Greece Golden Visa 2026: Investment Tiers, Requirements, and Costs

The Greece Golden Visa grants a 5-year renewable EU residence permit with no minimum stay requirement. Since the 2024 reforms, thresholds are tiered: EUR 800,000 in Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini, and larger islands, EUR 400,000 elsewhere, and EUR 250,000 for qualifying conversion or listed-building restoration projects.

What Is the Greece Golden Visa in 2026?

The Greece Golden Visa is a permanent investor residence permit, formally residence permit type B.5, granted under Article 100 of the Greek Migration Code (Law 5038/2023). It runs for 5 years, renews indefinitely while the investment is held, and carries no obligation to live in Greece.

The programme launched in 2013 and ran at a flat EUR 250,000 for a decade, which made it the cheapest residence-by-investment route in Europe, comparable in ambition to schemes like Andorra residency by investment. That era is over. Article 64 of Law 5100/2024 restructured the thresholds into geographic tiers, imposed a minimum floor area, restricted investors to a single property, and banned short-term letting. Law 5167/2024 extended the transitional window to 28 February 2025, and that window has now closed.

Anyone reading guidance that still quotes a flat EUR 250,000 entry point is reading pre-2024 material. The Ministry of Migration and Asylum issued Circular No. 1/2026 on 22 April 2026 to settle how the amended rules are applied in practice, and it is the reference point for current cases.

How Much Do You Need to Invest?

Three thresholds apply, set by where the property sits and what is being done to it. EUR 800,000 covers the highest-demand areas, EUR 400,000 covers the rest of the country, and EUR 250,000 remains available only for conversion and restoration projects.

The tier is determined by location and property type, not by the investor's profile. All three tiers now require the investment to be made in a single property.

Two details in that table cause most of the confusion. The 120 square metre rule counts main areas only: a 118 square metre apartment plus a parking space and storage room does not qualify, because parking and storage are not main areas. The purchase price of those ancillary spaces can still count toward the financial threshold if bought under the same deed in the same building, which is a distinction worth getting right before signing.

What Are the Non-Property Investment Routes?

Real estate is the best-known route but not the only one. Greece also accepts investment funds from EUR 350,000, bank deposits and government bonds from EUR 500,000, listed securities from EUR 800,000, and since January 2025 a EUR 250,000 startup route through Elevate Greece.

The startup pathway is the most significant recent addition. Introduced by Article 44 of Law 5162/2024, it lets an investor qualify with EUR 250,000 into a company registered on the Elevate Greece national startup platform. Two conditions constrain it: the investor cannot hold more than 33% of the company's share capital or voting rights, and the startup must create at least two full-time jobs within its first year and maintain them for the duration of the permit.

Fund-based routes remain a small share of total applications, estimated in the low single digits, but the March 2024 property repricing has increased interest. For an investor who wants Greek residence without Greek property, the EUR 350,000 fund route is now the cheapest entry point of any option, undercutting even the conversion tier.

What Does the Greece Golden Visa Cost in Total?

Budget roughly 7 to 10% of the purchase price on top of the qualifying investment. Government fees are modest by European standards: EUR 2,000 for the main applicant, EUR 150 per adult family member, and EUR 16 per residence card, with minors under 18 exempt from the application fee.

The larger items are transaction costs on the property itself. Legal representation is mandatory under Greek law, which is unusual and worth budgeting for properly rather than treating as optional.

One tax point deserves attention before choosing a property. Certain new-build transactions fall under VAT rules rather than the standard transfer tax, and Greece has operated a VAT suspension on some unsold new builds that has been extended through the end of 2026. The treatment materially changes the all-in acquisition cost, so the structure should be checked before committing rather than after.

Who Can You Include in the Application?

A single qualifying investment covers the family: spouse or registered partner, unmarried children under 21, and the parents of both spouses. Adult family members pay EUR 150 each in government fees; minors under 18 pay nothing.

Including both sets of parents is the notable feature. Many European programmes cover only the investor's own ascendants, or exclude them altogether, so a couple supporting parents on both sides would otherwise need multiple applications. Greece handles it under one investment.

The age ceiling on children is 21, and dependency must be evidenced. Children who pass 21 during the permit period generally need to transition to an independent permit category rather than continuing as dependants, which is worth planning for at the outset if children are in their late teens. Under the 2026 rules the authorities expect complete family documentation at the initial filing rather than added later.

