mutual borders. The area mostly functions as a single jurisdiction for international travel purposes, with a common visa policy. The area is named after the 1985 Schengen Agreement signed in Schengen, Luxembourg.
Of all European countries with citizenship by investment programs Bulgaria and Cyprus are not part of the Schengen Area.
The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. EU policies aim to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services and capital within the internal market.
The EU and European citizenship were established when the Maastricht Treaty came into force in 1993. Anyone who holds an EU citizenship can live, study and work within the 27 countries of the European Union.
Of all European countries with citizenship by investment programs Montenegro and Moldova are not part of the European Union but they are part of Schengen.
EU passports enjoy the highest mobility of all passports in the world to over 160 countries worldwide
The EU passport is issued by the 27 member states of the European Union for their citizens. The European Union agreement allows for free movement of people, goods and money, therefore, a EU citizen can live in any of the 27 states.
The EU countries are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
In addition, EU citizens can freely reside in Switzerland.
There are multiple reasons to study in the European Union. Europe has the oldest and most reputable universities worldwide.
Studying in Europe offers higher opportunities for international networking and career development, famously diverse cities, high quality of life, and, of course, 28 different countries with free or very affordable tuition fees.
Under the current EU laws, European Union citizens benefit from reciprocal healthcare when they are in any of the 27 EU member states. These rights apply independently of the residency status, as long as they are in the EU. Most national healthcare systems across Europe are free for EU nationals.
European programs have different routes to obtain citizenship: Real Estate investment, full of partial financial contribution to a Government fund (donation), partial investment in Government bonds or business formation.
A residency permit allows to legally reside in the host country without being a citizen. Residents are entitled to live, work, go to school and access health care in the host country.
All European residency programs are part of the Schengen Area (except UK) therefore their residency allows visa free travel to those 26 European countries which are part of the Schengen area.
All residency by investment programs lead to citizenship under different conditions, some more flexible than others. Citizenship could be granted after a number of years and complying with certain requirements which could be living in the country for a certain amount of time and learning the language taking a language test.
European residency by investment programs have distinctive features in common which are:
