If you have spent a lot of time, money and effort trying to secure a residence permit for Switzerland, you will likely be annoyed to find out that there is a far simpler (but very costly) way to fast-track yourself to a life in the alpine nation. Here’s what you need to know about the so-called “golden visa” scheme, and whether its days are numbered.
Ever since 2008, Swiss cantons have been allowed to give special residence permits to expats and internationals if there is an “important public interest to do so.” Though the definition of “public interest” does not have to involve money, in practice, this so-called “golden visa” rule allows highly affluent individuals to register and live in Switzerland, even if they do not fulfil the requirements for a regular permit.
According to the latest data from the State Secretariat for Migration, 496 people have golden visas for Switzerland. The Tages-Anzeiger noted that the number of people on the list has grown by 92 individuals since 2023, a rise of 22 percent in two years.
As of March 2025, Russians make up the largest group of golden visa holders at 94. They are followed by Chinese nationals (51) and Brits (49), the most famous of whom is legendary pop singer Robbie Williams, who has lived in the ski resort of Gstaad since 2023. Americans (38), Canadians (19), Mexicans (14), Saudi Arabians (14) and Turks (12) complete the top eight.
While anyone is free to apply for a golden visa, you need to have extremely deep pockets. According to Henley & Partners - authors of the Henley Passport Index and experts at helping the jet set secure golden visas worldwide - to get a golden visa for Switzerland, applicants must be prepared to pay between 250.000 and 1 million francs a year in taxes and fees.
The amount applicants have to pay varies by canton. Canton Obwalden told the Tages-Anzeiger that prospective golden residents must pay just 250.000 francs a year. The most expensive golden visa can be found in Canton Zurich, where a contribution of 1 million francs is needed every year.
"Rich people want to have options in economically uncertain times," Zurich-based lawyer Enzo Caputo told the Tages-Anzeiger, adding that many more Americans have expressed interest in the programme since the inauguration of Donald Trump. He added that these visa holders contribute huge sums of money to cantonal coffers, benefiting the whole population.
However, unlike other golden visa programmes in Europe, applicants in Switzerland must adhere to specific guidelines which vary by canton - it is also not possible to receive or apply for Swiss citizenship any earlier. "Here, you can't just stay for seven days a year and then apply for naturalisation five years later," Caputo noted.
Recently, golden visa programmes in both Switzerland and across Europe have come under fire. On April 29, the European Union Court of Justice ruled that Malta’s golden visa scheme, which allows foreigners to purchase Maltese (and therefore EU) citizenship if they commit to investing more than 690.000 euros, was unlawful. As a result of the ruling, EU golden visa schemes are no longer able to promise citizenship as part of the deal.
In the last few years, places like Cyprus (2020), Bulgaria (2022), Portugal (2023), the Netherlands (2024), and Spain (2024) have also either watered down or completely scrapped their golden visa schemes. In most cases, lawmakers fear that wealthy Russian oligarchs would be able to use the system to claim citizenship of an EU nation, thereby circumventing sanctions on Russia.
Speaking to the Tages-Anzeiger, Social Democratic National Councillor Andrea Zyrd said that golden visas amount to one rule for the rich and another for everyone else. "Such special treatment for the wealthy is unfair to other foreigners, but also to Swiss citizens," she noted.
Zyrd went on to argue that the fact that so many Russians are applying for Swiss golden visas should “set off alarm bells”, as no one in Russia would be able to become wealthy without the support and corruption of Putin’s government.
For the Swiss government, there is no sign that golden visas will be coming to an end soon. The most recent attempt to scrap the scheme, submitted by the Social Democratic and Green Parties in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, did not find any traction in parliament.