Can You Rent Out a Greece Golden Visa Property?

Long-term letting is allowed. Short-term letting through sharing-economy platforms is prohibited, and so is subletting. Breach results in revocation of the residence permit and a EUR 50,000 administrative fine on the owner.

Paragraph 7A of Article 100, added by the 2024 amendment, is specific about scope. The ban covers short-term lets within the sharing economy as defined in Article 111 of Law 4446/2016, meaning arrangements of under 60 days where nothing beyond accommodation and bed linen is provided. It does not cover ordinary long-term leases, and it does not cover long-term leases to tourism businesses that provide genuine hotel services.

Two further restrictions apply. Properties acquired under the EUR 250,000 conversion route cannot be used as a company registered seat or branch, with the same EUR 50,000 fine for breach. Listed buildings bought under the restoration route cannot be sold before restoration is complete, and failure to restore before the first renewal carries a EUR 150,000 fine. Circular No. 1/2026 also confirms the short-term letting ban does not apply retroactively to properties acquired under the previous rules.

This matters commercially because the older marketing pitch for this programme leaned heavily on rental yield. That pitch no longer works for new applicants on the standard tiers. Anyone modelling returns on short-term holiday letting is modelling something the law now prohibits.

Does the Greece Golden Visa Lead to Citizenship?

Only if you actually move to Greece. Naturalisation requires roughly 7 years of genuine legal residence, plus B1 Greek and integration examinations. Holding the permit passively does not accumulate citizenship eligibility, because the clock counts real presence rather than permit years.

This is the single most misrepresented aspect of the programme, and the contradiction is easy to miss. The permit's headline benefit is that it requires no minimum stay. The citizenship route requires substantial physical presence, commonly cited at 183 days per year. Those two facts are in direct tension: the flexibility that makes the visa attractive is precisely what stops the naturalisation clock from running.

For most holders that is not a problem, because indefinite renewal already delivers what they want: EU residence, Schengen travel, and a family Plan B without relocating. Applicants whose real goal is a passport rather than residence should look at citizenship by investment instead. But an investor who buys specifically to obtain a Greek passport while continuing to live elsewhere has misunderstood the programme. Add the language examination and processing time on top of the 7 years, and a realistic passport timeline stretches well beyond that.

One further limitation is worth naming. The investor permit does not grant access to the Greek labour market. Holders may own companies and hold shares, and may sit as non-executive board members, but they cannot work for the company or act as its legal representative.

Sergey Voinich, Founder and Managing Partner at Golden Harbors, notes: "The Greek file that goes wrong is almost never the one where the money was short. It is the one where the buyer fell in love with a 110 square metre apartment in Athens, or planned to put it on a short-let platform. Both are fatal to the application, and both are avoidable if the property is checked against the rules before the deposit moves."

What Taxes Apply to Greece Golden Visa Holders?

Holding the permit does not by itself make you a Greek tax resident. Tax residency is a separate test based on presence and centre of vital interests. Investors who do become Greek tax residents may access a flat-tax regime instead of the progressive scale.

Greece applies progressive income tax rising to 44%. Under the non-dom regime, individuals who transfer their tax residence to Greece and meet the investment conditions can instead elect an annual lump-sum tax of EUR 100,000 on all foreign-source income, for up to 15 years, regardless of the amount earned. There are parallel regimes for foreign pensioners and for returning professionals.

On the purchase itself, transfer tax is 3% on resale property. Newly built properties have been exempt from the 24% VAT under a suspension measure, so the 3% transfer tax applies there instead. Budget roughly 7 to 10% of the purchase price for taxes, notary, registration, legal fees, and the immigration charges on top of the qualifying investment. Investors weighing this against other jurisdictions may find our comparison of lowest-presence tax residency options useful.

How Do You Apply, and How Long Does It Take?

Processing runs about 6 to 9 months from submission. The application can be handled almost entirely remotely through a Greek lawyer under power of attorney, with one trip to Greece required for biometrics.

