Malta and Greece have become highly sought-after destinations for individuals looking to relocate and establish residency in a foreign country. According to Henley & Partners’ annual rankings, Malta leads in citizenship programs, while Greece holds the top position for residence programs.
For the tenth consecutive year, Malta has secured first place in the 2025 Global Citizenship Program Index. Meanwhile, Greece has risen to the top of the 2025 Global Residence Program Index for the first time, reinforcing the prominence of European residence and citizenship investment initiatives.
Malta’s passport is highly valued, providing visa-free access to both the European Union and the United Kingdom. “Malta offers a strong European passport, and typically within 18 months, all family members receive their passports,” says Andri Boike, Global CEO and Founder of Garant IN.
Citizenship by investment programs allow families to obtain alternative citizenship, enabling them to travel and settle in over 100 countries. Malta’s Granting of Citizenship for Exceptional Services by Direct Investment Regulations facilitates naturalization for foreign individuals and their families who contribute to the nation’s economic growth. This process requires a 36-month residency period, which can be reduced to 12 months under specific conditions.
Austria holds the second position in citizenship by investment programs, with a score of 75, requiring significant contributions to its economy. Grenada ranks third with a score of 69, followed by Antigua and Barbuda in fourth place with 67. Nauru, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Lucia share the fifth position. Dominica is ranked sixth, Türkiye seventh, while Egypt, Jordan, and North Macedonia jointly hold the eighth position. Vanuatu and Cambodia round out the list at ninth and tenth place, respectively.
Residence by investment, commonly known as Golden Visa programs, offers high-net-worth individuals the opportunity to relocate, work, study, and access healthcare in a new country.
In the 2025 Global Residence Program Index, Greece’s Golden Visa program has claimed the top spot, displacing Portugal, which held or shared first place for the past nine years. Portugal is now tied in third place with Italy and the UK, while Switzerland takes second place with a program developed by Henley & Partners that integrates private residence with Swiss forfait tax benefits.
Australia’s newly introduced National Innovation Visa (NIV) Program, Canada’s enhanced Start-Up Visa Program, and Spain’s soon-to-close Golden Visa program all share fourth place. The UAE, which expanded its Golden Visa initiative to attract top talent and promote innovation, rounds out the top five.
In the Global Citizenship Program Index, the highest score for Investment Requirements goes to Nauru with 8 out of 10. In the Global Residence Program Index, Australia, Hong Kong, and Switzerland achieve perfect scores of 10 due to their policies requiring no upfront investment for residence rights.
Monaco and the UAE receive perfect scores of 10 for tax benefits in the Global Residence Program Index, while all European Union countries score 10 for Visa-Free or Visa-on-Arrival Access.
The methodology for the Citizenship and Residence Program Indexes evaluates ten key factors, though with slight variations between them. Both indexes consider Reputation, Quality of Life, Visa-Free or Visa-on-Arrival Access, Processing Time, Quality of Processing, Compliance, and Investment Requirements. Additionally, the Global Citizenship Program Index includes Residence Requirements, Relocation Flexibility, Physical Visit Requirements, and Transparency, whereas the Global Residence Program Index assesses Tax, Total Costs, Time to Citizenship, and Citizenship Requirements.
