Global Residency & Citizenship
Independent, licensed advice for UAE residents on the residency and citizenship by investment routes genuinely open in 2026.
A licensed UAE corporate-services provider and DNFBP-registered advisory, based in Abu Dhabi (Etihad Towers). We advise and coordinate; programme approval rests with each destination authority.
For many UAE residents, the question is not whether to leave — it is how to add options. A second residency, or in some cases a second passport, can widen where you and your family are free to live, travel, study and hold assets, while your life and business remain centred in the UAE.
The programmes that make this possible change often. Governments open, reprice and close routes with little notice — several well-known schemes have shut in the past two years. This page sets out only the programmes we understand to be open as of 2026, and flags separately the routes that have closed, so your decision rests on current information rather than last year's headlines.
Every figure below is indicative. Investment thresholds, fees and rules are set by each destination's authority and move frequently; they should be reconfirmed with that authority or a licensed migration partner before you commit. Each programme is also subject to source-of-funds verification, background and enhanced due-diligence checks, and approval is always at the authority's discretion.
Approached properly, it is a planning exercise in optionality and contingency, not a relocation.
A residence permit gives you the right to live in a country, and often to move more freely within its wider region or bloc. It does not, by itself, make you a citizen. Some residence routes can, over time and subject to that country's own conditions, open a path toward naturalisation; others do not, and the conditions and timelines vary widely by country. We set out what each programme actually offers, and any conditions attached, rather than implying a passport is automatic.
Citizenship by investment is different: it grants a passport, usually more quickly, in exchange for a qualifying contribution or investment. Of the programmes covered on this page, the citizenship-by-investment routes are the five established Caribbean programmes below. The European programmes on this page are residency routes — valuable for mobility and access, but not a direct purchase of an EU passport.
These thresholds track Portugal's minimum wage and change with it, so the current figures should be reconfirmed before applying. Indicative — confirm with the authority or a licensed partner.
As with every programme here, these thresholds are indicative and should be reconfirmed against the current Greek rules before any decision.
Figures are indicative and subject to the current Italian rules.
All figures are indicative and should be confirmed with the relevant authority or a licensed partner.
All figures are indicative and should be confirmed with the relevant authority or a licensed partner.
Figures are indicative and change; confirm current terms before deciding.
Figures are indicative and should be confirmed with USCIS guidance or a licensed US immigration partner.
| Programme | Type | From | Stay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal — Golden Visa | Residency | €500,000 (qualifying fund) | — |
| Greece — Golden Visa | Residency | €250,000 (restoration only)* | — |
| Italy — Investor Visa | Residency | €250,000 (innovative start-up) | No minimum stay |
| Cyprus — permanent residence | Residency | €300,000 | Visit at least once every 2 years |
| Malta — MPRP | Residency | €375,000 buy / €14,000 rent | — |
| Caribbean (5 nations) | Citizenship | US$200,000 (donation) | — |
| United States — EB-5 | Residency (green card) | US$800,000 (Targeted Employment Area) | — |
Every figure is indicative and is set by each destination's authority; it should be reconfirmed with that authority or a licensed partner before you commit. *Greece's €250,000 tier applies only to qualifying conversion or restoration projects; standard tiers are €400,000, or €800,000 in high-demand areas.
Acting on out-of-date information is a common and costly mistake in this field. Several prominent programmes are no longer open to new applicants, and we will not present them as though they were.
Spain's Golden Visa was abolished and stopped accepting new applications on 3 April 2025; only existing holders may renew.
Malta's citizenship-by-investment scheme — its 'golden passport' — was found contrary to EU law by the Court of Justice of the European Union in April 2025 and repealed later that year; only Malta's separate residence programme, the MPRP above, remains open.
The United Kingdom has had no investor or 'golden' visa since the Tier 1 (Investor) route closed to new applicants on 17 February 2022, and the government has said it will not reintroduce a capital-only settlement route; current UK options are activity-based — the Innovator Founder, Global Talent and Skilled Worker visas.
Canada's Start-Up Visa is closed to new applications: designated organisations stopped issuing new commitment certificates after 31 December 2025, and the final filing window for holders of a valid 2025 certificate ended on 30 June 2026.
We will tell you plainly when a route you have read about is closed, and point you to what is genuinely open.
Our second-residency and citizenship advisory is typically a fit for:
We start with a complimentary initial consultation to understand your objectives — mobility, education, asset access, succession or simply contingency — along with your timeframe, budget and appetite for relocation. From there we map the open programmes against your goals and set out an independent, programme-agnostic shortlist. Because TRUVIS has no in-house fund, property project or single product to sell, the shortlist is built around your circumstances, not a developer's inventory.
Once a direction is agreed, we coordinate with vetted, licensed migration partners in the destination country, help you prepare compliant source-of-funds and due-diligence documentation, and keep the UAE side of the picture in view — your tax-residency position, corporate structure and continuity — referring specialist legal or tax questions to qualified advisers. We set out indicative all-in costs, including government, due-diligence, legal and partner fees, before you commit to anything.
TRUVIS is a licensed UAE corporate-services provider and DNFBP-registered advisory firm. We guide and coordinate; we are not a government body or government channel, we do not issue any visa, residency or citizenship ourselves, and we do not guarantee outcomes. Every application is decided by the relevant destination authority, in its discretion, and remains subject to that authority's due-diligence and source-of-funds checks. Timelines, where mentioned, are typical ranges and not promises.
Take the check — 7 questions, about 2 minutes — and we'll point you to the routes worth a conversation, before you book anything.
No. TRUVIS advises you and coordinates with licensed migration partners, but approval always rests with the destination authority and depends on source-of-funds verification and enhanced due-diligence checks. Any timeline we mention is a typical range, not a promise. Be cautious of any adviser who guarantees an outcome.
Spain's Golden Visa was abolished on 3 April 2025 and accepts no new applications. Malta's citizenship-by-investment scheme — the 'golden passport' — closed in 2025 after a Court of Justice of the EU ruling. Malta's separate Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP) does remain open. We advise only on programmes that are currently open, and tell you plainly when a route you have heard about has closed.
No. The UK closed its Tier 1 (Investor) route to new applicants in February 2022 and has said it will not bring back a capital-only settlement route. Current UK options are activity-based rather than investment-based — principally the Innovator Founder, Global Talent and Skilled Worker visas — and we can talk you through whether any of these fit your situation.
These programmes are about adding optionality alongside your UAE residence, not replacing it. Tax and residence consequences are personal and depend on where you spend time and how your affairs are structured, so they should be reviewed case by case. We keep your UAE position in view and refer detailed tax questions to qualified tax advisers.
Beyond the headline investment or donation there are government fees, due-diligence fees, and legal and partner fees; donation-based routes, including the Caribbean programmes, are non-refundable. The figures on this page are indicative and are reconfirmed against the authority's current terms before you decide. We set out indicative all-in costs at the outset so there are no surprises later.
It varies by programme. Some, such as Italy's Investor Visa, carry no minimum-stay requirement; others require periodic visits — Cyprus, for instance, asks for a visit at least once every two years — and some routes toward longer-term status or naturalisation do expect genuine residence. We map the stay conditions of each programme to how much time you actually intend to spend abroad.
Tell us what a second base abroad needs to do for you — travel, education, investment access or contingency — and we will set out the programmes genuinely open to you in 2026, with indicative all-in costs and clear next steps. No obligation.