If you’re searching for a residency by investment lawyer in London, you’re probably not looking for inspiration — you’re looking for certainty. What documents do you actually need? What gets people rejected? What does “compliance” mean after approval, not just at the application stage?

Let’s make this practical.

Before we get into the checklist, 1 important UK reality check: the UK’s old “golden visa” route (Tier 1 Investor) is closed to new applicants (it closed at 4pm on 17 February 2022). That’s why most UK-based clients use London legal support to secure overseas residency-by-investment (Europe and beyond), while using UK immigration routes (where relevant) for their UK plan.

This is also why a law-led approach matters: residency by investment is not “buy a property and get a card”. It’s closer to a compliance project — identity, funding, tax, due diligence, reporting, renewals, and the small-print obligations you’re expected to keep for years.

If you want a feel for how Coates Global frames this kind of work (direct, structured, and law-driven), start with their overview of Services and how they filter programmes for reliability rather than hype. 

What a London residency-by-investment lawyer actually does

A strong legal team doesn’t just “collect documents”. They reduce your risk in 4 ways:

1. Programme fit (legal fit, not marketing fit)
   Are you eligible on paper and in practice — especially on source-of-funds and background checks?
2. Document strategy
   What you submit, how it’s worded, what gets notarised/legalised, and what’s translated can make or break your timeline.
3. Due diligence readiness
   Residency-by-investment programmes increasingly operate like financial compliance environments: adverse media screening, sanctions checks, wealth provenance, and ongoing monitoring.
4. Post-approval compliance
   Renewals, minimum stay rules, investment maintenance, and reporting changes (address, marital status, dependants, business activity, etc.).

If you want a step-by-step view of the process (in plain English), Coates Global has a useful breakdown here: Residency by Investment Solicitor: Step-by-Step Process. 

The residency-by-investment document checklist (core documents)

Think of your paperwork in 6 “packs”. Most refusals and delays happen because 1 pack is weak (usually funding).

1) Identity pack (you + dependants)

You’ll typically need:

• Current passport (and sometimes previous passports)
• Passport photos (exact size/spec required by the country)
• Proof of address (utility bill/bank statement; usually within last 3 months)
• National ID card (if your nationality uses one)
• Travel history disclosures (some programmes ask for this)

Tip that saves time: if your passport expires soon, renew it early. Many programmes want enough validity to cover the permit period or at least your initial residence card.

2) Civil status pack (family linkage)

If you’re including family members, expect:

• Marriage certificate (and divorce documents if applicable)
• Birth certificates for children
• Adoption papers / custody orders (if relevant)
• Name change deed or legal proof (if any documents don’t match your current name)

Common pitfall: documents issued in different countries that format names differently (middle names, patronymics, double surnames). This is where lawyer-led consistency matters.

3) Police / background pack

Most programmes ask for:

• Police clearance certificate(s) from current country of residence
• Often also from countries where you lived previously (commonly if you lived there 6–12+ months)
• Signed declarations (no criminal proceedings, no visa refusals, etc.)

This is rarely “just a formality”. Programmes do real due diligence and may ask follow-up questions if anything looks inconsistent.

4) Medical and insurance pack (programme-dependent)

Some jurisdictions require:

• Health insurance meeting local minimums
• Medical certificate (sometimes including specific tests)
• Vaccination evidence (less common now, but still appears in some processes)

Your lawyer should tell you what is mandatory versus “nice to have”, because over-submitting the wrong medical evidence can create unnecessary questions.

5) Financial pack (the big one)

This is where most time goes. Expect a combination of:

• Bank statements (often 6–12 months)
• Bank reference letter confirming relationship, good standing, average balance (programme-dependent)
• Proof of income: salary slips, employment contract, audited accounts, dividends, rental income
• Tax documents: tax returns, tax residency certificates, tax assessments (varies by country)
• Asset evidence: property sale contracts, share sale agreements, inheritance documentation, business sale agreements
• A clear “wealth narrative” (a written explanation of how you earned/accumulated funds)

If you’re using a property route, you’ll also need:

• Proof of funds for purchase and associated costs
• Source-of-funds and source-of-wealth evidence aligned with the purchase amount
• Bank transfer trail showing movement of funds from origin to destination

If you’re planning a property purchase in Greece, you’ll want to read this before you move money: Buying Greek Property as a UK Resident: A Due Diligence Checklist.

