Residency and citizenship by investment through real estate
3 Mediterranean countries grant residency to a property buyer and 2 grant citizenship, from US$300,000. The difference matters: no EU member state has granted citizenship for investment since the Court of Justice struck Malta's scheme down in April 2025, so inside the Union a property purchase buys a renewable residence permit and nothing more. Portugal dropped real estate from its Golden Visa in 2023 and Spain abolished its scheme in 2025, which is why neither appears below.
How each one works
The order differs from country to country, so each is shown on its own. No timings are given: they vary with the authority's workload and change often.
ResidencyA renewable permit to live in the country — not a nationality.
Greece
Source- 1
Get a tax number and bank account
Both are needed to buy, and a lawyer can arrange them under a power of attorney.
- 2
Buy the property outright
Fully owned and fully paid by an approved method, with the deed registered.
- 3
Apply online
To the Migration Ministry. The certificate of submission lets you stay while it is decided.
- 4
Give biometrics
In person in Greece, during the examination.
- 5
Five-year permit
Renewable while you own the property — selling it revokes the permit.
Malta
Source- 1
Apply through a licensed agent
To Residency Malta, paying €15,000 of the €60,000 administration fee within a month.
- 2
Approval in principle
After due diligence. Nothing is bought before this.
- 3
Pay the fee balance
The remaining €45,000, within two months of approval.
- 4
Buy or rent, and contribute
Within eight months: the property, the €37,000 contribution, a donation and health insurance.
- 5
Residence certificate
Once every condition is met, which is then checked yearly for five years.
Cyprus
Source- 1
Buy a new home from a developer
For €300,000 or more plus VAT, paid with money from abroad.
- 2
Apply to the Migration Department
With proof of the purchase, €50,000 a year of income from abroad and a clean criminal record.
- 3
Permanent residence permit
Granted without an end date, but conditional.
- 4
Prove it every year
That you still hold the investment and the income — selling without replacing it cancels the permit.
CitizenshipA passport, outside the EU.
Turkey
Source- 1
Valuation report
From a valuer licensed by the Capital Markets Board, valid for three months.
- 2
Amount determination certificate
Generated from the valuation on the land registry's WebTapu system.
- 3
Buy for US$400,000 or more
Paid by bank transfer, with the title deed annotated not to be sold for three years.
- 4
Apply for citizenship
Granted by decision of the President, then a passport.
Egypt
Source- 1
Apply to the Cabinet's unit
With a US$10,000 fee, paid by bank transfer from abroad.
- 2
Approval in principle
Within three months, bringing six months' temporary residence to complete the rest.
- 3
Buy the property
US$300,000 or more, funded from abroad, alongside medical and criminal-record checks.
- 4
The Prime Minister's decision
Within three months of the file being complete, then a passport.
Each programme in detail
Greece
Grants residency
- Minimum investment
- €400,000 across most of the country, but €800,000 in Attica, the Thessaloniki conurbation, Mykonos, Santorini and every island with more than 3,100 residents — which is most of the stock a foreign buyer wants. €250,000 applies only to a commercial-to-residential conversion or a listed historic building. All routes require a single property of at least 120 m².
- Must be held for
- 5 years — The permit is tied to holding the property: sell it and the residency ends. Renewable every five years while you still own it. It may not be let short-term — Airbnb and the like — on pain of a €50,000 fine and the permit itself.
- Government fees
- Application fee of €2,000 per main applicant plus residence card charges, on top of the 3.09% transfer tax and professional fees every buyer pays. The government announced in September 2026 that the transfer tax for non-EU buyers would rise to 15% from 2027; no bill had been published when checked.
Malta
Grants residency
- Minimum investment
- €375,000 to buy in Malta or Gozo. Renting qualifies instead, which is unusual, but then there is no property purchase to list.
- Must be held for
- 5 years — The property must be held for five years from the certificate being issued.
- Government fees
- A non-refundable administrative fee of €60,000 on the purchase route, a government contribution of €37,000, and a €2,000 donation to a Maltese NGO — all separate from the price of the property.
Cyprus
Grants residency
- Minimum investment
- €300,000 excluding VAT. The residential route requires a new property bought from a developer; resales qualify only under the slower general category.
- Must be held for
- 5 years — Permanent residency is granted indefinitely but reviewed, and selling the qualifying property without replacing it can cost you the status.
- Government fees
- Modest application and card fees, but the applicant must also show a secured annual income of at least €50,000 from outside Cyprus, plus €15,000 for a spouse and €10,000 for each dependent child.
Turkey
Grants citizenship
- Minimum investment
- US$400,000
- Must be held for
- 3 years — A restriction is annotated on the title deed itself, so the three years are enforced at the land registry rather than by undertaking.
- Government fees
- An official valuation report is mandatory, and the title deed fee of 4% plus legal fees apply as on any purchase. Processing has been running under four months.
Egypt
Grants citizenship
- Minimum investment
- USD 300,000, and since the rules were relaxed this can be any property from any seller — the earlier requirement to buy from an approved Egyptian developer is gone. It may be made up of more than one property.
- Must be held for
- 5 years — Five years, which runs alongside the separate five-year restriction Law 230 of 1996 places on any foreign owner's resale.
- Government fees
- A USD 10,000 application fee, plus registration and legal costs. Decisions have been taking six to twelve months.
From each programme's published terms, checked 27 October 2026. Applications go through an authorised agent, and the terms change often — confirm them with the programme before you buy.