Golden Visa and Investment Migration Glossary
Plain-language definitions of the terms used most often in citizenship by investment, residence and golden visa. Knowing these concepts before choosing a program helps you judge the process and the costs correctly.
- Citizenship by Investment
- A legal program that grants citizenship directly in return for a defined investment (donation, real estate or fund). Usually there is no residence requirement. See: Citizenship programs
- Golden Visa
- The umbrella term for programs that grant residence or citizenship in return for an investment. See: What is a golden visa?
- Residence Permit
- A document granting the legal right to live in a country for a period; the investment type can lead to citizenship over time. See: Residence programs
- Second Passport
- A passport held as a citizen of a second country; it adds travel freedom and a lasting plan B. See: Cheapest programs
- Dual Citizenship
- Holding the citizenship of two countries at once. Turkey permits dual citizenship. See: Dual citizenship guide
- Donation
- A non-refundable contribution to a government fund; usually the lowest entry route in citizenship programs. See: Cost guide
- Due Diligence
- The program's vetting of an applicant's legal, financial and reputational background; charged per person and varies by program.
- Certificate of Eligibility
- In Turkey's program, the official document confirming the investment meets the rules, which opens the citizenship application. See: Turkey program
- Schengen Area
- The group of European countries without internal border controls; many second passports give visa-free access to it.
- Tax Residency
- The status that determines which country you owe tax to, usually based on spending more than 183 days there in a year. See: Tax guide
- Non-Dom Regime
- A system (for example in Malta) giving residents who are not domiciled there favorable tax treatment on foreign income. See: Tax guide
- Double Taxation Treaty
- An agreement between two countries that prevents the same income from being taxed twice.
- E-2 Investor Visa
- A US visa for nationals of treaty countries who invest in a US business; it grants the right to live and work there. Turkey is a treaty country. See: E-2 guide
- EB-5 (USA)
- A US program granting a Green Card (permanent residence) in return for a large qualifying business investment that creates jobs. See: USA page
- MPRP (Malta)
- The Malta Permanent Residence Programme; it grants permanent residence in EU member Malta through investment and/or property. See: Malta page
- Guest Investor Program (Hungary)
- Hungary's program granting a ten-year residence in return for an approved fund or property investment (GIP). See: Hungary page
- Passport Power
- A measure of how many countries a passport can enter visa-free or with a visa on arrival. See: Passport power guide
- Visa-Free Travel
- The right to enter a country without obtaining a visa in advance; a core benefit of second passports. See: Visa-free travel guide
- Permanent Residence (PR)
- The right to live and work in a country indefinitely; unlike citizenship it does not include a passport or voting rights.
- Stay Requirement
- The minimum physical presence some programs require to keep residence or gain citizenship; Caribbean programs usually have none.
- Biometrics
- The collection of personal data such as fingerprints and a photo during the application; some programs require a short in-country visit.
- Investment Fund Route
- Obtaining residence or citizenship by placing capital in an approved investment fund (for example Portugal, Hungary). See: Portugal page
- Real Estate Investment
- Meeting the program threshold by buying qualifying property, which can be sold after the holding period. See: Property programs
- Main Applicant and Dependants
- The main applicant is the principal person; a spouse, children and sometimes parents can join the same application as dependants. See: Family application guide
Not sure which term applies to you?
Take the free eligibility test and we will map the right program to your goals.