Greece

Greece Golden Visa Program

Residency is a function of geographical intent

Greece’s Golden Visa Program is one of Europe’s most direct pathways to residency through investment. Established in 2013, it bridges capital and culture — turning property into presence and presence into permanence. For investors, Greece is not just an address in Europe; it is access to a lifestyle, a legal framework, and a long horizon of optionality.

Greece rewards those who see geography as strategy. Its program is built on simplicity: acquire qualifying real estate, maintain ownership, and gain the right to reside and move freely across the Schengen Zone. It is mobility anchored in meaning — where history meets design and investment becomes continuity.

Overview of Greece’s Golden Visa Program

The Greece Golden Visa grants five-year renewable residency permits to individuals and families who make eligible investments in the country.
The most common route is real estate acquisition, though options also include capital contributions and strategic financial instruments.

Residency extends to the investor’s spouse, dependent children (up to age 21), and parents of both the applicant and spouse — a multi-generational inclusion that reflects Greece’s cultural foundations of family and legacy.

Key Advantages

• Visa-Free Schengen Access: Freedom to travel across 27 European countries.

• No Minimum Stay Requirement: Residency without relocation — flexibility by design.

• Family Inclusion: Spouse, children, and parents qualify under the same investment.

• Renewable Permanence: Residency permits renewed every five years, contingent on maintaining the investment.

• Path to Citizenship: After seven years of residence and meeting language and integration criteria.

• Stable EU Framework: Legal certainty under a mature European jurisdiction.

Investment Routes

1. Real Estate Investment

• Minimum Investment: EUR 250,000 (rising to EUR 400,000–500,000 in select areas).

• Eligible Assets: Residential or commercial property; single or multiple holdings.

• Ownership Structure: Individual or via a company fully owned by the applicant.

• Validity: Residency remains active as long as the property is retained.

2. Capital Contribution Options
Alternative routes include:

• EUR 400,000 in Greek government bonds or term deposits.

• EUR 400,000 in shares or bonds of Greek companies.

• EUR 500,000 in real estate investment funds or venture capital.

Application Process

1. Select Investment Route and Conduct Preliminary Due Diligence

2. Obtain Greek Tax Identification Number (AFM) and Open a Local Bank Account

3. Execute Investment and Collect Required Documentation

4. Submit Residency Application to the Ministry of Migration Policy

5. Biometrics and Approval Issuance (typically 2–4 months)

6. Receive Five-Year Residence Permit

Costs and Fees

Beyond the investment itself, applicants should account for:

• Government Application Fee: EUR 2,000 (main applicant)

• Biometric Fee: EUR 16 per person

• Legal and Notary Costs: Typically EUR 5,000–10,000 depending on complexity and property type

• Property Transfer Taxes: Approximately 3% of purchase price

Pathway to Citizenship

After seven years of continuous residency, investors may apply for Greek citizenship, subject to:

• Maintaining legal residence status

• Demonstrating integration and Greek language proficiency (A2 level)

• Passing a civic knowledge assessment

Citizenship grants full EU rights — the ability to live, work, and study across all 27 member states.

Conclusion

Greece’s Golden Visa Program is not an entry point — it is an anchor. It converts tangible assets into enduring access and places mobility within the framework of European permanence. Greece offers more than residency; it offers rhythm — a life balanced between heritage and horizon, between the calm of the Mediterranean and the continuity of the European Union.

Where other programs offer passage, Greece offers presence. It rewards those who see investment not as transaction, but as trajectory.

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