Can you include your children in your overseas residency application? Are your children 20, 30, 40, or even 50 years old with their own families? Which programs allow the entire family to apply together?
Which countries rank at the top of our list for residency, healthcare, education, and flexibility to include family members, even if they have outgrown you and live in their own home? This is what we will be covering in today’s article.
So, you are contemplating a Golden Visa residency program in another country for your family, especially for your children.
You are not alone. 99% of applicants’ motivations for these programs are for their children and future generations. It is very rare for an applicant to be doing this purely for themselves, unless they are a retiree or pensioner.
We will break down the possible Golden Visa residency programs in Europe, Central America, and Oceania. Today’s focus is on countries where you or your children might live now or in the future. Therefore, we are ruling out Caribbean island citizenship by investment programs for this article, as most of our clients only pay for the passport and have no plans to live on those islands.
At INGWE, we have successfully helped thousands of families since 2018, from over 55 countries navigate the complex landscape of business and investment immigration. Connect with us for a personalized assessment – click here.
EU Golden Visa Options for Your Family and Children
In the EU, the most popular Golden Visa residency programs allow you to include dependents such as your spouse, common-law partner, and children. The children’s age, financial dependency, and marital status are very important.
Where in the EU region can you buy residency outright for yourself, your children, and dependent family members? The main options include Malta, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Spain, Cyprus, and Bulgaria.
Malta Residency for Your Family and Children
In Malta, one of our favorite programs, dependent children can be under the age of 29, but they must be single and 100% financially dependent to be eligible for inclusion in your application for the Malta Permanent Residence Programme, MPRP.
Keep in mind that Malta also had a separate citizenship program, which was the only EU citizenship program selling a passport directly without the usual long-term residency path. Malta also has a Tax Residency Program that is open to all nationalities without restrictions.
All of these programs provide residency in Malta, allowing you to live and reside in the country at your leisure with your children, along with visa-free access across all 27 EU and Schengen countries.
🚨 Update — April 29, 2025: The Malta Citizenship-by-Investment program has officially been closed by the European Court of Justice. The Malta Permanent Residence Programme, MPRP, remains open, offering a viable path to residency in Europe.
This is also one of our favorite programs because Malta is bilingual, and you can find many UK campuses for your children to study at with an English curriculum. You do not have to learn a new language. Malta is also in the Mediterranean, so the weather and lifestyle are always top-notch.
Check the eligibility for dependents applying for the Malta Permanent Residence Programme, MPRP, here: https://residencymalta.gov.mt/eligibility-criteria/
Italy Residency for Your Family and Children
Our second favorite program in the EU for allowing your family an easy transition to residency is Italy. Besides all the glitz, glamour, and famous Italian brands, many applicants enjoy the fast processing of Italy’s investor residency program.
If you have older children who may be 22, 24, 28, or even 30, it may still be possible to include them in your residency application, as long as you can provide supporting documentation that they are single and 100% financially dependent on you, the parent or parents.
The official dependent age limit in Italy is 18. However, if your child is over the age of 18, single, financially dependent, and still a full-time student, you may be able to include them in the application. The onus is on the applicant to provide all supporting documents to make this claim.
If you have questions, reach out to us and we can do a soft assessment of your case after qualifying you for the main investor residency program.
Italy allows children to study for free in public schooling from elementary to high school. For post-secondary education, tuition is very reasonable, although not free. The only drawback is that the curriculum is not in English unless you send your child to a private school, which can be more costly.
The lifestyle in Italy is always world-class, as long as you are open to residing in a country where English is not the main language.
Check the information on family reunification, including dependents, provided by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development: https://www.investorvisa.mise.gov.it/index.php/en/family-reunification
Portugal Residency for Your Family and Children
Another favorite of ours is the Portugal Golden Visa. Almost everyone has heard of this program. It was likely one of the most popular Golden Visa programs in the EU before Portugal removed real estate options from the investment category.
