Cheapest Startup Visas in Europe: 2026 Capital and Living Funds

Europe's cheapest founder permit may ask for no investment at all. That doesn't make it cheap.

The United Kingdom wants £1,270 held for 28 days, then charges for endorsement, the visa and the health surcharge. France has an innovative-project route with no fixed business investment, yet the founder must still prove annual resources linked to the statutory minimum wage. Denmark asks a single founder to show DKK 153,240 for the first year.

Capital is only the first column in the comparison.

Become Global Citizen reviewed 18 founder paths across 17 European countries. We checked immigration authority pages against programme rules and the latest published financial thresholds available in October 2026. Twelve paths have no fixed investment at the application stage. Six state a business-capital or business-funds figure, starting at EUR 11,808.80 in Slovakia and reaching EUR 50,000 in Italy and Ireland.

One widely repeated claim doesn't survive a source check. Bulgaria doesn't impose BGN 100,000 as a universal minimum. Its ministry lists that venture-fund evidence as optional. We haven't treated it as the most expensive startup visa.

European startup visa costs at a glance

Capital band	Country and route	Fixed business capital at application	Separate living-funds test	Main gatekeeper
No fixed minimum	United Kingdom, Innovator Founder	None fixed	£1,270 held for 28 days	Approved endorsing body
No fixed minimum	Portugal, StartUP Visa	None fixed	EUR 6,445.56 for one founder	Certified incubator and IAPMEI
No fixed minimum	Spain, entrepreneur residence	None fixed	Based on IPREM and family size	ENISA
No fixed minimum	Estonia, Startup Visa	None fixed	Official startup page quotes EUR 800 per month	Startup Committee
No fixed minimum	Lithuania, Startup Visa	None fixed	Residence funds still apply	Innovation Agency and expert panel
No fixed minimum	Finland, startup entrepreneur	None fixed	EUR 12,360 to EUR 14,520 for one year, by location	Business Finland
No fixed minimum	Denmark, Start-up Denmark	None fixed	DKK 153,240 for a single founder, latest published 2025 level	Expert panel
No fixed minimum	Netherlands, startup residence permit	None fixed	Sufficient resources or facilitator support	Recognised facilitator and RVO
No fixed minimum	France, innovative economic project	None fixed	At least the applicable annual minimum-wage threshold	Public-sector recognition
No fixed minimum	Latvia, startup founder	None at filing	EUR 780 per month in 2026; later funding or progress conditions may apply	Immigration authority and startup rules
No fixed minimum	Belgium, regional professional-card routes	No single national figure	Depends on region and applicant	Regional authority
No fixed minimum	Bulgaria, Startup Visa certificate	No universal minimum	Evidence of support is scored	Ministry expert council
Fixed funds	Slovakia, innovative-project business residence	EUR 11,808.80 in business funds	EUR 3,542.64 for a stay over one year	Foreign Police and business-plan review
Fixed funds	Malta, Startup Residence Programme	EUR 25,000	Sufficient resources, not a published fixed sum	Residency Malta and Malta Enterprise
Fixed funds	Austria, start-up founder card	EUR 30,000, at least half as equity	Accommodation and means tests are waived for this category	Regional employment service
Fixed funds	France, business-creation branch	EUR 30,000	At least the applicable annual minimum-wage threshold	French immigration authorities
Fixed funds	Italy, Startup Visa	EUR 50,000	Separate personal income evidence	Ministry committee
Fixed funds	Ireland, STEP	EUR 50,000	No separate published cash floor	Evaluation committee

This is a capital comparison, not a verdict on which permit is easiest. "No fixed minimum" isn't the same as "no money needed." It means the authority tests the business another way. The route names in the table link to the public authority material used for the comparison.

Zero capital means a judgement call

A conventional investor programme begins with a number. A startup route often begins with an opinion: is the product new enough, can the team execute and does the business have credible scale?

That trade is easy to underestimate. A founder who can transfer EUR 50,000 but can't explain customer acquisition may find a zero-capital programme harder than a funded route. The person evaluating the plan could be a government panel, an incubator or a commercial endorser. Each looks for a slightly different version of the same thing: evidence that the company has a reason to exist in that country.

In our office, the fastest early test is rarely a bank statement. It is a 12-month operating plan that names customers and hiring dates. The funding runway must also match the residence application. A pitch deck full of market-size slides won't repair a file with no product evidence.

UK Innovator Founder visa: low personal funds, higher total cost

The Innovator Founder visa no longer carries the old £50,000 investment minimum. For a new business, the approved endorsing body must instead be satisfied that the available funding is adequate and its source is credible.

