Most golden visa comparisons rank programs by investment cost. That metric tells you what a program charges one person. It tells you nothing about what happens when you show up with a spouse, three children, and two aging parents.
Family inclusion rules vary wildly across Residence by Investment (RBI) programs. Some cover only a spouse and minor children. Others extend to grandparents, adult children in their thirties, and, in one case, siblings and business partners. The difference between a program that covers two generations and one that covers five can mean tens of thousands of dollars in separate applications, or entire family members left without residency.
These nine programs go beyond the nuclear family. Each allows the inclusion of parents, grandparents, or other extended relatives under a single application. They are ranked by generational depth, with secondary weight given to cost per dependent and the quality of life families can expect after arrival.
1. Malta Permanent Residence Programme
Malta’s MPRP covers up to four generations in a single application. No other European golden visa matches that depth.
Eligible dependents include the main applicant’s spouse, children (including unmarried adult children under 29 who are financially dependent), parents, and grandparents. IMI’s European golden visa guide identifies Malta as the standout program for multi-generational family inclusion. In some cases, great-grandparents also qualify.
Spouses and minor children incur no additional government fee. Each adult dependent (18 and older) costs €7,500, a figure reduced from €10,000 following July 2025 reforms that restructured the program’s fee schedule specifically to attract families.
The investment requirement is a €375,000 property purchase (nationwide) or a minimum annual lease of €14,000. On top of that, applicants pay a €60,000 administration fee (€15,000 upfront, €45,000 on approval) and a €37,000 government contribution regardless of whether they buy or rent. A €2,000 NGO donation rounds out the mandatory costs. The MPRP program page on IMI has a full breakdown.
Applicants must hold €500,000 in total assets with at least €150,000 in liquid financial assets, or €650,000 in total assets with a reduced €75,000 in financial assets.
One of the MPRP’s most practical features is the temporary residence card issued upon application submission and payment of the initial €15,000 fee. This card, renewable for one year, allows families to relocate to Malta, enroll children in school, and travel within Schengen while the full permanent residency application undergoes due diligence. Processing for the permanent card runs six to 12 months.
English is an official language in Malta, which eliminates one of the biggest barriers families face when relocating within Europe. State schools are free for residents. Church schools operate on a voluntary-contribution model. International schools follow British, American, and International Baccalaureate (IB) curricula, with annual tuition ranging from roughly €5,000 to €14,500 depending on the school and grade level. Verdala International School, founded in 1976, is the only school on the island offering the complete IB program from primary years through the diploma.
MPRP applicants must hold private health insurance covering Malta as a program requirement. Malta’s public healthcare system is free for those who contribute to social security through local employment, but most MPRP holders who do not work locally will rely on private coverage. Private healthcare is widely available, with short wait times and English-speaking practitioners.
Citizenship requires four years of physical residence in Malta out of the preceding six, including 12 uninterrupted months immediately before the application. A language test in English or Maltese applies. For families willing to relocate full-time, this is one of the more accessible naturalization paths in the EU.
No minimum stay is required to maintain the permanent residency itself. Schengen travel rights activate immediately upon approval.
2. Sierra Leone GO-FOR-GOLD
Sierra Leone’s permanent residency program has the broadest dependent eligibility of any investment migration program globally, according to IMI’s reporting on the October 2025 expansion.
The baseline application covers a spouse, children under 18, parents, and grandparents at $10,000 per dependent. A “Special Dependants” category, introduced after a six-month pilot, extends eligibility to multiple spouses, siblings under 30 and their spouses, and adult children at $20,000 each. A separate “+1 Business Partner” pathway allows the inclusion of an unrelated business associate at $30,000, though business partners cannot add their own dependents to the main applicant’s file. No other RBI or Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program offers anything close to this structure.
The GO-FOR-GOLD program page on IMI lists the main applicant cost at $65,000 plus one kilogram of gold, secured in Central Bank vaults for five years. Due diligence fees apply on top: $5,000 for applications of up to five people, $10,000 for six to ten. A separate fast-track citizenship route costs $140,000 all-in and delivers a passport within 60 to 90 days.
A caveat applies. IMI noted at the time of publication that it had not independently verified the October 2025 expansion details with official Sierra Leone government sources. The program operates under a “Citizenship by Exception” framework using Section 27A of the Citizenship Act 1973, with formal statutory amendments still pending. Applicants should confirm current eligibility rules directly with the program’s Master Agent.
Sierra Leone is a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which grants citizens visa-free movement and residency privileges across 15 West African nations. The Sierra Leonean passport provides visa-free access to 66 destinations, concentrated in Africa and parts of Asia. As of January 2026, Sierra Leone falls among countries under full US entry suspension.
