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RES-BUSINESS-6
BRIDGES GLOBAL · residency through business
Residency through businessand executive roles
A section for people whose status rests on an enterprise: their own company, an acquired business, an executive position or a lump-sum agreement with a canton. The catalog holds 6 routes — from Montenegro with a budget from €10,000 to Switzerland and the USA.
- Business plans reviewed the way the authority reads them
- Company and owner taxes calculated before filing
- Over 8,000 cases in 20 years
01 / Who it is for
Who receives this status
The common requirement across the section is a genuine business role: you create, buy or run an enterprise rather than hold a stake on paper.
Founders
You open a company in the country of status and run real operations. The authority looks at the plan, the money and the jobs.
Executives of international companies
A transfer to your company’s US office under L-1A: the company and the position matter more than the investment amount.
Buyers of operating businesses
The US E-2 visa is built on a business you have bought or created and manage yourself.
Wealthy families without local business
Swiss lump-sum taxation grants status through an agreement with a canton — with no business activity in the country.
02 / Catalog
6 routes through an enterprise or a role
Thresholds are the practical investment level at which a route actually works. They are shaped by the authorities’ practice — we confirm the figures as of the date you contact us.
- Entry
- no threshold
- Timeline
- 2-3 months
- A status built on your own activity in Hungary
- A permit for 1-2 years with renewal
- Real work matters more than the amount invested
- Budget
- from €10,000
- Timeline
- 1-2 months
- Residency for the director of your own company
- A one-year permit with renewal
- The most affordable launch budget in the section
- Investment
- from CHF 1,000,000
- Timeline
- 4-8 months
- A B permit through running a business
- The key condition is economic benefit to the canton
- Family in one application
- Tax
- from CHF 250,000/yr
- Amount
- agreed upfront
- Status through an agreement with a canton
- The full annual tax is agreed in advance
- Working in Switzerland is not allowed
- Investment
- from $100,000
- Visa
- up to 5 years
- For citizens of US treaty countries
- An operating business under your management
- Renewals as long as the business runs
- Entry
- no threshold
- Status
- up to 7 years
- An executive transfer to the company’s US office
- The company and the role matter more than the amount
- Onward to a green card via EB-1C
Thresholds and requirements are set by governments and change without notice — we confirm the terms as of the date you contact us. Eligibility for any program is determined after a review of the applicant’s initial data.
Did not find your route
We will review your case and tell you what fits
Twenty minutes of conversation save months: we align your business, budget, citizenship and family plans — and name the routes you can realistically pass.
03 / Before you choose
Four questions before choosing a country
Business routes are more demanding than the rest: the state evaluates not only the money but the enterprise itself. These points decide the choice.
How real the business must be
A shell registration works nowhere: authorities look at operations, turnover and jobs. The depth of scrutiny differs by country.
What your citizenship allows
The E-2 visa is open only to citizens of US treaty countries. Sometimes a second citizenship is built first, then the business route.
Company and owner taxes
The status drags a tax picture behind it: corporate tax, dividends, personal residency. We model it in full before filing.
Where the route leads next
L-1A opens the way to a green card, the European routes to PR. E-2 renews indefinitely but grants no permanent status by itself.
04 / Comparison
The section’s programs in one table
Key terms for a quick comparison. The full table of all residency programs is one click below: your selection is stored in the URL, so the link can be shared.
| Country | Program | Entry | Processing time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montenegro | Company director residence | from €10,000 | 1-2 months |
| Hungary | Self-employment residence | no threshold | 2-3 months |
| USA | E-2 Visa | from $100,000 | 2-4 months |
| USA | L-1A Visa | no threshold | 3-6 months |
| Switzerland | Residence through business | from CHF 1,000,000 | 4-8 months |
| Switzerland | Lump-sum taxation | tax from CHF 250,000/yr | by agreement with the canton |
A business route is two projects at once: the enterprise and the status. Weakness in one sinks the other, so we test the plan the way the authority will read it.
05 / Why BRIDGES
Why clients come to BRIDGES
The requirements are the same for everyone — governments set them. Only the quality of support differs.
We read the plan like the authority
The inspector looks for substance: money, operations, jobs. We run the plan through those questions before filing, not after a query.
We calculate the taxes in full
Corporate tax, dividends, the owner’s personal residency — one picture before the country is chosen, not surprises after the move.
We handle the business and the status together
Company registration, accounts, substance and the migration case run as one project — no gap between different lawyers.
Over 8,000 cases in 20 years
In practice since 2004. We know how the authorities actually work, not just the letter of the law — and we say honestly when a route is not right for you.
Free
The “How to choose a program” guide
An interactive guide: six questions that narrow the catalog down to two to four suitable directions.
- How many days a year you will need to spend in the country
- What makes up the budget and what affects the timeline
- What is checked about the applicant before filing
06 / Q & A
Frequently asked questions
Yes, except for the Swiss lump-sum route. A shell company with no activity fails the review and does not renew the status: authorities look at turnover, contracts and jobs. Lump-sum taxation is the only route in the section where no local business is required.
From €10,000 to launch a company in Montenegro to CHF 1,000,000 of practical investment in Switzerland. For E-2 the practical threshold is from $100,000; Hungary and L-1A have no formal minimum — there the substance of the enterprise decides.
The E-2 visa is open only to citizens of countries that hold a treaty with the USA. If your citizenship is not on the list, a second citizenship of a treaty country is sometimes built first, followed by the business route. Longer, but a working strategy.
Yes, in every route of the section the spouse and minor children receive status together with the applicant. In the USA the spouse of an E-2 or L-1A holder can obtain work authorization.
It differs. L-1A opens the path to a green card via EB-1C; the European routes lead to PR through years of residence. E-2 renews indefinitely but grants no green card by itself. If permanent status is the goal, it shapes the choice of route.
INITIAL ASSESSMENT
Tell us what outcome your family needs
We will design a solution for your case, choose the country and the right status, and take the whole process through to the result.
