The most accessible options combine relatively low entry costs with a route toward permanent residence and, in some cases, citizenship. Income-based programs can be particularly attractive because they provide legal residence without requiring a substantial investment of capital.
There are six programs that meet three basic criteria: the destination must be somewhere an applicant could realistically live, the residence route must offer a path to permanence, and maintaining the status should not require a complete relocation.
Three of the six options are based primarily on income and three on capital. That makes the list relevant both to applicants with regular pension or other income and to those with savings but no qualifying pension.
Five programs are located in Latin America. Paraguay and Uruguay are members of Mercosur, while Panama and Ecuador use the US dollar. Mauritius provides the only option outside the Americas.
Paraguay: $70,000 Business Investment
Paraguay offers one of the lowest-cost routes to permanent residence through investment, with permanent status available within months rather than after several years.
Applicants must establish a company with at least $70,000 in capital, submit a business plan, and undertake to create at least five formal jobs locally. Recent reforms combined this route with three more expensive investment options under a unified framework that provides permanent residence directly rather than requiring applicants to begin with temporary status.
After three years of permanent residence, investors may apply for naturalization. Paraguay operates a territorial tax system under which foreign-source income is not taxed.
The country's rules on dual nationality are conditional. Article 149 of the Constitution permits multiple nationality where an international treaty establishes reciprocity of constitutional rank between Paraguay and the applicant's country of origin. Article 150, meanwhile, provides for the loss of Paraguayan nationality by a naturalized citizen who voluntarily acquires another nationality.
As of August 2026, the Paraguayan passport provided visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 145 destinations.
The $70,000 option is not a passive investment. It requires an operating business, employees, and ongoing involvement. The alternatives based on property or financial instruments, which do not require local business activity, both begin at $200,000.
A resolution signed on May 28, 2026 also introduced stricter requirements for applicants seeking to move from temporary to permanent residence without making an investment, including proof of active income. The direct investment route avoids that additional test.
Uruguay: Permanent Residence Based on $1,500 Monthly Income
Uruguay offers an income-based route without an investment requirement. The country ranks third in South America on the UN Human Development Index, behind Chile and Argentina.
Under the independent means visa, applicants who can demonstrate approximately $1,500 in monthly foreign income may obtain permanent residence directly. Unlike many residence programs, there is no temporary stage that must later be converted into permanent status.
Income is certified by a notary, while a provisional residence card covers the processing period. Citizenship can be pursued after three years of habitual residence for applicants with a family established in Uruguay, or after five years for those without one.
Uruguay's citizenship documentation has also presented an unusual passport issue. For some naturalized citizens, the passport has listed the country of birth rather than “Uruguayan” as the nationality. The resulting documentation has led to practical problems, including detention at a border and visa requirements in countries where Uruguayan citizens would normally travel without a visa.
The authorities changed the passport format in April 2025, but reversed that change at the end of July following objections from Germany, France, and Japan. Passports issued between April 16 and July 29 are being replaced without charge. Applicants should therefore verify the current passport format before relying on it for international travel.
Uruguay's tax treatment also changed in 2026. Law 20.446, effective January 1, 2026, introduced a 12% tax on most foreign-source capital income for residents who are not covered by the applicable tax holiday.
New residents can obtain an 11-year exemption on foreign capital income. Under the revised rules, however, access to the full exemption is tied to one of three conditions: investing $2 million in property, contributing $100,000 annually to a national innovation fund, or spending at least 183 days per year in Uruguay.
The residence route itself remains available without such an investment. Citizenship is different: although maintaining residence requires only occasional visits, naturalization requires substantial physical presence in Uruguay each year.
Panama: Permanent Residence With a $1,000 Monthly Pension
Panama's Pensionado program provides permanent residence once the application is approved, provided the applicant can demonstrate a qualifying lifetime pension.
