According to The Serbian Economist, Montenegro continues to revise its immigration rules as part of its alignment with EU legislation. The government is simultaneously tightening requirements for foreigners obtaining residence permits through real estate and business, but is maintaining a separate mechanism for digital nomads—those who work remotely for foreign companies.
Under current and previously approved changes, a minimum property value of 200,000 euros is being introduced as a requirement for obtaining a temporary residence permit through real estate. Foreigners who already hold a residence permit on this basis will have one year to bring their status into compliance with the new requirements.
For foreigners obtaining a residence permit through their own company, the rules are also becoming stricter. A foreign CEO or owner of more than 51% of the company’s capital must have at least three employees, two of whom must be Montenegrin citizens working full-time.
At the same time, the authorities are not abandoning a separate program for digital nomads. A foreigner who works online for a foreign company or their own company registered outside Montenegro can still apply for a temporary residence permit. To do so, they must provide proof of income, housing, health insurance, and a valid reason for remote work.
This is an important compromise for the country: Montenegro aims to bring its immigration system into line with EU standards while remaining attractive to IT professionals, consultants, entrepreneurs, and other remote workers.
Separately, starting November 1, 2026, Montenegro will introduce a visa requirement for citizens of Russia, Turkey, Belarus, China, and Saudi Arabia. The government explicitly explains this as necessary to fully align its visa policy with the European Union under Negotiation Chapter 24.
Therefore, it can be assumed that maintaining a favorable regime for digital nomads and qualified foreign professionals is intended, in part, to mitigate a potential outflow of Russians and Turks that could occur following the abolition of visa-free entry and the tightening of rules for obtaining residence permits.
The scale of the foreign presence is already very large for a small country like Montenegro. According to data from the Ministry of the Interior as of September 2026, nearly 70,000 foreigners held residence permits.
The largest groups are:
Russia — 17,900 people
Serbia — 15,300
Turkey—10,600
Bosnia and Herzegovina—3,800
Kosovo—3,100
Albania—3,100
Azerbaijan—2,600
Ukraine—1,600
North Macedonia—1,200
Germany — 1,100
Thus, Russians, Serbs, and Turks alone account for about 63% of all foreigners with residence permits in Montenegro. That is why any changes to visa and immigration policies have a particularly significant impact on the real estate market, the rental market, small businesses, and the service sector.
digital nomad, MIGRATION, MONTENEGRO, REAL ESTATE, RESIDENCE PERMIT
According to the Relocation project, Greece has proposed discontinuing the granting of residence permits to foreign investors for the purchase of real estate and refocusing the “Golden Visa” program on direct investments in the country’s economy.
This initiative was put forward by Nikos Androulakis, leader of the main opposition party PASOK, amid the ongoing housing crisis. Androulakis believes that the current model effectively encourages the sale of Greek real estate to foreign investors and further impacts housing affordability for the local population.
However, PASOK’s proposal does not call for Greece to completely stop granting residence permits in exchange for investment. The party proposes removing real estate from the list of assets eligible for a “Golden Visa” and redirecting foreign capital toward investment instruments that promote economic growth.
For now, this is solely a political initiative by the opposition. PASOK holds 34 seats in Greece’s 300-seat parliament, so the proposal does not automatically mean a change to the current program.
Currently, the minimum real estate investment required to obtain a Greek Golden Visa depends on the region and the type of property.
In Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, and Santorini, as well as on islands with a population of over 3,100, the minimum threshold is 800,000 euros. In most other regions of the country, it is set at 400,000 euros.
A reduced threshold of 250,000 euros applies to certain categories of properties, including real estate being converted from commercial to residential use and certain buildings requiring restoration. For standard investments of 400,000 euros and 800,000 euros, there is a requirement to purchase a single property with an area of at least 120 square meters.
Greek authorities have tightened the conditions of the Golden Visa program several times in recent years amid rising housing costs. In addition to raising the minimum investment thresholds, real estate purchased under the program can no longer be used for short-term rentals.
The stricter rules have already affected demand. According to the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum, in the first half of 2026, foreign investors submitted 2,551 new applications for the Golden Visa—44% fewer than the 4,553 applications filed during the same period in 2025.
At the end of the first half of the year, there were 32,702 active investor residence permits in Greece, issued under the program since its launch. Another 7,368 applications from previous periods remained pending.
The decline in interest in the Golden Visa has not yet led to an overall drop in foreign investment in Greek real estate. In the first quarter of 2026, the inflow of foreign capital into the real estate market reached 511.6 million euros, an increase of 43.4% compared to 356.8 million euros a year earlier. This indicates that demand for Greek properties among foreigners remains strong even without the incentive of obtaining a residence permit.
Between 2019 and 2025, foreign investors poured approximately €12.4 billion into Greek real estate. In 2025, the volume of foreign investment totaled €2.05 billion, compared to €2.75 billion in 2024.
The Golden Visa program has been in effect in Greece since 2014 and allows citizens of non-EU countries to obtain a five-year renewable residence permit provided they meet the investment requirements. The question of the future role of real estate in this program takes on particular significance against the backdrop of rising housing costs and the government’s efforts to increase the supply of properties available for long-term rent.
https://relocation.com.ua/greece-proposes-to-exclude-real-estate-from-the-golden-visa-program/
golden visa, GREECE, INVESTMENTS, REAL ESTATE, RESIDENCE PERMIT
According to the Relocation project, members of the Latvian “Progressive” Party have submitted a bill to the Saeima to abolish the option of obtaining a temporary residence permit through investments of at least 150,000 euros in a state-run alternative investment fund.
