"How much is the visa application fee?" is one of the most-asked questions in investment migration — and one of the most misleading. The application fee is the small government processing charge. The investment amount is the much larger qualifying threshold. Lawyers, due diligence agents, and translation costs sit in between. This 2026 guide breaks down government application fees across every major investment visa program, separates them from investment thresholds, and shows the true total cost per program.
Application fee vs investment amount: the critical distinction
An application fee is the government processing charge to review your file — payable whether you are approved or rejected. An investment amount is the qualifying capital you must commit (in real estate, funds, government donation, or business) to be eligible for the visa or residence permit in the first place. They are completely different categories of cost.
For example, the Greece Golden Visa government application fee is EUR 2,000 per main applicant — but the investment threshold ranges from EUR 250,000 to EUR 800,000 depending on location and asset type. Confusing these two numbers makes the program look 100x cheaper than it is. Conversely, Cyprus PR has a EUR 500 application fee but a EUR 300,000 investment requirement. The fee is small; the program is not.
Beyond the government fee and the investment, every program also carries professional fees (lawyer, agent, due diligence specialist), medical and biometric costs, and translation/apostille costs for foreign documents. These often add EUR 8,000-25,000 to a residence-by-investment file and USD 30,000-80,000 to a citizenship-by-investment file.
Greece Golden Visa application fee
The Greece Golden Visa government application fee is EUR 2,000 for the main applicant, plus EUR 150 for each dependent added to the file (spouse, children, parents). On top of that, biometric capture costs roughly EUR 16 per person at the immigration appointment. A family of four typically pays around EUR 2,500-2,600 in pure government processing fees.
This sits underneath the investment requirement of EUR 250,000, EUR 400,000, or EUR 800,000 depending on location and route. Add property transfer tax at 3.09%, notary fees, legal fees of 0.5-1% plus VAT, and translation/apostille of foreign documents. A realistic all-in cost for a EUR 250,000 Greek Golden Visa file lands around EUR 270,000-280,000 once all professional and government costs are layered in.
Renewal of the Greek Golden Visa occurs every five years (since the 2023 reform extending the residence card validity), and the renewal fee is significantly lower than the initial application. Processing time for the initial application is typically around 3 months from biometric appointment, though backlog at the Athens Decentralised Administration can extend this in busy periods.
Portugal Golden Visa application fee
Portugal has the highest government processing fees of any major European Golden Visa. The initial application fee is EUR 5,373.55 for the first applicant and EUR 2,686.78 for each dependent. On top of the initial fee, applicants pay an analysis fee of around EUR 605.10 per applicant when the file is submitted to AIMA (the Portuguese immigration authority).
Renewal carries another EUR 2,686.78 per applicant at each two-year cycle. Over the five-year residency period needed to qualify for citizenship, a single applicant pays roughly EUR 12,000-15,000 in pure government fees alone, before any investment, lawyer, or fund administration costs. A family of four pays EUR 25,000-35,000 in cumulative government fees over the path to passport.
The investment threshold for Portugal as of 2026 sits at EUR 500,000 in qualifying funds (the real estate route was closed in October 2023). Fund administration fees add 1-2% per year. Legal fees for a Portugal Golden Visa file typically run EUR 8,000-15,000 per family. AIMA processing time has been a major pain point — files routinely take 12-24 months from biometric appointment to first card issuance.
Cyprus PR application fee
The Cyprus Permanent Residency (Category 6.2 fast-track) application fee is EUR 500 per applicant, plus a EUR 70 immigration permit fee on issuance. It is the lowest government fee of any major European residency-by-investment program. Family members are added with similar nominal fees rather than a per-dependent surcharge model.
The low government fee is misleading — Cyprus PR requires a EUR 300,000 minimum real estate investment (plus 19% VAT for new builds in most cases) and proof of EUR 50,000 annual income from abroad (with EUR 15,000 added per dependent). Legal fees for the application typically run EUR 4,000-7,500 per family. The total all-in cost lands around EUR 360,000-380,000 before furnishings.
