Greece Golden Visa
by Property Investment

Under Law 5162/2024, real estate thresholds are zone-based. €800,000 applies in Attica (Greater Athens), Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands with a population above 3,100. €400,000 applies across the rest of the country. A €250,000 route remains for the conversion of commercial buildings into residential use and for the restoration of listed or heritage-protected buildings, where the works are completed before the application is filed. Figures reflect the framework in force in mid-2026 and are confirmed with our legal partners before any commitment.

No. Properties acquired to obtain the Golden Visa cannot be let on a short-term, Airbnb-style basis in the sharing economy. Long-term leasing is permitted. Breaching the short-term rental restriction can trigger administrative fines — reported at around €50,000, and higher in certain cases — and may put the residence permit at risk. We structure each acquisition with this rule in mind from day one.

Yes — but only on a long-term basis. Golden Visa properties can be let under standard long-term residential leases; only short-term, sharing-economy rentals (Airbnb, Booking-style) are prohibited. This shapes the yield strategy: we model long-let income rather than seasonal short-let projections for Golden Visa assets.

The €800,000 tier covers the highest-demand areas: Attica (the Greater Athens region, including the Athenian Riviera), the regional unit of Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini, and any island with a population above 3,100 inhabitants. Smaller islands and most of mainland Greece fall under the €400,000 tier. We confirm the exact zoning for each specific property before you commit.

Yes. For the €400,000 and €800,000 tiers, the property must have a minimum usable interior surface of 120 m². Balconies, parking and separately registered storage generally do not count toward that minimum. The 120 m² requirement is a core eligibility check we verify on every shortlisted property.

In the high-demand zones the investment must be made in a single property that meets the applicable threshold — you cannot aggregate several smaller units to reach the amount. A jointly owned single property can, however, qualify more than one main applicant, such as a married couple, subject to the ownership share rules. We confirm the current position with our legal partners for each case.

The Golden Visa covers the whole family under one investment: your spouse or partner (including same-sex spouses), dependent unmarried children up to the age of 21, and the parents of both the main applicant and the spouse. A single qualifying investment covers all eligible family members without increasing the threshold.

The Golden Visa grants a five-year residence permit, renewable as long as the qualifying investment is maintained. There is no minimum-stay requirement to keep the permit, and it provides visa-free travel within the Schengen Area.

Greek citizenship is a separate process. Naturalisation generally becomes possible after seven years, but it requires genuine, effective residence in Greece — typically evidenced by substantial physical presence each year — along with language and integration criteria. Holding the Golden Visa alone, without effective residence, does not by itself lead to citizenship. We refer clients to specialised immigration counsel on this point.

The main acquisition tax is the property transfer tax at 3.09% of the value. New-build residential properties benefit from a suspension of the 24% VAT, extended through the end of 2026, so qualifying new builds are taxed at the 3.09% transfer tax instead. Add notary fees (indicatively around 1% plus VAT), legal fees, land-registry costs and Golden Visa application and card fees. Exact figures are confirmed case by case with our legal and tax partners.

Timelines are indicative and depend on file completeness and administrative processing. Obtaining the Greek tax number (AFM) and bank account, completing due diligence and the notarial deed, then filing the application and giving biometrics typically spans a few months. Once the application is filed with the required documents, applicants generally benefit from a legal right of residence while the file is processed.

Immigration firms process paperwork but hold no property; estate agents sell property but rarely master the visa framework. GADAIT combines both: a curated, real portfolio of villas and residences across the Cyclades, Mykonos, Paros and Athens, plus advisory that keeps every acquisition Golden-Visa-eligible — the right zone, the 120 m² rule, the single-property condition and the rental restrictions — coordinated with vetted legal and tax partners.