Greece Golden Visa real estate: buying the right qualifying property

Greece Golden Visa real estate is the most direct route for non-EU nationals to obtain Greek residency: buy a property above a legal minimum value and you, your spouse and your children can apply for a five-year renewable permit. Since the 2024 reform (Law 5100/2024, Article 64, amending Article 100 of the Migration Code, Law 5038/2023), the hard part is no longer the paperwork but the property itself: location-based thresholds, a minimum floor area, a single-asset rule and a ban on short-term letting. Selecting that property is exactly what an independent buyer's agent does, acting for the purchaser rather than the seller.

This page explains how we work and the rules that shape your search. For a zone-by-zone breakdown, read our guide to Greece Golden Visa 2026 thresholds.

Greece Golden Visa real estate thresholds

The minimum amount depends on where the property is and what type of property it is. In the general case, the investment must be in one single property with at least 120 m² of main living area. Combining several smaller units to reach the threshold is no longer allowed.

Practical points highlighted by Greek practitioners (International Bar Association analysis, September 2026):

• storage rooms and parking spaces do not count towards the 120 m², but their price can count towards the investment if bought under the same deed in the same building;
• premises that merely could be converted do not qualify; the change of use must be legally complete before you apply;
• a listed building cannot be resold before restoration is finished, and failure to restore exposes the owner to revocation of the permit and a fine.

These are the rules in force at the time of writing. Greece's National Housing Strategy 2026–2035 mentions possible new categories, which are not yet operational. Always have your own situation confirmed by a qualified Greek lawyer before you sign.

What the residence permit gives you

The permit is valid for five years and renewable for as long as you keep the qualifying property. There is no minimum stay requirement in Greece.

• Family: the spouse or registered partner, unmarried children under 21 and the parents of both spouses can generally be included in the same application.
• Travel: the permit allows short stays in other Schengen countries, up to 90 days in any 180-day period outside Greece.
• Work: the Golden Visa does not, on its own, give the right to take salaried employment in Greece. Holding shares in a company or acting as its director is possible; paid employment requires a separate permit.
• Citizenship: the permit does not lead directly to Greek nationality, which depends on actual residence and integration requirements.

Residency is not tax residence

Holding a Greek residence permit does not make you a Greek tax resident. As a rule, Greek tax residence depends on factors such as spending more than 183 days a year in the country or having your centre of vital interests there. Many permit holders remain tax resident where they actually live.

As an owner, you will pay the annual Greek property tax (ENFIA) and, where relevant, tax on rental income. Greece also offers an optional flat-tax regime on foreign income for new tax residents (Article 5A of the Income Tax Code). These questions belong with a tax adviser: we work with yours or introduce you to an independent one.

Letting the property: what is and is not allowed

Since the 2024 reform, a property acquired to obtain or renew a Golden Visa cannot be let on a short-term basis (holiday lets under Greece's sharing-economy rules) or sublet. Greek law firms commenting on the law cite revocation of the permit and a €50,000 fine as penalties.

Long-term letting remains allowed, though not required. This changes the investment case: in Mykonos or Santorini, a Golden Visa home should not be underwritten as a seasonal rental villa. If tourism income is your priority, our page on hotel investment in Greece sets out a different approach.

Purchase costs and application fees

The purchase price is only part of the budget. The figures below are typical ranges for a resale property; they vary with the asset and the advisers involved.

In practice, allow roughly 5% to 7% of the price for ancillary costs, excluding search fees, depending on the property and structure.

Steps and timeline

A typical engagement, shown for illustration only:

1. Brief (1–2 weeks): family composition, budget, location, intended use, and an eligibility check with your lawyer.
2. Preliminaries: Greek tax number (AFM) and a Greek bank account, usually possible under power of attorney.
3. Search and viewings (4–10 weeks depending on the market): a shortlist of qualifying properties, including off-market ones, viewed in person or remotely.
4. Checks: title, cadastre, planning legality by an engineer, main floor area, encumbrances.
5. Negotiation and signing before a notary, with payment by traceable bank transfer, followed by registration.
6. Application to the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, usually filed by your lawyer, then biometrics.
7. Card issued: depending on the office, from a few months to close to a year. Filing normally entitles you to a certificate allowing you to stay while the application is processed.

No timeline can be guaranteed: it depends on the file, the property and the authorities' workload.

Choosing the property: Athens or the islands

We start from how you will actually use the home, not just from the threshold.

• Athens: Kolonaki, Lycabettus and Plaka for a characterful apartment in the centre; the Athens Riviera (Glyfada, Vouliagmeni) for a house near the sea and the airport. It is the deepest market, with genuine long-term rental demand.
• Mykonos and Santorini: €800,000 threshold, scarce land, tighter planning rules and no short-term letting for a Golden Visa home. Best suited to family use. Our guide to buying a villa in Mykonos covers this market in detail.
• Crete and other regions: the €400,000 threshold applies outside the high-demand areas (the Peloponnese and mainland Greece outside Attica and Thessaloniki, for example). For large islands such as Crete, Rhodes or Corfu, interpretations of the population criterion differ: have your lawyer confirm the applicable threshold for each property.

Elsewhere in Europe, some countries have closed the property route (Portugal removed it in 2023). To compare options, see our page on residency by investment in Europe.

Why use a buyer's agent

An agent holding the seller's mandate is paid when the sale completes. We are instructed and paid by the buyer, which changes three things: the search covers the whole market, including off-market homes; negotiation is conducted in your interest; and the checks are done before you are committed.

Acropolis Real Estate draws on the background of its founder, Nicolas Milonas: more than 25 years of cross-border investment for clients from Europe, Asia and the Middle East. We coordinate with your lawyer, notary and bank, and can also advise on hospitality assets: see boutique hotels and resorts for sale in Greece. To begin, contact our team or call +33 7 68 39 96 13.