The founder must usually hold £1,270 for 28 consecutive days. That is the smallest published personal-funds requirement in this comparison. It is not the full cost. Government guidance sets the endorsement application at £1,000 and requires at least two £500 contact-point meetings. An overseas visa application costs £1,357, before the health surcharge.

The permit lasts three years. Settlement can be available after three years, but only if the business meets at least two specified growth tests and receives a fresh endorsement. A founder choosing the UK for its £1,270 bank-balance line is reading the wrong line.

Portugal Startup Visa: no fixed investment, incubator required

Portugal's StartUP Visa doesn't set a minimum investment. A certified incubator first indicates interest, then IAPMEI assesses the founder and project. The business is expected to have the potential to reach more than EUR 325,000 in annual turnover or assets within five years.

Portugal's official programme page gives the 2026 personal-funds calculation as 12 times the EUR 537.13 social-support index. That produces EUR 6,445.56 for one founder. Incubator costs and the cash needed to run the company sit outside that figure.

The Portugal residence programme serves a different purpose and shouldn't be used as a proxy for founder-route requirements.

Spain entrepreneur residence has no statutory investment floor

Spain is more direct. Its entrepreneur guidance says there is no minimum investment or job-creation number. ENISA examines the founder's background and financing plan, then decides whether the project is innovative or of special economic interest to Spain.

The entrepreneur permit remains distinct from Spain's closed residence-by-investment programme, which is retained on our site for historical and planning context.

This is one place where a small, well-evidenced software company may present better than a capital-heavy ordinary business. A restaurant with EUR 200,000 behind it doesn't become innovative simply because the founder calls it a platform.

Estonia Startup Visa: why route selection matters

Estonia provides the cleanest example of two residence rules producing very different cash requirements.

An owner applying through the ordinary business-residence route generally needs EUR 65,000 invested in an Estonian company. A qualifying startup founder has no equivalent capital floor. The Startup Committee looks for a technology-based, innovative company with the capacity for rapid international growth.

The committee aims to decide within 10 working days. Startup Estonia's founder guidance currently quotes EUR 800 for each month of the intended stay, although founders should confirm the live immigration threshold before filing. E-residency doesn't replace this permit. It is a digital identity, not permission to live in Estonia.

That distinction catches people. Incorporating online is not the same event as obtaining residence.

Northern European routes charge through runway

Finland doesn't impose startup capital, but Business Finland must issue an eligibility statement before the residence application. The team and ownership structure matter. The immigration service then asks for enough income for the whole permit period, as set out in its startup entrepreneur guidance.

For 2026, the published net-income requirement is EUR 1,210 a month in the Helsinki metropolitan area, EUR 1,090 in a group of larger municipalities and EUR 1,030 elsewhere. A Helsinki founder therefore needs EUR 14,520 for one year.

Denmark also replaces a capital floor with panel approval. It limits Start-up Denmark to 75 permits a year and generally excludes ordinary small businesses without an innovative basis. The official guidance still labels DKK 153,240 for a founder arriving alone as the 2025 level, the latest figure SIRI had published when we reviewed the route. It rises to DKK 306,480 with a spouse. Confirm the indexed amount before filing.

The Dutch startup permit depends on a facilitator recognised by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency. It lasts one year, after which the founder normally moves to the self-employed route. There is no prescribed startup investment, but the applicant must have enough to live on or show that the facilitator will provide support. Facilitator fees are private costs and can matter more than the immigration fee.

France has two founder paths with different capital rules

France's talent residence card for a project founder has an innovative-project branch and a business-creation branch.

The innovative branch has no fixed investment if a public body recognises the project's innovative character. The ordinary business-creation branch asks for at least EUR 30,000 in project financing, plus a master's-level qualification or five years of comparable experience.

Both require sufficient resources. The residence guidance still displays EUR 21,621.60, while France's official 2026 minimum-wage page gives a current gross annual SMIC of EUR 22,404.20. Until the immigration page catches up, a sensible file should meet the current figure and confirm the amount immediately before submission.

This small mismatch is exactly why a copied comparison table goes stale. The legal test may be tied to an index rather than a frozen euro amount.

Latvia and Bulgaria don't fit a simple zero-versus-capital label

Latvia doesn't demand an investment on the day of the startup residence application. Its structure can, however, require the founder to show qualified early-stage funding after arrival or pass a progress review. The 2026 general subsistence figure is EUR 780 a month, with EUR 234 for a minor child.

Latvia's new Immigration Law took effect on 15 September 2026 and retained a route for startup founders. The immigration authority's September 2026 notice confirms that the route was expanded, while restrictions remain for nationals of designated high-risk countries. Eligibility and post-arrival milestones should still be checked when the file is prepared.

