Greece Golden Visa: Routes, Costs and 2026 Rules

Greece launched its investor residence permit in 2013. Today it sits in Article 100 of the Migration Code (Law 5038/2023), as amended by Article 64 of Law 5100/2024, with procedural rules from Joint Ministerial Decisions and, since February 2026, Law 5275/2026^[1][2][5]. Applications are decided by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum (Directorate for Residence Permits), and are filed through the decentralised administrations or the ministry's digital platform^[1].

The permit lasts five years. Under Law 5275/2026 (Government Gazette FEK A' 17, 6 February 2026), the five years now run from the date the residence card is issued, not from the filing date, so slow processing no longer eats into the permit's life^[24][6][9]. It can be renewed every five years for as long as the investment is kept. Holders may live in Greece and travel in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180, but the permit does not give a right to take employment. Holding shares or a non-executive board seat is allowed^[2][5].

Demand has cooled since the 2024 price rises. Citing Migration Ministry data, industry press reports 3,086 new golden visa applications in January–July 2026, down 39% from 5,028 a year earlier. Active investor permits reached 34,278 at the end of July 2026, mainly because the ministry has been clearing old files: the processing backlog fell from more than 52,000 files in early 2025 to 29,273^[19][16]. These figures come from the ministry's monthly legal-migration statistics as relayed by the press. We have not checked them against the July report itself, so treat them as indicative.

This page covers residence. If your goal is a Greek passport, see our guide to how to get Greece citizenship, which explains the seven-year naturalisation route and its language and integration tests.

Law 5100/2024 reshaped the property route in two steps. Its conversion rules entered into force on 5 April 2024, and the new location-based thresholds applied to purchases from 1 September 2024^[2][4]. Buyers who had signed and paid a 10% deposit by 31 August 2024 at the old €250,000 price had until 28 February 2025 to complete^[9]. Permits granted under earlier rules are not affected by the new restrictions^[4].

The two price zones

€800,000 applies across the whole Region of Attica (Athens, Piraeus, the Athens Riviera), the Thessaloniki area, Mykonos, Santorini (Thira) and any island with more than 3,100 inhabitants, which captures Crete, Rhodes, Corfu, Paros, Naxos and most other popular islands^[4][10]. €400,000 applies everywhere else: for example Patras, Ioannina, Kalamata, Volos, most of the Peloponnese, northern Greece outside Thessaloniki, and smaller islands. Check the population of a specific island against the latest census before signing.

The 120 m² and single-property rules

Under both zone thresholds the investment must be in one property with at least 120 m² of main living space. Combining two smaller flats to reach €400,000 or €800,000 no longer qualifies^[4][10]. Spouses or registered partners may co-own the qualifying property if together they meet the threshold. Other co-owners, such as siblings or business partners, cannot share a single investment^[10]. Plots of land without a building are not subject to the size rule^[4].

The €250,000 conversion and listed-building routes

The lower threshold survives only for two cases. The first is a building with commercial or industrial use that is converted to residential use. The change of use must take place after 5 April 2024 and be completed before you file. For a former industrial building, there must be no industrial activity for at least five years. There is no 120 m² minimum, and the converted property may not be used as a business seat or branch^[2][4]. The second is a listed or preserved building that you buy and restore^[1]. Both routes depend heavily on engineering, planning and permit risk. Conversion projects are often sold off-plan by developers, so make sure the change-of-use certificate exists before you rely on the €250,000 figure.

Short-term rental ban

A golden visa property may not be let through Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo or any other short-term (under 30 days) platform, and may not be sublet. A breach leads to revocation of the permits of the investor and family and an administrative fine reported at €50,000^[10][9][4]. Long-term residential leases are allowed. Rental income is then taxed in Greece^[10]. If you sell the property, the permits are revoked^[1][5].

Payment must be made in full before you apply, by bank transfer from your own account or banker's cheque. Cash above €500 and cryptocurrency are not accepted^[1][10].

Investors who do not want to own property can use the capital routes. A €500,000 fixed-term deposit must sit in a single Greek bank for at least 12 months with automatic renewal, and must stay in place for the life of the permit. Interest is taxed at a 15% withholding rate^[7][16]. The same €500,000 applies to Greek government bonds with at least three years to maturity^[7]. Listed Greek shares or corporate bonds require €800,000, while units in mutual or alternative investment funds that invest exclusively in Greece require €350,000, the cheapest non-property entry point^[7][8].

The deposit and fund routes sit outside both the short-term rental ban and the planned 15% transfer tax, which makes them more attractive after September 2026^[14][15]. Their drawbacks are capital tied up at low yields, currency exposure for non-euro investors, and in the case of funds, manager and liquidity risk. Advisers report that investors can switch between qualifying categories without losing status if they reinvest within two months, but we have not seen this in an official text^[7].

A separate €250,000 start-up route, announced in September 2024 and legislated by Law 5162/2024 (FEK A' 198, 5 December 2024), lets investors buy into an innovative company registered with Elevate Greece^[21]. The investor may hold at most 33% of the company, which is reported to have to create two new full-time jobs within a year and keep them for five years^[17][9]. We found no official uptake figures, and the detailed rules should be confirmed with counsel.

