Yes, the Greece Golden Visa is still open in 2026, and it is still a property-first programme. One qualifying purchase gives you a five-year residence permit that renews every five years, with no rule that you live in Greece.
The entry price depends on where you buy. It is EUR 800,000 in Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and the larger islands, EUR 400,000 across the rest of the country, and EUR 250,000 in two narrow special cases. Those three zones have applied to new purchases since 1 September 2024, when the changes in Law 5100/2024 took effect.
Key takeaways
- The minimum property spend is EUR 800,000, EUR 400,000 or EUR 250,000, set by the zone and the type of property, not by negotiation.
- The permit lasts five years, renews every five years while you hold the investment, and carries no minimum stay.
- Your spouse, your children under 21 and the parents of both spouses can be added to one file.
- Short-term letting of the property is banned. Long-term rental is allowed.
- The permit is residence, not a passport. Greek citizenship needs seven years of actually living in Greece and a Greek language exam.
The three price zones in 2026
Greece replaced its single EUR 250,000 threshold with a zone map on 1 September 2024. The current thresholds sit in Article 100 of the Migration Code, Law 5038/2023, as amended by Law 5100/2024. Enterprise Greece, the state investment agency, publishes the same map.
| Zone | Minimum spend | What counts |
|---|---|---|
| The entire Attica region, including Athens, Piraeus and the Athens Riviera, the Thessaloniki regional unit, the Mykonos and Santorini (Thira) regional units, and islands with more than 3,100 residents, including Crete, Rhodes, Corfu and Euboea | EUR 800,000 | One single property with at least 120 square metres of main-use space |
| Everywhere else in Greece | EUR 400,000 | One single property with at least 120 square metres of main-use space |
| Special cases, anywhere in Greece | EUR 250,000 | A commercial or industrial building converted to a home, or a listed building that is restored |
Two details catch buyers out. First, the two standard tiers need one single property. Two apartments at EUR 200,000 each do not add up to the EUR 400,000 tier. Second, the price that counts is the value written in the purchase contract, so a side agreement to pay less does not help you.
The EUR 250,000 cases: conversions and listed buildings
For real estate, the old EUR 250,000 route survives in two narrow special cases only. The first is a property whose use is changed from commercial or industrial to residential. An industrial building qualifies only if no industry has run there for at least the last five years. The change of use must be finished, and shown in the building records, before you file the visa application. A plan to convert later does not qualify.
The second is a listed or historic building. You must complete the full restoration or reconstruction of the building, and you cannot sell the property until that work is done. Your permit can be renewed only once the restoration is complete, so keep the permits, invoices and completion records. If the work is not finished, the permit can be revoked and the owner fined EUR 150,000.
For property, these two routes are the only way in at EUR 250,000 anywhere in Greece, including Athens and the islands. There is no low-density or rural discount below them.
The non-property routes
Property is the route most families use, but Article 99 of the Migration Code also lists financial routes, and Article 100A adds a start-up route. They are summarised by Enterprise Greece and the Greek consular network.
| Route | Minimum | Core condition |
|---|---|---|
| Shares in Greek investment funds that invest only in Greece | EUR 350,000 | The fund must invest in Greek shares, bonds or property |
| Greek government bonds bought through a Greek bank, with at least three years remaining to maturity | EUR 500,000 | Bought through a Greek bank, with at least three years left to maturity |
| Term deposit in a Greek bank | EUR 500,000 | At least one year, with a standing renewal order |
| Listed shares and corporate or government bonds | EUR 800,000 | Bought on a Greek regulated market |
| Shares in a registered Greek start-up | EUR 250,000 | Set by Article 100A of the Migration Code. Your stake cannot pass 33 percent of the company, and the company must create at least two jobs in its first year and hold them for five years. The permit is granted for one year at first, then renewed in two-year periods while the investment and jobs conditions hold, and adds a EUR 2,500 fee |
The financial routes suit investors who do not want to manage a property from abroad. Compare charges and risk before you choose one, because a fund or bond holding is a financial product, not a home.
Who can be added to the file
One application can cover you, your spouse, your unmarried children under 21 and your parents and your spouse’s parents. Greece is unusual in Europe for including parents on the main file. When a child turns 21, they move to a permit of their own. It lasts three years and can be renewed once for another three years.
Family members get their own residence cards, tied to your permit. Their cards are renewed when yours is, and they lapse if the main permit lapses.
The full cost, worked for a family of four
The property price is only part of the budget. On a normal resale purchase the buyer pays transfer tax of 3 percent of the taxable value, plus a municipal levy of 3 percent of that tax. That makes an effective rate of 3.09 percent, as set out by the Greek tax authority, AADE.
