Skip to main content
LION&LAND

Insights

Analysis before advice

Detailed notes on residency routes, ownership rules and market conditions. Written for buyers who read the detail before they decide.

Insights

Reading before deciding

Buyer ProfilesBuying Property Abroad as a Russian Citizen: What Works in 2026This guide is written for advisors, partner firms and relocation professionals who work with Russian-passport clients. A Russian passport does not prohibit buying property abroad in 2026, but it determines which markets are practically open and which payment channels a transaction can legally use. The UAE and Thailand remain open under enhanced banking due diligence. In the EU, Greece has suspended its golden visa for Russian citizens since 2022, and the EUR 100,000 deposit cap under Regulation 833/2014 makes the Cyprus route practical mainly for clients who already hold EU residence or a second citizenship. What follows is the honest market-by-market picture, with no workarounds offered where none legally exist.A Mediterranean city spread across the surrounding hills10 min read
Buyer ProfilesCan Indians Buy Property in Dubai? Law, LRS, TCS and Costs 2026Yes. Indian citizens can buy property in Dubai, own it outright in their own name, and register the title with the Dubai Land Department. No UAE residency is required to purchase. The Dubai side of the transaction is, in fact, the simpler half. The half that decides whether the purchase goes smoothly is the Indian side: how the money leaves India under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme, what tax is collected on the way out, and what your bank will ask before it releases a single rupee.Aerial view of Dubai's residential towers13 min read
Global MobilityGolden Visa Alternatives 2026: After Spain and Portugal ClosedSpain's property-linked golden visa ended on 3 April 2025, and Portugal had already closed its real estate route in October 2023. A buyer looking for residency tied to a property purchase will no longer find it on the Iberian peninsula. They will find it in Greece, from EUR 400,000 depending on the zone, in Cyprus from EUR 300,000 plus VAT, and in the UAE from AED 2 million. Thailand offers long-stay visas, not property-linked residency. This article sets out what exactly ended, what remains open and on what conditions.Stone steps leading down to a Mediterranean beach14 min read
RelocationMoving to Dubai from Germany: Visas, Taxes and Property 2026Relocating from Germany to Dubai is two separate projects running at once. The UAE immigration side is the easier one: an employer-sponsored work visa, a Golden Visa through property worth AED 2 million or more, or a self-sponsored route for professionals and freelancers. The German tax side is where relocations go wrong, because the double taxation treaty between Germany and the UAE expired at the end of 2021, and German exit rules can follow a departing resident for up to ten years. This guide walks through both sides without the sales gloss.Aerial view of downtown Dubai9 min read
Buyer ProfilesHow Buyers From Mainland China Fund Overseas Property PurchasesFor every buyer from mainland China, and for every advisor or developer working with them, the gatekeeper question is not which city or which project. It is how the purchase money legally leaves China. China operates explicit foreign exchange controls on individuals: an annual facilitation quota of USD 50,000 equivalent per person that, under current rules, may not be used to buy property abroad. This article sets out the rules as they stand, the real cost of the illegal shortcuts, and the funding structures that genuinely work. We do not help anyone circumvent exchange controls; understanding them is where a serious transaction starts.Modern residential apartment buildings against a clear sky11 min read
Market AnalysisDubai vs Abu Dhabi Property Investment 2026: Costs and YieldsDubai generally offers more project choice, deeper resale liquidity and a larger international buyer base. Abu Dhabi may suit buyers looking at selected communities, longer holding periods and less competing supply. Which market is better depends on your budget, financing, expected holding period, rental strategy and how quickly you may need to sell, not on either city being stronger in the abstract.Abu Dhabi skyline seen from the Corniche waterfront15 min read
Market AnalysisUK Buy-to-Let vs Dubai Property 2026: Tax, Yield and CostsUK buy-to-let and Dubai property now sit under very different tax, regulatory and financing conditions. Dubai offers no personal income tax on rent locally and higher headline yields; the UK offers a familiar legal system and a deep financing market. What decides the outcome is not the location but your tax residence, because that is what determines who taxes the income, and after that the purchase costs, the financing and who manages the property while you are not there.Row of British terraced houses on a residential street12 min read
Greece and CyprusGreece Golden Visa vs Cyprus Residency 2026: Costs and SchengenGreece and Cyprus produce different residency outcomes. Greece is the stronger route for Schengen mobility and offers several property-investment thresholds. Cyprus grants permanent residence through qualifying new-build property and evidenced foreign income, but it is not part of the Schengen area. Which one fits depends on your family, your mobility needs, your property strategy, your income and the total budget rather than the headline threshold.Whitewashed Greek island architecture overlooking the Aegean sea16 min read
