Golden Visa (Permanent Residence Permit for Investor)

The Greek Golden Visa is a residence-by-investment program that grants five-year renewable residence permits to non-EU/EEA nationals who make qualifying investments in Greece. It offers a wide range of investment pathways — real estate, financial instruments, government bonds, bank deposits, and start-up equity — without requiring employment, a job offer, or minimum physical presence in Greece. Key benefits include Schengen Area travel (up to 90 days in any 180-day period in other member states), access to Greek healthcare and education, and a pathway to citizenship after seven years of tax residency. As of January 2026, approximately 28,589 active Golden Visa permits have been issued to main investors, while the pending application backlog fell from over 49,000 in mid-2025 to around 10,613 by January 2026.

• Non-EU/EEA nationality
• Lawful entry into Greece on any type of visa or lawful residence in the country
• Qualifying investment completed and fully paid before submitting the application
• Valid private health insurance covering hospitalization and accidents for the full permit duration
• Clean criminal record
• No educational, professional, or language requirements
• Note: issuance and renewal for Russian Federation citizens is currently suspended

Real Estate (effective September 2024)

• High-demand areas (Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini, islands with 3,100+ inhabitants): €800,000 — single property, minimum 120 sq m living area
• All other regions: €400,000 — single property, minimum 120 sq m living area
• Conversion of commercial/industrial to residential: €250,000 — conversion must be completed before application
• Restoration of listed/heritage buildings: €250,000

Financial Investments

• Company capital contribution: €500,000
• REIT shares: €500,000
• Venture capital / alternative investment fund: €500,000
• Greek government bonds (3+ year maturity): €500,000
• Fixed-term bank deposit (1+ year, auto-renewing): €500,000
• Listed securities portfolio: €800,000
• Mutual fund units (fund assets minimum €10M): €350,000
• Alternative investment fund units (AIF assets minimum €3M): €350,000

Start-Up Equity (operational since November 2025)

Issues a Type B.6 permit (1-year initial, renewable for 2-year periods). Investor must retain shares for at least 5 years; if sold, a 2-month reinvestment window applies. Does not grant employment rights.

• Natural person: €250,000 — company must be on the Elevate Greece National Startup Registry; investor's share cannot exceed 33% of company capital; must create at least 2 jobs within the first year, maintained for 5 years
• Legal entity (1 permit): €500,000
• Legal entity (2 permits): €1,000,000
• Legal entity (3 permits, maximum): €1,500,000

Up to three distinct investments may be combined to meet the minimum threshold for financial investment pathways.

• Valid passport (certified copy)
• Four recent color passport photographs (physical and digital in JPEG 2000 format)
• Proof of qualifying investment (notarial deed, land registry certificate, bank transfer confirmations, securities documentation)
• Private health insurance policy
• Criminal record certificate
• €2,000 electronic processing fee (e-paravolo) receipt
• €16 residence permit card fee receipt

The permit is valid for 5 years and renewable indefinitely for equal periods, provided the qualifying investment remains in place. Renewal requires the same documentation as the initial application. No minimum stay in Greece is required to maintain the permit — however, citizenship through naturalization requires 183+ days per year for 7 consecutive years.

Eligible family members receive residence permits with the same 5-year validity and renewal terms:

• Spouse or registered partner
• Unmarried children under 21
• Parents of both the investor and the investor's spouse (regardless of age)

Family member application fee is €150 per person (minors under 18 exempt) plus €16 for the residence permit card. Family members' permits are tied to the main investor's permit and do not grant labor market access.

Golden Visa holders are not permitted to work as employees in the Greek labor market. The permit is exclusively for investment purposes. Properties purchased under the program may not be used for short-term rentals (under 60 days), as business premises, or sub-leased — violations carry fines of €50,000 to €150,000.

The residence permit alone does not create tax residency. Individuals spending fewer than 183 days per year in Greece are generally taxed only on Greek-source income. Those spending 183+ days become tax residents subject to worldwide income taxation. Greece's Non-Dom Tax Regime allows qualifying individuals to pay a flat €100,000 per year on worldwide income (plus €20,000 per family member) instead of standard progressive rates. A separate 7% flat tax on foreign pension income is available for retirees transferring tax residence.

Applications are submitted electronically through the Ministry of Migration and Asylum portal or in person at the Department of Residence Permits for Investors. The applicant must appear in person at least once for biometric data collection; most other steps can be handled through a power of attorney. Processing time is approximately 12-16 months as of early 2026, though some recent applications have cleared in under 30 days. Upon submission, a certificate of application receipt is issued allowing legal stay pending a decision.

Fees: €2,000 main applicant; €150 per family member; €16 card printing fee per person. Start-up pathway: €2,500 non-refundable processing fee.

In November 2025, Ministerial Decision 214926/2025 was published, completing the regulatory framework with standardized documentation templates for the €250,000 commercial-to-residential conversion and heritage building pathways — unblocking approximately 13,499 pending applications. The transitional provisions allowing purchases under previous thresholds expired on April 30, 2025. In early 2026, the government introduced reforms so the five-year permit validity period now runs from the card issuance date rather than the application filing date, and streamlined renewal and family reunification procedures. The pending backlog fell from approximately 42,390 in November 2025 to 10,613 by January 2026. Issuance and renewal for Russian Federation citizens remains suspended.