Austria is a Hub between west and east, a pillar of the EU for companies in Eastern Europe, the headquarters of Eastern Europe for companies in the West.
Austria offers citizenship opportunities to foreign and non-EU citizens who make significant financial investments in the Austrian economy.
A substantial investment will provide an investor with the opportunity to obtain Austrian citizenship and an EU passport without prior residency requirements.
In Austria, citizenship is not granted only on the basis of capital contribution alone. The foreign investor must make an extraordinary contribution alongside their investment, such as bringing new technologies to the country or creating a substantial number of new jobs.
Under the citizenship-by-investment provisions, an applicant is required to invest actively in the Austrian economy, for example in the form of a joint-venture or direct investment in a business that creates jobs or generates new export sales.
Significant direct investment is generally required. Passive investments in government bonds, real estate, for example, do not qualify.
Key advantages of Austrian citizenship :
· Opportunity to become an EU citizen upon making a substantial capital contribution
· Visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 185 destinations worldwide
· The right to reside anywhere else in the EU, as well as in Switzerland
· No requirement to reside in Austria
The average time frame for an application is 24–36 months. Successful applicants receive full citizenship of the Republic of Austria by decision of the Government of Austria and can apply for a passport immediately afterwards. Passports are issued within a few days.
Austrian citizenship-by-investment is the most expensive one in the world from the viewpoint of investment level required (10 m€). On the other hand, there are less expensive alternatives of EU citizenship :
Malta, Cyprus, and Bulgaria are also EU countries, with passport that allows residing in Austria.
Bulgaria requires investment of only 1,024,000 EUR (or contribution of 270,000 EUR) to obtain citizenship. Another option is Cyprus where investment of 2,500,000 EUR is required for citizenship application.
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