Thailand ResidencyRetire in Thailand 2026: Visas, Healthcare, Costs and PropertyThailand has earned its reputation as one of the best places to retire in the world, and the reality holds up. Warm weather year-round, a genuinely lower cost of living, world-class private healthcare, a sophisticated food culture, and a pace of life that many retirees describe as the best quality-of-life upgrade they have ever made. The entry requirements are concrete: from age 50, the O-A route asks for 800,000 THB in a Thai bank or 65,000 THB in monthly income, and property-linked and LTR routes exist with no age limit at all. For internationally mobile buyers considering retirement in Thailand, the lifestyle case is strong, and getting stronger.Evening light over a Thai coastal bay with hillside residences above the water16 min read
Market AnalysisIs Dubai Off-Plan Property Safe in 2026? Escrow, Risks and ChecksLegally, Dubai off-plan sits inside a real protection framework: DLD project registration, project escrow accounts and Oqood registration. Financially, safety in 2026 depends on segment and holding period; roughly 45 percent of under-construction stock sits in five mid-market corridors, and a quick exit at handover is the position under strain. Here is what the framework covers, what it does not, and the ten checks to run before reserving.Cranes and towers under construction against the Dubai skyline12 min read
Global MobilityTrump Gold Card vs EB-5: $1M Gift vs $800K Investment ComparedThe Trump Gold Card takes a USD 1 million payment that the official materials describe as a gift, with no published return mechanism; rural EB-5 takes USD 800,000 that must be at risk and can come back from a well-underwritten project. That difference, capital surrendered versus capital risked, decides the comparison for most families. This analysis works through cost, visa availability, legal durability and family economics on the published record.New York skyline at dusk seen across the water13 min read
Market AnalysisDubai Property Market 2026: War Impact, Prices and Investor RiskThe 2026 conflict has materially weakened sentiment and transaction conditions in Dubai property, but it has not affected every segment equally. By late July the evidence points to thinner liquidity outside launch-driven corridors, softer rents in parts of the market and greater developer-credit risk, while official first-quarter data and continued institutional commitment show that Dubai has not entered a uniform collapse.Dubai skyline seen through atmospheric haze20 min read
Global Mobility2026 Global Residency Matrix: Greece, UAE, and ThailandGreece, the UAE and Thailand solve three different problems. Greece buys Schengen-zone residence from EUR 250,000 to 800,000 depending on zone and route, the UAE pairs a 10-year Golden Visa at AED 2 million with zero personal income tax, and Thailand offers long-stay access without any comparable property-linked residency. This comparison sets out the thresholds, family rules and tax realities so you can decide which combination fits your situation.Monochrome close-up of a vintage world globe12 min read
Thailand PropertyCan Foreigners Buy Property in Thailand? 2026 Investment GuideYes, a foreigner can buy property in Thailand: condominium units can be owned freehold within a building's 49 percent foreign quota, while land is a different and far more restricted question. Beyond that headline answer, Thailand remains one of the most closely watched real estate markets in Southeast Asia for a reason. It combines global tourism appeal, large urban centers, comparatively accessible entry prices, and a broad range of investment profiles across Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Chonburi, and surrounding growth corridors. For internationally mobile buyers, it can offer a very different proposition from the UAE, Germany, Greece, or the United States.Aerial view of the Phuket coastline with beaches and forested headlands11 min read
Market AnalysisInternational Property Investment: Dubai, Greece, Cyprus ComparedInternational property is worth comparing against a home market on four axes at once: yield, currency, tax treatment and whether the asset opens a residency route. Where major cities in mature home markets yield 2.5 to 4%, Dubai runs at 6 to 8% gross and Greece at 5 to 7% in tourist areas, and Greece and Cyprus attach a residence route to qualifying investment. None of that makes any single market the right one.Modern residential apartment buildings against a clear sky9 min read
Buyer ProfilesCan Cabin Crew Get a Dubai Mortgage? Property Guide 2026Aviation professionals in the UAE: cabin crew, pilots and flight attendants working for Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and other carriers, sit in a genuinely unusual financial position. Tax-free salaries, employer-provided accommodation, and relatively low living costs create a savings environment that most expats do not have. The question is whether that advantage can be converted into property equity, and if so, how to do it without taking on more risk than the opportunity is worth.Aircraft wing above a cloud layer in daylight17 min read

Start with a conversation, not a listing

Residency-driven real estate starts with eligibility, goals and market fit. We help you structure the first decision correctly.

Request Private Consultation