Startup and Entrepreneur Visas: Migrate by Building a Business

Most migration routes ask the same question: who is going to employ you? Skilled worker visas need a company willing to sponsor you. Points-based systems reward your degree, your experience and your language scores. But there is a whole family of visas that asks something different — not "who will hire you?" but "what will you build?"

These are the startup, founder and self-employment routes. They exist because governments have worked out that a person who starts a company creates jobs, pays corporation tax and, if things go well, anchors an industry. A skilled worker fills one seat. A founder who succeeds fills a floor.

This guide covers those routes as they stand in 2026: what they require, how much capital you actually need, and — the part most articles skip — how they genuinely differ from investor visas and ordinary work visas. Getting that distinction right matters, because applying under the wrong category is one of the most expensive mistakes in migration. If you are still at the "which country, which route?" stage generally, start with our getting started with migration overview and come back here once you know you want to build something.

Three Routes That Get Confused Constantly

Before country detail, fix the categories in your head. People use "investor visa", "entrepreneur visa" and "work visa" interchangeably, and they are not interchangeable at all. They have different eligibility rules, different price tags and very different obligations.

The dividing lines are worth stating plainly:

• A work visa ties you to an employer. Lose the job, and in most countries you have a short window to find another sponsor or leave. You bring skills, not capital.
• A startup or founder visa asks you to build a new, usually innovative company. You bring an idea, a plan and often an endorsement from an approved body. You do not need much money — you need a business someone credible believes in.
• A self-employment visa is quieter and more practical. It suits a freelance architect, a consultant, a craftsperson or a small-shop owner. The bar is viability, not disruption.
• An investor visa is fundamentally about money. You are buying residency by placing capital — in government bonds, a business, or property where that is still allowed. You may never run anything day to day.

If your plan is to write a cheque and relax, you want the investor lane, and this is not your article. If your plan is to actually run a company — to be in the building, hiring people, shipping product — a startup or self-employment route is almost always cheaper and more honest. The rest of this guide is about that second group.

Why Founder Routes Exist (And Who They Suit)

Founder visas are a policy tool. A country that wants to grow its technology sector, or reverse a shrinking working-age population, can either import salaried workers or import the people who create the jobs. The second is more valuable per head, so many governments now run dedicated schemes with lighter capital requirements than their investor programmes.

They suit a specific kind of migrant:

• The technical founder with a product or prototype but no local network. The visa buys time and legal standing to build.
• The experienced operator leaving a stagnant market. If you have run teams and hit a ceiling at home, a founder route lets your track record work for you rather than against you — a theme we explore in what happens to ambitious people in economies that aren't growing.
• The freelancer or consultant who already has international clients and simply needs the right to reside somewhere better. Self-employment visas exist almost entirely for you.

They do not suit someone who wants a guaranteed salary from day one, someone unwilling to take business risk, or someone whose "business plan" is really a plan to get a residence card. Immigration authorities have seen every version of the last one, and the endorsement gatekeepers are specifically there to catch it.

Country-by-Country: The Main Founder and Self-Employment Routes

Figures below are indicative for 2026 and rounded to well-established ranges. Fees, thresholds and fund levels change often — treat these as a map, not a quote, and confirm against the official immigration authority before you commit money. Currency thresholds in particular are reviewed regularly.

United Kingdom — Innovator Founder Visa

The UK closed its old Start-up and Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) routes and consolidated everything into the Innovator Founder visa. There is no minimum investment set in law any more — the old £50,000 floor is gone — but you must have a business idea that is innovative, viable and scalable, and it must be endorsed by an approved endorsing body before you apply.

That endorsement is the real gate. The endorsing body assesses your plan, and after you arrive it checks in with you (typically at 12 and 24 months) to confirm you are making progress. You cannot simply buy an off-the-shelf company; the business must be new and genuinely yours.

• Route: Innovator Founder
• Capital: No fixed legal minimum, but you need enough to actually run the business plus maintenance funds for yourself
• Key requirement: Endorsement from an approved body; English at B2; genuine, innovative business
• Leads to settlement: Yes — you can apply for indefinite leave to remain after 3 years, which is faster than the standard 5-year work route
• Not for: Freelancers or conventional small businesses (a shop, a consultancy) — those are usually rejected as not "innovative"

If your plan is skilled employment rather than founding a company, the UK Skilled Worker visa guide covers that route instead. Founders considering the UK should also read our destination overview at migrate to the UK.

