Spain’s Golden Visa scheme will end in April 2025 after delay to law change – but can you still apply?

Spain’s Golden Visa scheme will end in April 2025 after delay to law change

A DATE has been set for the end of Spain’s Golden Visa.

Introduced in 2013 to attract foreign investment, the scheme will end on April 3 after the withdrawal of the visa was officially published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) on January 3.

The Golden Visa program allows non-EU citizens to get Spanish residency by investing at least €500,000 in real estate. It could also be obtained by investing €1 million in Spanish companies, or €2 million in government bonds.

The decision to end the programme comes after months of debate and a vote in the Congress of Deputies, where it was approved with 179 votes in favor.

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Current Golden Visa holders will not be affected and can maintain and renew their permits under the original rules.

And it is not too late to take advantage of the Golden Visa. Applications submitted before April 3, 2025, will still be processed under existing regulations.

Minister of Housing, Isabel Rodríguez said the government is ending the scheme to ‘guarantee access to affordable housing for all citizens’.

However, the decision has sparked controversy among real estate investors, who argue that Golden Visa properties represent only a small fraction of overall property sales.