- Asia's routes are not interchangeable: Singapore selects, Hong Kong tests net assets, Malaysia and Thailand sell lifestyle residence, the Maldives is new and unfinished.
- Singapore's GIP grants permanent residence directly but is highly selective: about 450 approvals between 2015 and 2025.
- Hong Kong's New CIES (HK$30M) has been revised repeatedly since March 2024; re-verify rules at the point of decision.
- Thailand's LTR gives ten years but requires separate health coverage; Malaysia's Silver tier needs a licensed-bank deposit plus a property.
- The Maldives' Pearl Residence had no final regulations when last researched. Treat its terms as preliminary.
Asia's residence-by-investment routes are the least alike of any region. One is among the most selective programs in the world; one is a bank deposit plus a property; one is a ten-year permission built for wealthy foreigners; one is a island nation's first-ever scheme, still awaiting its final rules. This guide explains what each really offers, who it suits, and what the headline numbers leave out.
Five routes, five different instruments
| Program | Qualifying route (tracked) | Indicative minimum | Outcome | Character |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore GIP | Direct business investment in a new or expanded Singapore business | S$10,000,000 (about $7.8M) | Permanent residence, directly | Active, discretionary, highly selective |
| Hong Kong New CIES | Diversified portfolio of permitted assets, with a government-managed component | HK$30,000,000 (about $3.85M) | Residence, with a path to permanent residence | Passive portfolio, net-asset test |
| Malaysia MM2H (Silver) | Fixed deposit plus property purchase | RM500,000 deposit plus RM600,000 property (about $150,000 for the deposit) | Five-year renewable visa | Accessible, lifestyle-led |
| Thailand LTR (Wealthy Global Citizens) | $500,000 in bonds, property or a Thai company, plus $1M net worth | $500,000 | Ten-year renewable permission | Long-duration, health cover required |
| Maldives Pearl Residence | Strata-title leasehold unit in a designated zone | About $250,000 | Five-year renewable visa | New, preliminary rules |
Figures are the headline minimums tracked in the Global Matrix; fees, exchange rates and family size change the total. The programs are explicitly not interchangeable, so the first task is to understand what kind of instrument each is.
Singapore: selection, not purchase
The Global Investor Programme is administered by the Economic Development Board (EDB), which assesses applicants before the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) issues permanent residence. It is the only program on the Global Matrix that confers permanent residence directly on the strength of a qualifying investment, with no intermediate work pass. But it is not a threshold you meet and then receive a permit: the EDB assesses the applicant's entrepreneurial track record and the business plan, typically with an interview. Roughly 450 applicants were granted permanent residence under the program between 2015 and 2025, which tells you it is a selective process, not a routine one. The business-investment route requires S$10 million into a genuine operating business, with an Approval-in-Principle valid for six months during which the investment is completed. Alternatives within the program run at higher tiers, such as a fund route and a family-office route. Singapore suits experienced operators and family offices with a genuine intention to build or expand a business there, and who can document a track record.
Hong Kong: a net-asset test and a portfolio
Hong Kong's New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme relaunched in March 2024 after a suspension that began in 2015. Applicants must show net assets of at least HK$30 million for the six months before applying, then place that sum into a defined mix, including at least HK$3 million in a government-managed portfolio, with the rest in permitted financial instruments and eligible real estate. The Immigration Department holds absolute discretion to approve or refuse. The scheme has been revised more than once since relaunch, including a measure from 1 March 2026 that eased the holding-company eligibility test, so rules should be re-verified at the point of decision. A path to permanent residence typically follows seven years of continuous ordinary residence under the Immigration Ordinance, subject to separate requirements, and Hong Kong's territorial tax system taxes only Hong Kong-sourced income, with no capital gains tax. This is a program for investors who want a diversified financial position in a major financial centre and will genuinely spend time there.
Malaysia: the accessible lifestyle route
My Second Home (MM2H) was restructured in 2024 into three tiers. The Silver tier combines a fixed deposit of RM500,000 in a Bank Negara Malaysia-licensed bank with a mandatory property purchase of at least RM600,000, and issues a five-year visa. It is the lowest-cost route of the three and among the most accessible long-term residence routes in Southeast Asia. Foreign-source income is generally not taxed for individual holders. Points to check: only licensed banks qualify for the deposit, not every foreign bank's Malaysian branch; the property must meet the minimum; and the visa is a renewable lifestyle residence, not permanent residence. Malaysia suits people who intend to spend real time there and want a family base with strong healthcare and education infrastructure.
Thailand: ten years, with conditions
The Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa, launched in September 2022 and administered by the Board of Investment, has four categories. The Wealthy Global Citizens tier requires at least $1 million of net worth with $500,000 invested in Thai government bonds, real estate or a Thai company, and it grants a ten-year, multiple-entry permission for a processing fee of 50,000 baht per person. The extended duration is its main attraction. Two further conditions deserve emphasis: applicants must separately show adequate health coverage (insurance of at least $50,000, equivalent social-security cover, or a retained $100,000 deposit), and a separate, cheaper condominium-only sub-category exists, which is a different instrument. Thailand suits retirees and remote-working families who want a long runway of legal stay and are comfortable with the health-coverage requirement.
Maldives: promising, but unfinished
The Pearl Residence, launched in April 2026 with Henley & Partners as development partner, is the Maldives' first residence-by-investment scheme. Because the constitution prohibits foreign ownership of land, qualifying property is held on a long-term lease, typically 50 to 99 years, on strata-title units in designated investment zones. Advertised benefits include a five-year renewable visa, no minimum stay and no personal income tax for offshore earners. The critical caveat is that final implementing regulations had not been published when we last researched it, so thresholds, approved properties and process may still change. For anyone considering it, the correct stance is cautious interest and verification, never commitment on preliminary terms.
How to choose within the region
- Decide whether you want a permit, a base or a business. Singapore is a business and selection decision; Hong Kong a portfolio decision; Malaysia and Thailand lifestyle residence decisions; the Maldives a property decision.
- Check the selection element. Singapore and Hong Kong carry discretion: a threshold met is not an approval.
- Check presence and tax. A permit does not move tax residence; each jurisdiction's tests are separate. See citizenship, residency and tax residency.
- Price the asset side. Three of the five tie capital to property or a deposit; apply the discipline in real-estate due diligence and the true-cost framework.
- Watch the change risk. Hong Kong has been revised repeatedly; the Maldives is not final; Singapore's threshold has stepped up. See Program Watch.
Compare the five on the Atlas, or ask us for a scoped recommendation.
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or immigration advice, and programme rules change, sometimes at short notice. Confirm current terms with Indohill and your own qualified advisers before acting. See our Disclosures.