Property Investment Visas in Asia: Your 5 Best Options

Condos in central Bangkok have doubled in price over the last decade. If you bought property worth above US$350,000 awhile ago, you’d now have both the Thai residency and a solid investment.

You can even make money off real estate investment visas. Selling your property after it appreciates, or simply renting it out after buying it, gives you foreign residence plus returns.

Home prices rising over time isn’t ever guaranteed. Yet a few countries don’t place rules on selling your property after obtaining permanent residency or citizenship.

Asia’s top five property investment visas are listed below in no specific order. Your own needs might vary, and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.

Malaysia: My Second Home (MM2H) Program

The Malaysia My Second Home program is arguably Asia’s most well-established property investment visa. With a history spanning decades, it’s not just a long-term residency but a complete package.

MM2H was suspended in 2020 before resuming. However, it came with significantly higher requirements, making the program less attractive.

The requirements after suspension demand that all applicants show at least RM1,500,000 (US$360,000) worth of total liquidity with at least RM1,000,000 (US$240,000) of that sum in a term deposit held at a Malaysian bank.

You can withdraw up to half of the term deposit’s amount to buy property in Malaysia or for expenses related to education or healthcare.

MM2H applicants of any age must also show at least RM40,000 worth of monthly recurring income from abroad. Moreover, new applicants must be aged 35 or above and spend at least 90 days per year in Malaysia to maintain the visa.

Despite the program’s benefits, which still include free medical insurance, work permits, and being able to import personal items tax-free, these stricter requirements have caused a sharp decline in applicants.

But the good news is on the horizon for this Malaysian investment visa.

Another revision of the MM2H program has recently been announced, with changes that seem to be favorable for applicants in 2024 and beyond. The actual date for this updated program to become effective is yet to be confirmed though.

The most obvious change in the newly updated program is that it will offer visas in three categories: Platinum, Gold, and Silver, each with its own requirements and benefits.

The Platinum tier will require a fixed deposit of RM5,000,000 or around US$1,000,000, which they can withdraw 50% of that amount and spend on property purchase, healthcare, and education after a year.

The Gold and Silver categories require RM2,000,000 and RM500,000, respectively.

Other than the financial requirement changes, the eligibility criteria for the Malaysia MM2H visa have also changed.

For instance, the age of applicants has dropped to 30 instead of 35. The previous 90-day stay-per-year rule has also changed to 60 days.

The revised program will see an expansion in dependents of applicants as well; parents and parents-in-law will be considered as dependents of applicants, in addition to the already allowed spouse, children under 21, and a live-in maid.

The more relaxed criteria will now allow children of applicants up to age 34, with conditions that those must still be single and are not working in Malaysia.

The revamped MM2H program aims to appeal to investors and entrepreneurs, especially the younger generation.

Unfortunately, demand for Malaysia’s investment visa is weak lately. It’s uncertain whether  the relaxed requirements can bring in a higher number of MM2H applicants.

South Korea: F-2 Investor & Jeju Island Visas

South Korea’s investment residency is one of Asia’s few programs that can eventually lead to citizenship.

Jeju Island, known as South Korea’s version of Hawaii, used to have a real estate investment residence entirely unique to the province. In the recent past, you could have qualified by owning property in Jeju worth 500 million won.

However, the Jeju property investment visa, along with the related Incheon one, had an expiration date which ran up. The cost then doubled in price to 1 billion won, or around US$750,000.

Getting a long-term investment visa in Korea by owning property is harder than before. Thankfully, you can still live here on a business visa – it’s oftentimes more practical and certainly less expensive by comparison.

Korea’s foreign investor program is called a F-2 Visa. The minimum capital requirement is KRW300,000,000 (about US$260,000), and you must show company balances, among other documents, to prove your company is financially viable.

Eventually, it’s possible to naturalize and become a South Korean citizen after being a resident for five years and learning the language. This time is shortened to two years if you’re married to a Korean citizen.

Keep in mind that South Korea doesn’t allow dual citizenship, though. If you become a national, you must renounce your existing citizenship.

Turkey: Investor Residence Permit & Citizenship

Turkey recently made some positive changes to its requirements and is the second of the residence programs on this list that can eventually grant you citizenship,

Several years ago, Turkish citizenship by investment (CBI) was among the region’s least popular. It had barely a few hundred applicants within years of its introduction because the program was far too expensive compared to other CBI options.

A minimum real estate purchase requirement of $1,000,000 made little sense compared to the countless cheaper and better citizenship options worldwide.

Yet its plummeting currency and generally poor economic conditions forced Turkey to change its mind. They reduced the requirements to just $250,000 worth of property – a substantial reduction of just 25% on the original price.

Then, they raised the price to $400,000 a few years later as the program became extremely popular with Russians and Ukrainians fleeing their home country.

We suppose $1 million was too high, but $250,000 was considered too low. Either way, it’s worth knowing that Turkey has a history of changing their citizenship by investment (CBI) program’s price every few years.

Granted, despite a recent price in property values due to short-lived foreign demand, Turkey doesn’t have as much appreciation potential as other countries on our list.