Germany — Self-Employment Visa (§21 Residence Act)

Germany splits self-employment into two clean categories under §21 of its Residence Act, and knowing which you fall into saves a lot of confusion.

• Freiberufler (liberal professional): doctors, lawyers, engineers, architects, journalists, IT consultants, artists. Lighter requirements, no trade licence, favourable tax treatment.
• Gewerbetreibender (self-employed businessperson / entrepreneur): you found a company. The authorities assess whether there is an economic interest or regional need, whether your business will have a positive economic effect, and whether financing is secured.

There is no single headline capital figure — Germany assesses your business plan and financing on the merits. For the entrepreneur category, the local Chamber of Commerce (IHK) often reviews your plan. Germany also runs a separate job-seeker style entry for salaried roles, which is a different thing entirely; see the Germany job seeker visa guide if employment, not founding, is your goal.

• Route: Residence permit for self-employment (§21)
• Capital: Business-plan dependent; no fixed minimum since 2012
• Key requirement: Viable plan, secured financing, economic benefit; over-45s must show pension provision
• Leads to settlement: Yes — permanent settlement possible after 3 years if the business succeeds

France — Talent Passport (Passeport Talent)

France's Talent Passport is one of the better-designed founder routes in Europe. Several sub-categories matter for entrepreneurs:

• Création d'entreprise — you invest in and run a business project in France, typically requiring a real investment (commonly cited around €30,000) and a viable plan.
• Projet économique innovant — for innovative economic projects recognised by a public body; this is the true startup track.
• Business founder / investor variants for larger commitments.

The Talent Passport is multi-year (up to four years) from the outset and extends to your immediate family with work rights, which makes it far more liveable than a series of one-year renewals.

• Route: Passeport Talent (entrepreneur/innovative-project categories)
• Capital: From roughly €30,000 for the business-creation track; innovative track is recognition-based
• Key requirement: Viable or innovation-recognised project; relevant qualifications or experience
• Leads to settlement: Yes — counts toward the standard residence timeline

Netherlands — Startup Visa and Self-Employed Permit

The Netherlands runs a dedicated Startup Visa giving you one year to launch an innovative business while working with an approved facilitator (an experienced mentor recognised by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, RVO). After that year, you can transition to the self-employed permit if the business is on track.

There is also the DAFT (Dutch-American Friendship Treaty) route for US citizens, which is unusually generous: a relatively low capital requirement (commonly cited at €4,500 held in the business) and a straightforward self-employment permit. It is one of the cheapest founder routes into Western Europe if you hold a US passport.

• Route: Startup Visa → self-employed permit; DAFT for US nationals
• Capital: Startup route is facilitator-backed rather than capital-gated; DAFT around €4,500
• Key requirement: Innovative product/service and an approved facilitator (startup route)
• Leads to settlement: Yes — via the self-employed permit and standard timelines

Portugal — D2 Entrepreneur Visa

Portugal's D2 visa is the workhorse entrepreneur route now that the property-based Golden Visa has been curtailed. It suits founders and self-employed professionals who want to relocate a business or start one locally. There is no rigid statutory capital minimum, but you must show sufficient funds to establish and sustain the business, a credible plan, and ideally some initial investment or company incorporation.

The D2 is popular precisely because it is realistic for ordinary entrepreneurs rather than millionaires, and Portugal's residence-to-citizenship timeline remains one of the shorter ones in the EU.

• Route: D2 (entrepreneur / self-employed)
• Capital: No fixed minimum; show viable funding and a business plan
• Key requirement: Business plan, proof of funds, Portuguese company or clear intent to form one
• Leads to settlement: Yes — permanent residence and citizenship on the standard track

Ireland — Start-up Entrepreneur Programme (STEP)

Ireland's STEP targets high-potential startups (HPSUs). The bar is specific: an innovative business with funding of at least €50,000, capable of creating jobs and generating meaningful revenue within a few years. It is aimed squarely at scalable ventures, not lifestyle businesses. Ireland runs this alongside its Immigrant Investor Programme, which is a separate, capital-heavy route — do not confuse the two.

