Written By: Nadia Read Thaele (Founder & Managing Director)
Last Reviewed:
Program Overview
The Greece Golden Visa at a Glance
Greece is one of our specialist programs. Our team offers expert and highly personalised guidance for investors navigating the Greek property market and the Golden Visa framework. Finding a good solid investment property that qualifies is not easy, we offer a custom sourcing service. We don't sell large developments but rather choose strategic and selective units across Athens and other cities that have a solid yield and strong potential for capital appreciation.
In 2024, the Greek government materially restructured the investment thresholds:
-
€250,000 — the headline minimum, in place since 2013, now applies only to specified lower-demand regions.
-
€400,000 — most other Greek prefectures and standard-demand islands.
-
€800,000 — the Attica Region, the Regional Unit of Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini, and islands with over 3,100 residents.
The advisory question is no longer "what is the minimum?" but "in which zone does the family want to hold the asset, and what does that imply for cost, yield, and exit?"
At a Glance
The Greece Golden Visa by the Numbers
The four headline figures that shape every Greece Golden Visa mandate — investment range, permit length, processing time, and minimum stay.
€250k–€800k
Investment Range
5 Years
Initial Permit (Renewable)
4–8 Months
Typical End-to-End Mandate
0 Days
Minimum Stay Required
Eligibility
Who Qualifies for the Greece Golden Visa
Eleven non-negotiable preconditions every applicant clears before file open. We screen against these on the discovery call.
The Greek Golden Visa is a residency-by-investment program: a non-EU national who places a qualifying investment in Greece receives Greek residency, and with it access to the Schengen Area on the same footing as any other Greek resident.
The most commonly used qualifying route is real estate, from €250,000 for restoration and change-of-use properties. The permit is issued for five years and is renewable while the qualifying investment is held; resale of the property during the permit's validity results in its revocation. There is no mandatory stay — the residency does not require the holder to live in, or relocate to, Greece.
Beyond the residency itself, the property can be held for rental income, and the permit gives the family a European base to use as and when it suits them. Those are real advantages, but they sit alongside the investment decision rather than replacing it.
Sources: Law 5100/2024, art. 64 (Gov. Gazette A΄ 49/5.4.2024), as amended by Law 5167/2024, published by the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum; Migration Code (Law 5038/2023), arts. 97 and 99. Last reviewed . Program rules subject to change.
Investment Options
Investment Requirements to Qualify for the Greek Golden Visa
There are several options to choose from.
Costs and Timeline
Summary of the Costs Involved
Summary of the costs involved. We provide clients with a detailed cost breakdown based on the investment route chosen, and the number and ages of the applicants/dependents.
Benefits
What the Greece Golden Visa Provides
Seven categorical rights conferred by the permit, summarised in the order most clients ask about them on a discovery call.
-
Five-Year Renewable Permit — Issued to the main applicant and qualifying family members; renewable so long as the qualifying asset is held.
-
Schengen Mobility — Visa-free travel for 90 out of every 180 days in other Schengen states. Time spent in Greece under the residence permit is not counted toward that allowance.
-
Family Inclusion — Spouse, children under 21, and parents of both the main applicant and spouse all included on the main applicant's file.
-
No Minimum Stay — No minimum-stay condition applies to maintaining the residency. A visit is required at application, when biometric data is obtained.
-
Property Use Rights — Right to hold and rent the qualifying property; long-term rentals permitted under 2024 reforms.
-
Healthcare and Schooling — Access to Greek private healthcare and schooling on the same terms as other Greek residents.
-
Pathway to Citizenship — Not automatic — Greek naturalisation requires sustained physical residence and a Greek-language qualification.
The Process
From Discovery to Permit — How a Greece Application Works
Six stages from a first private conversation to a five-year card in the client's hand. Each stage is owned by a named partner on the file.
- 01
Discovery and Fit Assessment
Program suitability vs. family situation, jurisdictional posture, and source-of-funds documentation review.
- 02
Engagement and Due-Diligence Intake
LIO Global formal mandate signed. KYC and AML pack initiated. Source-of-funds evidence pack scoped.
- 03
Property Search and Zone Selection
Independent zone analysis (€250k vs. €400k vs. €800k) — Selection brief built around investment requirements, not just program threshold.
- 04
Property Acquisition
Greek tax number (AFM) issuance, Greek bank account opened, deed signing in front of a notary, transfer tax paid.
- 05
Residence Permit Application
File submitted to the Greek Migration Ministry. Biometrics appointment scheduled. Provisional certificate issued — full program rights pending card.
- 06
Permit Issuance and Renewal
Five-year card in hand. Renewal contingent on continued ownership of the qualifying asset; renewals run on a documented cadence.
Next Step
Take the Greece Conversation Further
Request the written Greece factsheet, book a callback with a senior adviser, or message us directly on WhatsApp.
The Real Estate Angle
Choosing the Best Property
Finding good property in Greece is hard. We put together bespoke options for our clients and have a waiting list for them. As and when good units become available, we offer them on a first-come, first-served basis. Typically clients will begin and prepare their application so that they can go ahead when they've selected a unit.
August 2024 Reform
2024 Zone Restructuring — What Changed
Four mechanical changes shipped under the August 2024 reform package — each one shifts the advisory question on a fresh mandate.
-
The flat €250k minimum was replaced by a three-tier zone-based structure (€250k / €400k / €800k).
-
A 120 m² single-property minimum applies in both the high-demand (€800k) and standard (€400k) bands, ruling out smaller-unit yield-stacking strategies.
-
Transitional protection under the prior thresholds required a deposit or pre-contract by 31 August 2024, with the purchase completed by 28 February 2025 — or by 30 April 2025 where a substitute property was used.
-
Short-term letting and sub-letting of Golden Visa qualifying properties are prohibited under the same reform package, with a €50,000 fine and revocation of the permit for breach.
Program rules change. The figures, thresholds, and timelines on this page reflect Greek Migration Ministry guidance and the Greek government's August 2024 reform package as we have read them at the date of last review (). Investment migration is a regulated cross-border activity with tax, currency, and estate-planning implications. Take professional tax and legal advice in your home jurisdiction before acting on any information here. LIO Global (Pty.) Ltd. is an investment migration advisory; it is not a tax adviser, currency provider, or law firm.
Common Questions
Greece Golden Visa — Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the questions principals most often raise at discovery. Bring more on the call.
Engage
Begin a Private Greece Consultation
Bring your circumstances. We will map them to the right zone, the right asset, and the right timeline — or tell you when Greece is not the right program for you.
Book a Consultation About Greece