The main applicant must:

• be a non-EU/EEA/Swiss national aged 18 or over, with a valid passport;
• enter Greece lawfully, either visa-free or on a national (type D) or Schengen visa^[1];
• complete and fully pay for the qualifying investment before filing, from their own funds, with a traceable bank payment^[1][10];
• hold private health insurance covering all applicants for the permit period^[1];
• pass security checks with no criminal record that threatens public order, and pose no public-health risk^[1][3];
• for property routes, obtain a notarial certificate of purchase, proof of land registry or cadastre registration and, for conversions, an engineer's report confirming the change of use^[2].

Property can be bought through a company only if the applicant owns 100% of it^[1]. Law 5275/2026 also tightened the documents needed at first filing: apostilled marriage and birth certificates, proof that parents are dependent, and health policies must now be supplied up front rather than later^[6]. Most of the process can be handled by a lawyer under power of attorney. Applicants need to be in Greece only to give biometrics^[5].

One investment covers the main applicant's spouse or registered partner, their children under 21, and the parents of both spouses. Each family member receives their own permit, which expires with the investor's^[8][5]. Some advisers say dependent children who are full-time students can stay to 24, but we could not confirm this in official guidance^[5]. Children who outgrow the family permit usually move to a separate student, work or independent-means permit.

Each adult family member pays a €150 permit fee plus €16 for the card, and minors are widely reported to be exempt^[11]. A family of two adults, two children and two parents therefore pays about €2,000 + 3 × €150 + 6 × €16 ≈ €2,546 in government fees per five-year cycle. Family members can study in Greece. Like the investor, they have no automatic right to take employment.

A typical real-estate application follows these stages. Deposit and fund routes skip the property steps.

A golden visa does not make you a Greek tax resident. Tax residence depends on physical presence (more than 183 days in a 12-month period) or the centre of vital interests. Investors who never live in Greece pay Greek tax only on Greek income, such as rent, and on property (ENFIA)^[12]. Rental income is taxed at progressive rates, and interest on Greek deposits is subject to 15% withholding^[10][16].

Investors who do move to Greece can use special regimes^[12]:

• Article 5A non-dom regime: a flat €100,000 per year on all foreign-source income, plus €20,000 per family member included, for up to 15 years. You must invest at least €500,000 in Greek real estate, businesses or securities, and must not have been Greek tax resident in 7 of the previous 8 years.
• Article 5B foreign pensioners: a flat 7% on foreign pension and other foreign income, for people not tax resident in 5 of the previous 6 years.
• Article 5C relocation incentive: a 50% exemption on Greek employment or business income for 7 years, for people who move to Greece to work.

A €500,000-plus golden visa investment can also satisfy the 5A investment test, so high earners often combine the two. Greece has no annual wealth tax. Inheritance and gift tax applies to Greek-situs assets at rates that vary with the family relationship. On the purchase itself, transfer tax is about 3.09% today, and VAT on new builds can be avoided where the developer opts out under the suspension that runs to 31 December 2026^[11][13].

The investor permit is renewable every five years with no limit, as long as you still hold the investment, keep valid health insurance and pay the €2,000 renewal fee (plus family fees)^[1][11]. The official registry lists it as a "permanent" golden visa. The label describes the permit category, and the card itself must still be renewed every five years^[2]. There is no minimum stay, so it suits a holiday-home or Plan-B strategy.

Formal long-term (EU) resident status is different. It generally requires five years of legal and continuous residence with limited absences, stable resources and proof of Greek language and integration. Time on a golden visa only helps if you actually live in Greece. Whether years spent largely abroad count is unclear, and you should get advice before relying on them. The same applies to naturalisation, which needs seven years of real residence. That route is covered on our page on Greek nationality through residence.

Selling the property, or withdrawing the deposit or fund units, ends the permits for the whole family unless you switch to another qualifying investment^[1][7].

It suits families who want an EU residence card and Schengen mobility without moving, buyers who want a real home or long-let investment in Greece, multi-generational families (parents are included), and people who plan to relocate and use the €100,000 flat tax or the 7% pensioner regime.

Look elsewhere if you need a quick route to an EU passport, if you want to run a holiday-let business from the property, or if your budget is under €250,000. Investors who want the lowest-risk capital route may prefer the €350,000 fund option, or another country's fund-based programme.

• Portugal's fund-based golden visa: €500,000 in funds, with low stay requirements, but the property route closed in 2023.
• Cyprus permanent residence for €300,000: a new-build purchase plus a €50,000 annual income test, with permanent status from day one.
• Malta's MPRP: permanent residence through government contributions plus property purchase or rent.
• Italy's investor visa: from €250,000 in an innovative start-up, with a 2-year renewable permit and no property route.
• Hungary's guest investor programme: a €250,000 real-estate fund route, with political risk after 2026.
• Montenegro property residence: a lower-cost Balkan option outside the Schengen Area.

For a side-by-side view, see our European residency programmes comparison and the lowest-cost golden visa options. To see which programmes no longer accept applicants, such as Spain's former golden visa, read our list of closed programmes. The golden visa hub lists every residency-by-investment option by budget.