Greece Golden Visa: residence by property investment from EUR 250,000 — 2026 thresholds by zone

It is the permanent investor residence permit (permit type B.5) under article 100 of the Migration Code. The basis is ownership of property in Greece at or above the zone threshold. Unlike other permits, it is issued for 5 years at once, renewed for the same period with no requirement to live in the country, and is not tied to work or study. It gives no right to employment.

EUR 800,000 — the Attica region (including Athens), Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands with more than 3,100 inhabitants; EUR 400,000 — the rest of Greece; EUR 250,000 — a property converted from commercial to residential use, or a listed building under restoration. The thresholds were set by Law 5100/2024 and apply to purchases from 1 September 2024.

No. Since 2024 the investment under every category goes into a single property. A storeroom and a parking space bought under the same contract in the same building may be counted towards the amount, but not towards the 120 sq m.

No. Article 100 of the Migration Code expressly provides that periods of absence from the country are no obstacle to renewal. Actual residence will be required for EU long-term resident status and for citizenship.

Long-term — yes, the law allows it. Short-term letting (under 60 days, including through platforms) and subletting are prohibited: a breach leads to revocation of the permit and a EUR 50,000 fine. The ban does not cover a long-term lease to a tourist operator that provides additional services, for example where the property is a hotel.

In full before filing and only through a bank: by transfer, crossed cheque or POS into the seller's account at a bank in Greece. The buyer, the spouse or a relative up to the second degree may pay. The method and the payment details are recorded in the notarial deed, and the notary issues a separate certificate for the migration service.

By law, 2 months from the moment the complete file reaches the issuing authority. In practice a first issuance takes longer because of biometrics appointments and the workload of the regional services — this is not a statutory term and we do not promise it. After filing you receive a certificate of submission that confirms lawful stay in Greece until the decision.

As an employee — no: article 100 states expressly that these permits give no access to any form of employment. Letting the property long-term is allowed. If you plan to work or run a business in Greece, a different basis is needed.

No. The golden visa is residence, not citizenship: your Indian passport stays as it is. Only naturalisation — after 7 years of actual residence and an exam — would mean acquiring a foreign citizenship, and since India does not allow dual citizenship, the Indian passport would then have to be surrendered. That is a separate decision years away, not part of the golden visa.

Outward transfers by resident Indians run through the Reserve Bank of India's Liberalised Remittance Scheme, currently USD 250,000 per person per financial year, and larger remittances attract tax collected at source above a threshold. A purchase is therefore planned across family members, financial years or funds already held abroad — the law allows the spouse or relatives up to the second degree to pay. Indians resident in the UAE or elsewhere abroad are generally outside LRS.

On purchase — the property transfer tax of 3% of the taxable value plus a municipal surcharge of 3% on the tax. The status itself does not make you a tax resident. If you move your tax residence, the Income Tax Code has an alternative regime for high-net-worth individuals (article 5A): its conditions are checked separately and it does not arise automatically with the permit.

In September 2026 the Greek government announced a rise in the property transfer tax for non-EU buyers of homes from 3% to 15% (residential property and individual buyers only; 15.45% instead of 3.09% including the municipal levy). The Ministry of Finance has named the start as 1 July 2027, and the draft 2027 state budget uses the same timing. According to the Ministry of Finance, the increase does not apply to ethnic Greeks (omogeneis) or long-term residents. As of 16.10.2026 no bill has been tabled in Parliament, so the rate, the date, the scope of buyers and possible exemptions (including for the Golden Visa) may still change. We treat it as a tax window, not as a settled fact: if the decision interests you, the calculation is worth doing now.

EU long-term resident status after 5 years of continuous residence in Greece with absences of less than 6 consecutive months and no more than 10 months in total, income of at least the annual minimum wage, insurance and Greek at level B1. Citizenship after 7 years of continuous legal residence, with the naturalisation knowledge certificate exam and proven integration. Both routes require actually living in Greece.

The permit is revoked and the right to it passes to the new buyer if they are a third-country national. To keep the status, a new property at or above the threshold is bought first and the old one sold afterwards. For a listed building a sale before completion of the restoration is void and carries a EUR 150,000 fine.

The application is filed in Greece after the purchase: you enter on a short-stay Schengen visa or another lawful basis. Police certificates, marriage and birth certificates need an apostille or legalisation and a sworn translation into Greek. Indian documents carry an apostille from the Ministry of External Affairs; UAE documents are legalised through the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Parents — yes: article 95 of the Migration Code counts the direct ascendants of both spouses as family, with no age condition. Adult children — only up to 21 and unmarried; from 21 the child receives an autonomous 3-year permit. Since 2026, adult children deprived of legal capacity are also included at any age.

It does not: one property at the zone threshold covers the investor, spouse, children and parents. What is added are the fees — EUR 2,000 for the investor and EUR 150 for each adult family member, children under 18 exempt — insurance for each person and card printing at EUR 16 each.

Yes. If the application is refused through the fault of our team or an error in building the case, we refund the company's service fee less a minimal retention for costs actually incurred. Refund terms, the payment schedule and the rules on retaining service costs are fixed in the contract before work begins. Before we start, we check your documents and risk history free of charge and tell you about any risks in advance.