Golden opportunity

INTEREST in the Spanish Golden Visa scheme has jumped since Portugal and Ireland closed down their own schemes in February.

Consultancy firms offering international Golden Visa services have claimed that Spain has benefited the most from the Portuguese and Irish government decisions to cancel their residency-by-investment schemes, with a surge in online searches and enquiries.

According to Aston’s research, Google searches for terms related to the ‘Spanish Golden Visa’ increased 68% between March and April, ahead of Greece (+34%) and Malta (+29%), two other popular destinations in the EU that offer a visa and long-term path to residency in return for cash.

SpaincashinginafterIrelandand PortugaldroppedGoldenVisa

By Mark Stucklin

According to another company called IMI Daily, there are currently 7,500 active Golden Visa residency permits in Spain, with 2,462 issued last year, the third biggest number on