The Discreet InvestorGreece · Residence by investment · since 2013
Greece Golden Visa
The EU residence you never have to live in: a 5-year permit for three generations of the family, renewable indefinitely while the investment stands — from €250,000, in 4+ months.
Why Greece
8 things the Greece Golden Visa buys
The rarest feature in Europe: not a single day of residence required to obtain or renew. The permit renews every 5 years for as long as you hold the asset.
90 days in any 180 across the Schengen Area — Athens is 2–4 hours from every major EU hub.
The qualifying property is yours: long-term rental income while you hold, resale after PR (5 yrs) or citizenship (7 yrs) — capital parked, not spent.
Three generations, one file
Spouse or partner, children under 21 — and the parents of both spouses. Nobody else in Europe is this generous.
Citizenship prospect in 7 years
The EU's shortest golden-visa runway to a passport — with a catch we explain honestly below.
Legal from day one
The blue receipt issued at filing legalises your position immediately — no limbo while the file processes.
No language exam, no relocation, renewals from anywhere — the lightest-touch status in the EU.
The PR runway
Five years in, the long-term-residence track opens — the required first step toward the Greek passport.
One investment, residency for all
Who joins a Greece Golden Visa application
- Over 18, non-EU/EEA national
- No criminal record
- Legal funds from outside Greece, provable
- Medical insurance covering Greece
- Married or in a registered partnership
- No criminal record
- Under 21 at application
- Permits extendable to 24 on their own footing thereafter
Parents — both sides
- Parents of the investor AND of the spouse
- No dependence proof required
Investment options
The 2024 map: three price zones
The September 2024 reform split Greece into tiers — and banned short-term rentals on Golden Visa properties. Here's the honest geography of the price tag:
Real estate — Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini & large islands
The marquee addresses now carry the premium ticket: €800,000 minimum, single property of 120 m²+. What you get for it: the deepest rental markets and the most liquid exits in the country.
Real estate — the rest of Greece
Peloponnese, Crete's interior, the mainland, smaller islands — €400,000, single property of 120 m²+. The sweet spot for yield hunters: lower entry, honest 4–6% long-term rents.
Conversions & restorations — anywhere in Greece
The original price survives in two forms: commercial-to-residential conversions and restorations of listed buildings — in any zone, including central Athens. Inventory is scarce and moves fast; this is where our property partners earn their keep.
| Application fee — main applicant | €2,000 |
| Application fee — family member 14+ | €150 each |
| Residence card | €16 per person |
| Transfer tax & notary/registry (property routes) | ~3% + ~2%, per property |
Securities, funds, bonds & deposits
For those who'd rather not own walls: Greek fund units, government bonds or a fixed-term deposit at €500,000+ — and the newer €250,000 startup-investment route into registered Greek startups.
Published, not gated
The Greece Golden Visa cost calculator
Government fees per official schedule; property taxes estimated at ~5% and confirmed per asset. Legal fees quoted per case. Get the exact quote for your file →
Head to head
Greece vs Portugal vs Hungary
| Terms |  Greece |  Portugal |  Hungary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investment | €250,000+ | €250,000+ | €250,000+ |
| Stay requirement | None | 7 days a year | None |
| Obtaining period | 4+ months | 12+ months | 5+ months |
| RP validity | 5 years | 2 years | 10 years |
| Asset type | Property you own & rent | Fund units, 2–20% | Fund units, 5–6% |
| Time to citizenship | 7 years (living there) | 7–10 years | 11 years |
| Family | Spouse, children under 21, parents of both | Spouse/partner, children under 26, parents | Spouse, children under 18, parents |
Deep dives: Portugal Golden Visa · Hungary · all 27 programmes
Procedure
Eight steps to the card
Realistic end-to-end: 4–8 months, most of it property selection and the registry.
Confidential screening against the databases the Migration Ministry uses — refusal causes caught before a euro moves.
Property selection 2–8 weeks
Remote or on a viewing trip; our local partners shortlist by zone, yield and exit liquidity — including the scarce €250k conversion stock.
