Retirement visas compared: income requirements by country (2026)

On paper, retirement visas look alike: prove a stable passive income, show health cover and promise not to work. The numbers, the age limits and the way each country counts income differ a lot, though. This page puts the routes we could check side by side. It is general information, not legal advice. Many thresholds are tied to an index such as a minimum wage, so they change every year. Every amount below is as of October 2026 with its source, and where we could not reach an official page we say so.

EU citizens: no visa, but a resources test

An EU citizen does not need a retirement visa to settle in another EU country. Under Article 7 of Directive 2004/38, a stay of more than three months requires enough resources not to depend on the host state's social assistance, and comprehensive sickness insurance there. How each country applies that test (what proof, what amount, whether you register with the authorities) is set locally, so check the host country's rules before you move. A pension from your home country normally counts as resources. For health cover and pension payments see healthcare for EU residents abroad and moving pensions abroad.

Non-EU nationals: the routes we could check

• Spain, non-lucrative visa: €28,800 a year for the main applicant (400% of IPREM, which is €600 a month in 2026) plus €7,200 a year for each family member. Source: law-firm pages; the ministry page was not reached. One source says some consulates read the test as 14 payments (about €33,600), so ask yours. Income must be passive and you may not work. See retiring in Spain.
• Portugal, D7: tied to the minimum wage, €920 a month in 2026 for the main applicant, 50% more for a spouse and 30% per child. The savings alternative is about 12 months of that amount (€11,040). Source: guides, not the immigration agency. Remote and freelance earners use a different visa, covered in Portugal's digital nomad visa. See retiring in Portugal.
• Greece, Financially Independent Person visa: €3,500 a month, plus 20% for a spouse and 15% per child; a three-year renewable permit and no local work. Sources are secondary and disagree on the minimum time in Greece (183 days or six months). Some guides still quote a lump-sum savings alternative of about €126,000, which one source calls legacy guidance. See retiring in Greece.
• Cyprus, Category F: sources conflict. A guide from October 2026 reports €9,568 a year for a single applicant (€14,181 for a couple, about €4,613 per dependant) as the Migration Department's published minimum, while older law-firm pages cite €30,000 for an accelerated procedure. You must show adequate accommodation, and the permit is not for work in Cyprus. See retiring in Cyprus.
• Italy, elective residence visa: we found no statutory minimum. Sources attribute about €31,000 to €32,000 a year for one person and €37,000 to €38,000 for a couple to consular practice, and advise showing more than the minimum. Income must be passive, accommodation proven and private health insurance is expected. See retiring in Italy.
• France, long-stay visitor visa: prefecture checklists ask for annual resources of at least 12 times the net monthly minimum wage (SMIC), not counting benefits, health insurance for the stay and an undertaking not to work. A consumer guide gives about €1,219 a month on the 2025 SMIC; treat that as indicative.
• UAE, retirement visa: according to the u.ae page as relayed by a search summary, you must be at least 55 at retirement, have worked at least 15 years and receive a five-year visa. The financial options are property and savings of AED 1 million each, or an income of AED 180,000 a year (AED 240,000 for applications through Dubai). Older coverage names different options, such as AED 20,000 a month, so confirm on u.ae and with GDRFA Dubai. Valid health insurance is required.
• Thailand, retirement visa (Non-Immigrant O and O-A): the Thai government portal and an embassy page give age 50 or over and either 65,000 baht a month of income or 800,000 baht in a Thai bank (held for two months before applying and three months after approval, then at least 400,000), or a combination totalling 800,000 baht a year. The O-A route requires health insurance.
• Mauritius, residence permit for retired non-citizens: per the Economic Development Board, age 50 or over, ten years with renewal, a first transfer of at least USD 1,500 and then USD 1,500 a month (USD 18,000 a year), a five-year income tax holiday on pension income remitted, and no gainful activity.
• Indonesia, retirement KITAS: not verified. Sources contradict each other on age (55 or 60) and income (USD 1,500 or USD 3,000 a month) and none was official, so we give no figures.

Not covered here: Malta, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia and others, and we did not re-verify Montenegro (see retiring in Montenegro). The list is not exhaustive.

How to read these requirements

• Income, savings and pension proof are not interchangeable. Some routes accept savings instead of income, others (Italy) expect passive income and treat savings alone as weak.
• Thresholds follow indices such as the minimum wage, IPREM or SMIC, so last year's figure may be wrong.
• Meeting the number does not guarantee approval. Sources stress that consulates look harder at applications at the bare minimum and want the origin and stability of funds explained.
• Documents from your home country usually need an apostille and certified translations; see apostille and legalisation.
• Almost every route forbids local employment. Check what the permit allows before you plan a part-time job.

Common reasons for refusal

This is general guidance based on the cautions in the sources above, not statistics.

• Income that cannot be shown as passive, regular and transferable.
• A figure at the bare minimum with no buffer.
• Missing apostilles or translations, or documents that do not match each other.
• Health insurance that does not cover the whole stay, or no proof of accommodation.

FAQ

Can I work on a retirement visa? Generally no. Spain, Portugal, Greece, France and Mauritius say so explicitly in the sources we checked; confirm the rule for your route.

Does buying a property give me a retirement visa? Not in these routes by themselves. Property can be a condition or a separate investment route, as in the UAE option above or Greece's golden visa; read the specific route.

Will the amounts stay the same? No. Plan for a yearly review of the index and keep a buffer above the minimum.

What this means for a normal retiree

• Decide first whether you are an EU citizen: that removes the visa but not the resources and insurance test.
• Compare routes on the country's own page, not on a summary, because amounts move.
• Prepare a buffer above the minimum and a clean paper trail for pension income.
• Do not buy a property to get a visa without reading the specific route.
• If you want a second pair of eyes on routes and local lawyers, D.H. Realting works from Warsaw as an independent adviser; ask us how we are paid, as you would ask anyone.