Liechtenstein

Yes, literally. Under the EEA Free Movement Agreement, Liechtenstein negotiated the right to cap immigration. Half of its residence permits for EEA nationals are allocated by random draw, known as the Auslosung. The other half go by government discretion on economic-benefit grounds. At least 28 permits per year go to gainfully employed EEA nationals and at least 8 to non-employed EEA nationals, across two draw rounds, with a CHF 100 pre-draw fee and a CHF 500 final-draw fee. There is no investment option and no way to pay for a better chance. The constraint is pure probability. That is precisely why any adviser promising Liechtenstein residency is either misinformed or dishonest.

Low. In the 8 November 2024 draw, 24 permits were awarded against 714 employed and 138 non-employed applicants from 23 EEA states, putting a non-working applicant's odds at roughly 2%. The non-employed allocation, the category wealthy families actually want, is the smallest of the two, at about 8 per year. Realistically, this is a multi-year campaign of repeated entries rather than a one-off application. The 2026 autumn round ran a participation window of 1–31 August 2026, with the pre-draw on 4 September 2026.

There is only one route, and it is entirely discretionary. It comes with no quota, no published criteria and no entitlement. This is residence granted on grounds of particular national interest, meaning Liechtenstein decides it specifically wants you. In practice, that means senior executives or investors who generate substantial local economic benefit. The numbers are reportedly a low single digit per year, though no official count is published. Sources consistently say that having money to invest is not enough on its own. Substantial jobs and real economic substance are expected. Third-country nationals have no lottery route at all, and their permits are typically issued one year at a time. Families are often better served by Switzerland's cantonal fiscal-interest route, which at least has a structure you can actually see.

No, not for incomers. Naturalisation generally requires renouncing your existing citizenship. A referendum on 30 August 2020 to permit dual citizenship was rejected by 61.5% of voters. There is an asymmetry worth knowing here. An existing Liechtenstein citizen who naturalises elsewhere may keep their Liechtenstein citizenship, provided the other state allows dual nationality. So the restriction binds people coming in, not natives going out. For an internationally mobile family, this effectively closes the citizenship door.

It is the only European system that puts your naturalisation to a vote of your neighbours. The ordinary route requires 10 years' residence. After that comes a favourable vote of the municipal assembly in the commune where you live, followed by Landtag approval and conferral by the Reigning Prince. There is also a simplified route after 30 years' residence, with years lived before age 20 counting double. Naturalisation by municipal vote has collapsed to roughly 2–8% of all naturalisations. There is no appeal against a commune that votes no.

No. Liechtenstein sits inside the EEA and Schengen but not the EU, so its passport does not carry EU free movement for employment. This is a common misunderstanding, and a consequential one. If EU work and residence rights are what you are after, Liechtenstein will not deliver them, even after the very long naturalisation process.

Personal income faces a national Erwerbssteuer of 1%–8% across eight bands, plus a municipal surcharge set annually within a statutory 150%–250% band. That combination produces an effective top marginal rate of roughly 22.4% in Schaan to 24% in Vaduz. There is a wealth tax, but its design is unusual. Net wealth is multiplied by a deemed yield, the Sollertrag, currently set at 4%. That notional amount is then added to taxable income and taxed at ordinary rates. Actual investment income is not taxed again after that. There is no inheritance tax, though gifts and inheritances over CHF 10,000 must be disclosed. The corporate rate is a flat 12.5%, with a CHF 1,800 annual minimum. Liechtenstein does operate CFC rules.

Yes. Genuine residence is required and monitored. The permit itself is the scarce asset, and holders are expected to actually live there, without falling back on social assistance. For EEA nationals, permanent residence (Niederlassungsbewilligung C) typically follows after 5 years. This is not a route to a paper domicile. The whole quota system exists to control who actually settles in a country of about 160 km2.