In September, I wrote about Five Plan B Residencies You Can Get Within Months.
Every one of them asks for something to keep it:
Panama requires you back in the country at least once every two years.
Paraguay requires one entry every three years once your residency is permanent.
Uruguay can cancel permanent residency if you stay away for more than three years.
Mauritius requires you to transfer USD 24,000 a year into a Mauritian bank account.
Mexico’s temporary card has to be renewed in person, inside Mexico, before it expires.
If you miss one of those, you can lose the residency you paid for.
If you have talked or worked with me before, you know that I’m a stickler for terminology (I’m German after all).
→ If I book a nonstop flight and it lands in Dubai on the way, I’m confused.
→ If I buy a lifetime warranty and it expires after five years, I’m confused too.
So when a country calls something “permanent residency” I expect it to be permanent. That doesn’t mean that I don’t like the residencies I mentioned above. I just don’t like how they use the word.
The three residencies in this article are permanent in the way the word suggests.
Once you have them, there is no minimum stay, no renewal and no second test.
One limit applies to all three.
Each country can still cancel your residency for fraud, a serious crime or a security reason.
What none of them does is cancel it because you were away, or make you qualify for it again.
Here’s what you’ll find for each:
How you get the permanent status, and how long it takes
What it asks of you once you have it
The few cases where it can still be cancelled
Mexico first.
#1 Mexico (Residente Permanente)
Mexico grants permanent residency on the first application if you are retired or draw a pension.
If you are not retired yet, you start with temporary residency instead and switch to permanent after four years, without a new financial test.
The permanent card has no expiry date for adults, and Mexican law sets no minimum stay.
How you get it:
A pension of more than 133,733 pesos a month after tax (about $7,200) for the last six months, or an average monthly balance of 5.38 million pesos (about $290,000) over the last twelve
US Social Security counts as a pension
Mexico’s rules set no minimum age, but consulates decide who counts as retired
How long it takes:
The consulate decides within ten business days of your interview
The visa is valid for up to 180 days, and you have 30 days after arriving in Mexico to apply for the card
The card costs 13,579 pesos (about $730)
What it asks of you afterwards:
No renewal and no minimum stay
Report a new address, marital status, nationality or employer to immigration within 90 days
When it can still be cancelled (Article 64 of Mexico’s Migration Law):
You gave false information or fraudulent documents
Your record in Mexico or abroad makes you a risk to public or national security
You declare that you are leaving Mexico for good
You take on a different immigration status
Takeaway: If you’re retired, about $7,200 a month in pension or about $290,000 in savings gets you a Mexican card with no renewal and no minimum stay.
#2 New Zealand (Permanent Resident Visa)
To make the terms clear, three types of visas come up in this section:
A visitor visa lets you stay for a set time, and then you have to leave.
A resident visa lets you live in New Zealand indefinitely, but it has travel conditions.
A Permanent Resident Visa lets you live there indefinitely with no visa conditions.
In New Zealand, you first get a resident visa, and only after holding it can you apply for the Permanent Resident Visa.
If you are outside the country when the resident visa’s travel conditions expire, the resident visa expires too.
Once you have the Permanent Resident Visa, you can travel in and out indefinitely, as long as you keep it in a valid passport.
For a retiree, two routes lead there:
Parent Retirement Resident Visa: an adult child who is a New Zealand citizen or resident and lives there, no dependent children, NZ$1 million (about $570,000) invested in New Zealand for four years, NZ$500,000 in settlement funds, and NZ$60,000 a year in income (pensions count).
Active Investor Plus Visa: NZ$5 million (about $2.8 million) for three years in investments the New Zealand government accepts, with 21 days in New Zealand, or NZ$10 million for five years in a wider range of investments, with 105 days.
The retirement visa for people 66 and older is a visitor visa, and only a resident visa can lead to the Permanent Resident Visa.
How long it takes:
Parent Retirement: 80% of applications are approved in principle within 11 months. You then have 12 months to transfer and invest the money, and you can apply for the Permanent Resident Visa after keeping it invested for four years
Active Investor Plus: 80% are approved in principle within 11 weeks, and you have 6 months to invest. You can apply after three years (NZ$5 million) or five years (NZ$10 million), once you have met your visa conditions
The Permanent Resident Visa fee starts at NZ$315 (about $180), and 80% are decided within two weeks
What it asks of you afterwards:
No conditions and no minimum stay
When you get a new passport, you transfer the visa to it before you travel, and you pay a transfer fee
Under the Immigration Act 2009, New Zealand can deport a permanent resident:
Whose residence was obtained through fraud or false information
Who is convicted of certain crimes, depending on the sentence and how long they had held residence
Who is certified as a security threat
Takeaway: With an adult child in New Zealand and NZ$1.5 million to commit, you can reach a Permanent Resident Visa with no visa conditions attached.
#3 Saudi Arabia (Unlimited Duration Premium Residency)
Saudi Arabia sells permanent residency for a one-time fee of SAR 800,000 (about $213,000).
Beyond the fee, you don’t need to invest in Saudi Arabia or work there.
There is also a version that costs SAR 100,000 (about $26,700) for each year, and that one has to be renewed.
How you get it:
You have to be 21 or older
A valid passport and a clean criminal record
Proof of financial solvency (the law doesn’t set an amount)
A medical report from the last six months showing you are free of communicable diseases
How long it takes:
The government lists 90 working days to process the application
After approval, you have 30 days to pay the fee and show Saudi medical insurance
What it requires afterwards:
The residency is permanent, so there is nothing to renew
You can leave and re-enter Saudi Arabia without a visa
Article 7 of the Premium Residency Law obliges you to follow Saudi law
When it can still be cancelled (Article 9 of the Premium Residency Law):
A conviction for a crime that carries at least 60 days in prison or a fine of at least SAR 100,000
A court ruling or official decision to deport you
False information in your application
Not following Saudi law, as Article 7 requires
The board of the Premium Residency Center can also end it if the public interest requires it
Takeaway: For a one-time SAR 800,000 (about $213,000), you get Saudi residency that the law doesn’t tie to how long you live there.
Conclusion
That’s it.
Three permanent residencies that stay valid while you live somewhere else, and never expire.
I wrote about the Saudi program and two other hard-to-get residencies in The 3 Most Exclusive Visas In The World.
As I always say:
The best time to get residency is when you don’t need it.
With these three, you only have to get it once.
If you have questions about your specific situation, drop them in the comments.
I read them all.
Appreciate you being here,
— Ben
PS
The last 2026 spot for “Your Plan B” is open until tomorrow.
Residency, banking and investments outside of the US, set up in the right order. Including options and terms from my private network you won’t get on your own.
If you want the spot and want your Plan B set up at a 30% discount, book your call below.