Greece golden visa by buying a home: total cost and how to apply
Updated
Can I get a Greek golden visa for €250,000?
Only for a commercial building converted to housing or a listed building being fully restored — that €250,000 tier applies anywhere in Greece. Every other home must cost at least €400,000, or €800,000 in Attica (Athens), Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands of more than 3,100 people, in a single property of at least 120 m². Answers that still quote €250,000 for an ordinary home “in certain areas” are out of date: these tiers were set by Law 5100/2024.
| Where / what | Minimum price | Size rule | All in, one person (resale) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Converted commercial building or listed building (anywhere) | €250,000 | no minimum area | about €267,741 |
| Rest of Greece | €400,000 | 120 m² minimum | about €427,176 |
| Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini, islands over 3,100 people | €800,000 | 120 m² minimum | about €852,336 |
Official rule: Greece: EUR 250,000 nationwide only for a commercial building converted to housing, or a listed building being fully restored. (source, checked 2026-10-12)
A €400,000 resale home outside Athens and the big islands costs about €427,176 all in for one person — €27,176 of taxes, fees and the €2,000 permit fee on top of the price. A family of four pays about €427,374. In return you get a five-year residence permit, renewable as long as you keep the home, with no minimum stay.
Not a valid document. Estimate for information only — not legal, tax or immigration advice. Rules change often and errors are possible. Confirm every figure with a licensed lawyer in the country before you pay anything.
Greece golden visa total at €400,000: one person or a family, resale or new build
| Resale (3.09% transfer tax) | New build with 24% VAT | |
|---|---|---|
| One person | €427,176 | €510,816 |
| Family of four (couple + 2 children under 18) | €427,374 | €511,014 |
A new build whose developer has suspended VAT (allowed until 31 December 2026) pays the 3.09% transfer tax instead, like a resale. Notary, lawyer and registry are estimates verify; an agent and health insurance are not included.
Proposal, not law (read 2026-10-21): Greece's draft 2027 State Budget plans to raise the transfer tax on homes bought by tax residents of countries outside the EU from 3% to 15%, from July 2027 (Ministry of National Economy and Finance, draft budget PDF). The figures above use today's rate; this changes only if the budget and the tax law are passed.
The rules at a glance
| Minimum price | €800,000 in Attica (Athens), Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands of more than 3,100 people; €400,000 elsewhere; €250,000 nationwide only for a commercial building converted to housing or a listed building under restoration verify |
|---|---|
| What must be bought | One property of at least 120 m² main area (not for the €250,000 cases). Resale homes qualify in practice. Taxes and fees do not count toward the minimum verify. |
| Income or capital test | None — the money must arrive through traceable bank transfers verify. |
| Minimum stay | None: absence is no obstacle to renewal. |
| Permit | Residence permit for 5 years, renewable while you own the property. It is not permanent residence and not citizenship. It does not make you tax-resident. |
| Family | Spouse or registered partner, unmarried children under 21 (own permit possible to 24) and the parents of both spouses. |
| Renting the home out | Long-term letting allowed. Short-term letting (stays under about 60 days) and subletting are banned for homes bought under the 2024 rules: revocation plus a €50,000 fine verify. |
| Holding period | None as such — sell the home and the permit lapses. |
| Citizenship | Seven continuous years of legal residence, proof of economic integration and the Greek language and civics certificate (Ministry of Interior). Law firms add that years spent abroad on this permit do not count verify. |
| Schengen | Yes — Greece is in Schengen; the permit lets you travel up to 90 days in any 180 in the Schengen area. |
| Processing | The law says two months from a complete file (Migration Code art. 100(10)); the ministry's service register estimates 50–60 days; law firms report 3–6 months in practice. |
| Last change | Law 5275/2026 of 6 February 2026 (a permit must have at least two years left when it is issued; investor family rules amended); thresholds set by Law 5100/2024. |
| Not open to | New applications from Russian and Belarusian citizens and their families: suspended 'until further notice' by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum in 2022 (Russia from 28 February 2022; Belarus confirmed in the 1 April 2022 release, start date not stated), except as family members of an investor of another nationality or of an existing permit holder; no official lifting has been published. Renewals of existing permits continue. |
Every cost, and who sets it
- Transfer tax 3.09% on a resale (3% plus municipal surcharge) — or 24% VAT on a new build, unless the developer has suspended VAT, which Law 5246/2025 allows until 31 December 2026.
