Business & invest

Business & invest: quick answers

Who is eligible for an investor visa? Investors and founders who can place the qualifying capital (property, funds, a business or government bonds) from a lawful source, pass due diligence and, for founder routes, show an endorsed business plan. Residence is granted to the investor and usually to the immediate family.

How much does an investor visa cost? ₹20 to ₹25.26 lakh all-in across 52 destinations, government fee plus Vistolane filing fee. Cheapest in the set: Malaysia at ₹20; Saudi Arabia is the most expensive at ₹25.26 lakh. Government fees are charged at the official rate.

How long does an investor visa take? From Same day once filed (Thailand) to 4–9 weeks (Ireland) once the file is complete. E-visas decide fastest; sticker visas add a biometrics appointment and embassy visas add interview wait. Vistolane shows the document deadline and filing date before you pay.

Overview

Investor and founder routes trade capital or an endorsed business plan for residence rights. Golden visas (Greece: €250k–800k in property; Portugal: €500k in an approved investment fund; UAE: AED 2m in property) need little or no residence time; founder routes (UK Innovator Founder, Canada Start-up Visa, France Talent Passport) require an endorsement or incubator letter and an active role in the company.

Due diligence on the source of funds is the longest part of the process. Expect to document every step from earnings to the investment account.

Residence obligations differ sharply. Greece and the UAE do not require you to live in the country to keep the permit; Portugal asks for an average of seven days a year; Spain and Italy expect genuine residence if you later want citizenship. Decide first whether you want a second home and a travel document, or a route to a new passport, because the two lead to different countries.

Costs run well beyond the headline investment. Budget for government fees per family member, legal and due-diligence fees, property transfer taxes of 3 to 10 percent, annual renewal charges and, for fund options, management fees. On a €500,000 Portuguese fund investment the five-year all-in cost typically lands between €60,000 and €90,000 on top of the capital, most of which is recoverable only if the fund performs.

Founder routes are assessed on the business, not the bank balance. Endorsing bodies and incubators look for an innovative, viable and scalable plan, a founder who will work in the company full time, and evidence that the idea has traction: letters of intent, pilot customers or an accelerator place. Expect an interview and a review at the midpoint of the visa before an extension is granted.

Processing times are measured in months, not weeks. Greece currently decides in 6 to 12 months, Portugal in 12 to 18 months after the fund subscription, the UAE in 2 to 4 weeks once the property is registered, and the US EB-5 in several years with a priority-date queue for some nationalities. Vistolane tracks each stage, chases the authority at the published service standard and tells you the realistic decision window before you commit capital.

Who this route suits

Business owners, senior professionals and families with liquid capital whose source can be documented end to end, who want a second residence, visa-free mobility or a pathway to a second passport without a job offer. Golden visas (Greece, Portugal's fund route, the UAE) suit buyers who do not want to relocate immediately; founder and innovator visas (UK Innovator Founder, Canada Start-up Visa, France Talent Passport) suit entrepreneurs with an endorsed, scalable business plan and the intention to run it on the ground.

It does not suit applicants whose funds come from unbanked cash sales, recent gifts without a paper trail, or property sold below declared value — source-of-funds checks are forensic and a rejection is often permanent. Clarify the goal first: a travel document and a holiday home point to Greece or the UAE; a new citizenship within five to ten years points to Portugal, Spain or Italy.

Does this route fit you? Three questions:

• Can you document the source of your capital end to end, tax returns, sale deeds, audited accounts and bank trails? If not: Source of funds is the gate for every golden visa. A licensed adviser can tell you whether the trail will pass.
• Is the amount you can commit at or above the programme minimum, for example EUR 250,000 in Greece or AED 2 million in the UAE? If not: Points-tested permanent residence rewards skills rather than capital.
• Will you hold the investment for the required period and meet any stay or business-activity conditions? If not: If you mainly want to travel, a long-validity visitor visa is far cheaper.

How the process works

1. Choose the route. Passive investment (real estate, funds, bonds) or an active business with endorsement.
2. Source-of-funds file. Tax returns, sale contracts, company accounts and bank trails covering the full amount.
3. Invest or get endorsed. Complete the qualifying investment or obtain the endorsement letter before filing.
4. Residence and renewal. Meet the minimum stay, keep the investment for the holding period and renew on schedule.

Why applications get refused

• Source of funds that cannot be traced to a lawful origin
• Investment made in a vehicle that no longer qualifies after a rule change
• Business plan without a credible endorsement or market test
• Missing the minimum residence days for renewal

Verified investor and golden visas route pages, by country

3 investor and golden visas routes across 3 countries, each written from the issuing authority's own pages with the government fee, the published processing window, the document checklist and the refusal reasons, and dated when it was last re-read.

Questions, answered