Greece

Greece Golden Visa Overview

The Greek Golden Visa program offers a five-year renewable residence permit in exchange for a qualifying investment across several asset classes.

There is no minimum stay requirement to maintain the permit, and holders may qualify for citizenship within 7 years, given meeting other requirements. 

Eligible dependants, including the applicant’s spouse, unmarried children up to age 21 (extendable to 24 with annual renewals), and the parents of both the main applicant and their spouse, can all be included in a single application.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be non-EU nationals aged 18 or over, with a clean criminal record and demonstrable funds. 

Investment categories include: 

Real Estate Investment Pathways

Three thresholds apply, as follows: 

• Zone A – €800,000: Applies to the Administrative Region of Attica, the Regional Unit of Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini, and all Greek islands with a registered population above 3,100. The purchase must be a single property of at least 120 sqm.
• Zone B – €400,000: Applies to all other parts of Greece not covered by Zone A. The same single-property and minimum 120 sqm conditions apply.
• Zone C- €250,000: Reserved for two specific property types, with no size or location restriction:
  • Commercial buildings undergoing full conversion to residential use. The formal change-of-use approval must precede the visa application.
  • Listed heritage buildings undergoing complete restoration. Work must be finished before the end of the fifth year of residency for the permit to be renewed.

Short-term letting of the qualifying property is prohibited, and properties acquired through commercial conversion may not be registered as a company headquarters. 

Financial Asset Pathways

4 thresholds apply, as follows: 

€250,000 

• Equity stake in a Greek startup registered on the Elevate Greece national registry, provided the investor holds no more than 33% of shares or voting rights, and the company creates and sustains at least two jobs within its first year of operation for a period of five years.
• 10-year lease of hotel accommodation or a furnished tourist establishment.

€350,000

• Capital is committed to a qualifying alternative investment fund focused exclusively on Greek real estate.
• Units in a mutual fund dedicated to Greek-listed shares, corporate bonds, or government bonds.

€400,000 

• Purchase of Greek government bonds with a remaining maturity of at least three years at the time of purchase, held through a Greek credit institution acting as custodian.

€500,000 

• Shares acquired through a Greek company’s share capital increase, or bonds admitted for trading on regulated Greek markets or multilateral trading mechanisms at the time of issuance.
• Fixed-term bank deposit placed with a Greek credit institution.

Route to Citizenship

Golden Visa holders become eligible for Greek naturalization after 7 years of continuous legal residence in the country.

To qualify, holders must establish tax residency in Greece during that period, spending at least 183 days in the country each year. 

Applicants must also demonstrate meaningful integration into Greek society and pass an official examination covering the Greek language at a minimum B1 level, as well as Greek history, culture, and civic institutions. 

A naturalization committee then conducts an interview to assess the strength of the applicant’s ties to the country. 

Greek law permits dual nationality.

Mobility and Taxation

Mobility

Holding a Greek residence permit grants the right to travel freely throughout all 29 Schengen Area member states, and can often expedite visa processes for many other destinations. 

Residents also access Greece’s public healthcare and education systems on the same terms as other legal residents.

Upon naturalization, Greek citizens can travel visa-free to approximately 184 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. 

As EU citizens, they gain the right to live, work, and study in any EU or EEA member state, and can access consular protection from any EU embassy when traveling in countries where Greece has no diplomatic presence.

Taxation

Greece operates a non-domicile tax regime that Golden Visa holders can apply to access separately, provided they choose to transfer their tax residency to Greece. The regime is optional and is not automatically conferred by the visa.

To qualify, an applicant must not have been a Greek tax resident for seven of the preceding eight years and must have made a cumulative investment of at least €500,000 (approx. US$544,000) in Greek assets within three years of applying. 

Those who qualify pay a flat annual sum of €100,000 on all foreign-sourced income, regardless of the amount earned, for up to 15 years. 

Family members can be brought into the regime for an additional €20,000 per person per year. 

A separate flat rate of 7% on foreign pension income is available to retirees from countries holding a double taxation agreement with Greece, also for a maximum of 15 years. 

In both cases, income generated within Greece is taxed separately under the standard progressive rate structure, which reaches up to 44%.

Golden Visa holders who do not establish tax residency in Greece are not liable for Greek income tax on foreign earnings and remain subject to the tax rules of their country of residence.

How to Apply

Applications are submitted to the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, which handles all investor residence permits under Law 4251/2014. 

At least one visit to Greece is required, as biometric data must be submitted in person. Most other steps, including property searches, legal due diligence, contract execution, and document preparation, can be managed remotely through a licensed Greek lawyer holding power of attorney.

All supporting documents must be translated into Greek and certified before submission.