5 Easiest Countries to Gain Residency with Minimum Investment

When you gain residency in a foreign country, you become entitled to a number of privileges & rights. It will help you invest in new markets, give your passport portfolio a better look, and cut down on your tax bill legally. But in several countries across the globe, getting a residence permit can be a tad difficult.

For instance, if you intend immigrating to a country such as Australia or even Canada, you may be required to have secured a job or invest in the country significantly. Even with any of that, you will still be embroiled in paperwork for many months, if not years, before you are granted a residence permit.

Luckily, the situation is different in some countries as those have much less cumbersome immigration requirements. Here are the 5 easiest countries to gain residency with minimum investment:

1. Belgium

You’ll automatically be issued permanent resident status if you live in Belgium for five (5) years continuously and are a citizen of Switzerland or an EU/EEA country. However, if you are not from one of those countries, you are required to apply for a residency permit.

As a permanent resident of Belgium, you get to enjoy the many of the rights & privileges of a Belgian citizen, which include open access to employment, voting, social programs (with welfare inclusive) as well as education. If you can become a citizen, among these benefits, you will also be able to leave the country for over two years at a single time. (The requirements for this are quite rigorous though.)

• Panama

If you are looking for the easiest residency program that also offers you a path to citizenship, Panama is your best bet. Citizens from a top fifty (50) country — the likes of America, the UK, Canada, EU, Australia, and so on — are eligible for residency in Panama once they make an investment with an amount not up to $20,000 for a family of four (4).

After you have spent 5 years of residency in Panama, you are eligible to submit an application for citizenship as well as a second passport.

A Panamanian passport will grant you entry into 151 countries without the need to get a visa — this is quite close to a Tier-A passport.

If you are not a citizen of a top 50 country, you are required to provide proof that you earn more than $750 monthly. You can learn more about how to obtain Panama residency.

• New Zealand

New Zealand is among the easiest countries to gain residency in with minimum investment. The country is interested in bringing in young people. Thus, you’ll find it very easy to obtain a residency visa in New Zealand if your age lies in the region, 18–30. The only downside is life has become very expensive in New Zealand.

• The Bahamas

This destination is among the just 15 tax-free countries worldwide, and with $1,000 per year, you can live on an island in the Caribbean without paying a tax.

Furthermore, getting a residence permit in the Bahamas is surprisingly easy. All you’re required to do is, filling out a handful of forms and issuing a check for $1,000; and you will then be granted a temporary permit,.

In recent times, the Bahamian government has gone after foreigners that are making use of temporary residence permits for years on end. Therefore, though you might obtain a temporary permit for one or two years, to gain permanent residence in the country, you are required to make an investment up to $250,000 or more.

• The Cayman Islands

Just like the Bahamas that we discussed above, it is also easy to get a permanent residence permit for the Cayman Islands albeit expensive.

You must have an annual income of a minimum of $145,000 to gain residency in Grand Cayman. In addition to that, you are also required to invest a minimum of $600,000 into their real estate sector.

Though those requirements are not as steep for a number of the smaller islands, you are still required to make an investment of $300,000 at least to even be eligible for a temporary permit. But if you have the means, getting a second residence in this country is straightforward.

Outlined above are the 5 easiest countries to gain residency with minimum investment.