With a cool, crisp €500,000, you can qualify for residency that can lead to citizenship in Portugal, without needing to reside there full time.
Although the official dependent age limit for the program is 18, it has the same flexibility as the Italian program. Older children who are single and financially dependent may qualify with the right supporting documentation.
In terms of lifestyle, including weather, food, people, and crime rate, we believe Portugal ranks number one in Europe. Of course, this is from the point of view of someone who is not looking for employment and simply wants to enjoy good food, beaches, weather, and a kind, calm atmosphere.
Similar to Italy, public education is in Portuguese. If you are language-challenged like I am, then you can consider paying for private schooling for your children.
Children can study for free in public elementary and high schools, and post-secondary tuition is very affordable compared to the UK, USA, Australia, and even Canada.
Check the eligibility for dependents applying for the Portugal Golden Visa, ARI – Autorização de Residência para Atividade de Investimento, using this link from the Portuguese Immigration and Borders Service, SEF: https://imigrante.sef.pt/en/solicitar/residir/art90-a/
Greece Residency and Golden Visa for Your Family and Children
Next on our list is Greece, where the Golden Visa program through a real estate investment of €250,000, and yes, that is correct, you can qualify with less than €400,000, allows an applicant to move their spouse, common-law partner, and children under the age of 21.
Children need to remain single and financially dependent throughout the residency process.
In terms of quality of life, Greece is in the Blue Zone, but that does not necessarily mean you have top-notch education or healthcare. It is mainly a relaxed atmosphere.
Although Greece can be great for pensioners, retirees, casual EU visits, or perhaps a fun residency to have a villa or apartment on the beach, I do not believe it would be the right choice for your children unless someone in the family is Greek or speaks Greek.
Spain Residency and Golden Visa for Your Family and Children
You may be wondering why Spain is not on our list. Actually, it is, and it also has a special place in all our hearts.
Spain’s Golden Visa program is receiving a facelift as of April 3, 2025, with a new expected reopening date. Children under the age of 18 are officially allowed. However, the same situation as Italy and Portugal applies to Spain: if your child is fully financially dependent on you as the main applicant, single, and has proper supporting documentation, we can help include them through the residency program.
Keep an eye out later in 2025 when the Spain Golden Visa 2.0 is expected to be relaunched by the Spanish government. That will be the time to check all details on eligibility and investment options.
Spain ranks number one for healthcare compared to the other programs we covered, and also ranks very high in terms of education options. This is why Spain is one of our top 3 destinations for families to reside in Europe through the Golden Visa program.
Check the eligibility for dependents applying for the Spain Residence by Investment, Golden Visa, posted by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs: http://www.exteriores.gob.es/Portal/en/ServiciosAlCiudadano/InformacionParaExtranjeros/Paginas/ResidenciaPorInversion.aspx
Other EU Countries Offering Flexible Residency for Your Family and Children
Some of the lesser-known programs in the EU region are Cyprus and Bulgaria.
Cyprus Residency
Cyprus allows children under the age of 25 to qualify as dependents, making it quite a flexible program. However, supporting documentation must be provided to show that they are single and financially dependent.
The official age for dependents is under 18, but exceptions can apply as outlined earlier.
The investment options are either through €300,000 in any asset category, which can include shares in a company or real estate, or the BFU option of €200,000 into your own registered company in Cyprus, meaning it can effectively be a zero-investment structure into your own business.
The former provides you and your child permanent residency for 10 years, renewable. The latter is a work permit valid for 2-3 years. Both paths can lead to the same citizenship timeline in Cyprus.
In terms of lifestyle, you cannot go wrong on this island. Your expected life expectancy may even increase due to the food, beaches, and laid-back atmosphere.
Check the eligibility for dependents applying for the Cyprus Permanent Residence Permit, posted by the Civil Registry and Migration Department: https://www.mip.gov.cy/dmmip/md.nsf/all/1996586204D82CD6C225890B00443DDD?opendocument
Bulgaria Residency
Bulgaria recently became part of the Schengen region in March 2024. Its Golden Visa and Trade Representative Office, TRO, programs allow foreigners to reside full time in this EU country.