6) Investment pack (route-specific)

Depending on the programme, the investment proof can include:

• Subscription documents for regulated investment funds
• Donation payment confirmation (where applicable)
• Real estate purchase contract + land registry filings
• Escrow arrangements
• Proof of fee payments to the government / agencies

For example, if you’re comparing options like Greece property versus Portugal funds, the required evidence set differs significantly. Coates Global regularly publishes very current comparisons (useful if you’re planning in 2026): Greece vs Portugal Golden Visa: which is better in 2026?. 

Document format rules that quietly matter (and cause delays)

Even when you have “all the documents”, programmes often have strict format rules.

Certified copies, notarisation, apostille/legalisation

Depending on the country, you may need:

• Plain copy (rare for core documents)
• Certified true copy
• Notarised copy
• Apostille under the Hague Apostille Convention
• Full consular legalisation (less common, but still exists)

A lawyer’s job here is to avoid you spending £££ legalising something unnecessarily, and to prevent rejections due to the wrong level of certification.

Translation standards

If documents aren’t in the destination country’s accepted languages, you’ll usually need:

• Certified translation by an approved translator
• Translator declaration + stamp
• Sometimes notarised translation

Consistency and “one story”

If your funding story is: “business dividends → savings → investment,” then every document should support that chain without contradictions.

A common mistake is mixing documents that tell slightly different versions of the same story (different dates, different amounts, different entity names). Compliance teams notice.

Compliance requirements: what you must keep doing after approval

Residency by investment isn’t “done” once you’re approved. The ongoing obligations are where many people get caught out.

1) Minimum stay / residence rules (programme-specific)

Some programmes are very light-touch; others require meaningful presence.

For UK residents, this is often the key lifestyle question because of travel constraints like the Schengen 90/180 rule if you don’t have EU residency.

Practical approach: treat your residency programme like an annual compliance calendar (renewals, minimum stays, document refresh dates).

2) Maintain the qualifying investment

Most programmes require you to keep the investment for a minimum period. Selling early or withdrawing funds can invalidate your status.

Your lawyer should make the holding period and permitted changes painfully clear before you commit money.

3) Renewals and document refresh

Renewals often require:

• Updated passport copies
• Updated proof of address
• Updated police certificates (sometimes)
• Proof the investment is still held
• Updated insurance (if required)

4) Reporting changes

Many jurisdictions require you to report changes such as:

• Change of residential address
• Marriage/divorce
• New children
• Changes to employment/business activity
• Criminal charges (even pending, not only convictions)

5) Tax and regulatory alignment (the part people underestimate)

Residency can affect:

• Tax residency risk (where you are considered resident for tax purposes)
• Reporting obligations (banking, disclosures, overseas asset reporting)
• How you structure income flows

You don’t want to discover after the fact that you’ve created a tax residency position you didn’t intend. This is where a law-led team coordinates with tax advisers.

UK context: what “residency by investment” means if your end goal includes the UK

Because the UK Tier 1 Investor route is closed to new applicants, UK planning is usually about other legal routes (work, business, family, etc.). 

To keep this grounded in real UK figures and costs:

• A Skilled Worker visa applicant typically pays an application fee in the range £769 to £1,751 (depending on circumstances) and the Immigration Health Surcharge is usually £1,035 per year, paid upfront. 
• For settlement/citizenship pathways, English language requirements commonly reference at least B1 level in speaking and listening for many routes. 
• On the broader UK migration backdrop (useful context for policy volatility), ONS provisional estimates showed net migration falling from 649,000 (year ending June 2024) to 204,000 (year ending June 2025). 

Coates Global outlines UK pathway positioning on their country page here: United Kingdom. 

