The "Golden Visa" program in Greece is a unique opportunity for foreign investors and their families to obtain a five-year renewable residence permit. In exchange for investments starting from €250,000 in real estate, program participants receive the right to live in Greece, access its social and medical services, and freely travel within the Schengen zone.
What types of real estate qualify for the Greek Golden Visa
- from 250,000€ — One property of any size converted from commercial to residential real estate.
— One property of any size recognized as a cultural or historical heritage site requiring mandatory reconstruction. Conversions can be done by either the previous owner or the investor BEFORE applying for the residence permit. - from 400,000€ — One property with a minimum area of 120 sq.m. in less densely populated regions of Greece, such as Halkidiki Peninsula, Peloponnese, etc., as well as all islands with populations under 3,100 inhabitants.
- from 800,000€ — One property with a minimum area of 120 sq.m. in densely populated regions of Greece, including Attica, municipality of Thessaloniki, and all islands with populations over 3,100 inhabitants.
Important!!! Property qualifying for Golden Visa cannot be used for short-term rentals, subleasing, or as an office. Violations result in residence permit cancellation and fines. Long-term rental of such property does not contradict residence permit rules.
Who can obtain a residence permit in Greece through investment
- Investor
- Investor's spouse
- Children under 21
- Parents of both spouses
A residence permit provides its holder with several key advantages:
Freedom of Movement
Residence Permit for the Whole Family
No Residence Requirements
Minimum Investment Threshold
Citizenship Opportunity
Quality of Life
Business Opportunities
Guaranteed Approval
Visa-free access to 27 Schengen zone countries
- Austria
- Belgium
- Hungary
- Germany
- Greece
- Denmark
- Iceland
- Spain
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Finland
- France
- Czech Republic
- Switzerland
- Sweden
- Estonia

Golden Visa Application Steps
Duration from 1 day
Contact our specialist at +30 693 685 52 69 (WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram). During the consultation, we will propose an optimal investment strategy suitable for your goals.
Duration — 5-10 days
You will be provided with a selection of properties matching your requirements. You can view properties personally by visiting Greece for 3-4 days or delegate this to our specialists. After selecting a property, you need to reserve it by paying a deposit of approximately 5% of the cost.
Duration — 20-30 days
Before signing the purchase agreement, the buyer needs to obtain a tax number (AFM) in Greece and optionally open an account in a Greek bank (payment can be made from your foreign account), as well as pay a property transfer tax of 3.09% of the transaction amount. After this, the purchase agreement is signed. The investor's presence is not mandatory — everything (except opening a bank account) can be done by our lawyer with power of attorney.
Duration — 1-10 days
If you've opened a Greek bank account, payment is usually made by bank check during the signing of the purchase agreement at the notary. Our lawyer then registers this agreement in the state registry. After this, the purchase transaction is considered complete.
If you choose to make payment from your foreign account, you first sign the purchase agreement and then transfer money to the seller. After receiving the full amount, a notarial payment deed needs to be signed and both documents registered in the state registry.
Duration — 1 day
The lawyer submits the residence permit documentation package electronically by power of attorney. After initial document verification, you receive a temporary residence and entry permit for Greece (Blue Paper), allowing you to stay in the country until receiving the residence permit.
Duration — 1 day
Within 2 weeks after application submission, the investor and family members over 6 years old must personally visit Greece to provide fingerprints and photographs.
Duration — 3-4 months
After processing your application, the residence permit cards will be ready. The lawyer will collect them on behalf of the client and send them to your specified address.
During the Golden Visa process, you need to take care of the property itself, and our experience can be valuable here. Whether you will use the property yourself or rent it out, you will need to furnish and equip it. Our company has designers ready to do everything turnkey without your presence. Additionally, we own our own brand of stylish and affordable furniture, Aktis Home.
