One of these two routes is open and one is closed. Portugal keeps an investment residency route running, while Ireland stopped taking new investor applications in 2023.
Information, not advice. Figures are indicative and current as of June 2026. Always confirm the present rules with the official program authority and a licensed professional before you act.
Portugal and Ireland are often listed together as European investment migration routes, but they are not in the same position today. Portugal still issues residence permits to qualifying investors through the route administered by the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA). Ireland no longer accepts new applications.
The Government of Ireland agreed to close the Immigrant Investor Programme to new applications on 15 February 2023. Files already in the system continue to be processed, but no new applicant can join. For anyone planning a move now, Portugal is the only one of the two that can still be started.
Portugal removed property purchase as a qualifying route. The remaining options include a qualifying fund subscription with a reported minimum of EUR 500,000, and a cultural heritage contribution with a reported minimum of EUR 250,000. Other routes cover company creation, business support and scientific research. Confirm the current figure and the exact qualifying conditions with AIMA before acting.
Ireland is closed, so there is no current minimum to quote. Do not rely on figures from the period when the programme was open. The relevant question for Ireland today is whether an existing file is still being processed, not what a new investor would pay.
Portugal processing has been slow in recent years. Public reporting points to long waits between submission and the first residence card. Plan conservatively and confirm current waiting times with AIMA rather than assuming a fast result.
Ireland gives no new timeline because it takes no new applicants. Approved investors and pending files follow the rules that applied when they entered the system.
Both countries are European Union member states, so a citizenship obtained at the end of either path would carry European Union free movement. The key difference is access. Portuguese citizenship remains reachable through the residency route over a period of years of legal residence, subject to naturalisation conditions set in Portuguese law. The Irish route to citizenship through investment is no longer open to new entrants.
Portugal may suit an investor who wants a European residency that can lead to citizenship over time and who accepts long processing and a low physical presence requirement. Because Ireland is closed, it does not suit a new applicant at all. Anyone comparing the two today is really choosing between starting Portugal or looking elsewhere. A vetted independent advisor can help you weigh whether Portugal fits your goals or whether another open programme is a better match.
| Item | Portugal Golden Visa | Ireland Immigrant Investor Programme |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Open, property route removed | Closed to new applicants since 15 February 2023 |
| Indicative minimum | From EUR 500,000 fund route, EUR 250,000 cultural heritage. Confirm with AIMA | Not applicable, closed to new applications |
| Outcome | Residency that can lead to citizenship over years | No new entry |
| Physical presence | Low, confirm current rule with AIMA | Not applicable |
| Official authority | Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) | Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice |
Figures are indicative and current as of June 2026. Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA), Portugal publishes the binding detail. Verify before you act.
Portugal continues to run a residency by investment route, but property purchase was removed and the qualifying options now centre on funds, cultural heritage, business and research. Confirm the current routes and minimums with the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum before acting.
No. Ireland closed the programme to new applications on 15 February 2023 and it has not reopened. Existing approved investors and pending files continue under the earlier rules, but a new applicant cannot join.
Both Portugal and Ireland are European Union member states, so citizenship in either carries EU free movement. The difference is that Portugal can still be started while the Irish investor route cannot.
Information, not advice. Figures are indicative and current as of June 2026. Always confirm the present rules with the official program authority and a licensed professional before you act.
The rules for this route changed recently. Confirm the current position with current guidance before you act.
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