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Pick up to 4 countries and see residency, company, banking, family, and risk notes line up. No prices, no marketing packages - just the working notes.

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	Slovakia Europe	Cyprus Europe	Brazil Latin America	Malta Europe
Overview	Slovakia offers EU residency and corporate structures with a stable regulatory environment and competitive costs. Bordercase coordinates with licensed Slovak partners for filings.	Cyprus is an EU member state with established routes for residency, company setup, and family relocation. Bordercase coordinates with regulated Cypriot lawyers and corporate-services providers for filings and ongoing compliance.	Brazil is the largest Latin American economy with structured residency routes and growing remote-worker visa pathways. Bordercase coordinates with licensed Brazilian partners for filings.	Malta is an EU member state with established residency, company, and family relocation routes. English is widely spoken and regulatory processes are well documented. Bordercase coordinates with licensed Maltese partners for filings.
Best for	Founders EU access Cost of living	Founders Holding structures EU access English admin	Latin America hub Founders Families Digital nomads	Founders Holding structures EU access English admin
Currency	EUR	EUR	BRL	EUR
Language	Slovak	Greek / English	Portuguese	English / Maltese
Time zone	UTC+1	UTC+2	UTC-3	UTC+1
EU member	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Schengen	Yes	No	No	Yes
Residency	Slovak residency routes: Employment-based residence Start-up visa - innovative businesses Business / self-employment Family reunification EU citizen-derivative routes	Cyprus residency routes: Permanent residency by investment (Cat F / Cat 6.2) Digital Nomad Visa Employment routes (including the international headquartering route) Family reunification The investor citizenship programme is closed.	Brazilian residency routes: Investor visa (VIPER / VITEM) - qualifying investment in a Brazilian business Digital nomad visa - remote workers Retirement visa - qualifying pension income Family reunification Employer-sponsored work permits	Maltese residency routes: Nomad Residence Permit - eligible remote workers Malta Permanent Residency Programme (MPRP) - investor route Employment routes Family reunification The citizenship-by-naturalisation-for-exceptional-services programme is closed to new applicants.
Company setup	S.R.O. (private limited) is the standard entity, with relatively low minimum capital and well-established formation processes. VAT registration depends on activity.	Cyprus Limited companies are widely used by international groups for IP, holding, and trading structures. Substance, local director, and accounting requirements have tightened in recent years and must be planned at setup.	Ltda and SA are the standard structures. CNPJ registration, state registrations, and Receita Federal tax registration follow. The MEI regime suits micro-entrepreneurs.	Maltese companies are commonly used for trading, IP holding, and gaming / fintech structures. Substance, accounting, and tax-refund mechanisms are well established but require careful structuring.
Banking	Resident banking is straightforward; corporate banking varies by activity. Bordercase coordinates introductions for cross-border cases.	Cypriot banks have strict KYC and source-of-funds processes following past compliance episodes. EMIs are widely used as supplements. Personal and corporate banking introductions go through vetted partners.	Residency unlocks personal and corporate banking. Pix has changed everyday payments; SWIFT for international flows still requires careful KYC.	Local banking has tightened; EMIs are common supplements. Bordercase coordinates banking introductions through partners with current relationships.
Family	Family reunification is supported. International schools are available in Bratislava.	Family reunification is available on most routes. English-language schools (public and private) and healthcare options are widely accessible to legal residents.	Family reunification is supported on most routes. International schools (English, German, French, Japanese) are concentrated in São Paulo, Rio, and Brasília.	Family reunification is supported on most routes. Schooling and healthcare are accessible to legal residents.
Risks	Risks Bordercase watches for in Slovakia: Tax residency triggers VAT registration timing for cross-border services Processing variations between districts	Common pitfalls in Cyprus cases: Post-reform substance requirements underestimated Banking timelines longer than expected Permanent residency confused with citizenship (different programmes) Some sectors face additional KYC scrutiny	Risks Bordercase watches for in Brazil: Tax residency rules and worldwide-income reporting Real-estate restrictions in certain border regions Document apostille + Portuguese translation	Risks Bordercase watches for in Malta: Substance requirements (real operations, real director time) Tax classification disputes Banking timelines - EU-wide AML pressure EU anti-abuse rules tighten ongoing
Documents	Typical Slovak residency documents: Passport Criminal record certificate Proof of address Health insurance Employment or business documentation Family certificates with apostille and translation	Typical document pack for Cyprus residency: Passport Criminal record certificate (apostilled) Proof of income / investment Health insurance valid in Cyprus Accommodation evidence Education certificates (for relevant routes) Marriage / birth certificates for family routes For company formation: business plan, ownership-chain documents, and KYC for all ultimate beneficial owners.	Typical Brazilian documents: Passport Apostilled foreign documents Proof of income or investment Photographs to specification Brazilian consular application abroad for most routes	Standard EU residency document pack for Malta: Passport Criminal record certificate Proof of income Health insurance Accommodation evidence Marriage / birth certificates for family routes Apostille or legalisation where required.