• Route: Start-up Entrepreneur Programme (STEP)
• Capital: Minimum €50,000 funding for the venture
• Key requirement: High-potential, innovative, scalable startup
• Leads to settlement: Yes, over time

Canada — Start-up Visa Program

Canada's Start-up Visa is distinctive because it leads directly to permanent residence, not a temporary permit. The catch is that you cannot apply alone: you need a letter of support from a designated organisation — a venture capital fund, an angel investor group, or a business incubator. The financial commitments differ by backer type (a VC fund investment, an angel investment, or acceptance into an incubator with no fixed dollar figure).

You also need a qualifying language level and enough settlement funds. Because it grants PR up front, it is one of the most sought-after founder routes worldwide, but the designated-organisation requirement makes it genuinely competitive. If you are weighing Canada as a destination more broadly, the Canada Express Entry guide covers the skilled-worker alternative, and migrate to Canada gives the full picture.

• Route: Start-up Visa Program
• Capital: Depends on backer; incubator route has no fixed sum, VC route requires a qualifying investment
• Key requirement: Support letter from a designated organisation; CLB 5 English/French; settlement funds
• Leads to settlement: Yes — grants permanent residence directly

Australia — Business Innovation and Investment (Subclass 188)

Australia's founder options sit within the Business Innovation and Investment framework (Subclass 188 provisional, leading to 888 permanent). Streams include Business Innovation, Investor and Entrepreneur. Note that Australia has been reshaping this programme heavily, and some streams have been paused or restructured through 2025–2026, so it is essential to check the current status. State and territory nomination is usually required.

If skilled migration rather than business migration suits you better, our comparison of subclass 189 vs 190 skilled migration is the place to start.

• Route: Subclass 188 (business/entrepreneur streams), leading to 888
• Capital: Stream-dependent and historically high; verify current settings
• Key requirement: State nomination; business track record or funded venture
• Leads to settlement: Yes, via the permanent 888 stage

Singapore — EntrePass

Singapore's EntrePass is for founders of venture-backed or innovative technology companies. It is deliberately selective: the company should be, or intend to be, registered with Singapore's accounting authority, and applicants are assessed on funding, intellectual property, incubator ties, and business track record. It is not a route for a conventional trading business — Singapore steers those toward its Employment Pass framework instead. See migrate to Singapore for the wider context.

• Route: EntrePass
• Capital: No single fixed minimum, but you must meet innovation/funding criteria
• Key requirement: Venture-backed or innovative, IP-owning, or incubator-affiliated business
• Leads to settlement: Renewable; PR is a separate later application

Startup vs Investor vs Work Visa: A Worked Comparison

To make the distinction concrete, imagine three people all wanting to move to the same European country.

Amara is a software engineer with a job offer from a local company. Her route is a work visa. Her employer sponsors her, she brings no capital, and her right to stay depends on keeping that job. Straightforward, but she is not building anything of her own.

Bem has €400,000 saved and no desire to run a company. His route is an investor visa. He places the capital where the government requires it and receives residency. He may never set foot in an office. Expensive, passive, and increasingly restricted as countries wind down property-based golden visas.

Chidi has a working prototype, two co-founders and €25,000. She cannot afford an investor visa and does not want to be tied to an employer. Her route is a founder or startup visa. She secures an endorsement or facilitator, builds the company, hires locally, and — in most of the countries above — reaches permanent residence faster than Amara does, without Bem's capital.

The lesson: the founder route is the middle path for people with more ambition than money. It costs a fraction of the investor route and gives you independence the work route never will. It also carries real risk — if the business fails, your residency may be at stake — which is exactly why it should not be treated as a back door.

Capital Requirements at a Glance

Two patterns stand out. First, "no fixed minimum" does not mean free — you still need enough to run a real business and support yourself. Second, the cheaper routes almost always substitute a gatekeeper (an endorsing body, facilitator or designated organisation) for a capital threshold. The country is still filtering; it is just filtering on quality of idea rather than size of cheque.

How to Choose the Right Route

Work through these questions honestly before you spend anything.