The minimum is $1,000 per month from a government, company, or private annuity, plus another $250 per month for each dependent. There is no minimum age requirement despite the program's retirement-oriented name; the decisive condition is the existence of a guaranteed lifetime pension.
The resulting residence status is permanent and indefinite. Naturalization may be sought after five years, although approval is discretionary.
Panama's legal framework does not formally recognize dual citizenship, and the Constitution requires naturalized citizens to renounce a previous nationality. In practice, however, enforcement of this requirement varies.
The country uses the US dollar and taxes income sourced within Panama.
Pensioners also receive statutory discounts under Law 6 of 1987. Depending on the category, these include 50% discounts at hotels from Monday through Thursday and 30% at weekends, 25% at restaurants, 20% on medical consultations, 15% on hospital, dental, and optometry services, and 10% on prescriptions.
For applicants seeking a sub-$100,000 route, the pension program is the relevant option. Panama's investment-based programs begin at $100,000 for reforestation and rise to $200,000 or more for the Friendly Nations and Qualified Investor visas.
Costa Rica: $2,500 Monthly Income or a $60,000 Deposit
Costa Rica combines a territorial tax system with a stable political system and no standing army, while offering several residence options accessible below the $100,000 threshold.
The Rentista route can be obtained by demonstrating $2,500 in monthly income for two years. Instead, applicants may place $60,000 in a Costa Rican state bank and use those funds over the same two-year period. Retirees have another option: the Pensionado category, which requires a lifetime pension of $1,000 per month.
The $60,000 deposit is intended to finance the required two-year period and is gradually drawn down. Unlike an investment in Paraguay or Ecuador, therefore, the capital is not retained by the applicant after the qualifying period.
Both the Rentista and Pensionado routes begin with temporary residence. Permanent residence becomes available after three years, while citizenship can generally be pursued after seven years and requires Spanish and civics testing.
Applicants from Central America, Spain, and Ibero-American countries by birth can naturalize after five years instead.
Foreign-source income is outside Costa Rica's tax net. Permanent residence can be cancelled after four consecutive years outside the country, while temporary residence can be cancelled after two.
The Rentista status also involves recurring administrative requirements. The permit must be renewed every two years, with a bank certification and evidence of continuous participation in the national health system.
All residents are required to enroll in that health system and make the corresponding monthly payments. Temporary residents cannot take salaried employment with a local employer, although they may own businesses and make investments.
Ecuador: $48,200 Investment
At $48,200 in 2026, Ecuador has one of the lowest investment thresholds among residence-by-investment programs and offers a route that can ultimately lead to citizenship.
The investor visa requires capital equivalent to 100 times Ecuador's national monthly minimum wage. Because the threshold is recalculated annually, applicants investing at the minimum level should allow for future increases.
The qualifying investment may take the form of a two-year bank deposit, real estate, or an equity interest in a local company. The business does not have to be actively traded. After 21 months of temporary residence, applicants can move to permanent residence.
Ecuador uses the US dollar and permits dual citizenship. Its passport provides visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 92 destinations in South America, Asia, and Africa, although travel to the Schengen area still requires a visa.
Tax residency generally begins after 183 days in the country, and residents are subject to progressive taxation on worldwide income, with rates reaching 37%.
The physical-presence requirements can make the path to permanent residence more demanding. Article 84 of the immigration regulations permits a total of 90 days outside Ecuador during the lifetime of the visa. Exceeding that limit can interrupt the continuity required for permanent residence.
Article 63 of the Ley Orgánica de Movilidad Humana requires 21 continuous months before permanent residence. In practical terms, that means applicants pursuing permanence will generally spend substantial time in Ecuador and may therefore also meet the 183-day threshold for tax residency.
The residence structure therefore creates an important distinction between maintaining temporary status and progressing to permanent residence. An applicant may be able to preserve temporary residence with periodic returns, but the permanent stage requires substantially greater physical presence in Ecuador.
Ecuador can therefore be suitable as a Plan B for applicants prepared to maintain the required connection with the country, while those seeking a largely hands-off residence option may face greater practical obligations.
