Unlike in Spain, the Golden Visa Program remains active in Hungary

Property investment and golden visa in Spain

The Spanish investment immigration program ran from 2012 to 2025. During this time, it granted EU residency to about 15,000 applicants, mainly from China, Russia, the UK, the U.S., Ukraine, Iran, Venezuela and Mexico. Investment was possible through company setup, a bank deposit, or real estate investment – and about 90% of investors chose the EUR 500,000 investment in local real estate, which they deemed the safest.

Alternative to the Spanish program

Meanwhile, the Hungarian Golden Visa Program is just gaining momentum. Unlike the Spanish program, it is based on investment in a real estate fund, which has the following advantages compared to real estate investment:

• It supports local residential real estate development
• It doesn’t remove assets from the market
• It doesn’t disproportionately reduce housing options for the local population
• It is safe and simple

In the Hungarian program, investors and their closest family members can obtain Hungarian residency for 10+10 years based on an EUR 250,000 investment in a government approved real estate fund. There is no minimum stay requirement, while the Hungarian residence permit grants visa-free access to the EU and the Schengen zone, allowing up to 90 days of stay in each member state. The investment may be divested after 5 years, but to remain eligible for the renewal of the residence permit after 10 years, an investment of the same value must be realized. Processing time is just a few months, so you can start to take advantage of your EU residence permit in short order.

Real estate residency in Hungary

In Hungary, you cannot get residency through direct investment in real estate. There is a workaround, however: if you set up a Hungarian company for property management and this company purchases real estate to rent, you as the owner become eligible for residency based on the steady business operation and income. However, this method costs only slightly less (at ca. EUR 240,000) while offers less advantages. Most prominently, residency based on this method will be valid for only a few years, while family members are eligible only in specific cases.

A better deal that remains available

The Hungarian Golden Visa Program offers EU residency for a low investment for a long period, without interfering with the local real estate market. This way it is a better deal than the Spanish program ever was. It also offers more perks than real estate residency at just a slightly higher price.

Helpers Hungary, which is Hungary’s most experienced provider of business, immigration, and investment services, has been following the developments of the Hungarian program since its announcement. We have already processed several applications successfully, which means we know the procedure inside out. If you work with us, you can rest assured that your application will be as smooth as possible.

Got you interested? Then feel free to reach out and discuss your options with one of our experts.

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