Launched in July 2013 the Greek Golden Visa programme grants a five-year residency visa in return for an investment in real estate. There is no minimum stay requirement and children up to the age of 21 are included in the family application. The visa is granted for five years and renewed every five years if the property investment is retained. It is not necessary to live in the country in order to retain and renew the investor visa. However, citizenship can only be granted after seven years of residency.
Greece offer one of the most cost-effective Golden Visa programmes in Europe. The main benefit of Greece’s Golden Visa programme is that applicants will be granted Greek Permanent Residency within just a few months, following a real estate investment of €250,000. A Greek residency permit will enable the holder to live, work and study in Greece, should they wish to, although this is not a requirement of the Golden Visa programme. As Greece is part of the Schengen Zone, Greek residents can to travel visa-free to the rest of the EU Schengen Zone, with the ability to spend up to 90 days every 180 days in other Schengen states.
From €250,000 + costs
Real Estate
Full family.
Flexible. No minimum stay.
EU Schengen Zone travel.
Greece’s Golden Visa programme grants Permanent Residency from the start. Permanent Residency permits need to be renewed every five years through retaining the property investment.
Although it is technically possible to apply for citizenship in Greece after seven years of full-time residency, Greek law also requires citizenship applicants to speak fluent Greek, which makes this process difficult for most. Investors looking for potential European citizenship are advised to consider alternative options such as the Portugal Golden Visa programme, which provides a more flexible route to citizenship.
Minimum investment of €250,000
Clean criminal record
Open to non-EU applicants
Full family residency
Dependent children
Dependent family members
No minimum stay requirement
No interview
No language test
Residency in EU country
EU Schengen zone travel
Citizenship 7Yr+ residency
Following an investment of €250,000 into Greek real estate the process for obtaining a Greek Golden Visa is relatively straightforward and quick.
From May 2023, the real estate requirement is set to increase from €250,000 to €500,000 in certain Municipalities of Greece, such as Athens, Thessaloniki, Glyfada, Mykonos and Santorini. La Vida is monitoring the situation closely and will provide further updates when available.
Government, notary and legal fees for the property purchase and visa application will amount to around €15,000. In addition, there is VAT to pay in Greece on the property purchase.
In addition to making the necessary real estate investment there are several requirements that applicants must meet:
Book your free consultation with La Vida’s team of experts to discuss and decide which programme and investment route is best suited to you and your family. Our experienced consultants will advise you on all applicable fees and guide you through the entire process in detail.
You can choose your real estate investment remotely through our trusted advisors, or you can visit Greece to select your investment and appoint a lawyer to take care of the conveyancing on your behalf. Through Power of Attorney the property purchase can be completed at the notary in your absence.
Once the real estate investment is complete, usually within 30 days, you can then apply for the Greece Golden Visa. Clients will need to attend an application appointment to submit their biometric data, or it can be submitted within six months following the appointment.
Once your golden visa application has been approved you will be issued with a five-year Greek Permanent Residency permit. This can be renewed every five years providing the Greek real estate investment is maintained.
Real estate investors in Greece must also budget for the additional taxes on real estate at 3%- 24%. At €250,000 + taxes and fees (just over €300,000 in total) this programme offers one of the lowest cost residency programmes in Europe. La Vida offers real estate options in several locations in Greece. Athens has proven to be one of the most popular locations for foreign investors due to its international flight connections, and strong ROI’s.
For further details on the procedures and to see our property portfolio enquire here.
A few examples of our real estate options for residency investment in Greece.
We have listed below some of the frequently asked questions we receive regarding the Greece Golden Visa programme. However, it is impossible to cover everything in depth here. Please contact our advisors for further details.
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Read moreGreece is not the only country in Europe offering a golden visa program leading to a residence permit through real estate investment. Visit the pages below for further options.
La Vida has extensive experience of all the Golden Visa programmes in Europe. In addition to Greece we can advise on Portugal, Malta, Spain and Turkey. We also offer citizenship by investment options in the Caribbean. La Vida has extensive global reach with our expert team having helped clients in over 120 countries worldwide.