A separate temporary tax residency regime has applied since January 2024. For people who have never previously been Ecuadorian tax residents, it taxes only Ecuadorian-source income for five years.
Eligibility can be established in two ways. Applicants can invest at least $150,000 in Ecuadorian property or a productive activity and maintain that investment for five years. Alternatively, they can demonstrate at least $2,500 in monthly foreign income and enroll in the social security system while living in Ecuador. The relevant condition must be met within 120 days of entry.
Mauritius: $2,000 Monthly Income
Mauritius is the only option on this list outside the Americas. It offers an English-speaking administration, a developed financial and legal system, and no tax on capital gains, wealth, or inheritance.
Applicants aged 50 or older can qualify for a retiree residence permit by transferring at least $2,000 per month to a Mauritian bank account. The resulting permit lasts for 10 years and does not impose a minimum physical-presence requirement, making this the least demanding option in terms of ongoing residence among the six programs.
Following the June 2026 budget, the Economic Development Board now lists $100,000 as the minimum investment for an Investor Occupation Permit, putting that route at the upper limit of this guide rather than below it.
The retiree pathway can lead to a 20-year permanent residence permit after five years. Applicants must have transferred at least $200,000 during those five years. At $2,000 per month, however, the minimum monthly transfers alone do not reach that amount.
Naturalization can be pursued after five years of residence during the preceding seven-year period, together with a final 12 months of continuous residence immediately before the application.
Mauritius has not required naturalized citizens to renounce their previous nationality since July 2022, when Act 14 of 2022 removed the relevant requirement from section 9 of the Citizenship Act.
For applicants under 50 seeking a passive Plan B, the age requirement excludes this option. Even for eligible retirees, the financial and residence requirements are higher than those of several Latin American alternatives.
Programs Excluded From the List
Several low-cost residence programs do not meet the criteria used for this comparison.
Thailand's Privilege membership and Malaysia's Second Home program provide long-term residence rights but do not lead to permanent residence or citizenship. They therefore function as renewable long-term visas rather than a route to a durable second residence status.
Malaysia's least expensive tier in the Johor special economic zone requires a fixed deposit of $32,000 for applicants aged 50 and above. Although the amount is comfortably below $100,000, the route does not satisfy the permanence requirement.
Georgia's property-based residence route became more expensive on March 1, 2026, when the threshold increased to $150,000. The cost alone puts it outside the list, but the legal structure also presents a separate issue: the route is classified as a short-term residence permit. Permanent residence requires 10 years on a temporary permit, and time spent under the short-term category does not count toward that period.
Cambodia's 10-year visa costs $100,000, which places it exactly at the ceiling rather than below it.
Latvia provides one of the EU's qualifying options under the threshold. Its business route requires €50,000 of equity in a small Latvian company plus a €10,000 state payment, bringing the total to approximately $64,500.
The route nevertheless fails the permanence test. A new Immigration Law takes effect on September 15, reducing the permit period from five years to two, while the property and bank-deposit routes close on September 14.
Permanent residence after five years requires more than maintaining the investment. Applicants must actually live in Latvia during those five years and pass an A2 Latvian language examination.
The Balkans offer even cheaper possibilities. Serbia's investor visa starts at €50,000, while Albania does not set a minimum investment amount. Both are excluded from the six selected programs for reasons of scope rather than cost.
The remaining EU Golden Visa programs, including those in Portugal and Greece, require investments above $100,000.
Income-based European residence programs present a different issue. Portugal's D7, Spain's non-lucrative visa, Italy's elective residence visa, and Greece's financially independent person permit can all be obtained through income requirements below the $100,000 level.
These programs can therefore fit within the financial ceiling, but their physical-presence requirements differ considerably.
Spain requires applicants to spend more than half of each calendar year in the country for the residence permit to be renewed. Portugal, Italy, and Greece instead impose limits on periods of absence, making them potentially more suitable for applicants who intend to relocate rather than simply maintain a backup base.
