The timeline varies by country. Portugal typically requires 5 years of legal residency before you can apply for citizenship. Greece requires 7 years, while Italy can be 10 years for non-EU citizens. Most Golden Visa programs have minimal physical presence requirements during the residency period, allowing you to maintain your life in the US while building toward citizenship.
Browse all answers in our Golden Visa FAQs for Americans and Canadians, covering Portugal, Greece, and Italy residency, citizenship timelines, and investments from 250,000 euros.
Retirement Citizenship provides strategic jurisdictional analysis and program intelligence for informational purposes only. We are not a registered investment advisor, broker-dealer, or law firm. Nothing on this platform constitutes legal, tax, investment, or financial advice. All analysis should be reviewed with qualified legal and tax counsel before any cross-border capital commitment or immigration decision is made. Retirement Citizenship does not accept compensation from program operators, government agencies, or investment funds.
Speak directly with our advisory team for guidance tailored to your situation.