How long the Greek Golden Visa takes

The timeline at a glance

The table assumes a property that is ready for the route, a complete set of documents and an experienced Greek lawyer acting for you under a power of attorney. The durations are typical ranges from practice, not official deadlines, and several steps run in parallel.

Stage 1: preparing to buy (about 2–5 weeks)

Start with the paperwork that does not depend on the property. Sign a power of attorney so that your lawyer can act for you: either at a Greek consulate, or before a notary in your country followed by an apostille and an official Greek translation. With it, your lawyer applies for your Greek tax number (AFM) and opens a Greek bank account.

The bank account is often the slowest part of this stage. Greek banks run their own know-your-customer checks and ask where your money comes from: salary, a business, a property sale or savings. Have statements and supporting documents ready before you sign anything. If your country limits transfers abroad, plan the payment route now; the notes by nationality cover India, South Africa, China and others.

Reservation terms should be in writing. Ask what the reservation fee is, whether and when it is refundable, and what happens if a condition such as the change of use is delayed. Your lawyer should read them before you pay anything.

Stage 2: due diligence and the change-of-use evidence

Due diligence usually takes two to four weeks. Your lawyer checks the title, the Land Registry or Cadastre record, encumbrances and tax certificates. An engineer checks the building permits and whether the areas on the plans match what exists.

For the €250,000 change-of-use route there is an extra layer of evidence, and it is a condition of eligibility, not a formality. The property must have been in non-residential use and converted to residential use under a permitting act issued on or after 5 April 2024: a building permit, a small-scale works approval, a file update or a permit revision. The conversion must be completed before you apply, and an engineer's report must certify it in the wording set by Joint Ministerial Decision 214926/2025.

This is why the change-of-use date can outweigh every other line in the table. A buyer can prepare everything else, but the application cannot be filed until the conversion exists on paper and on site.

Stage 3: deed, payment and registration (about 2–6 weeks)

Once due diligence is clean, the notary prepares the deed. Transfer tax is paid before signing: currently 3.09% of the higher of the price and the property's objective value, which is €7,725 on €250,000. The full price is paid by bank transfer, crossed bank cheque or card payment into an account in Greece, by you, your spouse or a relative up to the second degree. The notary records the payer and the payment details in the deed and issues the certificate the application needs.

After signing, the deed is filed with the Land Registry or Cadastre. Full registration can take several weeks, but for a first application proof that registration was requested, or a lawyer's certificate, is accepted. The costs and taxes guide lists what you pay at this stage.

Stage 4: application, biometrics and decision

Your lawyer files the application online with the €2,000 fee and the €16 card fee for the main applicant, private health insurance and the documents listed in the decision. The file can be lodged before you enter Greece. You then attend in person to give fingerprints and a photograph; that appointment is the one step you cannot delegate.

The official procedures register, mitos.gov.gr, lists 50 days for this permit, and the law sets two months from a complete file. Practice is slower. In August 2026 regional press reported 627 pending Golden Visa cases at the regional administration covering Western Greece, the Peloponnese and the Ionian, which includes Patras. Allow several months from filing to card, and treat anything faster as a bonus.

While the application is pending, keep your documents and contact details current with your lawyer, and answer any request for further information quickly: a question left unanswered stops the file.

What slows a file down

• An incomplete file. The official time counts from a complete application, so one missing document delays everything after it.
• Documents from abroad. Marriage and birth certificates for family members need an apostille or consular legalisation and an official Greek translation. Names must be spelt the same way in passports, certificates and the deed.
• Bank checks. Source-of-funds questions are normal. Slow answers delay the account, and the account delays the deed.
• Payment from the wrong person or account. A payment from someone other than you, your spouse or a close relative, or one that does not reach an account in Greece, can make the file ineligible, not just slow.
• The engineer's report. For change-of-use property the report must follow the decision's wording and name the permitting act and its date.
• Holidays and appointments. August and the Christmas and Easter periods slow notaries, banks and public offices, and biometrics dates depend on local availability.

After the card: renewal every five years

The permit lasts five years and can be renewed for further five-year periods while you still own the property. Each renewal carries a new €2,000 fee. You declare that the property is still in residential use, has not been let short-term through the sharing economy and is not used as a company seat. There is no minimum stay in Greece, so time abroad does not prevent renewal.

Put the expiry date in your diary and file before it. The 2026 reform of the Migration Code (Law 5275/2026) introduced fines for late renewal applications, so do not plan on a grace period.

Where MVR 19 stands, and what you can do now

MVR 19 is an existing building on Mavromataion Street in south Patras that TPL S.A., its owner and developer, is converting into 19 independent studios. The conversion is in preparation, the change-of-use permitting act is still to be issued, and the completion date will be announced. We will publish the act's number and date when it is issued.

That means the application stage for an MVR 19 residence cannot start yet. What you can do now is the part of the timeline that does not depend on the building: choose a residence, appoint an independent lawyer, sign a power of attorney, get your tax number and bank account, and gather your family documents. Ask us for the reservation and payment terms in writing, and have your lawyer review them, including what happens if the permit is delayed.

How the €250,000 change-of-use route works

Compare the 19 residences