Argentina and Nicaragua are excluded for separate reasons. A 2025 Argentine decree requires applicants seeking naturalization to complete two continuous years in the country without leaving it even once, which does not meet the upkeep criteria used here.
In Nicaragua, the National Assembly voted on January 14, 2026 to end dual nationality for most new citizens. The amendment took effect on January 16.
Comparing the Six Routes
For applicants looking primarily for low-cost permanent residence combined with a relatively short citizenship timeline, Paraguay requires a $70,000 business investment and local employment commitments, while permanent residence is available within months and citizenship can be pursued after three years.
Ecuador provides a capital-based alternative without the need to operate a local business. The $48,200 threshold can be invested in a deposit, property, or shares, but the physical-presence requirements make the route more demanding for applicants seeking permanent residence. Its dollarized economy is another defining feature.
Panama and Costa Rica both offer routes based on $1,000 monthly pension income, although Costa Rica also provides the Rentista option based on $2,500 monthly income or a $60,000 deposit. Panama's pension-based residence is permanent from approval, while Costa Rica begins with temporary residence.
Uruguay uses approximately $1,500 in monthly income rather than an investment and provides permanent residence directly. Applicants whose objective includes citizenship, however, need to plan for substantial physical presence in the country.
Mauritius extends the same sub-$100,000 concept beyond the Americas. Its retiree route requires $2,000 in monthly transfers and is limited to applicants aged 50 or older, while the absence of a minimum physical-presence requirement reduces the ongoing burden of maintaining residence.
At a budget below $100,000, several countries therefore offer a combination of affordable entry, legal residence, and a route toward permanence. The available options are concentrated in Latin America, but Mauritius demonstrates that the same budget can also provide a second-residence pathway outside the region.
If you're planning to obtain a residence permit, invest in a foreign country, or purchase real estate abroad, I invite you to book an individual consultation with me.
During a personal online meeting, we'll discuss your situation in detail, answer your questions, and develop a clear, step-by-step action plan tailored to your goals.
There are six programs that meet three basic criteria: the destination must be somewhere an applicant could realistically live, the residence route must offer a path to permanence, and maintaining the status should not require a complete relocation.
Three of the six options are based primarily on income and three on capital. That makes the list relevant both to applicants with regular pension or other income and to those with savings but no qualifying pension.
Five programs are located in Latin America. Paraguay and Uruguay are members of Mercosur, while Panama and Ecuador use the US dollar. Mauritius provides the only option outside the Americas.
Paraguay: $70,000 Business Investment
Paraguay offers one of the lowest-cost routes to permanent residence through investment, with permanent status available within months rather than after several years.
Applicants must establish a company with at least $70,000 in capital, submit a business plan, and undertake to create at least five formal jobs locally. Recent reforms combined this route with three more expensive investment options under a unified framework that provides permanent residence directly rather than requiring applicants to begin with temporary status.
After three years of permanent residence, investors may apply for naturalization. Paraguay operates a territorial tax system under which foreign-source income is not taxed.
The country's rules on dual nationality are conditional. Article 149 of the Constitution permits multiple nationality where an international treaty establishes reciprocity of constitutional rank between Paraguay and the applicant's country of origin. Article 150, meanwhile, provides for the loss of Paraguayan nationality by a naturalized citizen who voluntarily acquires another nationality.
As of August 2026, the Paraguayan passport provided visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 145 destinations.
The $70,000 option is not a passive investment. It requires an operating business, employees, and ongoing involvement. The alternatives based on property or financial instruments, which do not require local business activity, both begin at $200,000.
A resolution signed on May 28, 2026 also introduced stricter requirements for applicants seeking to move from temporary to permanent residence without making an investment, including proof of active income. The direct investment route avoids that additional test.
Uruguay: Permanent Residence Based on $1,500 Monthly Income
Uruguay offers an income-based route without an investment requirement. The country ranks third in South America on the UN Human Development Index, behind Chile and Argentina.