Processing time for Cyprus PR Cat 6.2 is officially 2-3 months, though in practice 3-6 months is common. The PR is permanent — no renewal cycle and no minimum stay beyond visiting Cyprus once every two years to maintain status. This makes the lifetime fee load lower than Portugal or Greece despite the higher upfront investment.
UAE Golden Visa application fee
The UAE Golden Visa government fees sit around AED 1,150 for the visa stamp, plus AED 2,800 for the mandatory medical fitness test, plus AED 1,200 for the Emirates ID card — totaling roughly AED 5,150 (~USD 1,400) per applicant. There are also small status-change and typing-center fees that add AED 300-500.
This is the application fee structure. The qualifying investment is separate: the most common UAE Golden Visa route requires AED 2,000,000 in real estate (~USD 545,000) for the 10-year visa. There are alternative routes via business ownership, exceptional talent, or specialized professional category, each with their own qualifying criteria and roughly similar government fee schedule.
Lawyer or PRO (Public Relations Officer) fees in the UAE are very modest by global standards — typically AED 5,000-15,000 (~USD 1,400-4,000) per family for end-to-end Golden Visa processing. Total professional and government cost rarely exceeds USD 5,000-7,000 per family. The bulk of cost remains the qualifying real estate purchase.
| Program | Government application fee (main applicant) | Investment threshold | Processing time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greece Golden Visa | EUR 2,000 + EUR 150/dep | EUR 250K - 800K | ~3 months |
| Portugal Golden Visa | EUR 5,373.55 initial | EUR 500K (funds) | 12-24 months |
| Cyprus PR Cat 6.2 | EUR 500 + EUR 70 | EUR 300K real estate | ~2 months official |
| UAE Golden Visa | ~AED 5,150 (~USD 1,400) | AED 2M real estate | 2-4 weeks |
| St Kitts CBI | USD 25,000 due diligence | USD 250K SISC contribution | 4-6 months |
| Dominica CBI | USD 7,500 due diligence | USD 200K donation / 200K RE | 6-9 months |
| EB-5 (USA) | USD 11,160 I-526E filing | USD 800K (TEA) / USD 1.05M | 2-5 years |
Caribbean CBI application fees: due diligence is the headline cost
Caribbean Citizenship-by-Investment programs do not call their main fee an "application fee" — they call it a due diligence fee. This is the cost the government charges to run background checks on the applicant through international intelligence and vetting firms. It is non-refundable whether you are approved or rejected.
The current schedule is USD 7,500 per main applicant for Dominica, Grenada, Antigua, and St Lucia. St Kitts and Nevis charges a higher USD 25,000 due diligence fee for the main applicant under the Sustainable Island State Contribution (SISC) route, reflecting its more rigorous vetting process. Spouses and adult dependents add USD 4,000-7,500 each depending on the program.
On top of due diligence, all five Caribbean programs charge a separate government processing fee (typically USD 1,000-2,500 per applicant) and require certified agent fees of USD 25,000-60,000 per family. The qualifying investment itself starts at USD 200,000-250,000 in government donation or USD 200,000-400,000 in approved real estate. Total all-in family cost for a Caribbean passport typically lands USD 280,000-450,000.
EB-5 USA application fee
The US EB-5 Immigrant Investor program has the highest per-applicant US government filing fee load in the investment migration world. The I-526E petition (the initial EB-5 filing) costs USD 11,160 as of 2026 — up from earlier fee schedules after the USCIS fee rule revision. The follow-on I-829 (removal of conditions on green card) costs USD 9,525, and the visa application fee is USD 3,005 per applicant, plus USCIS biometrics charges of USD 85-95 per person.
Each family member files separately at the visa stage, multiplying the USD 3,005 visa fee per dependent. A family of four pays roughly USD 35,000-40,000 in pure US government fees across the EB-5 lifecycle, before considering the qualifying investment of USD 800,000 (TEA project) or USD 1,050,000 (non-TEA project).
EB-5 also requires regional center administration fees (USD 50,000-80,000 typical) and immigration lawyer fees (USD 25,000-45,000 for a complete EB-5 file with family). Total all-in EB-5 cost lands USD 920,000-1,200,000 for a family of four. Processing times are currently the longest of any major program — 2 to 5+ years from petition to conditional green card depending on country of birth and visa bulletin status.