You can opt for the investment option through a registered fund, with a minimum of €512,000, which leads to permanent residency in the country.
You can also choose the Trade Representative Office program, which requires zero investment and leads to temporary residency that can be converted to permanent residency with minimal time in the country.
Dependent children under the age of 18 can be included in your residency application to Bulgaria.
So what happens if your child is 21, 28, or maybe even 40 years old? There is a loophole for the Bulgarian program. You can appoint them as a trade representative for your overseas company, or anyone else’s company, without them needing to be a shareholder or staff member of that company.
This means your adult child can join you in Bulgaria on temporary residency, no matter how old they are. Did that blow your mind? It is 100% legal and possible, with a quick assessment by our team.
Non-EU Golden Visas and Residency Options
Moving away from the EU region, we have two other favorite Golden Visa-style residency programs that are good options for your family and children: Panama and New Zealand.
New Zealand Permanent Residency for Your Family and Children
If you are thinking of getting far away and having a backup Plan B for your family, New Zealand is a destination of choice.
Children under the age of 25 are eligible to be included in your investor residency application. The reason New Zealand is on our list today is that it is an English-speaking country, meaning all education is conducted in English at elementary, high school, and university levels.
New Zealand has the 5th most powerful ranking passport in the world. Its healthcare and education systems are ranked among the top in the world. There is nothing to lose in this program, except allowing some of your money to be invested in New Zealand.
You may ask, how much? It is either NZ $5 million or NZ $10 million, depending on which category of investment funds, real estate, or bonds you choose.
Two unique features of this program are:
- The permanent residency is for life, without any renewal process.
- You only need to stay in the country 3 weeks out of 3 years to convert to permanent residency, or 3 months in 5 years if you invest in the real estate, listed equities, or bond options.
Connect with us and request our New Zealand Investment Residency brochure for all the details.
Check the eligibility and program requirements on the New Zealand government website: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/visas/visa/active-investor-plus-visa
Let’s now look into the Panama Golden Visa program, which is one of the less-known and most flexible permanent residency programs offered in this part of the world.
Panama Permanent Residency and Golden Visa for Your Family and Children
Panama lets adult children invest in the Golden Visa program to include the entire family.
For example, if you are 50 years old and your parents have most of the money needed for this program, US $200,000 investment in real estate if you are from Canada, the USA, the EU, South Africa, or other friendly nations, or US $300,000 for other nationalities, then you can combine the funds and apply together.
This means your parents can apply along with you, your spouse or common-law partner, and your children.
Panama is one of the most flexible Golden Visas in the world. It offers a tax-free jurisdiction on overseas income, is crypto-friendly, and has no residency requirement to actually become eligible for citizenship in 5 years.
It also has one of the fastest Golden Visa processing times in the Western Hemisphere, usually 6-8 weeks maximum after the real estate purchase has been made.
You can bring children as dependents or use a combined Golden Visa family route if you have adult children. These adult children do not need to be single and can have their own families.
This is an amazing program, and you can let us know if you would like more details, including a custom breakdown of all fees and steps based on your family composition.
We are hosting a Panama Golden Visa field trip from March 31 to April 3, 2025, where we meet the ministry processing the Golden Visa, bankers, government officials, real estate developers, and their projects.
If you or anyone in your network can benefit from this program and trip, reach out to us to RSVP before March 31, 2025.
We hope you found this article insightful, where we hand-picked the best of the best for you, your children, and future generations.
If this is all too overwhelming for you, reach out to us for a quick assessment by completing our short questionnaire. You will receive our custom proposal and detailed guide for any of these programs. Consider us the boutique concierge for global residency and citizenship programs.
Unlock Global Residency and Citizenship Opportunities in 2025
If you are ready to put your Plan B into action, for yourself, your family, or perhaps your clients, you can reach out to us through the link under this video.
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