In recent years many investment migration applicants have asked about the US "Gold Card". The programme was created by an executive order of the US President and has its own official website. This article only puts together what the official texts say: the text of "The Gold Card" executive order and its fact sheet on the White House website, the programme's official website (`trumpcard.gov`) and the entry-restriction proclamation of 16 December 2025. All these pages were checked on 25 October 2026.
The executive order at a glance
| Topic | What the text of the order says |
|---|---|
| Date | 19 September 2025 |
| Responsible | the Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security |
| Basis of the programme | an "unrestricted gift" to the US Department of Commerce |
| Amount for an individual | USD 1 million, if the individual donates on their own behalf |
| Amount for a company | USD 2 million, if a corporation or similar entity donates on behalf of an individual |
| Effect of the gift | evidence of eligibility in the "extraordinary ability", "exceptional business ability" and "national interest waiver" employment-based immigrant visa categories |
| Use of the money | deposited in a separate fund in the Treasury to promote US commerce and industry |
| Implementation deadline | 90 days from the date of the order to take the necessary steps |
In section 3 the order asks the Secretaries to set up an expedited process, the date from which gifts may be submitted, administrative fees, and maintenance and transfer fees for corporate cards. It also asks them to consider extending the programme to investor visa applicants. The order states that its implementation is subject to existing law and visa number limits.
What the programme's official website says
| Card | Conditions under `trumpcard.gov` |
|---|---|
| Individual Gold Card | a USD 15,000 non-refundable Department of Homeland Security processing fee; after background approval, a USD 1 million gift; permanent residence in the EB-1 or EB-2 employment-based visa categories, subject to visa availability |
| Corporate Gold Card | a USD 15,000 processing fee per employee; a USD 2 million gift per employee after vetting; the employee can be replaced without a new gift; "a small, 1% annual maintenance fee and a 5% transfer fee" |
| Platinum Card | "coming soon", waitlist only; a USD 15,000 fee and USD 5 million once launched; up to 270 days a year in the US without US tax on non-US income; US citizens and residents are not eligible; the page says there is no assurance that the USD 5 million amount will not change |
The page does not say what the corporate card percentages are based on.
Steps under the official website
- Step 1: Submit the online application and pay the non-refundable processing fee.
- Step 2: After the payment settles, complete Form `I-140G` and the documents in the portal of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (`USCIS`).
- Step 3: Background vetting by the Department of Homeland Security.
- Step 4: Pay the gift after vetting.
- Step 5: After approval of the EB-1 or EB-2 petition, obtain permanent residence.
The page says that once the fee and application are received, the process "should take weeks". The same page says a small number of countries may face waits of "up to a year or more" based on visa availability. A visa interview and timely documents are required, and State Department visa fees may be added.
Permanent residence, not citizenship
According to the official website, the Gold Card leads to permanent residence (a green card); it is not citizenship. Two official sentences matter here:
- Tax: applicants, "as with all U.S. citizens and permanent residents", are subject to US tax, including on non-US income.
- Revocation: the Gold Card "is a visa", and national security and significant criminal risks are a basis for revoking it.
The article "Citizenship or residency by investment: the differences" explains the difference between the two. See also the US foreign account reporting law in the article "FATCA and a second passport: the US foreign account reporting law for Dominica, Vanuatu and the UAE".
Family members
According to the official website, the spouse and unmarried children under 21 should be included in the initial application. Each family member has a separate USD 15,000 processing fee and USD 1 million gift.
The link with the entry-restriction proclamation of 16 December 2025
The US President's proclamation restricting the entry of nationals of certain countries suspends the immigrant entry of nationals of the listed countries. This suspension appears both in the full-restriction list and in the partial-restriction list.
| Topic | What the text of the proclamation says |
|---|---|
| Iran | in the full-restriction list (section 2) |
| Dominica | in the partial-restriction list (section 5); immigrant entry suspended |
| Vanuatu | not named in the proclamation |
| Gold Card | neither it nor its order is named in the proclamation |
| Exceptions | among others, dual nationals travelling on the passport of a country not on the lists; and case-by-case exceptions by the Attorney General, the Secretary of State or the Secretary of Homeland Security in the US national interest |
The Gold Card's official website does not mention this proclamation either. So anyone who holds only the nationality of a listed country should know, before any payment, that the text of the proclamation suspends the immigrant entry of that country's nationals. See the details for Dominica in the article "US entry restrictions for Dominica nationals from 1 January 2026: the proclamation, its exceptions and examples".
Two examples
These examples are hypothetical and only put the official amounts above side by side.
Example 1: a family of four. The main applicant, a spouse and two unmarried children under 21:
| Item | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Processing fees | 4 × 15,000 | USD 60,000 |
| Gifts | 4 × 1,000,000 | USD 4,000,000 |
| Total, without State Department visa fees | — | USD 4,060,000 |
The processing fee is non-refundable, and the gift is paid after background vetting.
Example 2: a company sponsoring an employee.
| Item | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Processing fee | 1 × 15,000 | USD 15,000 |
| Corporate gift | 1 × 2,000,000 | USD 2,000,000 |
| Annual maintenance, if the 1% is based on the gift | 2,000,000 × 1% | USD 20,000 a year |
| Transfer to another employee, if the 5% is based on the gift | 2,000,000 × 5% | USD 100,000 |
The last two rows are only estimates, because the official page does not give the basis of the percentages. According to the page, a transfer includes a new Department of Homeland Security background check.
Practical points
- Apply only through the programme's official website; the page says payment is made by credit card, by direct debit from a US account or by international wire from the applicant's own bank.
- Before paying the non-refundable fee, check whether your nationality is named in the entry-restriction proclamation.
- US permanent residence means tax on worldwide income; talk to a licensed tax adviser before deciding.
- The Platinum Card is still "coming soon"; its amount and conditions may change.
Royal Golden does not give legal, tax or immigration advice about the United States. This article is general information, and decisions on any application rest with the US authorities.
Sources
- The White House, executive order "The Gold Card" (19 September 2025) — https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/the-gold-card/ (checked on 25 October 2026)
- The White House, fact sheet on the Gold Card programme (19 September 2025) — https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/09/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-launches-the-gold-card-program/ (checked on 25 October 2026)
- The Gold Card programme's official website — https://trumpcard.gov/ (checked on 25 October 2026)
- The White House, proclamation "Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States" (16 December 2025) — https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/12/restricting-and-limiting-the-entry-of-foreign-nationals-to-protect-the-security-of-the-united-states/ (checked on 25 October 2026)