- Land registry / cadastre: about 0.5–0.8% (the calculator uses 0.7%) verify.
- Notary about 0.8–1.5% plus 24% VAT, lawyer about 1–2% (sources differ: 1–1.5% or 1–2%) verify.
- Government fee: €2,000 for the main applicant (official); €150 per adult family member, children under 18 pay no fee (Migration Code art. 171(2)(c)); €16 per residence card verify.
- Every five years: the €2,000 fee again for the renewal.
- Health insurance: required, about EUR 150-350 per person per year verify — not in the total.
- Agent: not counted (often 2–5% plus VAT; add your figure).
Sources' own worked example: about €427,500 for a €400,000 home and a family with one adult child — close to this calculator.
What takes longer than expected
The permit decision is the only step with a legal deadline. Most of the waiting happens before it — in the family paperwork, the bank account and the purchase — and practitioners report about 4–6 months for a clean file; 9–12 months or more once bank, registry and correction delays are included verify. Plan for that, not for the 2 months in the law.
Family paperwork
Each family member needs civil documents: a marriage certificate for a spouse and birth certificates for the children (they also prove the link to parents you include). Every foreign document needs its Apostille or legalisation first; only then is it officially translated into Greek — by a certified translator, by a Greek lawyer who certifies the translation, or by a translation graduate of the Ionian University. Family-status certificates are normally accepted only if issued within the last 6 months verify, so order them last. If a lawyer applies for you, the power of attorney signed abroad needs an Apostille or Greek consular certification too.
Where are your documents from? Documents from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, India, Pakistan, China, Russia, the UK, the US, Canada, South Africa, the Philippines and the other countries in the Apostille Convention need an Apostille from the issuing country. The UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Lebanon and Nigeria are not in the Convention: their documents need full legalisation — first the issuing country's foreign ministry, then the Greek consulate. Allow weeks for each stamp, per document and per family member. Greece also legalises documents from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Kosovo and Tunisia only through its consulates, because it objects to their joining the Convention.
The whole timeline, not just the permit
| Step | What the rules say | What people report |
|---|---|---|
| Tax number and Greek bank account | No deadline | The account takes 1–2 weeks to about 2 months verify |
| Search, legal checks, deed and land registry | No deadline | Weeks to months — the registry and corrections add time |
| Permit decision | Within 2 months of a complete file (Migration Code art. 100(10)) | Of 9,382 first applications filed in 2024, 3,138 were still undecided at the end of April 2026 (Ministry of Migration figures) |
| Biometrics when you apply from abroad | Come to Greece within 12 months verify | Each family member gives fingerprints in person |
| The whole journey | No official figure | About 4–6 months for a clean file; 9–12 months or more once bank, registry and correction delays are included; longer in Attica verify |
The Greek bank account
The whole price must reach the seller's account in Greece through the banking system — no cash verify — so in practice you open a Greek account right after the tax number. Banks check your passport, tax number, proof of address and where the money comes from; some want you there in person, and a refusal costs weeks. Start it first, and have the source-of-funds papers ready before the appointment.
Advice from someone who is not selling you the home
No law makes you hire a lawyer, and in our reading many golden-visa guides online are written by developers or agents selling particular properties. A lawyer you choose and pay yourself — not one introduced and paid through the seller — checks the title, debts on the property, the zone and the 120 m² rule before you transfer money. Greek law requires an estate agency contract to say in writing whether the agent may also act for the seller; ask to see that clause. We found no official warning about golden-visa sellers either way.
How to apply, step by step
- Get a Greek tax number (AFM) and open a Greek bank account — a lawyer with power of attorney can do both for you.
- Choose the home: check the zone (which minimum applies), the main area (120 m² or more), and whether it lies in a border area, where non-EU buyers need a committee's approval first (several months).
- Have your lawyer check the title and the land registry, and agree with a developer whether VAT is suspended.
- Pay the full price by bank transfer and sign the deed at a notary; register it at the land registry / cadastre.
- Arrange private health insurance for everyone on the application.
- Apply for the permit (in person or through your lawyer) with the deed, registry certificate, insurance, passport and clean criminal record; pay the €2,000 fee. Give fingerprints at the migration office.
