Eleven countries currently sell so-called "golden visas" to Americans for less than $100,000, according to a Newsweek roundup of residency-by-investment programmes. The figure matters because the best-known schemes — Malta's citizenship route, several Caribbean passport programmes — routinely clear that threshold, and buyers often assume six figures are the entry price.

The Newsweek piece does not publish its full pricing table in the syndicated summary, so the exact eleven countries and their exact minimums cannot be verified from the available text. Readers should treat the under-$100,000 framing as Newsweek's assessment, not as a statutory guarantee, and should confirm each threshold against the issuing government's current schedule before committing funds.

What is a 'golden visa'?

A golden visa grants temporary or permanent residency — sometimes with a path to citizenship, sometimes without — in exchange for an investment. Typical qualifying routes include:

• real estate purchase above a set floor;
• a one-off government contribution or donation;
• business investment or job creation;
• bank deposits or government bonds held for a fixed term.

Each country sets its own floor, its own holding period, and its own renewal conditions. A minimum that Newsweek counts as "under $100,000" may exclude mandatory fees, taxes, legal costs and dependant charges, which can push the real outlay past the headline number.

Who does this affect?

The Newsweek list addresses American citizens specifically. That framing reflects demand: US taxpayers increasingly seek second residency for travel flexibility, tax diversification or retirement planning. Citizenship-by-investment, however, differs from residency-by-investment, and several sub-$100,000 routes deliver residence documents only — no passport, and no naturalisation timetable.

Americans also carry a constraint most applicants do not: the United States taxes citizens on worldwide income regardless of where they live. A cheaper visa does not, by itself, change that liability. Anyone weighing these programmes should model the tax outcome before the investment, not after.

What should buyers verify?

Newsweek's headline number answers one question — the entry price — and leaves several unanswered. Before wiring money, an applicant should confirm:

• the current statutory minimum, from the programme's official gazette or immigration authority, since thresholds change with little notice;
• whether the investment is recoverable, and after how many years;
• whether residency renewals require maintained investment or physical presence days;
• whether family members cost extra, and how much per dependant;
• whether the route leads to citizenship at all.

No golden visa programme publishes a full cost in its headline figure. Governments advertise minimums; applicants pay totals.

The caveat that follows the promise

Residency-by-investment markets move quickly. Portugal restructured its programme in 2023; Ireland closed its investor scheme the same year; the United Kingdom scrapped its Tier 1 Investor route in 2022. A list of eleven countries priced today is a snapshot, not a standing offer, and any figure Newsweek cites could change before an application is filed.

The official source for each threshold is the issuing state's immigration authority — not a broker, not a roundup, and not this summary. Newsweek's count of eleven countries under $100,000 is a starting point for research, not a substitute for it.