Documents
- Four recent passport-style photos for each participant. Photos + CD
- Photocopy of all pages of valid passport
- For spouse applications – marriage certificate with apostille
- For family applications – family composition certificate showing family relationship with apostille
- Birth certificate with apostille for each person applying for residence permit
- Copy of property purchase agreement in Greece
- Notary certificate confirming that the property purchase agreement meets the requirements of Ch. 6 Par. 2 of Law 4146/2013
- Certificate of registration of property purchase agreement
- Insurance Policy for each family member (obtained in Greece)
- Payment receipts for state fees: €2,002 for main property owner, €152 for spouse, +€18 for each family member
- Bank statement from seller showing that the full amount has been transferred to the seller's Greek bank account
- Power of attorney for our lawyer
Note
- The residence permit document package is submitted electronically by the lawyer with notarized power of attorney.
- Apostilled documents are valid for 6 months from the date of apostille
- All documents must be translated into Greek and certified in Greece
Golden Visa Application Costs
- Property purchase expenses: ≈ 8% of property value
- Lawyer fees: €2,000 + €300 for each additional family member
- State fee for spouse: €152
- State fee for each family member: €18
- Insurance in Greece: €150-300 per person per year
- Document translation to Greek: ≈€30 per person
- Photos: €12 per person

Download Residence Permit Guide
Get our complete guide to obtaining a residence permit. In it you will find:
- all stages of the residence permit process in detail
- lists of required documents
- and other procedural specifics
Aktis Estate – Your Reliable Partner in Greece
Partnership with Aktis means reliability, comfort and professionalism. We care about each client, creating conditions for successful relocation, profitable investment and comfortable life in sunny Greece.
Offices in Athens and Thessaloniki
Legal Transaction Security
Own Property Management Company
Comprehensive Support
Wide Property Selection
Services for Comfortable Living
FAQ about Residence Permits
Since September 1, 2024, the rules for obtaining a Golden Visa in Greece have changed - now it requires purchasing property worth from €250,000 to €800,000 depending on the type and location of the property.
No, this type of residence permit does not give the right to work as an employee, but you can start a business in Greece
Yes, after 7 years of residence in Greece, you can apply for Greek citizenship, and some of our clients have already obtained citizenship. For this, you need not only to live in Greece for most of the time but also pass an exam on knowledge of the Greek language, history, culture, and political system.
Yes, our lawyer can complete all stages of obtaining a Golden Visa by power of attorney, except for fingerprinting, for which you will need to visit Greece for one day.
Since 2013, when the Golden Visa program was launched in Greece, we have processed over 100 applications without any rejections. However, we have had people approach us who bought property but unfortunately couldn't obtain a Golden Visa because either the contracts were incorrectly prepared and didn't meet requirements, or money was transferred incorrectly, or there were other reasons - but all were related to the fact that the lawyer handling the transaction had no experience with Golden Visa applications. It's very important that an experienced lawyer oversees the process from the moment of preparing for the purchase transaction. Otherwise, you'll have to sell the property and buy a new one, as it's often impossible to correct mistakes retroactively.
When selling property that participates in the Golden Visa program, you must either give up the Golden Visa or buy another property that meets program requirements.
Since March 2022, the issuance of new Golden visas for citizens of Russia and Belarus has been suspended. However, if the main investor has a second passport from any other country, the whole family can obtain a Golden Visa. Therefore, many of our clients from Russia and Belarus obtain passports from Kyrgyzstan, Israel, Turkey, Vanuatu, etc., and then apply for a Golden Visa.
Greek immigration authorities don't require documents proving the origin of capital. However, one of the program requirements is that the entire property value must be paid through a bank, so the responsibility for checking the origin of capital lies with the bank from which you send the money. But you should always be prepared that Greek tax authorities may request information about the origin of capital. However, in practice, this happens extremely rarely.
Greece has not required criminal record certificates for residence permits for a long time.
For those participating in the Golden Visa program from September 1, 2024, there are restrictions on short-term rentals of property that participates in the Golden Visa program. Long-term rentals are allowed.
Residence permit holders in Greece have equal rights with citizens to access educational institutions. It's important to note that education in Greece, including university education, is free.
By law, you can stay in another European country with a Greek residence permit for no more than 90 days in a six-month period. However, given that there are no borders in the Schengen zone, it's impossible to control how many months you lived in another Schengen zone country. The number of entries is unlimited.
Yes, any Greek residence permit holder can buy a car in Greece.