• Run legal due diligence on the property and confirm it meets the applicable tier, the single-property rule, and the 120 square metre test where it applies.
• Obtain a Greek tax number (AFM) and open a Greek bank account.
• Complete the purchase before applying. The full price must be paid prior to submission, by bank transfer, bank cheque, or POS, and the notarial deed must record the payment details.
• Submit the application through the one-stop service, with passport, criminal record certificate, health insurance, and the notary's certificate.
• Attend a biometrics appointment in Greece. Family members are included at this stage, and 2026 rules expect complete family documentation at initial filing.
• Receive the residence card. Under Law 5275/2026 the 5-year validity now runs from the date the card is issued rather than the investment date.

Valid health insurance must be in place at the time of filing. If it is missing, the authority issues a 30-day deadline and the application is rejected if the gap is not closed. Applications from citizens of the Russian Federation and Belarus remain suspended. Investors comparing European routes against Caribbean passports can review the cheapest Caribbean citizenship options.

What Are the Most Common Mistakes?

Most failures are property selection errors made before anyone reads the statute. The rules changed substantially in 2024, and much of the guidance still circulating describes the pre-reform programme.

• Relying on the old flat EUR 250,000 threshold. It now applies only to conversions and listed-building restorations.
• Buying an apartment below 120 square metres of main area on the EUR 800,000 or EUR 400,000 tiers, then discovering parking and storage do not count toward the floor area.
• Splitting the investment across two properties. All tiers now require a single property.
• Planning short-term holiday letting, which is prohibited and carries a EUR 50,000 fine plus revocation.
• Buying a conversion property that has already been used once for a Golden Visa at the EUR 250,000 rate. The concession applies once per property.
• Assuming the permit accumulates toward citizenship without living in Greece.
• Selling the qualifying property before securing a replacement. The new investment must be completed before the old one is sold, or the permit is revoked.

How Does Greece Compare to Other European Programmes?

Greece is now the last major EU residency programme that still accepts direct real estate investment. Spain ended its Golden Visa on 3 April 2025 and Portugal removed property in October 2023, which leaves Greece as the default choice for investors who specifically want an asset rather than a fund.

The comparison against Portugal is the one most investors actually face. Greece is cheaper to enter and gives you a tangible asset, but that asset brings ENFIA property tax, maintenance, and exit risk in a specific local market. Portugal costs more and gives you fund units with no management burden, but demands 14 days of presence per two-year period where Greece demands none. Our Portugal Golden Visa guide sets out that side in full.

How Busy Is the Programme, and Does That Affect You?

Very busy, and yes. As of January 2026 there were roughly 81,500 valid permits in force with about 42,400 applications still pending, so administrative backlog is a real planning factor rather than a footnote.

Demand did not fall after the repricing. Greece received a record number of main-investor applications in 2024, and the programme now absorbs a substantial share of foreign investment into Greek property. That volume is what drove the reform in the first place: Golden Visa buyers accounted for a significant proportion of foreign real estate investment, which contributed to rising prices and, by late 2024, public protest over housing affordability in Athens.

Two practical consequences follow. First, build extra time into any plan that depends on the permit being issued by a particular date, since approvals lag applications. Second, expect continued political attention on this programme. The 2024 reform was not the first change and is unlikely to be the last, so an investor entering now should assume the rules can move again and should avoid structures that only work under current conditions.

Who Is the Greece Golden Visa Right For?

It suits investors who want EU residence with genuinely zero presence obligation and who are comfortable owning Greek property or committing to one of the financial routes. It does not suit anyone whose real objective is a Greek passport without moving to Greece.

• Good fit: families wanting Schengen access and a Plan B while continuing to live elsewhere, with no obligation to visit at all.
• Good fit: investors who specifically want real estate rather than fund units, since Greece is now the last major EU option offering it.
• Good fit: multigenerational families, given that parents of both spouses are covered under one investment.
• Poor fit: anyone seeking an EU passport without relocating, since naturalisation needs roughly 7 years of genuine residence.
• Poor fit: investors modelling returns on short-term holiday letting, which is prohibited.
• Poor fit: buyers who want to spread the investment across several smaller properties, since all tiers require a single property.

The programme has become more expensive and more restrictive, but it retains the two things that matter most to its core audience: no stay requirement at all, and a real asset at the end of it. After Spain's exit and Portugal's pivot to funds, that combination is no longer available anywhere else in the major EU programmes.

