Buy a house in Spain and obtain a residents permit
The Spanish government has recently proposed a change to, and easing of, the red tape associated with obtaining a residents permit for non EU nationals.
However the Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel García-Margallo, wants to use this as an angle to attract more foreign citizens from outside of Europe to buy a property in Spain and reduce the glut of unsold homes. In the past it’s been tricky for non EU nationals to obtain a residents permit. The plan is therefore to ease the bureaucracy involved and attract property investors to Spain.
This new measure could be very attractive for Russian buyers and other former eastern block countries that are still outside of the EU as well as both North and South American citizens.