Bulgaria is frequently placed at the expensive end of founder-visa rankings because its ministry mentions BGN 100,000, equal to EUR 51,129 at the fixed conversion rate, from an equity or venture fund. The ministry checklist says "if applicable." The same list accepts a patent or recognised competition result as evidence. Commercial traction can also add weight. Applicants need 8 out of 14 points.

So BGN 100,000 is one way to strengthen the score, not a universal admission price. Bulgaria belongs in the discretionary group, with a one-year certificate that can support a residence application. The certificate itself isn't a residence permit.

Slovakia is the lowest route with a hard business-funds figure

Slovakia's innovative-project variant asks a company representative to show 40 times the subsistence minimum in a business account. From July 2026, the base amount is EUR 295.22, producing EUR 11,808.80.

That is a balance requirement rather than a fee paid to the state. A separate personal account must cover residence at one subsistence minimum for each month, capped at 12 months. For a stay longer than a year, that means another EUR 3,542.64.

The application is tied to a business plan for an innovative project. Since July 2025, first business-residence applications have generally been filed through Slovak diplomatic missions abroad and are subject to annual quotas. A cheap capital line doesn't guarantee an available filing slot.

Malta and Austria sit in the middle

Malta's Startup Residence Programme requires at least EUR 25,000 as tangible investment, paid-up share capital or a combination of the two. An extra EUR 10,000 applies for each co-founder above four, with no more than six co-founders eligible.

The founder is expected to live in Malta and pay tax there. The permit starts at three years and may extend for another five if the company and founder still qualify. This is an operating-company route. It shouldn't be confused with Malta's tax residence framework or its citizenship by investment programme.

Austria's official start-up founder rules ask for EUR 30,000 of company capital, at least half as equity. The founder must also reach 50 points. Qualifications and experience form part of the score, alongside language ability and bonus categories. Another EUR 50,000 of capital earns bonus points but isn't the minimum. This founder card is separate from Austria's paused investment programme.

Austria is unusual because NAG Section 41(2) waives the ordinary proof of accommodation and means of subsistence for this category. That doesn't remove real living costs. It simply keeps them out of the admission checklist.

Italy Startup Visa and Ireland STEP both start at EUR 50,000

The Italy Startup Visa requires at least EUR 50,000 committed to the innovative startup. The money may come from the founder, qualifying investors or grants. A ministry committee reviews the plan, and a successful founder can obtain a one-year self-employment permit that renews if the startup remains active. It is not the same product as Italy's residence-by-investment route.

Ireland's Start-up Entrepreneur Programme also begins at EUR 50,000, with another EUR 30,000 for each additional founder. Funding can come from the founder, a business loan, venture capital or an Irish state grant. The evaluation committee meets quarterly.

Ireland's real hurdle is the company profile. The business is expected to be capable of creating 10 jobs and EUR 1 million in sales within three years. A local consultancy or a small shop won't fit merely because the founder can show EUR 50,000.

What the capital ranking leaves out

Five costs regularly overturn the headline order:

1. Personal runway. Denmark's zero-capital route demands far more accessible living money than Slovakia's published business balance.
2. Private gatekeeper fees. UK endorsement and Dutch facilitator charges sit outside the investment minimum.
3. Family additions. Spouses and children raise maintenance requirements in several countries.
4. Operating spend. Payroll, product development and local professional costs still have to match the business plan.
5. Approval risk. A committee can reject a fully funded project that isn't innovative enough.

There is also a basic planning divide. A founder permit expects the applicant to work in the company. Someone seeking a passive European base should compare residence by investment routes instead. Personal tax and banking access may change the answer. So can family life. Our review of the best European countries for wealthy families covers that wider decision.

How to shortlist the right founder route

Start with the company, not the passport outcome.

Write down where the customers are and which founder must relocate. Record how many months of runway are already documented. Then test the project against the local gatekeeper. A solo founder with a working product may suit Estonia. A team needing a recognised facilitator may accept the Dutch structure. A business already planning UK sales might justify the endorsement cost.

Become Global Citizen can compare the residence rules with the founder's ownership and source of funds. The family timetable gets a separate check. We don't begin by asking which country has the smallest number in a table. We begin by asking which authority is most likely to believe the actual business case.

If you are choosing between two or three European startup routes, contact Become Global Citizen. Send the current cap table and a short product note. Include the available runway. That is enough for an initial route screen without turning the first call into a pitch competition.

Reviewed on 17 October 2026. Figures can change when wage indices or maintenance thresholds are updated. This article is general information and isn't immigration, tax or legal advice.