The relocation calculus for Sierra Leone differs from the European programs on this list. The program’s value lies in its family inclusion breadth and its gold-backed investment structure, not in education or healthcare infrastructure comparable to EU member states. For families seeking a “Plan B” residency that covers an unusually wide circle of relatives at a low cost, the program fills a niche that no European golden visa addresses. For families planning to physically relocate and enroll children in school, the European options on this list are a better fit.
3. Portugal Golden Visa
Portugal’s golden visa has always attracted families. Since 2012, more than 12,700 main applicants have received residence permits, accompanied by over 20,000 dependent family members. The program covers three generations in a single application.
Eligible dependents include the main applicant’s spouse or partner, children under 18, children up to 25 if unmarried and either enrolled in full-time education or financially dependent, and parents or parents-in-law aged 65 and over. Parents or parents-in-law between 55 and 64 can also qualify if they demonstrate financial dependence on the main applicant. The Portugal Golden Visa guide on IMI has the full eligibility breakdown.
No additional investment is required for dependents. A single €500,000 qualifying fund subscription covers the entire family. This is the dominant investment route since the real estate option ended in October 2023 under the More Housing reform (Law 56/2023). Alternative routes include €250,000 for cultural or artistic investments and €500,000 for scientific research.
Government fees, however, are charged per person. The initial residence permit costs approximately €6,050 per applicant (main and each dependent), plus a ~€605 application analysis fee. Renewals run approximately €3,023 per person plus the analysis fee. Over the five-year cycle (initial permit plus two renewals), a family of four can expect to pay roughly €25,000 to €35,000 in government fees alone, before legal costs. This is the highest per-dependent fee burden of any program on this list.
Physical presence requirements are among the lightest in Europe: seven days in the first year, then 14 days in any subsequent two-year period. This makes Portugal viable for families who want EU residency as a long-term hedge without immediately uprooting their lives.
The citizenship pathway has changed. Residency led to citizenship eligibility at five years since the program’s inception. Portugal’s parliament voted in October 2025 to extend that timeline to ten years for most non-EU, non-CPLP nationals. The Constitutional Court struck down parts of the original bill in December 2025, and the President vetoed the decree. Parliament passed a revised version of the Nationality Law (Decree 17/XVII) on April 1, 2026, by a 152 to 64 margin. The ten-year requirement for most golden visa holders is now confirmed. CPLP nationals (citizens of Portuguese-speaking countries like Brazil) face a seven-year timeline. More than 20,000 golden visa applicants still await appointments with AIMA, Portugal’s migration agency.
Portugal ranks seventh on the 2025 Global Peace Index. Its public healthcare system, the Serviço Nacional de Saúde (SNS), provides free or low-cost care to residents. International schools in Lisbon and Porto follow IB, British, and American curricula. University tuition for EU residents (available once citizenship is obtained) is a fraction of U.S. or U.K. costs.
For families with children approaching or already in university, Portugal’s inclusion of adult children up to 25 is a practical advantage. Combined with the EU-wide right to live, work, and study anywhere in the bloc, one application can position an entire family across the continent.
4. Greece Golden Visa
Greece covers three generations, with one policy that sets it apart from every other European program: parents and parents-in-law qualify as dependents with no age limit and no requirement to prove financial dependency.
In Portugal, parents must be over 65 (or over 55 with proof of financial dependence). In Hungary, parents must be 65 or older. Cyprus removed parents from dependent eligibility entirely in May 2023. Greece imposes neither an age floor nor a dependency test. If you have parents, they qualify.
Children up to 21 are included. They can extend to 24 if they remain enrolled as students. No additional investment is required regardless of family size. The main applicant pays a €2,000 government application fee. Dependent fees run €150 per person, plus €16 per biometric card. For a family of six (two parents, two children, two grandparents), total government fees come to roughly €2,750. This is a fraction of Portugal’s per-person charges.
The investment structure uses a zone-based pricing system introduced in September 2024. The tiers: €800,000 for Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini, and islands with more than 3,100 inhabitants (single property, minimum 120 square meters). €400,000 for all other regions, same size constraint. €250,000 for commercial-to-residential conversions and restoration of listed buildings, with no size requirement.
Non-real-estate routes include €500,000 in Greek government bonds (minimum three-year maturity), €500,000 in a fixed-term bank deposit, or €800,000 in equities and corporate bonds.
No minimum stay is required. The Greece Golden Visa program page on IMI has full details.
