Greek Golden Visa requirements in 2026

Who can apply

• Nationals of countries outside the EU. The permit is for third-country nationals. EU citizens, and EEA and Swiss nationals, have their own residence rights and do not need it.
• Lawful entry, or filing first. You need a valid visa, visa-free entry or a valid residence permit when you apply. Alternatively, under article 10 §11 of the Migration Code, your lawyer can file the application before you arrive, and you then enter Greece to give biometrics.
• Public order and health. You must not be listed as an undesirable person on public-order or security grounds, and must not pose a public-health risk.
• Nationality bar. New applications by Russian and Belarusian nationals, including their family members, are suspended.
• Through a company. You may buy through a Greek or EU company if you own 100% of its shares.
• Co-owners. Each co-owner's share must meet the threshold on its own. The exception is spouses or registered partners, who may share one investment: one receives the investor permit and the other a family-member permit.

Investment tiers in 2026

The thresholds were set by Law 5100/2024, in force since 5 April 2024, and are explained in the Ministry's Circular 1/2026 of 21 April 2026.

Conditions that apply to every route

• One property. The minimum must be met by a single property. A storage room or parking space in the same building, bought in the same deed and used as ancillary space, counts toward the value but not toward the area.
• Full ownership. You must hold full ownership and possession of the property.
• The deed price counts. The minimum is the acquisition value at the time of purchase. Renovation you pay for afterwards does not count.
• Paid in full before you apply. The whole price is paid, through the Greek banking system, before the application is filed.
• Keep the property. Selling it while the permit is valid ends the permit, unless you first buy a qualifying replacement and notify the authority.
• Letting rules. No short-term letting through digital platforms and no subletting. A breach brings a €50,000 fine and revocation. Long-term leases are allowed.

Documents checklist for every property route

These are the specific documents listed by Joint Ministerial Decision 214926/2025 and the official mitos.gov.gr procedure. The common documents for all residence permits, set by Joint Ministerial Decision 95391/2024, apply as well; your lawyer will confirm the current list for your case.

1. A copy of your passport, valid under the Schengen Borders Code, with your entry visa or proof of visa-free entry, or a valid residence permit.
2. A certificate from the notary who drew up the deed, stating the parties, the property, the agreed price, how it was paid with full payment details, the deed of full payment, and whether the seller had used the property for an investor permit.
3. Proof that the deed was registered at the land registry or cadastre. At the first application, proof that registration was requested, or a lawyer's certificate, is enough; the final proof follows at renewal.
4. A private health insurance policy.
5. The electronic permit fee of €2,000, and the €16 card fee.
6. A copy of your E9, the Greek declaration of property you own.
7. A recent colour photograph to Greek passport standard, in print and in digital form.
8. If you buy through a company, proof that you own all of its shares.

For the €400,000 and €800,000 tiers, the notary's certificate must state the area of the main spaces, and the E9 must show at least 120 m².

Extra requirements for the €250,000 change-of-use route

The conversion route replaces the size test with a use test. The key document is an engineer's technical report on the change of use of the property's main spaces. Joint Ministerial Decision 214926/2025 (art. 2 §2.6) prescribes its wording. In substance, the engineer certifies:

that the change of use is established, as shown by the building permit, the small-scale works approval, the file update or the permit revision issued after article 64 of Law 5100/2024 came into force, from use "…" to use "residence" for the main spaces of the property bought by the named investor under the stated notarial deed.

Our summary in English of the Greek text. The Greek wording in the Decision is authoritative.

• The date test. The issue date of the permitting act must be 5 April 2024 or later. A change-of-use permit issued earlier counts only if it was updated or revised on or after that date.
• Completed before you apply. The conversion must be finished before your application is filed. Buyer or seller may carry it out.
• Industrial buildings. The engineer must also certify that no industry was installed and operating in the building for the last five years, using a power-disconnection certificate from HEDNO or the municipality, the E2 forms of the last five years, or other official records. Craft workshops are not treated as industrial.
• What does not qualify. Property that was residential on 5 April 2024 and was converted away and back, and new projects permitted after that date for another use and then revised to residential.
• Several homes from one conversion. Each resulting apartment falls under the €250,000 route on its own. An original investor who keeps one of them must prove its value with a certified valuer's report.
• At renewal. You sign a solemn declaration that the main spaces are still in residential use and that the property is not a company seat or branch.

Size is not a condition of this route. See the 120 m² rule and the €250k conversion route for the Circular's exact position.

Payment rules

• The price is paid by crossed bank cheque, by credit transfer, or by card payment through a POS terminal, into the seller's account with a bank in Greece.
• The payer may be you, your spouse, or your relatives up to the second degree. No cash and no unrelated third-party payers.
• The payer and account details are declared before the notary and recorded in the deed.

The Ministry takes circumvention seriously. Circular 1/2026 (Clarification 23) names misleading advertising about price or payment, and undocumented transfers of money before or after the investment that leave it well below the legal minimum. Such cases are referred to the tax authorities, the police and the Hellenic Anti-Money Laundering Authority, and the permits are revoked. The price in the deed must be the real price, with no money coming back to the buyer.

Fees

• Main applicant: €2,000 permit fee plus €16 for the card, €2,016 in total. The same applies at each five-year renewal.
• National visa, if you need one to enter: a consular fee of €180.
• Family members: separate fees apply. We have not verified the current per-person amount; confirm it with your lawyer.
• Appeal against a refusal: €50, filed within two months of the decision.

Purchase taxes and professional fees come on top, roughly 5–7% of the price today. See what a €250k purchase really costs.

Family members

One investment can cover your spouse or registered partner, your unmarried children under 21, and the parents of both you and your spouse. Each family member needs a passport, photographs and health insurance, and proof of the relationship, such as marriage and birth certificates. Foreign civil-status documents generally need an apostille or consular legalisation and an official Greek translation. See family members on a Greek Golden Visa.

Filing and timing

Applications are filed digitally, usually by your lawyer under a power of attorney. The official procedure allows up to 10 days to check completeness, 2 days to issue the submission certificate, 40 days to examine the file and biometrics, and 8 days to issue or refuse the permit: 50 days in all. In practice it takes several months. In August 2026, 627 Golden Visa cases were pending in the regional administration covering the Peloponnese, Western Greece and the Ionian islands. You must attend in person once to give fingerprints. See how long the Greek Golden Visa takes.

For MVR 19 buyers

MVR 19 is a building on Mavromataion Street in Patras being converted into 19 studios, each offered at €250,000 and designed for the change-of-use route. The conversion is in preparation and the change-of-use permitting act is still to be issued, so eligibility is subject to completion of the change of use before your application, and the Ministry decides each case. Each studio is one property; a storage room in the building can be added in the same deed. When the change-of-use permitting act is issued, its date and reference will be in the legal pack we send to buyers.

Read the full €250,000 route guide or compare the 19 residences.