If you are searching for EU citizenship by investment in 2026, the most valuable thing an honest advisor can tell you is that, strictly speaking, it no longer exists. No European Union member state sells citizenship directly any more. That sounds like bad news; it is really just clarity, because there are still genuine, lawful routes to an EU passport — they simply run through residence and time rather than a single payment. This guide explains, without the marketing gloss, what changed, what the real routes are, and how long each one honestly takes.
The Honest Truth: You Cannot Buy EU Citizenship Any More
For years, Malta was the one EU country that offered a direct investor-citizenship programme — the thing people actually meant by "EU citizenship by investment". That door is closed. On 29 April 2025 the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled Malta's scheme unlawful, holding that a member state cannot grant its nationality, and with it EU citizenship, in exchange for predetermined payments or investments. Malta has since offered residency only, through its MPRP programme, and no other member state has stepped in to sell passports.
So any website still advertising a price for an "EU passport by investment", or quoting a Malta citizenship figure, is describing a product that is no longer lawful to sell. Be especially wary of anyone whose pitch has not been updated since early 2025 — it is the clearest sign their information is stale. The honest position is simpler and, once you accept it, more useful: you invest for residence, and citizenship is earned later through lawful residence, not bought.
The Real Routes to an EU Passport in 2026
Strip away the myth and four legitimate paths remain. Only one of them involves investment, and even that one is really a residency route with a citizenship destination years down the line:
- Residency by investment, then naturalisation. A golden-visa or residence-by-investment programme gives you lawful residence; after the required years of that residence you may apply to naturalise. This is the closest thing to "EU citizenship by investment", and the honest framing of it.
- Citizenship by descent (ancestry). If you have a qualifying parent, grandparent or, in some countries, great-grandparent, you may already be entitled to citizenship — with no investment at all.
- Citizenship by marriage. Marriage to an EU citizen can open a naturalisation route, typically after a period of genuine residence together.
- Ordinary naturalisation. Living lawfully in a member state for its required number of years — for work, study or family — leads to eligibility to naturalise.
The investment route is the one we are asked about most, so it earns its own detail below. But for many people descent is quietly the fastest and cheapest path of all, and it is worth checking whether you already qualify before you plan to invest a cent.
Residency-to-Citizenship Timelines at a Glance
The table sets the realistic routes side by side. Read the "time to a passport" column as the naturalisation clock, which in every case runs on genuine lawful residence, not merely on holding a permit from abroad.
| Route | How it works | Typical time to an EU passport | Key requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal golden visa → citizenship | Qualifying investment (cultural €250k / fund €500k) for residency, then naturalise | ~10 years (7 for Portuguese-speaking countries) | Genuine residence + language test; clock starts at residence-card issuance |
| Greece golden visa → citizenship | Qualifying real-estate investment (€250k / €400k / €800k) for residency, then naturalise | ~7 years | ~183 days/yr genuine residence + language & history exam |
| Descent / ancestry | Prove a qualifying ancestor | Varies (months to a couple of years) | No investment; depends on the member state's law |
| Marriage | Marry an EU citizen, then reside | Varies by country (often a few years) | Genuine marriage + qualifying residence |
| Ordinary naturalisation | Reside lawfully for the required period | ~5–10 years, varies by state | Long-term lawful residence + integration/language |
Program terms and thresholds change; confirm current figures on a call before relying on any single number here.
The Investment Route: Golden-Visa Residency, Done Properly
Two programmes dominate the honest version of "EU citizenship by investment", and both are residence routes that lead to citizenship rather than delivering it up front.
Portugal remains popular because it starts modestly — a €250,000 cultural contribution or the more-used €500,000 investment fund, since the real-estate option was removed in October 2023 — and requires very little physical presence to hold, roughly seven days a year. The catch is the citizenship timeline: a 2026 nationality-law change raised naturalisation from five years to 10 years (7 for citizens of Portuguese-speaking countries), with the clock starting when your residence card is issued. Anyone still quoting Portuguese citizenship in five years is citing a rule that no longer exists. Our Portugal golden visa guide has the current routes.
Greece reaches a passport faster on paper — naturalisation after 7 years — but on stricter terms: genuine residence of around 183 days a year plus a Greek language and history examination. Its residence permit itself carries no minimum-stay rule and starts at €250,000 for a conversion or restoration project (€400,000 and €800,000 for standard tiers), which makes it excellent for residency, but the passport still demands a real relocation. Our Greece golden visa guide and our head-to-head Portugal vs Greece comparison weigh the trade-off in detail.
One myth needs burying alongside Malta's: Spain's golden visa ended on 3 April 2025 and is no longer a route to anything. And a structural point underlies all of this — a golden visa and a citizenship-by-investment passport are different instruments with different timelines and obligations, which we set out in citizenship by investment vs golden visa and across our residence by investment hub.
Routes Without Investment: Descent, Marriage and Naturalisation
Because the investment route is slow and demanding, it is worth ruling out the cheaper paths first. Descent is the standout: many member states grant citizenship to the children and grandchildren of their nationals, and some reach further back, so an Italian, Irish, Polish, German or other European ancestor can be worth more than any investment. It usually requires documents and patience rather than capital. Marriage to an EU citizen typically shortens, but does not remove, the residence requirement, and authorities scrutinise genuineness closely. Ordinary naturalisation is the default for anyone already building a life in a member state through work, study or family, generally after five to ten years of lawful residence depending on the country. None of these is a shortcut you can purchase, but for the right person any of them can beat the golden-visa route on both cost and time.
How to Plan Your Path to an EU Passport
The honest headline is worth repeating: you cannot buy EU citizenship in 2026, but you can plan a lawful path to it, and for most investors that path is residency now and naturalisation later. Which route fits depends on facts specific to you — whether you have European ancestry, whether you can genuinely relocate or only visit, how the timelines interact with your tax position, and whether an EU passport is truly the goal or whether residency alone already gives you what you need. Getting that diagnosis right at the start saves years, because the wrong route cannot be sped up once the clock is running. This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Citizenship decisions of this weight should be reviewed with qualified counsel for your circumstances.
If you would like that diagnosis — a candid assessment of your realistic routes to an EU passport, including whether descent or ordinary naturalisation beats any investment for you — check your eligibility or book a free, confidential consultation with Jane Katkova and our team. We will map the lawful options against your situation and tell you plainly which one is worth pursuing.