If you're a non-EU citizen thinking about Greece, the short answer is: you can qualify from €250,000, though most buyers end up paying €400,000 or €800,000, and there is no minimum stay once you have the permit. Beyond the investment, you need to be 18 or over, hold private health insurance and have a clean criminal record.
The detail matters, because the rules changed on 31 August 2024 and a lot of older guidance is now wrong, especially on price.
Key takeaways
- The minimum depends on the route: €800,000 (real estate in high-demand zones), €400,000 (real estate elsewhere), or €250,000 (conversions and listed-building restorations only).
- The old "€250,000 for any apartment" route is gone. A standard home is now €400,000 or €800,000.
- There is no minimum stay. You visit once, for biometrics.
- Qualifying property cannot be let short-term (Airbnb). That removes a yield pitch many agents still use.
- The permit covers three generations: you, your spouse, your children, and both sets of parents.
- It is a residence permit. It is not a passport and not tax residency.
That headline figure only makes sense against what the rules looked like before.
What changed in 2024
| What | Before (to Aug 2024) | From 31 August 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Real-estate minimum | €250,000 nationwide | €400,000 (Zone B) / €800,000 (Zone A) |
| What €250,000 buys | A standard home | Only conversions and listed-building restorations |
| Short-term (Airbnb) letting of qualifying property | Allowed | Not allowed |
| Framework | Law 4251/2014 thresholds | Zoned thresholds under the 2024 reform (Law 5100/2024) |
Before choosing a route, confirm you meet the baseline eligibility every route shares.
Who qualifies
Every route shares the same baseline. You must:
- Be a national of a non-EU/EEA country.
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Have a clean criminal record (certificate required).
- Hold private health insurance valid in Greece.
- Prove the funds are lawfully yours.
- Make and keep a qualifying investment.
You do not need to speak Greek, live in Greece, or give up your current citizenship.
With eligibility settled, the real decision is which investment route to take.
Investment routes and minimums
The 2024 reform split Greece into investment zones and raised the property thresholds. The current minimums:
| Route | Minimum | Your capital | Can you let it? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real estate, Zone A (Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini, big islands) | €800,000 | Property you own | Long-term only, no Airbnb | Prime city or island property |
| Real estate, Zone B (rest of Greece) | €400,000 | Property you own | Long-term only, no Airbnb | Lowest real-estate entry |
| Commercial-to-residential conversion | €250,000 | Property you own | Long-term only, no Airbnb | Lowest outlay, willing to take on a project |
| Listed-building restoration | €250,000 | Property you own | Long-term only, no Airbnb | Heritage-property buyers |
| Capital / fund contribution | €350,000 | Recoverable after the holding period | - | Hands-off, no property to manage |
| Bank deposit or government bonds | €500,000 | Recoverable | - | Capital preservation |
Find your Greece Golden Visa route
1. How do you want to invest?
Choose how you want to invest to see your minimum and conditions.
Figures reflect the rules in force since 31 August 2024. Confirm current thresholds before committing. See the Greece dossier for full detail.
Two things the brochures skip:
- €250,000 no longer buys a normal apartment. It applies only to conversions and listed-building restorations. A standard home is €400,000 (Zone B) or €800,000 (Zone A).
- No short-term rental. Property used to qualify cannot be let on Airbnb-style platforms. Long-term letting is allowed.
Once you've picked a route, the process runs on paperwork - here is what to have ready.
Documents you need
For the main applicant and each family member:
- Valid passport, with copies.
- A Greek tax number (AFM), and in practice a Greek bank account.
- Proof of the investment (title deed, contract, fund subscription, or deposit confirmation).
- Source-of-funds evidence: bank statements, sale agreements, income, tax returns. This is the step that most often slows or sinks a file.
- A clean criminal record certificate, apostilled and translated.
- Private health insurance valid in Greece.
- Biometrics (fingerprints and photo), given in person.
With documents in hand, here is how the filing itself actually runs.
The application process
- Get a Greek tax number (AFM) and open a bank account, usually via a lawyer with power of attorney.
- Make the qualifying investment, or transfer the funds, and gather the proof.
- File the application through the Ministry of Migration and Asylum and the relevant authority.
- Receive the application receipt (the "blue receipt"). It lets you stay in, and travel to and from, Greece while the file is processed.
- Give biometrics at an appointment in Greece. This is the one trip that is genuinely required.
- Collect the five-year residence permit card.
A lawyer can handle most steps under power of attorney. On timelines: historically four to nine months, but the rush before the 2024 price rise created backlogs, so it now runs longer in practice. Treat any promise of a fixed, fast turnaround with caution.
Filing as an individual is one thing; most applicants also want to know who else the permit covers.
Who you can include
Greece has one of the widest family definitions in Europe. One application can cover:
- You, the investor.
- Your spouse or registered partner.