Greek tax number & account 1–2 weeks
AFM tax number and a Greek bank account — both obtainable by power of attorney, no trip needed.
Purchase & registration 4–8 weeks
Deposit, notarised deed, land-registry entry, transfer tax paid — the lawyers verify title and encumbrances first.
Application filed days
Submitted online with the purchase evidence; a blue receipt issues immediately and legalises your stay while the file is processed.
Biometrics 1 trip
Fingerprints in Greece — the only mandatory visit in the entire process.
The 5-year card 2–4 months
Approval and collection — in person or by your lawyer under power of attorney.
Renewals every 5 years
Hold the asset, renew the card — indefinitely, from anywhere. We calendar it so you never think about it.
The honest map
What the Greece Golden Visa brochures skip
- A 15% transfer tax is coming: in September 2026 the prime minister announced a 15% property transfer tax for non-EU buyers from 1 January 2027, up from about 3%. It is announced, not yet law — if it passes, a €250,000 purchase carries about €37,500 in transfer tax instead of roughly €7,700
- Short-term rentals are banned on Golden Visa properties since 2024 — Airbnb math doesn't work here; long-term leases do
- The citizenship clock only ticks if you live there: 7 years means ~183+ days a year in Greece, language exam included — the visa alone never becomes a passport
- Prime-zone prices jumped to €800k in 2024 — anyone quoting €250k for central Athens apartments is selling the old map (conversions excepted)
Why demand still broke records
- 9,289 main-applicant filings in 2024 — the busiest year in programme history; 87,000+ active permits by March 2026
- €10+ billion attracted since launch — the programme is politically entrenched, not endangered
- For a pure hold-and-travel play, nothing in the EU beats zero stay requirement + a rentable asset
FAQ
The questions that decide Greece Golden Visa files
Do I ever have to live in Greece? +
No — not to obtain, hold or renew. The permit renews every 5 years purely on the asset. Living there matters only if you want the passport: naturalisation needs 7 years of real residence (~183 days a year) plus a language and culture exam.
Where does €250,000 still work? +
Two places: commercial-to-residential conversions and listed-building restorations — in any zone including Athens — plus the newer startup-investment route. Standard resale apartments now start at €400,000 (or €800,000 in prime zones).
Can I rent the property out? +
Long-term: yes — typically 4–6% gross in the €400k zones. Short-term: no — Airbnb-style letting on Golden Visa properties is prohibited since the 2024 reform, with real fines. We model your yield on the legal scenario, not the fantasy one.
Crypto-sourced wealth? +
Same rule as everywhere serious: converted to fiat and documented — exchange statements, acquisition records, tax filings — then wired through banking channels. Building that dossier is our speciality; it's the file most agencies decline.
When can I sell? +
Selling ends the status — so the usual plays are: hold to permanent residence at year 5 (then the LTR track), hold to citizenship at year 7+ if you actually live there, or simply hold while the family needs the Schengen access. Exit to another Golden Visa buyer keeps the asset liquid.
How fast is it, really? +
4–8 months door to door, and the blue receipt legalises your Schengen position within days of filing. It remains the fastest serious golden visa in the EU.
The Athens + Caribbean play
Greece gives the family Schengen and a yielding asset — but the passport clock only runs if you relocate. Our clients who won't move pair it with a Caribbean citizenship in 4–6 months: travel document solved forever, Greek property working quietly, nothing waiting on anything.
Alternatives
EU golden visas to compare with the Greece Golden Visa
- ~10% fund yields, redeemable 6–10 yrs
- Citizenship track 7–10 years
- 10-year residence card
- No stay requirement
- Lifelong PR from day one
- Parents & grandparents eligible
- Direct PR, no temporary stage
- Citizenship prospect in 8 years
Greece, priced for your family.
Free preliminary Due Diligence, the current conversion-stock shortlist, and your exact all-in number — before any engagement fee exists. Reply within one business day.