Big Jump In Golden Visa Clients From California

We are seeing more enquiries from the United States than at any point in La Vida’s history, and California is leading them.

American families who once treated a second residency as a long-term retirement idea are now treating it as part of their wider financial planning, alongside their investment portfolios. The Portugal Golden Visa remains the route most of them ask about first.

The Los Angeles Times spoke to our Founder and Chief Executive Paul Williams for a report on that shift.

Increasing Demand

The paper followed a San Francisco family who are close to completing their Portuguese golden visa application, having invested €500,000 into a qualifying fund.

Their reasoning will be familiar to anyone who has worked with American clients over the past two years.

They have no immediate plans to leave California, but they want their son to have European university options, simpler travel across the EU and somewhere to go if American politics turn in a direction they did not expect.

Data across the sector shows that Californians now account for as many as one in five clients worldwide. That figure is less surprising than it sounds, given how much of the world’s private wealth sits in the state. What has changed is the pace.

Enquiry volumes from the US have grown steadily since 2020, when travel restrictions showed a lot of wealthy families how quickly their mobility could be taken away, and they rose again after the 2024 election.

An Insurance Policy Rather Than An Exit Plan

Very few of these clients are packing up and leaving. Most want the option and nothing more, and the majority of the programs they choose carry light physical presence requirements that let them keep their lives in California exactly as they are.

La Vida CEO, Williams, described the thinking as “a little bit like having an insurance policy”. You take out the policy without expecting to need it. The same logic applies to a second residency, and it is why demand tends to hold up regardless of which party is in the White House. Our American client base has never been politically one-sided. We hear the same concerns from both directions.

The programs that come up most often in conversations with US clients share a common set of features.

• Portugal: The €500,000 fund subscription remains the most popular route. It requires an average of seven days a year in the country, permanent residence is available after five years, and it is possible to apply for citizenship after ten years under the rules in force since May 2026
• Malta: A full EU residency route with a strong reputation among families who want an English-speaking base.
• New Zealand: The Active Investor Plus visa starts at NZD 5 million into approved investments, with a path to permanent residency in as little as three years. It appeals to clients who want a Pacific option rather than a European one.

Each of these gives a family the ability to live, study and travel far more freely than a single passport allows. In Portugal and Malta, that extends across the European Union.

What This Means For US Investors Considering An Application

There are several factors to consider when factoring a new citizenship or residency:

• Decide whether your priority is EU access, speed to residency or minimal time on the ground, because that single choice narrows the shortlist quickly.
• Set a realistic budget covering the investment itself plus government, legal and processing fees.
• Gather source of funds documentation early, as this is where most American applications lose time.
• Book a consultation with La Vida to compare the programs that match your circumstances.

You can read the full LA Times story and interview with Paul here.