What "application fee" really covers — and what it doesn't
Across every investment visa program, the government application fee covers the same narrow scope: file intake, internal review, decision-making, and physical card or stamp issuance. It does not cover background checks (often a separate due diligence line), medicals, translations, apostilles, biometric appointments, courier costs, or any professional services.
The "soft costs" stack — translations, apostilles, courier, certified copies, medicals, biometrics — typically adds EUR 1,500-4,000 per family in residency programs and USD 3,000-8,000 per family in CBI programs. These costs feel small individually but add up quickly when documents need to be issued in multiple jurisdictions and translated into the destination language.
The "professional fees" stack — immigration lawyer, licensed agent, fund administrator, real estate closing attorney — runs EUR 5,000-15,000 per family for European residency programs and USD 25,000-80,000 per family for CBI or EB-5 files. These are the costs most aggressively underquoted in marketing materials, which is why total program cost looks dramatically different from the "application fee" headline.
Total cost framework: how to compare programs honestly
The honest way to compare investment visa programs is to add four cost layers: (1) Investment amount (recoverable or non-recoverable), (2) Government application + due diligence fees, (3) Professional fees (legal, agent, fund, due diligence specialist), and (4) Soft costs (translations, apostilles, biometrics, medicals, travel for biometric appointments).
Use this table-of-tables approach when shortlisting. A Cyprus PR file looks expensive at EUR 360,000+ but the EUR 300,000 is recoverable on resale of the property. A Caribbean CBI donation file looks cheaper at USD 250,000 contribution but is fully non-recoverable. A Portugal fund file at EUR 500,000 returns capital plus fund return at exit but ties capital up for 5-7 years.
The "application fee" line — the one most prospective applicants Google first — is the smallest and least decision-relevant number in the entire stack. It tells you nothing about which program is cheapest, fastest, or best for your situation. Use it for rough budgeting at file submission stage; ignore it when comparing programs.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the visa application fee for the UAE Golden Visa?
UAE Golden Visa government fees come to roughly AED 5,150 (~USD 1,400) per applicant — broken into AED 1,150 visa stamp, AED 2,800 medical fitness test, and AED 1,200 Emirates ID. The qualifying investment of AED 2,000,000 in real estate is separate and is by far the larger commitment.
What is the application fee for the Portugal Golden Visa?
Portugal charges EUR 5,373.55 for the first applicant and EUR 2,686.78 per dependent at initial application, plus an analysis fee of around EUR 605 per applicant. Renewal is EUR 2,686.78 per applicant every two years. Cumulative government fees over the five-year path to citizenship reach EUR 12,000-35,000 depending on family size.
Why is the Caribbean CBI due diligence fee so high?
The USD 7,500-25,000 due diligence fee funds rigorous third-party background checks through international vetting firms. This protects the integrity and visa-free travel value of the resulting passport. Programs that have weakened due diligence in the past have lost banking access and visa-free privileges.
How long does Japan's investor visa take to process?
Japan's Business Manager visa (the closest equivalent to an investor visa) processes in roughly 1-3 months for the Certificate of Eligibility, plus visa stamp issuance at a Japanese embassy. Japan does not currently operate a "Golden Visa" program in the European sense — you must run an active business with capital, office, and employees, not passively invest.
Is the application fee refundable if my visa is rejected?
Almost universally, no. Government application fees and due diligence fees are non-refundable across every major investment migration program. This is why proper file pre-vetting before submission matters — paying USD 25,000 for St Kitts due diligence and being rejected is a permanent loss. Some agent or legal firms refund their own fees on rejection but governments do not.
Are application fees the same as the investment amount?
No — these are completely different. The application fee is a small government processing charge (EUR 500 - USD 25,000). The investment amount is the much larger qualifying capital you must commit (USD 200,000 - USD 1.05M+ depending on program). Confusing them makes a program look 100x cheaper than it really is.
This article is general educational information about investment visa application fees as of 2026 and does not constitute legal or immigration advice. Government fees, due diligence schedules, and program rules change regularly — sometimes mid-year by ministerial decree. Always confirm current fee schedules with a licensed immigration lawyer or authorized agent in the destination country before committing capital.