1. Is your business genuinely innovative, or is it a solid conventional business? Innovative and scalable points you to the UK Innovator Founder, Ireland's STEP, the Netherlands Startup Visa, Singapore's EntrePass or Canada's Start-up Visa. A conventional consultancy, trade or shop points you to Germany's §21, Portugal's D2, or France's business-creation track.
2. Do you have a backer or endorser, or can you get one? Canada and the UK are effectively closed without one. If you cannot secure endorsement, self-employment routes that assess your own plan (Germany, Portugal) are more realistic.
3. How much of your own capital can you commit? Below €30,000, look hard at the DAFT (if you are American), the UK, or Portugal's D2. Above that, more doors open.
4. How fast do you need permanent residence? Canada's Start-up Visa grants PR immediately; the UK offers settlement in three years; most others follow standard timelines.
5. What happens if the business fails? On every founder route, your status is tied to the business. Have a plan B — savings, a switchable skill set, or a route to a work visa.

Because the trade-offs are so country-specific, it pays to compare destinations side by side rather than fixating on one. Our compare tool lets you line up countries on the criteria that matter to founders, and if you are unsure whether your profile even fits a founder route, the free assessment will point you at the categories worth pursuing.

Mistakes That Sink Founder Applications

• Treating it as a residency hack. Endorsing bodies and immigration officers are trained to spot plans that exist only to secure a visa. A business you would not start if the visa were guaranteed will read as exactly that.
• Confusing self-employment with founding a startup. A freelance designer applying to an innovation-only route (UK Innovator Founder, Ireland STEP) will be refused. Match the route to the business.
• Underfunding the maintenance side. Nearly every route requires personal maintenance funds on top of business capital. Applicants routinely forget this and get refused on the money, not the idea.
• Ignoring the ongoing checks. The UK checks progress at 12 and 24 months. The Netherlands reassesses after the startup year. These are not formalities — fail them and your extension is refused.
• Falling for "guaranteed founder visa" agents. No one can guarantee an endorsement or a designated-organisation letter. This is a well-worn scam vector; read how to avoid immigration scams before paying any consultant.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to be rich to get a startup visa? No. That is the whole point of the founder category versus the investor category. Several routes — the UK Innovator Founder, Portugal's D2, Germany's §21, the Dutch DAFT — have no large fixed capital requirement. They filter on the quality of your business and, often, an endorsement, rather than the size of your bank balance. You still need enough to run the business and support yourself, but "enough" can be tens of thousands rather than hundreds of thousands.

What is the difference between a startup visa and an investor visa? A startup or founder visa requires you to actively build and run a new business, usually with an endorsement or backer, and typically needs little of your own capital. An investor visa requires you to place a large sum — often €250,000 to £2 million — into approved assets, and you may not run anything at all. Founder routes reward ideas and effort; investor routes reward capital.

Can my family come with me on a founder visa? In most cases yes. Routes like France's Talent Passport, Canada's Start-up Visa and the UK Innovator Founder allow dependants, and partners can usually work. Always confirm dependant rights for your specific route, as conditions vary.

What happens if my business fails? Your residency is generally tied to the business remaining active and meeting its conditions. If it fails, you may lose the right to stay, though some countries let you switch to another visa category if you qualify. This is the core risk of founder routes and the reason to keep a financial and career fallback.

Is a self-employment visa easier than a startup visa? Often, yes, for the right person. Self-employment routes (Germany's §21 Freiberufler track, Portugal's D2) assess viability rather than innovation, so an established freelancer or consultant with clients and a clean plan can qualify without needing a scalable "startup" or an endorsing body. Startup routes demand innovation and usually a backer, which is a higher bar.

Which country has the fastest route to permanent residence for founders? Canada's Start-up Visa is unusual in granting permanent residence immediately on approval. The UK Innovator Founder allows settlement after three years, faster than its standard work route. Most other founder routes follow each country's ordinary residence-to-settlement timeline.

The Bottom Line

Founder, startup and self-employment visas are the most underused routes in migration, precisely because they sit in the awkward middle: too much effort for people who want to buy their way in, too much risk for people who want a salary. But if you have a real business — or a real trade — and more drive than capital, they are frequently the cheapest, fastest and most independent way to move.

Pick the route that matches what you are actually building, not the one with the nicest brochure. Match an innovative, scalable company to an endorsement-based startup route; match a solid conventional business or freelance practice to a self-employment route. Fund both the business and yourself. And treat the endorsement or backer requirement not as an obstacle but as free due diligence — if a credible body will not back your plan, better to learn that before you emigrate than after.

When you are ready to narrow the field, run your profile through the assessment and compare your shortlisted destinations with the compare tool. Building a business in a new country is hard enough without starting in the wrong one.