For LGBTQ+ investors considering a second residency, choosing a country involves more than finding a destination with strong LGBTQ+ rights. There is another practical question: Can you realistically secure and maintain long-term residency there?
Global Mobility Insights’ LGBTQ+ Residency Confidence Index 2026, we compare seven investment migration destinations across legal recognition, family security, healthcare continuity, residency accessibility, and long-term stability.
How we calculated the Index: Each country is scored out of 50 across these five equally weighted factors. Each factor is scored from 0 to 10 using international LGBTQ+ legal-rights frameworks, public healthcare and governance indicators, residency pathway analysis, and patterns observed in Get Golden Visa’s advisory data.
Portugal and Malta lead the Index with 45/50, followed by Spain at 44/50. But the results reveal an important distinction: the countries with the strongest LGBTQ+ rights are not necessarily those offering the most accessible path to long-term residency.
Best Golden Visa and Residency Programs for LGBTQ+ Investors
Rank
Country
Score
Residency Pathway
1
Portugal
45/50
Golden Visa, D7, D8
2
Malta
45/50
Malta Permanent Residence Programme
3
Spain
44/50
Non-Lucrative Visa, Digital Nomad Visa
4
Greece
40/50
Golden Visa
5
Panama
38/50
Investment and permanent residency pathways
6
Italy
37/50
Investor Visa, Elective Residence Visa
7
Latvia
34/50
Investment-based temporary residence
Not every country on the list currently operates a traditional Golden Visa. The Index looks more broadly at whether LGBTQ+ households can combine meaningful legal protections with a realistic long-term residency pathway.
1. Portugal: The Most Balanced Golden Visa for LGBTQ+ Investors
LGBTQ+ Residency Confidence Score: 45/50
Portugal takes the top position because of its consistency. It scores strongly across all five categories measured, making it the only country in the Index to perform equally across legal recognition, family security, healthcare continuity, residency accessibility, and long-term stability.
The Portugal Golden Visa remains open to investors, with qualifying routes including regulated investment funds and cultural contributions. Its low physical-presence requirement also allows investors to establish residency without immediately relocating.
For Get Golden Visa investors Melvin and Trevor, family recognition was an important part of choosing Portugal. They began exploring the program before becoming parents, but their priorities expanded as they planned for children.
“The acceptance of gay marriages was a big litmus test for us,” Trevor says. Later, he explains, it became about “the acceptance of gay families.”
Their experience reflects a wider trend in our research: inquiries involving children below school age increased 41% between late 2024 and 2026.
2. Malta: Permanent Residency With Strong LGBTQ+ Legal Recognition
LGBTQ+ Residency Confidence Score: 45/50
Malta ties with Portugal at 45/50 and stands out particularly for legal recognition, where it receives the highest possible category score in the Index.
Rather than a conventional Golden Visa, Malta offers the Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP), providing qualifying non-EU nationals with permanent residency through an investment framework. The program accommodates legally married same-sex spouses and other qualifying partner relationships.
3. Spain: Strong LGBTQ+ Rights With Digital Nomad and Non-Lucrative Visas
LGBTQ+ Residency Confidence Score: 44/50
Spain offers perhaps the clearest example of why LGBTQ+ rights and residency accessibility should be considered separately.
It records the strongest combined result in the Index for legal recognition and family security. Yet Spain ranks third overall at 44/50, as its residency accessibility is notably lower.
The reason is practical: Spain ended its Golden Visa program in April 2025. Other pathways, including the Spain Digital Nomad and Non-Lucrative visas, remain available, but investment-linked access to residency has narrowed.
4. Greece: An Accessible Property-Based Golden Visa for LGBTQ+ Investors
LGBTQ+ Residency Confidence Score: 40/50
Greece ranks fourth with 40/50, with residency accessibility among its strongest areas.
Its Greek Golden Visa remains one of Europe’s major property-based residency programs, with qualifying real estate routes starting from €250,000. Investors can maintain the renewable five-year residence permit without a minimum stay requirement.
5. Panama: An Accessible Residency-by-Investment Option Outside Europe
LGBTQ+ Residency Confidence Score: 38/50
Panama ranks fifth at 38/50 and stands out primarily for residency accessibility.
Panama Golden Visa pathway can be particularly relevant for investors prioritizing geographic proximity to North America and a relatively accessible route to a second residency.
Its overall score places it below the leading European jurisdictions, reflecting differences across legal recognition, family security, healthcare continuity, and other factors measured by the Index.
6. Italy Investor Visa: How It Ranks for LGBTQ+ Residency
LGBTQ+ Residency Confidence Score: 37/50
Italy ranks sixth with an overall score of 37/50.
It combines several long-term residency routes, including the Italy Investor Visa and Elective Residence Visa, and performs relatively strongly across healthcare continuity, residency accessibility, and long-term stability.
Its lower overall position reflects weaker performance in legal recognition and family security compared with the jurisdictions at the top of the Index.
7. Latvia: An Investment Residency Option in Transition
LGBTQ+ Residency Confidence Score: 34/50
Latvia ranks seventh with 34/50, with residency accessibility remaining its strongest category.
Latvia Investor Visa framework changed significantly in September 2026. The previous €250,000 real estate and €280,000 bank deposit routes are no longer available for new applicants, while investment in Latvian company share capital remains an option.
The changes are also a reminder that residency accessibility itself is not static: immigration frameworks can change even when the broader legal environment does not.
What the Rankings Tell Us
The most interesting result may not be which country comes first, but why.
Spain scores 20/20 across legal recognition and family security, yet ranks below Portugal and Malta because access to residency is more limited. Greece shows almost the reverse pattern, with a 9/10 accessibility score but lower legal and family-security scores.
Portugal does not receive a perfect 10 in any category. Instead, it scores 9 across all five.
That consistency is what puts it at the top.
It also reflects a broader change we are seeing in investor behavior. Across Get Golden Visa’s research window, US-based LGBTQ+ residency inquiries increased 3.1x. Many were not planning an immediate move: 72% of observed consultations discussed residency as a long-term continuity structure rather than immediate relocation.
For LGBTQ+ households, then, the question may be less about finding the “most LGBTQ+-friendly country” and more about finding the place where rights, family recognition, healthcare, residency access, and long-term stability can realistically work together.
Get Golden Visa: Who We Are and How We Can Help You
Get Golden Visa is a bespoke global mobility advisory firm helping investors and families explore residency and citizenship options around the world.
If you are considering a Golden Visa or another long-term residency pathway, contact our team to discuss your priorities and explore the options that may be suitable for you.
* The LGBTQ+ Residency Confidence Index evaluates seven jurisdictions across legal recognition, family security, healthcare continuity, residency accessibility, and long-term stability. It draws on international legal-rights frameworks, public healthcare and governance indicators, residency-pathway analysis, and anonymized Get Golden Visa advisory data, and is directional rather than predictive.
