Greece Golden Visa

About Greece Golden Visa Program

The Greece Golden Visa Program provides a quick, well-priced pathway to Greek residency for foreigners who invest in real estate in the country.

Greece offers economic residency to those who invest a minimum of €250,000 in real estate through its Golden Visa Program.

Through their investment, which entitles them to a five-year, renewable residency permit in Greece, Golden Visa applicants can live, work, and study in the country—until they decide to sell their Greek real estate (less traditional pathways in real-estate involving leasing/hotels pathways also exist and are outlined below).

Time to Residency

3 months

Minimum Investment

€250,000

Type of Investment

Real Estate Investment

Visa-free Countries

Schengen countries

About Greece

One of the oldest civilizations in the world, Greece today is a vibrant country of ten million people situated in southeastern Europe, with islands extending into the Aegean Sea. A key member of the European Union, its neighbors to the north include non-EU Balkan states (Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania) as well as Turkey. Greek is the national language; the euro is its national currency. The country is renowned for its ancient history. Its capital, Athens, hosts the Parthenon—perhaps the ancient world’s most famous monument—as well as innumerable other thousands-of-years old-sites. For the modern traveler seeking sunshine and seashore, the country boasts some of the best beaches in Europe throughout its innumerable islands, which famously include Santorini, Crete, and Mykonos—home to iconic blue tiled houses with white walls. The food, history, and hot climate make Greece one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe.

Language

Greek

Currency

Euro

Total Area

131958 km2

Capital

Athens

Government

Unitary Parliamentary Republic

Population

10,724,599

Greece Golden Visa Benefits

Why is the Greece Residence Program so beneficial to foreigners seeking a second residency? Here are some of the most common answers to this frequently asked question:

  • Greece is one of the most visited countries in Europe—being able to live in a country with so many lifestyle benefits (idyllic Mediterranean climate, innumerable beaches, fascinating, visible ancient history, world-renowned cuisine—goes a long way toward explaining the Greek Golden Visa’s popularity.
  • Children of applicants are granted residency without having to apply for it, making the Greece Golden Visa program ideal for individuals with families.
  • In addition to lifestyle benefits, an investment in Greek real estate is a safe investment in a country with an increasingly lucrative housing market.
  • Greece is just a short flight away from Paris, Rome, Madrid, and other top European capitals on the continent. Athens is a hub for inter-European travel, and Greece is an ideal place of residency for those intending to travel throughout the Schengen area.
  • In addition to its enviable geographic location, Greece also provides residents with visa-free access to the entire Schengen area. Recipients of Greece residency through the Greece Golden Visa Program can therefore enter all 26 Schengen states (France, Germany, etc) without a visa.
  • The Greece investor visa (Golden Visa) can ultimately lead to citizenship for eligible residents who have lived in the country for a minimum of seven years.

Greece Real Estate Investment

  • The main way to participate in the Greece Golden Visa Program is by purchasing real estate in Greece at a minimum cost of €250,000. In exchange for investing in Greek real estate, the investor receives a temporary residence permit (valid for five years maximum). The investor will have their residency renewed (every five years) so long as they retain ownership of their original real estate investment.
  • There is no in-person requirement for renewing a Greece Golden Visa—the process can be completed online. This reflects the lack of residency requirements for the Greek Golden Visa— applicants who choose not to live in Greece must make just one trip to the country (necessary for formally designating someone to act as a signatory on future related residency materials). 
  • Participants in the Greece’s Golden Visa Program may invest in more than one property and still meet the Greece Golden Visa requirements—so long as the minimum investment requirement (€250,000) is met.
  • There are no location restrictions for the Greece Golden Visa Program, meaning that applicants can invest in real estate throughout the country and its innumerable islands.
  • The Greece Golden Visa Program also allows for two buyers to purchase a single property.
  • Alternatively, Greek residency can be pursued through leasing a hotel and/or travel accommodation blocs for a minimum ten-year period, AND/OR by investing in a time share (lasting a decade) for a hotel.

Greece Citizenship and Passport Ranking

Of the top ten most powerful passports in the world, Greece is number seven. Its high ranking reflects the 187 countries its holders can enter visa-free (including all the major countries in Europe).

How to Apply and Obtain Greece Golden Visa

  • All applicants must meet numerous Greece Golden Visa requirements in order to be approved for a Greece Golden Visa in 2022.
  • In order to participate in the Greece Permanent Residency Programme, investors must first apply for and receive a visa to Greece in order to begin their application for a Greece Golden Visa.
  • Perhaps the most critical of the Greece Golden Visa requirements is good character—those with a criminal history or dubious morals need not apply.
  • The second of the major Greece Golden Visa requirements is the applicant’s credible demonstration of his/her ability and intent to fulfill the financial responsibilities related to the Greece Golden Visa Program. Applicants are required to supply numerous financial documents, including bank account statements, in order to show that they can afford the principal investment and all additional fees relating to the Greece Permanent Residency Programme.
  • In a related requirement, financial documents (and indeed all application materials for the Greece investor visa) that are not already written in Greek must be translated into Greek in order to meet the Greece Golden Visa requirements.
  • Applicants are required to apply for and receive health insurance from a legitimate provider in Greece (insurance which provides them coverage throughout their visa validity period).
  • Please note that the Greece investor visa is only available to applicants over the age of 18.

Greece Golden Visa Cost

Golden Visa Stamps

€2000 for each applicant and the main investor

Real Estate Investment

€250,000

Real Estate Purchase

€1000

Property Background

€250 plus 24% VAT

Applicants can expect the additional costs to amount to 8-10% of the property value.

€2666.30

Taxes, Legal Fees, and Administration Costs approximately 6.4% of the property value

€16,000

Residency Application Fee

€300 plus 24% VAT for the main investor and every other applicant

Apply for Greece Golden Visa

How to obtain a Greece Golden Visa

  1. Part 1 of how to apply for a Greece Golden Visa in Europe involves contacting Second Passport. Second Passport will provide personalized assistance as you assemble your application for the Greek Golden Visa.
  2. Apply for and be approved a visa to Greece.
  3. Gather your application materials (this part of the application process can take time, as and involves procuring a variety of documents and forms necessary for proving you meet the various financial and personal requirements for the Greece Golden Visa.
  1. Travel to Greece to fulfill the only in-person requirement for the application process (this is the only time your presence in Greece will be required if you ultimately receive residency—you do not need to spend time in the country to maintain your residency, once it’s achieved).
  2. Submit your Golden Visa application and await approval.
  3. Pending approval, pay your complete Greece Golden visa fees.Pending receipt of all fees, receive your Greek residency.
  4. Book Free Consultation

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