Three EU programs in 2026 grant residence rights and Schengen mobility without requiring you to physically relocate: Hungary Guest Investor Program (zero stay), Greece Golden Visa (zero stay to renew), and Portugal Golden Visa (7 days per year — effectively the lowest in Europe). They are designed for non-EU investors who want EU residence rights as a long-term asset, not as a precondition for relocation. All three grant identical Schengen mobility (90 days in any rolling 180 across 29 Schengen countries). They differ on capital threshold, permit term, family scope and operational maturity. None of them lead to citizenship without physical residence.
Yes — three programs in 2026: Hungary Guest Investor Program (no stay at all), Greece Golden Visa (no stay required to renew), and Portugal Golden Visa (7 days per year, effectively the lowest in Europe). All three grant Schengen mobility (29 countries, 90 days in any 180). None of them, however, lead to citizenship without physical residence — naturalisation in every EU country requires a substantial physical-presence period and language certification.
They are designed to attract foreign capital — investment flows that the host country prefers (regulated funds, real estate, education donations) — without forcing the investor family to relocate. The country gets capital and a tax-residency option; the investor gets EU residence rights and Schengen mobility. The trade-off: these are residence permits, not citizenship products.
Portugal — spouse, dependent children of any age (with documented dependency), and dependent parents are all eligible under one application. Greece is also generous (children up to 21 + dependent parents from both sides). Hungary is the narrowest: spouse and minor children only, no parents.
Hungary at €250,000 (real-estate fund) and Greece at €250,000 (renovation route in Zone C) tie for lowest entry. Portugal's €500,000 fund minimum is double. Hungary's alternative donation route (€1,000,000) is much higher and non-recoverable, so the cost picture inverts depending on which Hungary path is chosen.
All three grant identical Schengen access: 90 days in any rolling 180 days across 29 Schengen countries (Bulgaria and Romania joined the Schengen Area in 2025, taking the count from 27 to 29). No practical difference between Hungary, Greece and Portugal cards on this dimension.
Tax residency is a separate trigger from residence permits. Each country has its own rules: typically 183+ days of physical presence, or "habitual residence" (housing). Many investors who use these programs purposefully limit physical days to avoid tax residency in the host country and maintain it in their original jurisdiction. This is a per-file analysis with both home-country and host-country tax counsel.
Tell us your priorities (family scope, capital position, citizenship vs. residence-only) and we'll model the no-stay options against your actual case.
