The cheapest countries to get residency, filed and landed from the US.
The visa fee is the small number. Setup, the documents, translations, deposits, and getting yourself on the ground, is the real one. For the corridor we have mapped end to end, the US, these are the countries where establishing residency costs the least.
| 1. Georgia | $1,500+ | $200 | 4 wks | 2 docs | ? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2. Peru | $1,500+ | n/a | n/a | 2 docs | No |
| 3. Morocco | $2,000+ | $200 | 4 wks | 4 docs | Yes |
| 4. Argentina | $3,000+ | $100 | 4 wks | 7 docs | No |
| 5. Belize | $3,000+ | $150 | 4 wks | 9 docs | No |
| 6. Dominican Republic | $3,000+ | $800 | 8 wks | 9 docs | No |
| 7. Israel | $3,000+ | $500 | 1 wks | 3 docs | Yes |
| 8. Malaysia | $3,000+ | $1,060 | 5 wks | 2 docs | Yes |
| 9. South Africa | $3,000+ | $400 | 8 wks | 4 docs | Yes |
| 10. Turkiye | $3,000+ | $300 | 4 wks | 3 docs | Yes |
| 11. Vietnam | $3,000+ | $200 | 1 wks | 5 docs | No |
| 12. Brazil | $3,500+ | $100 | 4 wks | 6 docs | No |
| 13. Canada | $4,000+ | $300 | 1 wks | 3 docs | Yes |
| 14. Chile | $4,000+ | $100 | 6 wks | 6 docs | Yes |
| 15. Colombia | $4,000+ | $65 | 4 wks | 4 docs | No |
| 16. Croatia | $4,000+ | $300 | 4 wks | 7 docs | Yes |
| 17. Hungary | $4,000+ | $66 | 4 wks | 9 docs | No |
| 18. Indonesia (Bali) | $4,000+ | $1,500 | 3 wks | 6 docs | Yes |
| 19. Estonia | $4,500+ | $300 | 2 wks | 3 docs | Yes |
| 20. Cyprus | $5,000+ | n/a | 4 wks | 9 docs | Yes |
| 21. Czech Republic | $5,000+ | $115 | 8 wks | 8 docs | Yes |
| 22. Panama | $5,000+ | $250 | 4 wks | 10 docs | No |
| 23. Puerto Rico | $5,000+ | n/a | n/a | n/a | ? |
| 24. Taiwan | $5,000+ | $200 | 2 wks | 7 docs | No |
| 25. Thailand | $5,000+ | $55 | 3 wks | 6 docs | Yes |
| 26. Mexico | $6,000+ | $56 | 2 wks | 6 docs | Yes |
| 27. New Zealand | $6,000+ | $520 | 2 wks | 3 docs | Yes |
| 28. South Korea | $6,000+ | $200 | 3 wks | 3 docs | Yes |
| 29. Uruguay | $6,000+ | $300 | 26 wks | 4 docs | No |
| 30. Germany | $7,000+ | $86 | 8 wks | 9 docs | Yes |
| 31. Ireland | $7,000+ | $65 | 6 wks | 6 docs | Yes |
| 32. Australia | $8,000+ | $600 | 4 wks | 2 docs | Yes |
| 33. Costa Rica | $8,000+ | $800 | 4 wks | 8 docs | No |
| 34. France | $8,000+ | $55 | 4 wks | 10 docs | Yes |
| 35. Greece | $8,000+ | $500 | 4 wks | 7 docs | Yes |
| 36. Italy | $8,000+ | $57 | 4 wks | 11 docs | Yes |
| 37. Netherlands | $8,000+ | $83 | 4 wks | 8 docs | Yes |
| 38. United Arab Emirates | $8,000+ | $1,100 | 2 wks | 9 docs | No |
| 39. United Kingdom | $8,000+ | $404 | 3 wks | 4 docs | Yes |
| 40. Spain | $9,000+ | $66 | 3 wks | 10 docs | Yes |
| 41. Japan | $10,000+ | n/a | 4 wks | 5 docs | Yes |
| 42. Portugal | $10,000+ | $1,500 | 8 wks | 4 docs | Yes |
| 43. Malta | $12,000+ | n/a | 1 wks | 9 docs | Yes |
| 44. Singapore | $15,000+ | n/a | 3 wks | 3 docs | No |
The method, in the open.
We ranked the countries with a mapped United States corridor by the low end of their verified setup-cost band, the realistic floor to get residency filed and landed, not the visa fee in isolation. Only countries with corridor data appear, which is why this list is US-origin. Setup costs vary widely with your situation and whether you use professional help, so treat the band as a planning floor. This is not tax or legal advice.
See the full data and methodologyMore ways to rank the move
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