Applications for Spain’s Golden Visa Skyrocket as End Date Approaches

The number of applications for Spain’s Golden Visa Program has marked a significant increase since January 3, 2025, according to Golden Partners, a firm specialising in advising international investors in the real estate market in Spain.

The firm said that the number of requests for the Spanish Golden Visa Program tripled in June 2024 and has skyrocketed again since January 2, in particular on January 3, when the decision confirming the ending of this program was published in Spain’s Official State Gazette (BOE), Schengen.News reports.

Decision to Abolish Golden Visa Program Taken to Address Housing Crisis 
Nationals from non-EU countries interested in the Residency by Investment scheme of Spain are able to obtain residency in exchange for meeting specific conditions and choosing one of the investment options offered. 

The most sought-after option was the real investment option, through which residency was granted in exchange for purchasing a property worth €500,000 or more. 

The figures from the Ministry of Housing revealed that in 2022, Spain granted 2,017 visas, while in 2023, a total of 3,273 in 2023. 

In April 2024, the President of the Government, Pedro Sanchez, announced plans to terminate the Golden Visa Program in a bid to deal with the housing crisis.

The Minister of Housing, Isabel Rodríguez, last year said that the Executive is working with all the instruments to solve the housing problem. The minister said the first step to reinforce the supply of affordable housing is to abolish the golden visa program.

Such an announcement led to a surge in the number of golden visa applications. Between January and March 2024, the Government of Spain issued an average of 69 golden visas per month, while from April until October, the number of monthly permits increased to 95. 

Since its introduction in 2013, over 15,300 non-EU nationals have benefited from the Golden Visa Program of Spain. 

Among the top beneficiaries of this program are nationals of China, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Source: https://schengen.news/applications-for-spains-golden-visa-skyrocket-as-end-date-approaches/