Greece’s healthcare system offers both public and private options. Residents, including golden visa holders who maintain health insurance, can access the public system. Private healthcare is widely available at reasonable cost by European standards.
International schools in Athens and Thessaloniki follow British, American, French, and German curricula. Tuition runs lower than equivalent schools in Lisbon or Malta. The overall cost of living in Greece remains among the lowest in Western Europe, a factor that compounds over years of family residence.
Citizenship eligibility begins after seven years of tax residence, plus a Greek language exam. This is a longer path than Malta (four years of physical residence), though shorter than Portugal’s newly confirmed ten-year timeline for most non-EU nationals. For families using the golden visa primarily as a mobility and safety hedge rather than a citizenship play, the zero-stay requirement and low dependent costs make Greece the most affordable European option per family member.
A backlog of approximately 42,390 pending applications existed as of November 2025. Greece proposed legislation in January 2026 to streamline renewals, fix backdated residence permits, and address the queue.
Short-term rentals (Airbnb-style) are now prohibited for golden visa properties. Violations carry a €50,000 fine and permit revocation.
5. Hungary Guest Investor Residence Permit
Hungary’s program launched in July 2024 and quickly became one of Europe’s most popular new options. It covers three generations: the main applicant’s spouse, children under 18 (or up to 26 if financially dependent, studying, and unmarried), and parents aged 65 and over.
Two investment routes remain: €250,000 in a government-accredited real estate fund, or a €1 million donation to a higher education institution. A €500,000 direct real estate route was abolished in January 2025 after concerns about rising housing prices.
The program grants a ten-year residence permit, renewable for another ten years. Zero physical presence is required to maintain the permit. Schengen travel rights activate immediately. Investors receive pre-approval before committing capital, a feature that eliminates financial risk during the application stage and sets Hungary apart from programs where you invest first and wait.
For families, the pre-approval structure is particularly relevant. You know your application has been accepted before any money changes hands.
Processing runs two to three months, among the fastest in Europe. IMI’s comprehensive European golden visa inventory confirms Hungary’s position as one of only two programs (alongside Cyprus) with processing times under six months.
Hungary operates a 15% flat income tax and a 9% corporate tax rate, both among the lowest in the EU. For families considering actual relocation, the tax environment is favorable, though Hungary’s cost of living in Budapest has risen in recent years.
The citizenship path is the longest and most demanding on this list. Naturalization requires eight years of continuous full-time residence in Hungary, a Hungarian language and cultural knowledge exam, and proof of financial self-sufficiency. This is a genuine relocation commitment that goes well beyond the “light touch” maintenance most golden visa holders expect.
International schools in Budapest follow IB, British, and American curricula. The city’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, with private hospitals and clinics offering English-language services.
For families who want Schengen access, a long-duration permit, and low investment entry with no physical presence obligation, Hungary delivers. For families planning to pursue citizenship, the eight-year, full-residency, language-exam requirement means Hungary works best as a mobility tool rather than a passport strategy. IMI’s cost comparison of CBI and RBI programs provides additional context on how per-dependent costs stack up across the market.
6. Russia Golden Visa
Russia’s golden visa covers five generations in a single application, the deepest generational reach of any program globally. Eligible family members include the main applicant’s spouse, children (including adopted), spouses of children, parents (including adoptive), spouses of parents, grandparents, and grandchildren.
The program launched in January 2023 and grants permanent residency. Investment routes start at RUB 15 million (approximately $170,000) for a socially significant project, with higher thresholds for company investment and real estate. Processing takes approximately six months.
Russia eliminated its six-month physical presence requirement in December 2025. Golden visa holders can now maintain permanent residency without spending any time in the country.
Adult applicants between 18 and 65 (men) and 18 and 63 (women) must pass a Russian language, history, and law test. Family members in the same age brackets must also pass the test, though IMI reports this requirement can be postponed. Authorities have considered removing the language requirement for investor visa applicants, but no change has been enacted.
Citizenship eligibility begins after five years of legal residence.
The program has attracted minimal uptake. Applications dropped from 24 in 2023 to 14 in 2024, with only two applications in early 2025, against an initial government target of 300 to 400 annually. Geopolitical factors limit the program’s appeal to most Western investors. Market commentators have suggested Chinese and Middle Eastern applicants may find the program attractive as a geopolitical hedge, particularly given Russia’s insulation from Western asset-freezing protocols.
For families from countries with neutral or positive relations with Russia, the five-generation depth and low investment floor create a family inclusion package that rivals Sierra Leone’s breadth at a lower cost. For families from countries subject to Western sanctions alignment, the program presents obvious complications that extend far beyond immigration.
