Greece Golden Visa Requirements (2026): The Full List
Greece's Golden Visa needs €250,000–€800,000 invested depending on route, with no minimum stay and 5-year renewals. Every requirement, document and cost.
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Golden Visa Insider Editorial
Updated 2026-05-31
To qualify for Greece's Golden Visa you must be a non-EU citizen aged 18 or over, make one qualifying investment, hold private health insurance, and have a clean criminal record. The minimum is €250,000 for two narrow routes, but most buyers pay €400,000 or €800,000. There is no minimum stay.
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.
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)
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.
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
Interactive
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.
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.
✦Insider tip
Approvals don't hinge on how much money you have. They hinge on whether you can document where it came from. Build the source-of-funds file — the paper trail from salary, a business sale, inheritance or investment income down to the exact euros you invest — before you start viewing property. It's the step that most often delays or sinks an application, and the one a commission-paid agent has the least incentive to push you on.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
