EU Residency Retirement Planning Solutions for 2026

Key Takeaways

• Growing political, tax, and residency uncertainty in 2026 is pushing many high-net-worth individuals to build a global Plan B for retirement.
• Portugal’s Golden Visa offers flexible residency in Portugal, plus visa-free travel across the Schengen Area for short stays, without requiring full relocation.
• Fund-based, asset-backed strategies, especially in Portuguese hospitality, can support both residency goals and capital preservation for retirement planning.
• Portugal remains one of the few European options that offers a path to citizenship without relocation, although new rules now require 10 years of residence for most applicants.
• VIDA Capital, as an advisory firm, guides investors into the VIDA Fund and other asset-backed options for the Portugal Golden Visa; speak with the VIDA Capital team to explore your residency plan.

Why High-Net-Worth Investors Need a Global Plan B for Retirement

The global landscape for high-net-worth individuals is more uncertain in 2026. The UK’s non-dom abolition and wide tax reforms are driving significant outflows of wealthy residents, and similar reforms are spreading to other jurisdictions.

Political shifts, economic volatility, and tighter regulation make it risky to rely on a single country for retirement and succession planning. Sanctions, global conflicts, and low visa mobility are prompting investors from countries such as Russia, China, and India to seek alternative residencies.

Regulators now scrutinize residency and citizenship programs more closely. Investors who want a reliable Plan B increasingly combine traditional portfolios with residency options that support security, mobility, and long-term family planning.

How Strategic EU Residency Supports a Flexible Retirement Plan

Strategic EU residency planning gives investors optionality rather than forcing relocation. Many investors, especially from the United States, use residency-by-investment programs primarily for flexibility, treating a Golden Visa as a backup plan rather than a full move.

Mobility For Travel And Lifestyle

Residency in Portugal through the Golden Visa grants the right to live, work, and study in Portugal, plus visa-free travel throughout the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. This structure supports frequent visits, extended stays, and flexible retirement planning without a full relocation requirement.

Capital Preservation Through Asset-Backed Funds

Fund-based, asset-backed investments create a clearer link between residency and capital preservation. Under today’s rules, leading residency pathways focus on regulated funds that invest in tangible assets with identifiable cash flows, which can help protect principal over the long term.

Multi-Generational Planning

Portugal’s Golden Visa framework allows family reunification, so spouses or partners, eligible dependent children, and sometimes dependent parents can share residency rights. Document-wise, applicants can provide a marriage certificate or another proof of relationship for a common-law partner. This structure supports a family Plan B that extends beyond a single generation.

Regulatory Stability And Legal Protections

Portugal and other EU countries offer strong legal systems, the rule of law, and a high quality of life. These characteristics make Portugal an attractive base for those planning for retirement and succession in a predictable environment.

The Portugal Golden Visa illustrates how investors can secure residency in Portugal today and build a path to future EU citizenship over time. Discuss the Portugal Golden Visa with VIDA Capital and align it with your retirement strategy.

How To Evaluate EU Residency Options For Retirement

Choosing the right residency program involves reviewing investment structure, physical presence rules, long-term legal rights, and the position of your family.

Investment Security And Structure

Current Portugal Golden Visa rules prioritize fund investments with clear, asset-backed strategies. These funds typically invest in operating sectors such as hospitality, focusing on intrinsic value and cash flow rather than speculative growth.

Minimum Stay Requirements And Lifestyle Fit

Portugal stands out with a low physical presence requirement of 14 days every two years. Greece requires at least seven years of living there and paying taxes there to qualify for citizenship. Spain has now ended its Golden Visa program and historically required substantial residence for long-term status. Portugal remains one of the few European options that offer a path to citizenship without requiring relocation.

Updated Pathway To Citizenship

Portugal’s Parliament approved a new citizenship framework in October 2025. Most applicants, including future Golden Visa residents, must now reside in Portugal for 10 years before applying for citizenship. Nationals of Portuguese-language countries (CPLP) and EU citizens face a reduced seven-year requirement. The new law should apply to all Golden Visa applicants except those who already submitted their citizenship application before the law was published.

Family Inclusion Rules

Portugal’s Golden Visa typically covers the main applicant, a spouse or partner, dependent children who are full-time students, not working, unmarried, and, in some cases, dependent parents. These rules are central to building a multi-generational Plan B.

Tax Considerations

Residency in Portugal through the Golden Visa does not automatically create tax residency. Tax status usually depends on days spent in the country, where income is generated, and where family and economic ties are centered. Professional tax advice remains essential for structuring global assets efficiently.

