Investment Visa 2025 - Global Surge, Top Countries, Tax Benefits & HNWI Strategies

1. Google Trends 2025: How Big Is the Investment Visa Surge?

The latest Google Trends table for 2024-2025 shows that “investment visa” is the fastest-growing search term in the entire investment migration universe.

The biggest mover is “investment visa”, with its monthly search score rising from 6.75 in Oct-24 to 32.25 in Oct-25. The average interest in the last three months alone is 62.43, up from just 14.72 in the previous quarter - more than a 4x jump.

2. Investment Visa vs Residency by Investment vs Golden Visa

Historically, most people searched for “Golden Visa” or “citizenship by investment”. In 2025, the language is changing:

• Investment visa has become a catch-all term for residency or citizenship via investment.
• Residency by investment is gaining ground as a more neutral, policy-friendly phrase.
• Golden Visa still dominates headlines in Europe, but grows more slowly than the broader terms.

For a macro look at how this fits into a $30 billion investment migration market, see our companion article Investment migration reaches $30 billion - new global momentum connects tourism, culture and investment.

3. Country Ranking: Greece, Italy & Portugal Golden Visas

Among specific destinations, the big winners of the 2025 investment visa surge are Greece, Italy and Portugal.

Greece and Italy dominate the searches thanks to their real estate-driven investment visas and attractive Non-Dom tax regimes. Portugal, even after removing most direct property options, remains a top search destination because of its fund-based Portugal Golden Visa and strong lifestyle appeal.

Deep dive resources: Portugal Golden Visa 2025 - the truth about the fund route.

4. Why Are HNWIs Piling into Investment Visa Programs Now?

Consultants quoted in the data attribute the surge to a mix of uncertainty and opportunity:

• concerns about higher taxes in core economies like the UK, parts of the EU and the US;
• desire for a “Plan B” jurisdiction in case of political shocks;
• the search for safer, more predictable systems for children and grandchildren;
• tighter rules on citizenship-by-investment, which push investors to “residency first” strategies instead.

In short, HNWIs now treat investment visas as a mix of:

• a tax and regulatory strategy;
• a diversification of personal and family risk;
• a way to ease cross-border business and travel.

5. Tax Regimes: Greece, Italy & Portugal Compared

Tax is a critical driver of investment visa decisions. Three examples illustrate why search interest is exploding:

Greece - Non-Dom Flat Tax

Greece offers a Non-Dom regime under which eligible individuals can opt to pay a flat €100,000 per year on their global income, instead of standard progressive rates that can reach 45%. Pair this with a €250,000 property threshold for the Greece Golden Visa, and the value proposition becomes clear.

Italy - Flat Tax for New Residents

Italy's regime allows new residents to pay a flat annual tax on foreign income (often around €100,000) under specific conditions. Combined with its growth in investment visa searches, Italy is becoming a tax-driven lifestyle play for HNWIs who want a base in a major EU economy.

Portugal - Fund-Based Golden Visa + Tax Options

Portugal no longer offers classic real estate Golden Visa routes, but continues to attract investors through investment funds and a range of tax planning opportunities for new residents. The key difference is that Portugal has moved away from selling real estate and toward regulated fund investment.

For a detailed breakdown of the Portuguese fund route, see Portugal Golden Visa Investment Fund: Secure EU Residency with Passive, Regulated Returns.

6. The Fund Route: Investment Visa via Regulated Private Equity Funds

A major structural shift behind the investment visa surge is the move from property-only models to regulated fund-based structures.

In Portugal in particular, the leading investment visa path is now the Golden Visa fund route, where investors:

• commit typically €500,000 to a qualifying fund;
• invest via a CMVM-regulated vehicle with a professional manager and custodian bank;
• gain exposure to private equity, real-economy or infrastructure portfolios;
• use the commitment as the qualifying investment visa asset.

For a full comparison of fund strategies - private equity, venture and real-economy - see Portugal Golden Visa Funds 2025 - Full Comparison of Private Equity, Venture & Real-Economy Strategies, and for why funds are replacing property, see Why Golden Visa Funds Are Replacing Real Estate in 2025.

7. Who Uses Investment Visas? Profiles of 2025 Applicants

The new wave of investment visa applicants goes far beyond traditional ultra-rich elites. Typical profiles include:

• Entrepreneurs and tech founders seeking a quieter, safer base while their businesses remain global.
• Senior executives in finance, consulting and technology who want diversification away from a single jurisdiction.
• Family offices and multi-generational families building a long-term European foothold.
• Early retirees from high-tax countries looking for lifestyle + tax optimisation.

To understand how private equity fits into these allocations, see How to Invest in Private Equity in 2025 - Complete Beginner’s Guide.

8. Building a Global Strategy with Investment Visas

High-net-worth investors increasingly treat investment visas as part of a global architecture, not a stand-alone move. A typical framework:

1. Choose a core residency jurisdiction (e.g. Portugal, Greece or Italy) based on lifestyle, safety and tax.
2. Decide whether the qualifying asset will be real estate or a regulated fund.
3. Integrate the investment visa into the overall portfolio - not more than a calibrated percentage of net worth.
4. Use the visa to create optionality for family - second passports, education, future relocation.
5. Review policy changes yearly and remain prepared to adapt allocation or jurisdiction if needed.

“For the most sophisticated families, an investment visa is no longer just a way to cross a border. It is a structural hedge in a world of tax change, political volatility and asymmetric opportunity.”

9. FAQs - Investment Visa & Residency by Investment