Note that the taxable value is set by the tax office and can differ from the contract price.
Here is a worked example for a couple with two children under 18, buying one qualifying home at EUR 400,000 outside the high-price zones.
| Cost line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Property price | EUR 400,000 |
| Transfer tax at 3.09 percent | EUR 12,360 |
| Application fee, main applicant | EUR 2,000 |
| Application fee, spouse (children under 18 are exempt) | EUR 150 |
| Residence cards, EUR 16 each for four people | EUR 64 |
| Total before professional fees | EUR 414,574 |
The government fees are set in Article 171 of the Migration Code: EUR 2,000 for the main applicant, EUR 150 for each adult family member, with children under 18 exempt. A separate EUR 16 fee covers printing each card.
On the EUR 800,000 tier the same family pays EUR 24,720 in transfer tax. That takes the total before professional fees to EUR 826,934.
Legal fees, notary fees and land registry charges come on top of these figures. They are set case by case, so get them in writing from your Greek lawyer before you sign anything.
The rules that trip buyers up
- Short-term letting is banned. Letting the property on short stays, including through subletting, can bring a fine of EUR 50,000 and loss of the permit. Long-term rental to a named tenant is allowed.
- The standard tiers need one single property of at least 120 square metres of main-use space. Two smaller homes do not combine.
- For conversion properties, the change of use must be legally completed after April 5, 2024 and before you file your Golden Visa application. Paper plans do not count.
- You must hold the investment to renew. Selling without moving into another qualifying investment ends the permit.
- The permit does not let you take a job in Greece. It is a residence permit for investors and their families, not a work permit.
Stay, renewal and the citizenship question
There is no minimum stay. Time spent outside Greece does not block renewal, as long as you still hold the investment and your file is in order. The permit renews in five-year periods.
Citizenship is a separate, harder road. Greek naturalisation needs seven years of legal residence in Greece, meaning you actually live there, and you must pass the national exam that tests Greek at B1 level plus history, geography and civics. The investor permit is an accepted permit type, but years spent living abroad while holding it do not build that seven years.
Step by step
- Choose the zone and the route, then check that the property or asset qualifies on price, size and type.
- Get a Greek tax number and open a Greek bank account, so the purchase money can be traced into Greece.
- Run legal checks on the title, debts and building status, then sign the purchase contract and pay the transfer tax.
- File the residence application online through the Ministry of Migration and Asylum’s application platform, with the contract, receipts and family documents.
- Attend biometrics in Greece when called, then collect the residence cards.
The Migration Code gives the authorities a two-month window to decide a complete file. In practice, appointment backlogs mean many families wait longer, so do not plan travel or school starts around the statutory window.
Official sources
- Ministry of Migration and Asylum, Golden Visa page: migration.gov.gr/en/golden-visa
- Greece Migration Code, Law 5038/2023, Articles 99, 100, 100A and 171, as amended by Law 5100/2024 (financial routes, zone thresholds, start-up route and fees), and the programme adjustment notice published by Enterprise Greece, the state investment agency, at newsletters.enterprisegreece.gov.gr
- AADE, the Greek tax authority, real estate transfer tax: aade.gr
Frequently asked questions
Can I still get a Greece Golden Visa for EUR 250,000?
Yes, but only in two cases. The property must be a commercial or industrial building converted into a home, with the change of use finished before you apply, or a listed building that you restore in full. A normal home at EUR 250,000 no longer qualifies anywhere in Greece. Standard homes need EUR 400,000 outside the high-price zones and EUR 800,000 inside them.
Can I rent out my Golden Visa property?
Yes, on a long-term lease to a named tenant. Short-term letting is banned, including letting through platforms or subletting for short stays. Breaking the ban can bring a fine of EUR 50,000 and loss of the residence permit.
Do I have to live in Greece to keep the permit?
No. The Greece Golden Visa has no minimum stay, and time outside Greece does not block renewal. You renew every five years as long as you still hold the qualifying investment.
Can my parents be included in the application?
Yes. Greece lets you add your parents and your spouse’s parents to the same file, along with your spouse and your children under 21. Each adult family member pays the EUR 150 application fee.
Does the Greece Golden Visa lead to a Greek passport?
Only if you go on to live in Greece. Naturalisation needs seven years of legal residence in the country and a pass in the national exam, which tests Greek at B1 level plus history, geography and civics. Holding the permit while living abroad does not count toward the seven years.
To see the cost for your own spouse, children and budget, use our calculator: Work out the cost for your family.
Want a second opinion on your shortlist? Book a Strategy Consultation
Written by Amir Ismail & Associates, which helps families compare residence by investment programmes and brings in a local partner in each country once a case is qualified. This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. A residence permit is not a passport.