Regulatory Compliance

Increasing oversight of migration programs means investors should stress-test their residency plans and choose options with clear rules, regulated structures, and strong legal support.

Why The Portugal Golden Visa Stands Out For Asset-Backed Residency

The Portugal Golden Visa combines a regulated fund-based investment route with relatively light stay requirements, making it suitable for investors who want flexibility.

Key Features Of The Portugal Golden Visa

Investors who qualify receive a temporary Portuguese residency permit valid for two years. They must renew it for two further two-year periods while maintaining the fund investment and the 14-day stay requirement every two years. At the end of five years of residency, they can apply for permanent residency. As the approval card issuance usually takes a year, investors will most likely only need to complete a single renewal instead of two in the five-year period.

Golden Visa residency provides the right to live, work, and study in Portugal, plus short-stay, visa-free travel across the Schengen Area. It does not grant residency rights in other EU states, but successful applicants may later pursue Portuguese citizenship if they meet the 10-year or seven-year residence rule.

Learn how VIDA Capital can help you evaluate whether the Portugal Golden Visa fits your retirement and family objectives.

How Asset-Backed Investments Support Residency And Capital Preservation

Many investors use the Portugal Golden Visa as an anchor for retirement planning while relying on asset-backed funds to preserve wealth.

Capital Preservation And Transparency

Funds that hold operating hospitality assets, for example, give investors a clear understanding of what underpins their capital. Tangible assets and trackable revenues can be assessed, valued, and, if needed, sold, creating a clearer downside profile than purely speculative strategies.

Risk Management And Market Alignment

Exposure to Portugal’s hospitality sector can pair residency goals with participation in a strong tourism market. Portugal’s tourism sector generated about €27 billion in revenue in 2024 and attracted roughly 31 million visitors. Historical performance does not guarantee future results, but these figures illustrate the scale of the underlying market.

The VIDA Fund, which VIDA Capital advises on, buys and transforms hospitality assets, giving them a second life while aiming to generate returns for its investors. Historical returns are not a guarantee of future returns.

Why Specialist Advice Matters For EU Residency Planning

Residency-by-investment decisions involve immigration law, fund selection, family structuring, and tax considerations. Expert guidance reduces complexity and risk.

Tailored Planning For Your Situation

Each family has its own mix of jurisdictions, businesses, and goals. A specialist advisory firm can align investment fund choices, residency timelines, and family inclusion so that the structure supports retirement, succession, and contingency planning.

Legal And Regulatory Support

Golden Visa applications require careful document preparation, timing, and submission. Working with an experienced Portuguese lawyer throughout the process is essential, from application to renewals and, later, any citizenship request.

Clear Processes And Costs

Structured project management, direct communication, and transparent fee schedules help investors understand what they are committing to and reduce the risk of delays or unexpected costs.

Connect with VIDA Capital to design a residency and investment plan that matches your retirement and family goals.

Key Facts About EU Residency And Portugal’s Golden Visa

Residency Rights Versus Citizenship Rights

Portugal’s Golden Visa grants the right to live, work, and study in Portugal only. Holders can also travel visa-free throughout the Schengen Area for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Citizenship, once granted, provides the right to live, work, and study, and to access public healthcare and education, in any EU or Schengen Zone country, together with an EU passport.

Family Benefits Under The Portugal Golden Visa

Golden Visa holders can usually include a spouse or recognized partner, dependent children who are full-time students, not working, and unmarried throughout the residency period, and, in some cases, dependent parents. This structure supports multi-generational planning and helps children access education options in Portugal, with potential future access to wider EU rights if the family later secures Portuguese citizenship.

Tax Residency And The Golden Visa

Holding a Portuguese Golden Visa does not, by itself, make an investor a Portuguese tax resident. Tax residency depends on factors such as days spent in Portugal, where income is generated, and where the center of vital interests lies. Many investors meet the 14-day requirement every two years without triggering tax residency, although personal circumstances vary and require individualized tax advice.

Next Steps For Building Your EU Residency Plan

Retirement and succession planning for high-net-worth families now often includes a structured residency strategy. The Portugal Golden Visa, combined with an asset-backed fund investment, offers a flexible way to secure residency in Portugal, maintain global mobility, and work toward long-term options such as permanent residency and, for qualifying applicants, citizenship over time.

VIDA Capital, acting as an advisory firm, helps investors access the VIDA Fund and other asset-backed structures that qualify for the Portugal Golden Visa, with a focus on transparent processes and long-term planning. Contact VIDA Capital to explore how a Portugal Golden Visa can fit into your 2026 retirement and family strategy.