Residency
Trump Gold Card: Cost, Requirements and How It Compares to the EB-5 (2026)
· 5 min read
Author: Vinícius Cavalcanti · Reviewer: Nathan Gomes
Key points
- The Trump Gold Card is a U.S. residence program created by Executive Order 14351 in September 2025. Applications opened on trumpcard.gov in December 2025.
- It costs a nonrefundable $15,000 processing fee plus a $1 million gift to the U.S. government after vetting, or $2 million for a Corporate Gold Card sponsored by a company.
- It does not create a new visa: the payment is treated as evidence for the existing EB-1 and EB-2 immigrant categories, leading to a green card.
- It is legally untested. A federal lawsuit filed in February 2026 challenges it, and uptake has been very low.
- The $5 million Platinum Card, which would limit U.S. tax on foreign income, requires Congress and is not in operation.
What is the Trump Gold Card?
What is the Trump Gold Card? It is a U.S. program that treats an unrestricted gift of $1 million to the U.S. government, after background checks, as evidence that the applicant will substantially benefit the United States. That evidence supports an EB-1 or EB-2 immigrant petition and, if approved, a green card with the usual path to citizenship. Unlike the EB-5, the money is not an investment and creates no jobs requirement.
The program was created by Executive Order 14351, signed on 19 September 2025, and applications opened on 18 December 2025 through the official website, trumpcard.gov. It sits alongside other residence-by-investment programs around the world, but its logic is different: a payment to the state instead of an investment in a business or asset.
How much does the Gold Card cost?
The individual Gold Card involves two payments. A $15,000 processing fee is paid when applying and is nonrefundable. The $1 million gift is requested only after the applicant passes the vetting stage. A Corporate Gold Card lets a company sponsor an employee for $2 million, and the company can transfer the sponsorship to another employee.
Indirect costs come on top: immigration lawyers, tax advice before becoming a U.S. tax resident, source-of-funds documentation and, often, restructuring of foreign companies and trusts. The total cost is therefore well above the headline amount.
| Item | Amount | When it is paid | Refundable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Processing fee | $15,000 | On application | No |
| Individual Gold Card gift | $1,000,000 | After vetting | No |
| Corporate Gold Card gift | $2,000,000 | After vetting | No |
| Platinum Card (proposed) | $5,000,000 | Not operational | Not applicable |
How the process works
- Apply online at trumpcard.gov and pay the $15,000 processing fee.
- Pass vetting by the Department of Homeland Security, including identity, criminal and source-of-funds checks.
- Pay the $1 million gift (or $2 million for the corporate version) to the Department of Commerce.
- The payment supports an EB-1 or EB-2 immigrant petition.
- On approval, obtain the immigrant visa or adjust status to permanent residence, with the usual path to naturalization after five years.
Is the Gold Card legal and working?
The Gold Card was created by executive order, not by Congress. It uses the existing EB-1 (extraordinary ability) and EB-2 (national interest) categories, which have annual caps. On 3 February 2026 the American Association of University Professors and a group of researchers filed a federal lawsuit arguing that the program is unlawful and will crowd out merit-based applicants in those categories.
Uptake has been very low. Reports in mid-2026 counted only a handful of approvals, and the program remains legally untested. Because the fee and the gift are nonrefundable, an applicant bears the risk that a court or a future administration changes the rules. Anyone considering it should read the current terms on trumpcard.gov and take independent legal advice.
What is the Platinum Card?
The Platinum Card is a proposed $5 million version that would let holders spend up to 270 days a year in the United States without paying U.S. tax on non-U.S. income. It would need legislation from Congress and is not operational; the government has opened only a waiting list.
This matters because a normal green card makes the holder a U.S. tax resident, taxed on worldwide income, and brings FBAR and Form 8938 reporting. For wealthy families with most assets abroad, that tax consequence is often more important than the price of the card. Our guides on FBAR requirements and on whether a U.S. person can pay zero tax explain the worldwide system.
Gold Card vs EB-5 and other programs
The EB-5 program requires an investment of $800,000 in a targeted employment area or $1,050,000 elsewhere, in a business that creates at least ten full-time jobs. The capital is at risk but can in principle be recovered, and the process is slower. The Gold Card replaces that with a larger, nonrefundable payment and no job requirement.
Compared with European and Caribbean programs, the U.S. card is expensive and simple. Greece, for example, grants residence for real estate from €250,000, and Caribbean countries grant citizenship from $200,000; our guide to the best golden passports compares them. What the Gold Card offers that they do not is a green card in the world's largest economy.
| Feature | Gold Card | EB-5 |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum amount | $1 million gift plus $15,000 fee | $800,000 or $1,050,000 investment |
| Nature of payment | Nonrefundable gift to the government | Investment at risk, potentially recoverable |
| Job creation | Not required | 10 full-time jobs |
| Legal basis | Executive order using EB-1 and EB-2 | Act of Congress |
| Result | Green card | Conditional, then permanent green card |
| Legal risk | Federal lawsuit pending | Established program |
When the Gold Card makes sense
The Gold Card fits very wealthy individuals who want permanent U.S. residence, value speed and certainty over recovering capital, and are prepared to become U.S. tax residents. It fits less well for investors who want a financial return, for families with complex foreign structures that would become reportable, and for anyone unwilling to take legal risk while the lawsuit is pending.
Before applying, a family should model the tax effect of U.S. residence on foreign companies, trusts and investment funds, plan any restructuring before arrival, and compare the Gold Card with the EB-5, an E-2 treaty visa or residence elsewhere.
Bottom line
The Gold Card offers a direct, if expensive, route to a U.S. green card: $15,000 plus a $1 million gift, or $2 million through a company. It avoids the job-creation and investment rules of the EB-5, but it rests on an executive order that is being challenged in court, and it makes the holder a U.S. tax resident on worldwide income.
Our Private Advisory Session compares the Gold Card with the EB-5 and other residence options and models the U.S. tax effect on your structures before you apply.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Trump Gold Card cost?
A nonrefundable $15,000 processing fee plus a $1 million gift to the U.S. government after vetting. A company can sponsor an employee through the Corporate Gold Card for $2 million.
Does the Gold Card give a green card?
Yes, if approved. The payment serves as evidence for an EB-1 or EB-2 immigrant petition, which leads to permanent residence and, after five years, possible citizenship.
Is the Gold Card available now?
Applications have been open on trumpcard.gov since December 2025. The program is being challenged in federal court and very few applications had been approved by mid-2026.
What is the Platinum Card?
A proposed $5 million card that would allow up to 270 days a year in the United States without U.S. tax on foreign income. It needs Congress to act and is not operational.
Will I pay U.S. taxes with a Gold Card?
Yes. A green card holder is a U.S. tax resident and is taxed on worldwide income, with FBAR and Form 8938 reporting on foreign accounts and assets.
Is the Gold Card better than the EB-5?
It is faster and has no job requirement, but it costs more, the money is not recoverable and it faces legal risk. The EB-5 requires $800,000 or $1,050,000 invested in a job-creating business.