Programme overview
The Greek Golden Visa is the Mediterranean’s longest-running residency-by-investment route, in continuous operation since 2013 and substantially re-tiered by Law 5100/2024 (effective 31 August 2024). Greece grants a five-year, renewable residency permit on the basis of a single qualifying acquisition or capital transfer; the permit carries the holder’s spouse, dependent children up to 21 (extendable to 24 in tertiary education), and dependent parents of both principals. There is no minimum stay requirement to maintain the permit.
The 2024 reform did not introduce new programmes — it re-priced the existing ones by location and use case. Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and the islands above 3,100 residents now sit at €800,000. The rest of mainland Greece and the smaller islands sit at €400,000. The legacy €250,000 entry point survives only for commercial-to-residential conversions and the restoration of listed buildings — a narrow, counsel-heavy category that does not describe the vast majority of new files.
Greece is a Schengen member and a full EU state, so the residency card carries 90-in-180 day mobility across 29 Schengen states from issuance. Citizenship eligibility opens at year seven, subject to substantive physical residence in Greece, a B1-level Greek language pass and an integration interview — a longer arc than Portugal, but a more permissive day-one residency.
Investment routes
Real estate — Tier A (€800,000)
Single property in Athens and the southern Attica suburbs, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and any island with a permanent population above 3,100 residents. Minimum surface area 120 m². Short-term tourist letting (Airbnb-style) is prohibited during the residency holding period — a meaningful constraint for buyers expecting yield. This is the route for principals whose primary motive is the asset itself rather than the permit cost.
Real estate — Tier B (€400,000)
Single property of at least 120 m² anywhere outside Tier A: most of the Peloponnese, Crete (excluding central Heraklion), the Ionian islands, and the bulk of northern and central Greece. The dominant route for yield-oriented buyers since the 2024 reform. The 120 m² floor still applies; sub-120 m² stock that continues to circulate at this price will not qualify.
Commercial-to-residential conversion (€250,000)
The legacy €250,000 floor survives only for properties being converted from commercial to residential use, or for the restoration of officially listed buildings. Tightly defined, requires permitted change-of-use documentation and a notarised undertaking that the conversion will complete. The most capital-efficient route into the programme — but it is not a route for casual buyers.
Capital transfer and financial assets (€500,000)
Greek government bonds, a time deposit at a Greek bank, shares in Greek mutual funds or AIFs, or a direct capital injection into a Greek company. Held for the full residency period. Suits families uninterested in property exposure or property management — and avoids the ENFIA real-estate tax line-item.
Strategic investments and R&D (€500,000)
Equity participation in a Greek-domiciled R&D venture, or a strategic investment certified by the Ministry of Development. A specialist route reserved for principals already running operating businesses with an EU footprint who can underwrite the certification process.
Tax architecture
The default position. A Greek Golden Visa, in itself, does not make the holder a Greek tax resident. Tax residency triggers when an individual spends more than 183 days in Greece in any rolling 12 months, or establishes a centre of life there. Until that line is crossed, only Greek-source income (rents, Greek dividends, etc.) is taxable in Greece.
Article 5A — the non-dom regime. Greece offers a flat €100,000 annual tax that covers all non-Greek-source income for fifteen years, available to relocating principals who have not been Greek tax-resident in seven of the previous eight years and who commit to invest at least €500,000 in Greece. Family members can be added at €20,000 each. Designed for capital-rich relocators who would otherwise sit in the top marginal bracket.
Article 5B — the pensioner regime. A flat 7% rate on all foreign-source income (including pensions) for fifteen years, available to retirees relocating from a country with which Greece has a tax treaty, who have not been Greek tax-resident in five of the previous six years. Lower entry bar than 5A; narrower fit.
Property and inheritance. ENFIA, the annual real-estate tax, applies on Greek property based on objective values. Rental income is taxed progressively (15–45%); short-term lettings face additional registration and turnover thresholds. Inheritance between lineal relatives is taxed on a 1–10% scale; 20–40% applies to non-lineal beneficiaries — generous by EU standards but not zero.
What it gets you
- Schengen mobility from week eight. 90-in-180 day visa-free travel across all 29 Schengen states on the residency card alone.
- EU education access. Children may enrol at Greek and many EU universities at domestic-fee rates, dropping international tuition by 60–80%.
- Optional public healthcare. Enrolment in EFKA, the Greek public system. Most international families pair this with private cover written in Athens or London.
- Banking and corporate access. AFM (Greek tax number) and IBAN open Greek banking, corporate formation and onward EU structuring.
- Citizenship pathway. Eligible to apply for Greek (EU) citizenship after seven years of legal residency, subject to a B1 Greek language pass, an integration interview and substantive physical presence.
- Family unit on a single file. Spouse, children to 21 (24 in tertiary education) and dependent parents of both principals — typically five to seven beneficiaries on one application.
Our role on a Greek file
A Greek file touches lawyers, notaries, banks, the tax office, the immigration directorate and sometimes the municipality. We hold the conductor’s baton.
- Pre-engagement diagnostic — programme fit, tier choice, tax position and citizenship horizon.
- Power of attorney drafting and notarisation, AFM (Greek tax number) issuance, bank account opening, and pre-acquisition due diligence on the candidate property or fund placement.
- Notarised acquisition or capital transfer, supervised by our Athens counsel and witnessed by the principal in person or via PoA.
- Residency application file assembly, biometrics, and submission to the Ministry of Migration’s Decentralised Authority.
- Issued residency card collection — typically eight to sixteen weeks after submission.
- Renewal calendaring, citizenship-eligibility tracking and tax-residency planning on a rolling annual basis.