Greece
Golden Visa
Minimum investment
EUR 250,000
Processing time
approximately 90 days via the Ministry of Migration and Asylum; a Blue Certificate grants immediate temporary stay while the permit is processed
Physical presence
no minimum stay required to maintain the residence permit
- Investment route
- •Real estate purchase at one of three tiers: EUR 250,000 for a commercial-to-residential conversion or listed-building restoration (available anywhere in Greece)
- •EUR 400,000 for standard residential property outside the prime-zone list
- •EUR 800,000 in Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini, and islands with over 3,100 inhabitants
- •alternatively, investment in an eligible fund or bank deposit
- Investment breakdown
- •under Circular No.1/2026 (effective 21 April 2026), the qualifying investment must be a single property (the 'Single Property Rule') with a main living space of at least 120 square metres for the EUR 400,000 and EUR 800,000 tiers
- •auxiliary spaces like storage and parking may count toward total value but not always toward the 120 sqm minimum
- •funds must originate from outside Greece via a compliant banking channel
- •legal basis is Law 5038/2023, Law 5007/2022, and Law 5100/2024
- Additional fees
- •AFM (Greek Tax ID) registration required
- •approximately EUR 2,000 government fee via the e-Paravolo system
- •property transfer tax around 3%, notary and legal fees separately
- •since the 2024 reform, short-term rental platforms (Airbnb, Booking.com, and similar) are banned on qualifying properties, with fines of EUR 50,000 per violation — only long-term rentals of 12+ months are permitted
- Eligibility
- •18+
- •Clean criminal record
- •Verifiable source of funds
- Due diligence
- standard due diligence tied to the property purchase and source-of-funds verification
- Family inclusion
- •spouse or civil-union partner (full independent rights)
- •unmarried children under 21 (extended to 24 if in full-time education)
- •parents of the main applicant or spouse, under the Family Reunification (O.1) provision
- Path to citizenship
- •citizenship is separate from the Golden Visa and is not a guaranteed or accelerated outcome of it
- •naturalization normally requires approximately 7 years of genuine residence in Greece, plus Greek language proficiency and integration/civic knowledge steps — a passive Golden Visa holder who does not actually reside in Greece does not meet this genuine-residence requirement
- Renewal
- permit is valid for 5 years and renewable indefinitely provided the qualifying investment is maintained
- Dual citizenship
- Fully permitted — Greece allows dual and multiple citizenship
- Key benefits
- •No minimum stay requirement makes it popular with investors who don't plan to relocate full time
- •The purchased property can be rented out for income while the permit remains valid
- Taxation
- non-resident investors are generally taxed only on Greek-source income (including rental income from the qualifying property)
Application process
- 1.select a qualifying property
- 2.obtain a Greek tax number (AFM)
- 3.sign the purchase contract before a notary
- 4.register the property
- 5.submit the residence permit application with proof of ownership