7. Italy Investor Visa
Italy’s Investor Visa (the “Dolce Visa”) allows family members to join through Italy’s family reunification framework. Eligible dependents include the main applicant’s spouse, children under 18, dependent adult children with permanent disability, and dependent parents. Parents over 65 qualify without proving dependency. Parents under 65 can qualify if they have no other children in their home country who can support them.
Four investment routes are available: €250,000 in an innovative Italian startup, €500,000 in an Italian company, €2 million in Italian government bonds, or a €1 million philanthropic donation. No additional investment is required for family members.
Zero physical presence is required to maintain the visa. The initial permit lasts two years and is renewable for three more. Italy’s no-presence golden visa structure was confirmed by a December 2020 reform that exempted investor visa holders from the general residency rule.
One procedural friction applies. Family members do not receive their permits through the same expedited channel as the main applicant. They must apply via Italy’s standard family reunification process, which can take up to six months. A pending legislative bill (DDL S. 2498) proposes harmonizing the two procedures so family members receive permits on the same timeline as the investor, but the bill has not yet passed.
Citizenship requires ten years of legal residency in Italy with physical presence of at least 183 days per year. This is the longest naturalization timeline on this list.
Italy’s 2026 flat-tax regime for new residents charges €300,000 per year on worldwide foreign-source income, plus €50,000 per family member. This replaced the previous €200,000 threshold effective January 1, 2026.
International schools in Rome, Milan, and Florence follow IB, British, and American curricula. Italy’s public healthcare system (SSN) is available to residents who register and contribute. Private healthcare is widely accessible.
8. Mauritius Permanent Residency Program
Mauritius grants immediate permanent residency to investors who place at least $375,000 in designated real estate projects. Eligible dependents include the main applicant’s spouse, unmarried children, and parents. Dependents may not take up employment in Mauritius.
Permanent residence fees are $1,735 for the main applicant and $1,160 per dependent. The permit is valid for 20 years and renewable as long as the investment is maintained.
Citizenship eligibility begins after seven years of continuous residency, or five years for nationals of Commonwealth countries. A fast-track route is available for investors who increase their commitment to $500,000: they become eligible for naturalization in two years, provided they remain physically present in Mauritius for two consecutive years without absence. English is an official language. No restrictions on dual citizenship apply.
Mauritius is a tropical archipelago in the Indian Ocean with a GDP per capita of approximately $30,000 (PPP), making it one of Africa’s wealthiest countries. The Mauritian passport provides visa-free access to the Schengen Area, the UK, and over 140 destinations globally.
Healthcare in Mauritius includes a free public system and a growing private sector. International schools follow British and French curricula. The overall cost of living is lower than European alternatives, though the island’s small size limits the breadth of educational and cultural options available to families with older children.
For families from Commonwealth countries, the five-year path to citizenship combined with immediate PR and parent inclusion makes Mauritius one of the fastest and most family-inclusive routes to a passport with genuine mobility value.
9. Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H)
Malaysia’s MM2H program includes parents and parents-in-law over 60 as eligible dependents, a feature that few Asian programs offer. Children up to 34 can qualify if they are unmarried and not employed in Malaysia. This is the highest dependent-child age threshold of any program on this list.
The program operates in three tiers based on fixed deposit amounts: Silver at RM500,000 (approximately $105,000), Gold at RM1 million ($210,000), and Platinum at RM5 million ($1.05 million). Applicants can withdraw up to 50% of their deposit after one year for property purchases or healthcare expenses.
Physical presence is 60 days per year. For applicants under 50, the presence requirement can be fulfilled by a spouse or dependent rather than the main applicant.
The program approved 3,172 applications in 2025, generating an estimated $983 million in economic value through fixed deposits and property purchases. Chinese nationals represent the largest applicant cohort.
A significant limitation: the October 2024 revision removed the path to permanent residency under the Platinum tier, replacing the previous PR route with a 20-year renewable permit. Malaysia does not offer a structured path to citizenship through MM2H. Naturalization requires 12 or more years of residency under standard Malaysian immigration law, and Malaysia does not permit dual citizenship.
International schools in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Johor Bahru follow British, Australian, and IB curricula at fees lower than comparable European options. Malaysia’s public and private healthcare systems are well-regarded, with medical tourism a major sector.
For families seeking affordable, long-term residency in Southeast Asia with generous dependent age limits and parent inclusion, MM2H delivers. For families who want citizenship at the end of the process, Malaysia is not the right program.