- Your children up to 21, and able to remain as dependents up to 24 if they are students.
- Both sets of parents - yours and your spouse's.
That is three generations on a single investment.
Getting the permit is the start - keeping it depends on a smaller, ongoing set of conditions.
Renewing and keeping it
- The permit lasts five years and renews in five-year cycles, indefinitely.
- Conditions: keep the investment, keep valid health insurance, and don't let qualifying property short-term.
- There is no minimum stay to renew. You can hold it for decades while living elsewhere.
It's worth being just as clear about what the permit does not do.
What it does not give you
- Not citizenship. It is a residence permit. A passport is a separate, longer process.
- Not tax residency. Holding it does not make you a Greek taxpayer.
- Not the right to live and work across the EU. It allows Schengen travel of up to 90 days in any 180, nothing more.
That leads to the question most applicants actually care about long-term: citizenship.
The path to citizenship
- You can apply for naturalisation after seven years of lawful residence.
- The application includes a Greek language and civics exam.
- Naturalisation is assessed on genuine ties to Greece, and the process is long.
In short: if a passport is the real goal, Greece is a slow route that expects real presence and a passed exam, not a "park money for seven years" arrangement.
Citizenship is a long game; the near-term costs are worth budgeting for now.
Costs beyond the investment
Budget for these on top of the qualifying sum. Confirm current government figures at filing, as they are revised periodically:
- Government application fee: around €2,000 per main applicant, plus about €150 per dependent.
- Residence permit card: a small per-person issuance fee.
- Legal fees: roughly €5,000–10,000.
- For a resale property: transfer tax of about 3.09%, plus notary and land-registry costs of roughly 1.5–2%.
- Private health insurance: a few hundred euros per person per year.
Related reading
- Greece dossier
- Greece Golden Visa - real-estate route guide
- Is the Greece Golden Visa worth it? - honest verdict
- Greece Golden Visa housing-market study - under 7% of home sales
- Greece Golden Visa family multiplier - 31,178 investors, ~90,000 people
- Greece Golden Visa - full cost breakdown
- Greece Golden Visa - path to citizenship
- Greece vs Portugal Golden Visa
Sources
- Νόμος 5100/2024 (Law 5100/2024) - Golden Visa investment thresholds and zones. [confirm law number and effective date in source]
- Νόμος 4251/2014 (Immigration and Social Integration Code), as amended - investor residence permits.
- Υπουργείο Μετανάστευσης και Ασύλου (Ministry of Migration and Asylum), migration.gov.gr - investor residence permit / "Golden Visa" pages.
- Enterprise Greece (enterprisegreece.gov.gr) - official Golden Visa investor guidance.
- Νόμος 4646/2019, άρθρο 5Α - alternative taxation of foreign-source income for new tax residents.
- Νόμος 4714/2020 - 7% flat tax for foreign pensioners.
Zone floors (2026)
| Zone | Floor | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A - Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini, large islands | €800,000 | Circular 1/2026 |
| B - most other areas | €400,000 | One 120 m²+ unit |
| Narrow conversion / listed | €250,000 | Finished change-of-use or listed restoration only |
Which Greece floor are you actually on?
€250,000 is not a national sale. Zones and the Airbnb ban are the whole file.
Answer every question for an honest read - not a brochure score.
FAQs
What is the minimum investment for the Greece Golden Visa?+
It depends on the route. Real estate starts at €400,000 in most of Greece and €800,000 in high-demand zones such as Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos and Santorini. The €250,000 minimum applies only to commercial-to-residential conversions and listed-building restorations. Other routes include a €350,000 fund contribution and a €500,000 deposit or bond purchase.
Do I have to live in Greece to keep the Golden Visa?+
No. There is no minimum stay. You visit once for biometrics, then renew every five years without spending any set time in the country, as long as you keep the investment.
Can I get Greek citizenship through the Golden Visa?+
Not directly. You can apply for citizenship after seven years of lawful residence and must pass a Greek language and civics exam. Naturalisation also assesses genuine ties to Greece, so it is a slow route to a passport, not an automatic one.
Can I rent out the property I buy?+
You can let it long-term, but property used to qualify cannot be used for short-term or Airbnb-style rentals under the 2024 rules.
Who can I include in my application?+
Your spouse or partner, your children up to 21 (and up to 24 if dependent students), and both your parents and your spouse's parents - three generations on one investment.
Does the Golden Visa make me a Greek tax resident?+
No. Tax residency is separate and is triggered by spending more than 183 days a year in Greece or having your centre of life there. New tax residents who relocate can apply for special regimes, including a flat annual tax on foreign income and a 7% flat rate for foreign pensioners.
How long does the Greece Golden Visa take?+
Historically four to nine months, though backlogs after the 2024 surge have pushed timelines longer. The application receipt lets you stay and travel legally while you wait.