And if your UK plan is entrepreneurial, they also cover an alternative structure here: UK Self-Sponsorship Visa. 

Programme examples: what the checklist looks like in real life

Here’s how documentation and compliance differ across common residency-by-investment styles:

Greece (real estate-led residency)

Typically document-heavy on:

• Property purchase contracts, registry steps, payments
• Source-of-funds evidence matching the full purchase + costs
• Ongoing compliance: hold the qualifying investment and renew on time

Coates Global’s programme page: Greece Golden Visa.

Portugal (fund-led residency)

Often document-heavy on:

• Fund subscription documents and confirmations
• AML checks around subscription money flow
• Ongoing compliance: maintain investment + renewals, and longer-term citizenship steps can include language requirements

Coates Global’s overview: Portugal Investment Funds.

Hungary (investor route format)

Can be compliance-heavy on:

• Proof of lawful funds and regulated investment structure
• Background screening and documentary consistency

For a wider view of how different programmes compare (and which types lead to long-term pathways), see: Residency by Investment Programmes. 

A practical “pre-submission” compliance self-audit (use this before you apply)

If you want to pressure-test your file the way a compliance team will, ask yourself:

1. Can I prove where the money came from, with documents — not explanations?
2. Do my bank statements show a clean flow from origin to investment?
3. Do my identity and civil documents match exactly (names, dates, places)?
4. Are police certificates valid and correctly issued for every required country?
5. If I’m including family, can I prove dependency/relationship beyond doubt?
6. Do I understand my renewal dates and minimum stay requirements for the next 5 years?
7. Have I mapped tax risk (UK + destination + anywhere else I spend time)?

If any of these feel uncertain, that’s not a reason to panic — it’s a reason to get the structure right before you submit.

How to choose a residency-by-investment lawyer in London (quick criteria)

When you’re selecting legal support, look for:

• Programme selectivity (they don’t “sell everything”)
• Source-of-funds competence (they can build and defend the evidence chain)
• Post-approval compliance support (renewals, reporting, timeline management)
• Coordination with tax advisers (so residency doesn’t create surprises)
• Clear written scope (what’s included, what isn’t, and who does what)

If you want to understand Coates Global’s approach and positioning, start with About Us. 

FAQs

Does buying property automatically give you residency?

No — not automatically. In residency-by-investment programmes, property is usually just one qualifying investment route, and the residence permit is still a legal decision based on eligibility, documents, background checks, and compliance. You can buy property and still be refused if your documentation or due diligence profile doesn’t meet the standard.

What is the biggest reason applications get delayed?

Missing or weak source-of-funds/source-of-wealth evidence. People underestimate how detailed the funding chain needs to be, especially if funds are coming from business income, multiple accounts, asset sales, or family transfers.

Do you need to show the same documents for every programme?

The core documents are similar (identity, police checks, proof of address), but the financial and investment evidence can be completely different depending on whether the route is property-led, fund-led, donation-led, or business-led.

If I’m UK-based, can I still do residency by investment elsewhere?

Yes. Many UK residents secure overseas residency (for mobility, lifestyle, or long-term planning) while remaining a UK tax resident  but you must plan carefully to avoid unintended tax residency outcomes elsewhere.

Is the UK still an option for “residency by investment”?

The UK’s old Tier 1 Investor route is closed to new applicants. UK planning is typically done through other routes (work, business, family), and those have their own costs and compliance requirements. 

Ready to build a clean, compliant application pack?

If you want your residency-by-investment plan handled as a legal project — with the documents, funding narrative, and compliance calendar built properly from day 1 — speak to Coates Global.

Start here: Contact Coates Global

Ready to take the next step towards EU residency or citizenship? Speak to Coates Global today for clear, compliant guidance tailored to your goals. Whether you need a portugal golden visa solicitor, a hungary golden visa solicitor, an italy investor visa consultant, or a malta citizenship by investment solicitor, we’ll help you understand eligibility, costs, timeframes, and documentation—so you can move forward with confidence. Book a consultation and get a clear plan from day 1.