There are several foreign programs that allow non-citizens to obtain permanent residence or even citizenship in another country. One such program is called “Residence by Investment”. A residence by investment program refers to a process where foreign nationals can invest in another country in order to gain residence there. Upon meeting investment requirements, foreign investors are allowed to take up residence in that country and after a predetermined number of years apply for permanent residence.
Residence by investment programs allow applicants to obtain a permanent residency visa for a country by making a local investment such as purchasing property or investing in a business. These types of programs are commonly known as "Golden Visas". This article briefly discusses exactly what a Golden Visa is and why you would need a Golden Visa Apostille in order to obtain one.
A Golden Visa is simply a citizenship by investment or residency by investment program. Not everyone is financially able to obtain a Golden Visa. It is directed more towards wealthy foreign nationals that want to establish residency in a certain country by investing a substantial amount of money or by purchasing property there.
The Golden Visa program by itself does not allow applicants to obtain citizenship; however, the individual may eventually qualify to apply for citizenship using standard naturalization procedures after residing in the country for a predetermined amount of time. This is very important to understand when considering obtaining a Golden Visa for the purpose of living abroad.
With most Golden Visa programs, there is little to no requirement to actually be present in the country that issued the Golden Visa; however, to receive permanent residence or citizenship by investment, most countries will require an actual residency of about five to ten years. Before applying for a Golden Visa in any country, you should first find out what their specific stipulations are.
If you apply for a Golden Visa, you and your immediate family members (spouse and children) will receive permanent residence permits which can be renewed indefinitely as long as the investment is maintained. Once you and your family members become legal residents of that country, you can live there, attend school there, and even take advantage of local healthcare.
The following requirements must be met in order to be eligible for a Golden Visa:
● You must personally own the money that you’re looking to invest.
● You must maintain the investment, for the specified minimum amount of time required by the country you’re maintaining residency in.
● You must be able to prove that you have acquired the money legally.
● You must have a clear criminal background.
● You must have enough financial resources to support yourself and any family members that will be accompanying you – even if you don’t plan to live there.
Here are a few countries that currently offer the Golden Visa program:
● Portugal
● Spain
● Germany
● Turkey
● Austria
● Greece
● Italy
Of the above countries listed, The Golden Visa for Portugal is one of the most sought-after citizenships by investment programs in the world, especially by U.S. citizens. This is due to the lenient requirements for residency, low investment options (based on Golden Visa standards), and the allure of obtaining an EU passport.
If you are a US citizen looking to make an investment in a foreign country in order to obtain the Golden Visa, you will be required to provide an FBI background check that has been Apostilled. A Golden Visa FBI Apostille is a very important document and should be prepared by a professional service provider such as American Apostille & Notary Services. Our office will make sure that your Golden Visa FBI Apostille is properly prepared and done so in a timely manner. Contact us at 848-467-7740 to discuss your Apostille needs.