Many clients who come to us asking for golden visas, after seeing the prices, realize later that passports are cheaper and affordable than golden visa schemes, plus saves them a lot of time on the long run.
Remember golden visas only offer residency (no citizenship or passport), while Citizenship by investment (CBI) offer Citizenship, Passport, and Permanent residence card if you want.
Golden visa (GV) schemes are twice more expensive than passports. You will see the
Passports are travel documents recognized worldwide, can come in handy to frequent business and international travelers. Residence permit issued issued by GV schemes, can only be used for travel within regional schengen area. For example, despite holding a Greece/Portugal residence card, you still need a visa to travel to UK, Russia, China etc. With a Grenada passport you can travel to all these countries including schengen area visa free and stay upto 90 days in 180 day period.
Frequent business and international travelers prefer passports for short travels. Our clients tell us, they dont want to move to new country and live, leaving their family and business behind.
Another problem with golden visa scheme is citizenship. Many agents will tell you citizenship is easy! The reality is, is not that easy in EU countries! To naturalize for citizenship, You have live in the country for than 5 years, pay taxes, pay for health care, speak language and pass citizenship tests. No citizenship if you dont meet these requirements. The processing times for citizenship applications may take more than a year. The bottom line is you have to work hard to become a citizen, even if you are a golden visa investor.
Considering all these, citizenship by investment schemes are faster, easier and cheaper for those seeking a passport. This saves time, money and future family investment.
. We will briefly explain why passports are so much better than golden visa schemes
| Passport | Golden Visa | |
| What You Get | Citizenship + Passport | Residence permit (No citizenship or passport) |
| Prices | Cheap Grenada – $150,000 | Expensive Greece – €250,000 |
| Real Estate | Yes | Yes |
| Time frame | 2-3 months | 3-4 months |
| Personal visit | No | Yes |
| Travel Freedom (Visa Free) | Worldwide | Limited (only within schengen) |
| Residence requirements | Not required | Required |
| Renewals / Extensions | Once in 5 to 10 years depending on passport validity | Once in 5 years depending on residence permit validity |
| Citizenship | Issued | Naturalize after 5 years or more. |
Remember: Passports allow you visit or stay in UK, Schengen area upto 6 months in a year period. For stays longer than this you have to apply for residence permit separately. In case of Grenada passport, you can stay China (30 days) and Russia (90 day / 6month). Please check the visa waiver conditions before you travel