Under the independent means visa, applicants who can demonstrate approximately $1,500 in monthly foreign income may obtain permanent residence directly. Unlike many residence programs, there is no temporary stage that must later be converted into permanent status.
Income is certified by a notary, while a provisional residence card covers the processing period. Citizenship can be pursued after three years of habitual residence for applicants with a family established in Uruguay, or after five years for those without one.
Uruguay's citizenship documentation has also presented an unusual passport issue. For some naturalized citizens, the passport has listed the country of birth rather than “Uruguayan” as the nationality. The resulting documentation has led to practical problems, including detention at a border and visa requirements in countries where Uruguayan citizens would normally travel without a visa.
The authorities changed the passport format in April 2025, but reversed that change at the end of July following objections from Germany, France, and Japan. Passports issued between April 16 and July 29 are being replaced without charge. Applicants should therefore verify the current passport format before relying on it for international travel.
Uruguay's tax treatment also changed in 2026. Law 20.446, effective January 1, 2026, introduced a 12% tax on most foreign-source capital income for residents who are not covered by the applicable tax holiday.
New residents can obtain an 11-year exemption on foreign capital income. Under the revised rules, however, access to the full exemption is tied to one of three conditions: investing $2 million in property, contributing $100,000 annually to a national innovation fund, or spending at least 183 days per year in Uruguay.
The residence route itself remains available without such an investment. Citizenship is different: although maintaining residence requires only occasional visits, naturalization requires substantial physical presence in Uruguay each year.
Panama: Permanent Residence With a $1,000 Monthly Pension
Panama's Pensionado program provides permanent residence once the application is approved, provided the applicant can demonstrate a qualifying lifetime pension.
The minimum is $1,000 per month from a government, company, or private annuity, plus another $250 per month for each dependent. There is no minimum age requirement despite the program's retirement-oriented name; the decisive condition is the existence of a guaranteed lifetime pension.
The resulting residence status is permanent and indefinite. Naturalization may be sought after five years, although approval is discretionary.
Panama's legal framework does not formally recognize dual citizenship, and the Constitution requires naturalized citizens to renounce a previous nationality. In practice, however, enforcement of this requirement varies.
The country uses the US dollar and taxes income sourced within Panama.
Pensioners also receive statutory discounts under Law 6 of 1987. Depending on the category, these include 50% discounts at hotels from Monday through Thursday and 30% at weekends, 25% at restaurants, 20% on medical consultations, 15% on hospital, dental, and optometry services, and 10% on prescriptions.
For applicants seeking a sub-$100,000 route, the pension program is the relevant option. Panama's investment-based programs begin at $100,000 for reforestation and rise to $200,000 or more for the Friendly Nations and Qualified Investor visas.
Costa Rica: $2,500 Monthly Income or a $60,000 Deposit
Costa Rica combines a territorial tax system with a stable political system and no standing army, while offering several residence options accessible below the $100,000 threshold.
The Rentista route can be obtained by demonstrating $2,500 in monthly income for two years. Instead, applicants may place $60,000 in a Costa Rican state bank and use those funds over the same two-year period. Retirees have another option: the Pensionado category, which requires a lifetime pension of $1,000 per month.
The $60,000 deposit is intended to finance the required two-year period and is gradually drawn down. Unlike an investment in Paraguay or Ecuador, therefore, the capital is not retained by the applicant after the qualifying period.
Both the Rentista and Pensionado routes begin with temporary residence. Permanent residence becomes available after three years, while citizenship can generally be pursued after seven years and requires Spanish and civics testing.
Applicants from Central America, Spain, and Ibero-American countries by birth can naturalize after five years instead.
Foreign-source income is outside Costa Rica's tax net. Permanent residence can be cancelled after four consecutive years outside the country, while temporary residence can be cancelled after two.