Bill No. 1521/Lp14 was introduced on September 3, and on September 10, the Saeima voted 65 to 17 to refer it to parliamentary committees for review.
The new Immigration Act, which takes effect on September 15, 2026, allows a foreign national to obtain a temporary residence permit for up to five years, provided they invest at least 150,000 euros for a period of at least five years through a state-established alternative investment fund manager. Additionally, the investor must transfer 10,000 euros to the state budget.
The “Progressives”’ proposal calls for removing this provision from the law. The authors of the initiative explain their position by citing risks related to national security, anti-money laundering, compliance with sanctions regimes, and the country’s international reputation. This is the position of the bill’s sponsors, not a decision already adopted by the Saeima.
At the same time, the bill does not abolish another investment mechanism for obtaining a residence permit—through an investment in the capital of a Latvian company. Under current law, a foreign investor may apply for a temporary residence permit, specifically, by making an investment of 50,000 euros in a company with up to 50 employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet total of up to 10 million euros, or an investment of 100,000 euros in a larger company. An initial fee of 10,000 euros payable to the state budget is also required upon initial application.
The new Immigration Law was adopted by the Saeima on August 20 and entered into force on September 15, 2026. It replaced the previous regulations governing investment-based residence permits and, in particular, eliminated the previously used grounds related to real estate purchases and subordinated bank deposits.
The fund mechanism was included in the new law following lengthy discussions in the Saeima. In June, Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs returned the law to parliament for reconsideration and specifically drew attention to the provision allowing the issuance of a residence permit in exchange for an investment of 150,000 euros in an alternative investment fund and a contribution of 10,000 euros to the budget.
For now, this is only a legislative proposal. To eliminate the investment-based residence permit, the amendments must undergo further review and be adopted by the Saeima.
INVESTMENTS, LATVIA, MIGRATION, REAL ESTATE, RESIDENCE PERMIT
According to Experts.news, Poland remained the top destination for Ukrainians applying for EU residence permits outside the temporary protection mechanism: in 2025, the country accounted for 72% of all first-time residence permits issued to Ukrainian citizens in the European Union, according to Eurostat data.
In total, Ukrainians received 335,096 first-time residence permits in EU countries. Based on Poland’s share, this amounts to approximately 241,000 permits issued to Ukrainians by Polish authorities.
This concentration clearly sets Ukrainian migration apart from other large groups of third-country nationals. By comparison, Poland was also the primary destination for Belarusians, issuing 87.1% of all first-time residence permits received by Belarusian citizens in EU countries.
For Ukrainians, employment remains the main reason for applying for a residence permit. Moreover, 86.3% of all first-time residence permits granted to Ukrainians in the EU for work purposes were issued by Poland.
Poland itself issued 467,300 first-time residence permits to citizens of non-EU countries in 2025, ranking third in the European Union after Spain and Germany.
At the same time, Poland remains the undisputed EU leader in terms of the number of work-related permits: the country issued 318,200 first-time work-based residence permits. Eurostat notes that the main recipients were citizens of Ukraine and Belarus.
The statistics on first-time residence permits do not include Ukrainians who are in Poland or other EU countries under temporary protection.
According to Experts Club, EU countries issued approximately 3.9 million first-time residence permits to third-country nationals in 2025, which is 10.1%, or 355,350, more than in 2024.
This was the highest figure since Eurostat began compiling comparative statistics in 2008.
Labor migration was the main driver of this growth. The number of first-time work-related permits increased by 179,700, or 16.1%, over the year, reaching approximately 1.3 million. Work-related permits accounted for 33.6% of all first-time residence permits issued.
The number of permits issued for family reasons rose by 14.1%—to approximately 1.1 million, or 28.1% of the total.
Another 600,000 residence permits, or 15.5%, were issued for educational purposes. Their number increased by 9%.
About 22.8% of permits were issued on other grounds, including international protection. In this category, the number of residence permits decreased by 0.9%.
Ukrainian citizens constituted the largest group of first-time permit recipients—335,100—followed by India with 227,600 and Morocco with 202,100.
Spain led all EU countries in the total number of new permits, issuing 635,400 residence permits.
The data does not include individuals under temporary protection, including the millions of Ukrainians who fled the country after the start of the full-scale war.
According to Experts Club, Ukrainian citizens received 335,100 first-time residence permits in European Union countries in 2025, ranking first among citizens of all non-EU countries, according to Eurostat data.
Ukrainians accounted for 8.7% of all first-time residence permits issued in the EU to third-country nationals. Citizens of India ranked second with 227,600 permits, or 5.9%, while Morocco ranked third with 202,100 permits, or 5.2%.
Compared to 2024, the number of first-time residence permits issued to Ukrainians increased by 13.6%. A year earlier, there were about 295,000. Thus, despite the continuation of the temporary protection mechanism, the flow of Ukrainians who are transitioning to or initially applying for other grounds for legal residence in the EU remains significant.
The main reason Ukrainians obtained their first residence permit was employment. According to Eurostat, approximately two-thirds of the permits issued to Ukrainian citizens in 2025 were related to employment.
Poland remained the primary destination: it accounted for 72% of all first residence permits issued to Ukrainians in the EU.
At the same time, Eurostat specifically notes that these figures do not include individuals benefiting from temporary protection in connection with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Temporary protection is accounted for in separate statistics; therefore, the 335,100 permits reflect other grounds for residence—primarily work, family, education, and other categories.
In total, EU countries issued approximately 3.9 million first-time residence permits to third-country nationals in 2025.
EU, Eurostat, EXPERTS CLUB, MIGRATION, RESIDENCE PERMIT, UKRAINE
