From the Sovereign Man email news letter:

Southern Europe is an amazing place to spend your golden years. Offering a rich history, vibrant culture, epic scenery, hospitable people and temperate climates, the region has been massively popular as a travel and retirement destination for decades.

Combined with a very low cost of living, which is ideal if you’re wanting to stretch your retirement savings, a move here really is a no-brainer for many people.

Fortunately, most southern European nations offer easy residencies aimed at attracting financially self-sufficient people, who do not need to work any more.

Pension and social security earnings in your homeland can convince local authorities that you won’t become a burden unto the state.

Similarly, younger and still economically active folks can also take advantage of the same residency programs. If you can prove that you have sufficient savings or income to sustain yourself independently, you should be welcome too.

And considering that the required income can be as small as a few hundred euros per month, and that a wide range of income sources is usually accepted, chances are you can qualify for one of these residencies as well.

Below we present you with the best retirement visa destinations in Europe, all located in Southern Europe — Portugal, Spain, Greece, Italy and France:

The Top 5 “Retirement” Visas Of Southern Europe
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What are the general program requirements? There are generally three important requirements:

1. In order to keep your residency renewable, you will have to spend at least 6 months or more inside the country every year (the exception to this rule is France, where no minimum stay is required).

2. With the exception of one country — Portugal — you will not be allowed to seek local employment. You will, however, generally still be able to work remotely for a foreign employer or your own overseas business.

3. While you’re not required to invest in property, you will be required to have a fixed address in-country.

Which program should I consider?
Deciding on the right program for you will depend mostly on your unique situation.We’ve previously written extensively about the Portuguese D7 and the Spanish Non-Lucrative Visa, which are two of our favorite programs in Europe, and, really, the world.

One of our Sovereign Man team members is still far from retirement age, but in 2020, he used the Non-Lucrative Residency to relocate to Spain with his family. And two of our team members are currently in the process of applying for the Portuguese D7 Visa.

The following table should aid you in selecting the right program for you:
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The bottom line?
Provided that you are actually seeking to settle in your new country of residency, practically anyone can apply for one of these residency programs.

NOTE: If you need more flexibility, however, i.e. you can’t spend 6 months or more in-country each year, then a Golden Visa might make more sense for you.

Golden Visas give you the right — but not the obligation — to live in the country where you obtain it.

Worst-case scenario you’re looking at having to spend one week per year there (in the case of Portugal) to keep your residency renewable. In many other cases, you won’t have to spend a single day in-country unless you want to.

But then you’re also looking at parting with anywhere between €250,000 and €500,000 to purchase a property…

However, if you actually wish to live in Europe, there are much better (read, “cheaper”) ways to get in — in the form of the following above income/retirement residency programs.

Yours in Freedom,

Team Sovereign Man

Link to the Golden Visa Programs for 2021:
https://www.sovereignman.com/golden-visa-programs/