How Golden Harbors Helps

Golden Harbors advisors check the property against the applicable tier, the single-property rule, and the floor-area test before any deposit moves, which is where most Greek files are won or lost. We coordinate the AFM, the bank account, the notarial process, and the filing with Greek counsel, and we sequence family documentation so the initial application is complete.

We are also direct about what the permit does not do. It is not a fast route to an EU passport for someone who intends to keep living elsewhere, and it does not permit short-term letting. Setting that expectation at the outset is more useful than discovering it at renewal. For a wider view of European options, see our guide to the France Golden Visa.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Greece Golden Visa

How Much Is the Greece Golden Visa in 2026?

Three tiers apply. EUR 800,000 covers Attica including Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini, and islands with more than 3,100 inhabitants. EUR 400,000 applies across the rest of Greece. EUR 250,000 remains available only for properties converted from non-residential use or listed buildings requiring restoration. All transitional deadlines for the old flat rate have closed.

Is the Greece Golden Visa Still EUR 250,000?

Only for two specific routes. The flat EUR 250,000 threshold ended with Article 64 of Law 5100/2024. It survives for commercial-to-residential conversions and for listed buildings requiring restoration, with no floor area requirement in either case. Each property can be used at that rate only once, after which standard thresholds apply on resale.

Can You Get a Greece Golden Visa Without Buying Property?

Yes. Several non-property routes qualify: EUR 350,000 into a fund investing in Greek listed securities, EUR 500,000 in a fixed-term deposit or government bonds, EUR 800,000 in listed shares or corporate bonds, or EUR 250,000 into an Elevate Greece registered startup. The fund route at EUR 350,000 is the cheapest non-property option.

What Is the Greece Golden Visa Startup Route?

Introduced by Article 44 of Law 5162/2024 from January 2025, it allows a EUR 250,000 investment into a startup registered on the Elevate Greece platform. The investor cannot hold more than 33% of share capital or voting rights, and the company must create at least two full-time jobs within its first year and maintain them throughout the permit.

What Are the Total Costs Beyond the Investment?

Budget roughly 7 to 10% of the purchase price. Government fees are EUR 2,000 for the main applicant, EUR 150 per adult family member, and EUR 16 per card, with minors under 18 exempt. Property costs add transfer tax of about 3.09%, land registry 0.6%, notary about 1.5%, and mandatory legal fees of 1.5% to 3%.

Does the Greece Golden Visa Require You to Live in Greece?

No. There is no minimum stay requirement to obtain, hold, or renew the permit, and periods of absence do not prevent renewal. This makes Greece one of the most flexible EU residence-by-investment programmes. The trade-off is that time not spent in Greece does not count toward the residence needed for naturalisation.

Can You Get Greek Citizenship Through the Golden Visa?

Not passively. Naturalisation requires around 7 years of genuine legal residence in Greece, commonly measured at 183 days per year, plus B1 Greek language proficiency and integration examinations. A permit held without real presence does not accumulate eligibility. Adding examination preparation and processing, a realistic passport timeline extends well beyond 7 years.

Can You Rent Out a Greece Golden Visa Property on Airbnb?

No. Properties acquired for the initial grant or renewal of an investor permit are prohibited from short-term letting through sharing-economy platforms, and from subletting. Breach triggers revocation of the residence permit and a EUR 50,000 administrative fine. Long-term leases remain permitted, as do long-term leases to tourism businesses providing genuine hotel services.

What Is the 120 Square Metre Rule?

On the EUR 800,000 and EUR 400,000 tiers, built property must have at least 120 square metres of main areas. Parking spaces and storage rooms do not count toward that figure, though their purchase price can count toward the financial threshold if bought under the same deed in the same building. Undeveloped land without a building permit is exempt from the rule.

How Long Does the Greece Golden Visa Take?

Approximately 6 to 9 months from submission, though property selection and purchase happen before that clock starts. The full purchase price must be paid before the application is filed. Most of the process can be handled remotely through a Greek lawyer under power of attorney, with one trip to Greece required for biometric data collection.

Can Golden Visa Holders Work in Greece?

No. The investor permit does not grant access to employment or self-employment in Greece. Holders may establish companies, hold shares, and serve as non-executive board members, but they cannot perform work for the company or act as its legal representative. Family members may apply to change permit category if they wish to work.