- Collect the five-year cards; renew before they expire while you still own the home.
Official sources
- EMN 2026 compilation — Greece's official answer (thresholds, 5-year permit, €2,000 fee)
- Greek Ministry of Migration — Golden Visa page (renewal e-fee, card fee)
- ELRA — Greece: restrictions on foreign buyers (border areas)
Other countries: all four countries compared · can a non-EU citizen buy a home in each EU country? · routes that need no property
Other ways to live in Greece
- Financially independent person (no work): €3,500 a month of stable income — own-income permits.
- Digital nomad (remote work for employers or clients outside Greece): €3,500 a month net, +20% for a spouse and +15% per child (€5,250 for a couple with two children) — digital nomad visas.
- Investment without property: €350,000 in fund units investing in Greece, or €500,000 in Greek government bonds, a one-year bank deposit or new shares; a registered start-up from €250,000 verify — investor routes.
Before you rely on this: what to confirm
These points rest on a law firm, a commercial source or a single source, or the official page could not be read. Ask a licensed lawyer to confirm them against the official tariff or law before you pay anything.
- The €150 fee per adult family member and €16 per card (three commercial sources agree; the ministry's fee table was not readable).
- Whether the fee is refunded if the application fails.
- The legal basis for counting resale homes and for excluding taxes and fees from the minimum.
- Whether the developer's VAT suspension still applies after 31 December 2026.
- The real processing time (2-month legal deadline vs longer in practice).
- Whether a criminal record certificate is asked for investor family members — the investor-specific rules we could read do not say.
- That your home is outside a border area, or that the committee has approved the purchase.
Questions people ask
Do I have to live in Greece to keep the permit?
No — in Greece, there is no minimum stay; the permit is renewed every five years as long as you still own the property.
Does the Greek golden visa lead to citizenship?
Only through ordinary naturalisation: seven continuous years of legal residence, proof of economic integration and the Greek language and civics certificate. Law firms add that years spent abroad do not count.
Can I rent out the property?
In Greece, long-term letting is allowed. Short-term letting such as holiday rentals is banned for properties bought under the 2024 rules; breaking it costs the permit and a €50,000 fine.
How much does a Golden Visa cost in Greece?
In Greece, a €400,000 resale home outside Athens and the big islands costs about €427,176 all in for one person: 3.09% transfer tax, notary, lawyer, registry and the €2,000 permit fee. The €800,000 tier applies in Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and the larger islands; €250,000 only to converted or listed buildings.
Is the Greece golden visa still available?
Yes — Greece still grants a five-year residence permit, renewable, for buying property; the current price tiers were set by Law 5100/2024 and the last change came with Law 5275/2026 of 6 February 2026.
How do you qualify for a Golden Visa in Greece?
Be a non-EU citizen, buy one property of at least the price tier for its zone (at least 120 m² for the €400,000 and €800,000 tiers), take out health insurance and apply with a clean criminal record and the €2,000 fee. There is no income test and no minimum stay.
How long does it take to get a Greek Golden Visa?
In Greece, by law the permit is issued within 2 months of a complete file, but the Ministry's own figures show 3,138 of the 9,382 first applications filed in 2024 still undecided at the end of April 2026. Add the steps before the application — tax number, bank account, purchase, deed, registry, family documents: practitioners report about 4–6 months for a clean file; 9–12 months or more once bank, registry and correction delays are included (an estimate, not an official figure).
What are the documents required for a Golden Visa?
For Greece: passport, a clean criminal record, the notarial deed and land-registry certificate, private health insurance, proof of the €2,000 fee and fingerprints at the migration office. For each family member also the civil documents — marriage and birth certificates — with an Apostille or legalisation and an official Greek translation, and an apostilled power of attorney if a lawyer applies for you.
Do you need to translate an apostille?
Greece wants the Apostille (or legalisation) added first and the official Greek translation made after it, by a certified translator, a Greek lawyer or an Ionian University translation graduate. Ask the translator whether the Apostille page is translated as well.
Is a certified translation the same as an apostille?
No — an Apostille is a stamp from the issuing country that confirms the signature and seal on the original document; a certified translation puts its text into the language of the country where you apply. For a Greek golden visa you usually need both, in that order. Countries outside the Apostille Convention, such as the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait, use full legalisation instead of an Apostille.