I’m brand new to the community so apologies if this question has been asked, but there are a lot of threads on this forum!
I just read the Permanent Traveler article where it mentions setting up a domicile in a country that provides “permanent residence visa with minimal requirements on physical presence”
Is there a list of such countries, and info about their visa requirements? The article just mentions: “Panama, UAE, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Cyprus, Malta, and a handful other jurisdictions.”
I’m not sure how limited you’re talking about Mike, but Panama is very limited. If memory serves me it’s only a few days every 2 years, but the issue with that period of time is that it’s likely never to meet a domicile test.
Where I am in Andorra there’s a residence category known as “passive residence” and this only requires your presence for 90 days of the year. The theory is that you won’t spend more than 90 days in any other country either, so Andorra will be the country you spend the most time in.
I don’t have a detailed list I’m sorry, but I’d just browse through the usual suspects and make a spreadsheet of the minimum number of days for each.
I’ve obviously googled quite a bit, but there’s a lot of outdated, misleading, and incorrect information. I am looking for trusted sources and well-researched articles.
Most “articles” are going to be disguised promotional materials. Additionally the laws are changing in material ways each year, more so in the last 1-2 years. So, yes, the articles are going to be outdated and biased. The trusted sources probably won’t be so trusted. In short, there is no substitute for doing your own research. There really are not that many countries that will give residency without wanting something in return.
You’d think that for some countries the “something in return” would be tax revenue and/or contributions to the local economy in the form of real estate, rentals, financial services, and other costs of living and operating.
In short, there is no substitute for doing your own research.
I am certainly doing plenty of my own research. My reason for posting is that it seemed from the article that some countries are well known/documented for this, and that would give me a good starting point for my own personal research.
There are, but there’s a lot of ifs ands maybes and caveats. Have you considered the ancestry angles? Are you willing to fork for GVs? How much time are you willing to commit on the ground for how long in order to get PR, or do you want easy PR with total minimal time on ground ever? The answers just don’t fit themselves into a short easy to maintain list, and the articles required make for a ton of writing.
FWIW, Costa Rica is NOT your easy answer. It’s 4mo/yr for a long time to get and keep residence, there is no real PR, you naturalize after 7 years IIRC. Malta you can get it if you fork over for GV. Same for Portugal, Greece, Spain. Some others. Panama is really the go-to answer for the cheaper simple option, a day a year, if you meet the criteria.
Thanks for the info about Costa Rica. 4 months/year is actually better than many other options.
In my own research Panama has come up along with possibly UAE and some Caribbean nations. Most countries expect around 180 days presence per year. How strictly each country enforces these rules seems to vary widely though, but that sort of info is harder to track down.
At any rate, I’ve begun leaning more towards picking a country I’m ok with spending some time in and going the more standard residency visa route.
I just completed my permanent residency process for Mexico. It may be the easiest, most affordable, and most flexible residency program out there. Permanent residency is available for “retirees” which generally means over 60 if you can meet an economic solvency requirement. If you have approximately 300k in a retirement or bank account Mexico provides a rapid path to permanent residency. I obtained my permanent residency visa added to my USA passport in February 2025 and traveled to Mexico for issuance of my permanent residency card in April of 2025. My all in cost was $394. There is no investment or Mexican deposit requirement. Permanent means permanent. There is no requirement to renew. Finally, there is no physical presence requirement other than the one time to enter Mexico to have the biometrics taken and get my card. I can go and come as much or as little as I want and when I want, or not at all. PR status also allows me to work in Mexico if I wanted. Looking around I have not seen anything similar that doesn’t have a significant investment requirement. I think the Philippines may be the smallest investment for something that comes close to the Mexican plan.
For those who have less miles on the odometer and/or do not have the economic solvency for immediate permanent residency, a four year temporary residency that can become permanent after 4 years is available with a less demanding economic solvency test. Renewals are involved that require a trip into Mexico and work authorization must be requested. A quick google search will guide you to a lot of resources for specifics and procedures. I self-studied Youtube content that got me through the visa and residency card phases without engaging any assistance. But for those not that motivated there is a substantial cottage industry of facilitators.
This is encouraging and exciting. Seems like a no brainer plan B or at least C. Fast and inexpensive. What more could one ask for!
You mentioned accomplishing this without assistance. Are you fluent in Spanish? How practical is that for someone who knows perhaps a couple of dozen phrases at most?
There are a number of other options for residence with no investment and minimal physical stay (I am talking single digits days-per-year stay)…
And not restricted to retirees only…