EU entrepreneur and start-up residence permits: 27 countries
Updated
All 27 EU countries have a route for people who run their own business. Most judge the business plan rather than ask for a fixed sum; where a figure is published it ranges from €11,808.80 (Slovakia, innovative plan verify), €14,000 (Lithuania) and €16,000 (Estonia) to €30,000 (France, Austria), €50,000 (Ireland) and €70,000 (Romania, company capital verify). Permits usually last 1 to 3 years and are renewed if the business is real.
Not a valid document. Estimate for information only — not legal, tax or immigration advice. Rules change often and errors are possible. Confirm every figure with a licensed lawyer in the country before you pay anything.
Entrepreneur and start-up routes, country by country
| Country | Route and published test |
|---|---|
| Austria | Start-up founder card: €30,000 capital (at least 50% equity) and 50 of 85 points; self-employed key worker: e.g. €100,000 capital transfer (source) |
| Belgium | Regional professional card: no fixed sum; Flanders added a start-up fast track on 1 Sep 2026 (source) |
| Bulgaria | Company with at least 10 jobs for Bulgarians (source) |
| Croatia | Company owner: €26,544.56 invested, 3 Croatian full-time staff verify (source) |
| Cyprus | Startup Visa (scheme runs to December 2026) (source) |
| Czechia | Business visa: CZK 156,500 (50 × the subsistence minimum, about €6,416); business residence permit: regular income of at least the living minimum plus housing (CZK 20,680 a month for one person, about €848) (source) |
| Denmark | Start-up Denmark: expert-panel approval and DKK 153,240 (about €20,501) for the first year (source) |
| Estonia | Sole proprietor €16,000; company shareholder €65,000; start-up via an expert committee (source) |
| Finland | Entrepreneur (income guideline about €15,000 net a year); start-up with a Business Finland statement (source) |
| France | Business creator €30,000; innovative project; entrepreneur card (source) |
| Germany | Self-employment (§21): no fixed sum; settlement after 3 years if successful (source) |
| Greece | Registered start-up investment €250,000 (see investment) (source) |
| Hungary | Guest self-employment: income above 24 × the minimum wage; 3 years at most (source) |
| Ireland | Start-up Entrepreneur Programme: €50,000 funding, €350 fee (source) |
| Italy | Self-employment (annual quota); start-up visa (source) |
| Latvia | Start-up (up to 3 years); board member of a company paying €25,000+ tax (source) |
| Lithuania | €14,000 of your own money in a company with €28,000 equity; Startup Visa (source) |
| Luxembourg | Self-employed: business and financing plan (source) |
| Malta | Startup Residence: €25,000 paid-up capital (source) |
| Netherlands | Self-employed points test; start-up year with a recognised facilitator; fee €423 (source) |
| Poland | Business permit: company income of 12 × the regional average wage, or 2 staff verify (source) |
| Portugal | D2 entrepreneur; StartUP visa through a certified incubator (source) |
| Romania | €70,000 (SRL) or €100,000 (SA) company capital, or 10 / 15 jobs verify (source) |
| Slovakia | Company executive: €29,522 business account (€11,808.80 for an innovative plan), yearly quota verify (source) |
| Slovenia | Self-employed: usually after a year of lawful residence (source) |
| Spain | Entrepreneur: favourable ENISA report on the business plan; 3-year permit (source) |
| Sweden | Own business: SEK 200,000 (about €17,863) for living costs plus business capital, own at least 51% (source) |
Investment routes that create jobs are on investment without property; remote workers for foreign employers see digital nomad permits; every route in all 27 countries: other ways to EU residency.
What to know
- These permits let you work in your own business and expect you to live in the country; time on them normally counts toward permanent residence after 5 years (Germany 3 for successful founders, Sweden 2, Denmark 8; Hungary's guest self-employment gives no national residence card).
- Most countries convert a non-euro figure at the day's rate; amounts here use the ECB rate of 12 October 2026.
Buying a home instead? Four EU countries still give residence for a property purchase — residency by buying property. Malta also accepts renting a home for at least €14,000 a year with the same programme fees — see Malta.
Before you rely on this: what to confirm
These points rest on a law firm, a commercial source or a single source, or the official page could not be read. Ask a licensed lawyer to confirm them against the official tariff or law before you pay anything.
- Every figure marked “verify” (copies of the law, IOM Slovakia).
- Yearly quotas (Slovakia, Italy) and whether places are left.
- Cyprus's Startup Visa after December 2026.
Questions people ask
Which EU country has the lowest capital requirement for an entrepreneur permit?
Of the published figures: Slovakia (€11,808.80 in a business account for an innovative plan, from a non-government source), Lithuania (€14,000 of your own money in a company with €28,000 equity) and Estonia (€16,000 for a sole proprietor). Many countries set no fixed sum and judge the business plan.