Country pages stay the authoritative source. This view is a side-by-side; nothing here promises a particular outcome.

Countries

Europe

Europe

Latin America

Europe

Overview

Slovakia offers EU residency and corporate structures with a stable regulatory environment and competitive costs. Bordercase coordinates with licensed Slovak partners for filings.

Cyprus is an EU member state with established routes for residency, company setup, and family relocation. Bordercase coordinates with regulated Cypriot lawyers and corporate-services providers for filings and ongoing compliance.

Brazil is the largest Latin American economy with structured residency routes and growing remote-worker visa pathways. Bordercase coordinates with licensed Brazilian partners for filings.

Malta is an EU member state with established residency, company, and family relocation routes. English is widely spoken and regulatory processes are well documented. Bordercase coordinates with licensed Maltese partners for filings.

Best for

Founders
EU access
Cost of living

Founders
Holding structures
EU access
English admin

Latin America hub
Founders
Families
Digital nomads

Founders
Holding structures
EU access
English admin

Currency

EUR

BRL

EUR

Language

Slovak

Greek / English

Portuguese

English / Maltese

Time zone

UTC+1

UTC+2

UTC-3

UTC+1

EU member

Yes

Schengen

Yes

Residency

Slovak residency routes:

Employment-based residence
Start-up visa - innovative businesses
Business / self-employment
Family reunification
EU citizen-derivative routes

Cyprus residency routes:

Permanent residency by investment (Cat F / Cat 6.2)
Digital Nomad Visa
Employment routes (including the international headquartering route)
Family reunification

The investor citizenship programme is closed.

Brazilian residency routes:

Investor visa (VIPER / VITEM) - qualifying investment in a Brazilian business
Digital nomad visa - remote workers
Retirement visa - qualifying pension income
Family reunification
Employer-sponsored work permits

Maltese residency routes:

Nomad Residence Permit - eligible remote workers
Malta Permanent Residency Programme (MPRP) - investor route
Employment routes
Family reunification

The citizenship-by-naturalisation-for-exceptional-services programme is closed to new applicants.

Company setup

S.R.O. (private limited) is the standard entity, with relatively low minimum capital and well-established formation processes. VAT registration depends on activity.

Cyprus Limited companies are widely used by international groups for IP, holding, and trading structures. Substance, local director, and accounting requirements have tightened in recent years and must be planned at setup.

Ltda and SA are the standard structures. CNPJ registration, state registrations, and Receita Federal tax registration follow. The MEI regime suits micro-entrepreneurs.

Maltese companies are commonly used for trading, IP holding, and gaming / fintech structures. Substance, accounting, and tax-refund mechanisms are well established but require careful structuring.

Banking

Resident banking is straightforward; corporate banking varies by activity. Bordercase coordinates introductions for cross-border cases.

Cypriot banks have strict KYC and source-of-funds processes following past compliance episodes. EMIs are widely used as supplements. Personal and corporate banking introductions go through vetted partners.

Residency unlocks personal and corporate banking. Pix has changed everyday payments; SWIFT for international flows still requires careful KYC.

Local banking has tightened; EMIs are common supplements. Bordercase coordinates banking introductions through partners with current relationships.

Family

Family reunification is supported. International schools are available in Bratislava.

Family reunification is available on most routes. English-language schools (public and private) and healthcare options are widely accessible to legal residents.

Family reunification is supported on most routes. International schools (English, German, French, Japanese) are concentrated in São Paulo, Rio, and Brasília.

Family reunification is supported on most routes. Schooling and healthcare are accessible to legal residents.

Risks

Risks Bordercase watches for in Slovakia:

Tax residency triggers
VAT registration timing for cross-border services
Processing variations between districts

Common pitfalls in Cyprus cases:

Post-reform substance requirements underestimated
Banking timelines longer than expected
Permanent residency confused with citizenship (different programmes)
Some sectors face additional KYC scrutiny

Risks Bordercase watches for in Brazil:

Tax residency rules and worldwide-income reporting
Real-estate restrictions in certain border regions
Document apostille + Portuguese translation

Risks Bordercase watches for in Malta:

Substance requirements (real operations, real director time)
Tax classification disputes
Banking timelines - EU-wide AML pressure
EU anti-abuse rules tighten ongoing

Documents

Typical Slovak residency documents:

Passport
Criminal record certificate
Proof of address
Health insurance
Employment or business documentation
Family certificates with apostille and translation

Typical document pack for Cyprus residency:

Passport
Criminal record certificate (apostilled)
Proof of income / investment
Health insurance valid in Cyprus
Accommodation evidence
Education certificates (for relevant routes)
Marriage / birth certificates for family routes

For company formation: business plan, ownership-chain documents, and KYC for all ultimate beneficial owners.

Typical Brazilian documents:

Passport
Apostilled foreign documents
Proof of income or investment
Photographs to specification
Brazilian consular application abroad for most routes

Standard EU residency document pack for Malta:

Passport
Criminal record certificate
Proof of income
Health insurance
Accommodation evidence
Marriage / birth certificates for family routes

Apostille or legalisation where required.