Following the legal procedure, the Golden Visa application can only be submitted to the authority after all the procedures of acquiring a property has completed and relevant taxes paid. The faster the implementation of property acquisition, the earlier the appointment settlement date. An appointment needs to be scheduled with a branch of the Ministry of Migration Policy in advance. The location where you submit your application and biometrics data is the key. Within Athens, at this moment, the related appointments are delayed due to backlogs and the large quantity of applications. However, following a recent legal amendment, applications for resident permits for property owners can be submitted to any authority of the Ministry of Migration Policy outside Athens. This ensures better time framework so there is no need to worry. In any case, at the time of submission a temporary resident permit is issued and within a two-month period afterwards, the permanent resident permit is ready. The origin country of the applicant makes no difference
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How long does it take a Chinese investor to obtain a Greek Golden Visa currently?
I know that the Greek Golden Visa program has been very popular among investors from China. I would like to know if there is a backlog in processing the applications. Currently, how long does it take to obtain a Golden Visa? Does it matter if an investor comes from China or another country with fewer Golden Visa applicants?
Answers
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The nationality of the applicant does not play any role for the processing time of the Golden Visa applications. What does affect the processing time is the workload of the Immigration authority where the application is submitted. The law provides that the final residence permit is issued within 60 days after the application has been submitted provided that the application file is complete. However please note that on the same day you submit your application you get a temporary residence card which is valid for a year and you can use to travel between your country and Greece or stay in Greece until your final residence permit is issued.
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The application process takes approximately 40 days from the time of investment until the resident permit is issued. The applicant needs to have made the property investment in Greece prior to applying for the visa. Once a property has been selected, the lawyers can take care of the application process. The time needed for the application is the same for all applicants from any country.
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Please be aware that currently due to high volume of petitions there is an approximate estimated time period of one year for obtaining a Golden Visa in Greece, which is applicable to all foreign applicants northwithsanding their origin.