No Travel Required

As concerns regarding temporary travel suspensions and the Coronavirus outbreak grow, we would like to remind those considering a second residency or citizenship application that there are several investor visa programmes which can be applied for remotely, without the need to travel. A second residency or citizenship is a key component in diversifying your investments and interests in this global economy. It is more important than ever now not to be tied to one country.

The key programmes where it is possible to apply without travelling are:

ST LUCIA

For single applicants, this programme offers one of the lowest cost solutions with the required donation starting from just $100,000 + costs. The application process takes around 3-4 months and the entire process can be completed remotely.

DOMINICA

Citizenship by Investment in the Commonwealth of Dominica enables the passport owner to travel freely to 137 countries worldwide. The process is simple and no travel is required to complete the process.

ANTIGUA

Antigua is one of the most cost-effective options for families looking to gain a second citizenship. To complete the application process and receive your passport, no travel is required. There is a  requirement to spend a minimum of five days in Antigua which would only need to be for-filled five years following the approval of your citizenship application. Donation starts from $125,000 + costs.

GRENADA

A Grenadian passport enables the holder to travel to 143 countries worldwide as well as gain access to the E-2 Visa programme in the USA. Processing takes between 3-4 months and the applicants can complete the whole application from their home country.

ST KITTS

One of the oldest citizenship by investment programmes in the market, a St Kitts passport gives visa-free travel to 151 countries worldwide including the Schengen zone and the United Kingdom. Like all of the above, it is a document-driven process with no travel requirements.

PORTUGAL

Portugal offers one of the most popular Golden Visa programmes in Europe. Following a minimum real estate investment of €350,000, applicants can apply for a Portuguese residency visa. To initiate the process there is no need to visit Portugal. After discussing the available real estate options with La Vida’s experts, a property reservation can be made remotely. Applicants will then be required to open a Portuguese bank account and finalised the property purchase, all of which can be done through Power of Attorney. The residency visa will then be submitted and a pre-approval decision will be made in approximately two months from the date of submission. It is only after this stage that the applicant will be required to visit Portugal to submit their biometric data to finalise the process.

GREECE 

In Greece, applicants can transfer their funds directly to the seller for their property purchase, or even make some payments through credit card. Power of Attorney can also be arranged through a local notary or consulate service. Greece’s permanent residency programme requires a property purchase of €250,000 and will enable buyers to gain a 5 year PR permit and visa-free travel to the Schengen zone.

TURKEY

Citizenship by Investment in Turkey can be completed entirely without travelling to Turkey. In a similar manner to Portugal, the  property purchase and opening of a bank account can all be completed through Power of Attorney. The whole application process will take between 3-6 months.

Vanuatu 

This is one of the quickest citizenship programmes available, with an average processing time of 2-3 months. No travel is required to initiate the application and the applicant has the option to either collect the passport from Vanuatu directly, or the passport officer can travel to you to deliver your passport in person (additional fee applicable for this service).

Please contact us to discuss your options with one of our experts.