The Rentista status also involves recurring administrative requirements. The permit must be renewed every two years, with a bank certification and evidence of continuous participation in the national health system.
All residents are required to enroll in that health system and make the corresponding monthly payments. Temporary residents cannot take salaried employment with a local employer, although they may own businesses and make investments.
Ecuador: $48,200 Investment
At $48,200 in 2026, Ecuador has one of the lowest investment thresholds among residence-by-investment programs and offers a route that can ultimately lead to citizenship.
The investor visa requires capital equivalent to 100 times Ecuador's national monthly minimum wage. Because the threshold is recalculated annually, applicants investing at the minimum level should allow for future increases.
The qualifying investment may take the form of a two-year bank deposit, real estate, or an equity interest in a local company. The business does not have to be actively traded. After 21 months of temporary residence, applicants can move to permanent residence.
Ecuador uses the US dollar and permits dual citizenship. Its passport provides visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 92 destinations in South America, Asia, and Africa, although travel to the Schengen area still requires a visa.
Tax residency generally begins after 183 days in the country, and residents are subject to progressive taxation on worldwide income, with rates reaching 37%.
The physical-presence requirements can make the path to permanent residence more demanding. Article 84 of the immigration regulations permits a total of 90 days outside Ecuador during the lifetime of the visa. Exceeding that limit can interrupt the continuity required for permanent residence.
Article 63 of the Ley Orgánica de Movilidad Humana requires 21 continuous months before permanent residence. In practical terms, that means applicants pursuing permanence will generally spend substantial time in Ecuador and may therefore also meet the 183-day threshold for tax residency.
The residence structure therefore creates an important distinction between maintaining temporary status and progressing to permanent residence. An applicant may be able to preserve temporary residence with periodic returns, but the permanent stage requires substantially greater physical presence in Ecuador.
Ecuador can therefore be suitable as a Plan B for applicants prepared to maintain the required connection with the country, while those seeking a largely hands-off residence option may face greater practical obligations.
A separate temporary tax residency regime has applied since January 2024. For people who have never previously been Ecuadorian tax residents, it taxes only Ecuadorian-source income for five years.
Eligibility can be established in two ways. Applicants can invest at least $150,000 in Ecuadorian property or a productive activity and maintain that investment for five years. Alternatively, they can demonstrate at least $2,500 in monthly foreign income and enroll in the social security system while living in Ecuador. The relevant condition must be met within 120 days of entry.
Mauritius: $2,000 Monthly Income
Mauritius is the only option on this list outside the Americas. It offers an English-speaking administration, a developed financial and legal system, and no tax on capital gains, wealth, or inheritance.
Applicants aged 50 or older can qualify for a retiree residence permit by transferring at least $2,000 per month to a Mauritian bank account. The resulting permit lasts for 10 years and does not impose a minimum physical-presence requirement, making this the least demanding option in terms of ongoing residence among the six programs.
Following the June 2026 budget, the Economic Development Board now lists $100,000 as the minimum investment for an Investor Occupation Permit, putting that route at the upper limit of this guide rather than below it.
The retiree pathway can lead to a 20-year permanent residence permit after five years. Applicants must have transferred at least $200,000 during those five years. At $2,000 per month, however, the minimum monthly transfers alone do not reach that amount.
Naturalization can be pursued after five years of residence during the preceding seven-year period, together with a final 12 months of continuous residence immediately before the application.
Mauritius has not required naturalized citizens to renounce their previous nationality since July 2022, when Act 14 of 2022 removed the relevant requirement from section 9 of the Citizenship Act.
For applicants under 50 seeking a passive Plan B, the age requirement excludes this option. Even for eligible retirees, the financial and residence requirements are higher than those of several Latin American alternatives.
Programs Excluded From the List
Several low-cost residence programs do not meet the criteria used for this comparison.
Thailand's Privilege membership and Malaysia's Second Home program provide long-term residence rights but do not lead to permanent residence or citizenship. They therefore function as renewable long-term visas rather than a route to a durable second residence status.
Malaysia's least expensive tier in the Johor special economic zone requires a fixed deposit of $32,000 for applicants aged 50 and above. Although the amount is comfortably below $100,000, the route does not satisfy the permanence requirement.
Georgia's property-based residence route became more expensive on March 1, 2026, when the threshold increased to $150,000. The cost alone puts it outside the list, but the legal structure also presents a separate issue: the route is classified as a short-term residence permit. Permanent residence requires 10 years on a temporary permit, and time spent under the short-term category does not count toward that period.
Cambodia's 10-year visa costs $100,000, which places it exactly at the ceiling rather than below it.
Latvia provides one of the EU's qualifying options under the threshold. Its business route requires €50,000 of equity in a small Latvian company plus a €10,000 state payment, bringing the total to approximately $64,500.
The route nevertheless fails the permanence test. A new Immigration Law takes effect on September 15, reducing the permit period from five years to two, while the property and bank-deposit routes close on September 14.
Permanent residence after five years requires more than maintaining the investment. Applicants must actually live in Latvia during those five years and pass an A2 Latvian language examination.
The Balkans offer even cheaper possibilities. Serbia's investor visa starts at €50,000, while Albania does not set a minimum investment amount. Both are excluded from the six selected programs for reasons of scope rather than cost.
The remaining EU Golden Visa programs, including those in Portugal and Greece, require investments above $100,000.
Income-based European residence programs present a different issue. Portugal's D7, Spain's non-lucrative visa, Italy's elective residence visa, and Greece's financially independent person permit can all be obtained through income requirements below the $100,000 level.
These programs can therefore fit within the financial ceiling, but their physical-presence requirements differ considerably.
Spain requires applicants to spend more than half of each calendar year in the country for the residence permit to be renewed. Portugal, Italy, and Greece instead impose limits on periods of absence, making them potentially more suitable for applicants who intend to relocate rather than simply maintain a backup base.
Argentina and Nicaragua are excluded for separate reasons. A 2025 Argentine decree requires applicants seeking naturalization to complete two continuous years in the country without leaving it even once, which does not meet the upkeep criteria used here.
In Nicaragua, the National Assembly voted on January 14, 2026 to end dual nationality for most new citizens. The amendment took effect on January 16.
Comparing the Six Routes
For applicants looking primarily for low-cost permanent residence combined with a relatively short citizenship timeline, Paraguay requires a $70,000 business investment and local employment commitments, while permanent residence is available within months and citizenship can be pursued after three years.
Ecuador provides a capital-based alternative without the need to operate a local business. The $48,200 threshold can be invested in a deposit, property, or shares, but the physical-presence requirements make the route more demanding for applicants seeking permanent residence. Its dollarized economy is another defining feature.
Panama and Costa Rica both offer routes based on $1,000 monthly pension income, although Costa Rica also provides the Rentista option based on $2,500 monthly income or a $60,000 deposit. Panama's pension-based residence is permanent from approval, while Costa Rica begins with temporary residence.
Uruguay uses approximately $1,500 in monthly income rather than an investment and provides permanent residence directly. Applicants whose objective includes citizenship, however, need to plan for substantial physical presence in the country.
Mauritius extends the same sub-$100,000 concept beyond the Americas. Its retiree route requires $2,000 in monthly transfers and is limited to applicants aged 50 or older, while the absence of a minimum physical-presence requirement reduces the ongoing burden of maintaining residence.
At a budget below $100,000, several countries therefore offer a combination of affordable entry, legal residence, and a route toward permanence. The available options are concentrated in Latin America, but Mauritius demonstrates that the same budget can also provide a second-residence pathway outside the region.
If you're planning to obtain a residence permit, invest in a foreign country, or purchase real estate abroad, I invite you to book an individual consultation with me.
During a personal online meeting, we'll discuss your situation in detail, answer your questions, and develop a clear, step-by-step action plan tailored to your goals.