What is the Greece golden visa minimum investment in 2026?

For a home, €400,000 outside the high demand areas and €800,000 inside them (Attica, the Thessaloniki regional unit, Mykonos, Santorini, Evia and islands of more than 3,100 people). €250,000 is enough only for a commercial or industrial building converted to a home, or a listed building you restore. These amounts have applied since 5 April 2024.

Is the Greek golden visa still €250,000?

Only for the two special cases: conversions to residential use and restored listed buildings. The old €250,000 rule for ordinary homes ended with Law 5100/2024, and the transitional windows for buyers under the old rules have closed. The Ministry's English golden visa page still mentions €250,000 because it describes the old law.

Can I buy two cheaper apartments to reach the amount?

No. The law requires the whole investment to be in one property, in every tier.

Do I have to live in Greece to keep the golden visa?

No. There is no minimum stay, and the law says time spent outside Greece does not stop you renewing. Living there matters only if you later want citizenship.

Is there a Greece citizenship by investment program?

No. Greece sells residence, not citizenship. Naturalization needs seven years of lawful and permanent residence, a written knowledge exam and a €550 fee, and the investor permit is one of the titles that count. Whether years held without living in Greece count is a question for a lawyer.

Can I work in Greece on a golden visa?

No. Article 100 says the investor permit gives no access to any form of employment.

Can my parents be included in my Greece golden visa?

Yes. The parents of both you and your spouse or registered partner can be included, along with your spouse and your unmarried children under 21. Their permits expire with yours.

Greece Golden Visa 2026: Requirements and Costs

Program: Greece golden visa
Main route: One residential propertySource: Law 5100/2024 · checked 28 October 2026
Minimum investment: €250,000 for a converted commercial building or restored listed building; €400,000 for a home outside the high demand areas; €800,000 in the high demand areasSource: Law 5100/2024, Circular 9/2024 · checked 28 October 2026
Minimum stay: NoneSource: Law 5100/2024 · checked 28 October 2026
Permit length: 5 years, renewed for 5Source: Law 5100/2024 · checked 28 October 2026
Family included: Spouse, unmarried children under 21 and the parents of both spousesSource: Law 5100/2024 · checked 28 October 2026
Citizenship timeline: 7 years lawful and permanent residence, plus examSource: MITOS naturalization record · checked 28 October 2026
Last checked: 28 October 2026

If you don't plan to move

Stay rules: no minimum stay. The law says time spent outside Greece does not stop you renewing, and time in Greece on the permit does not count against the Schengen 90 days in 180, according to the European Commission.
Renewals: every five years while you still own the property, for a €2,000 fee. Do not let it for under 60 days through platforms or sublet it: the penalty is losing the permit and a €50,000 fine.
Tax residency: the permit does not decide it. A permanent home, habitual abode or center of vital interests in Greece, or 183 days in any twelve months, does.

Holding the option: renewals and minimum stay · Schengen time · keeping the permit · tax residency traps

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Much of what you will read about the Greek golden visa online is still written around the old €250,000 rule. That changed with Law 5100/2024. We worked from the codified law the Ministry of Migration and Asylum publishes and from the Ministry's own circulars, and where the Ministry's web pages lag behind its own law, we say so.

Greece golden visa requirements in 2026

You need one residential property bought for at least the amount set for its area, paid in full before you apply, and you must keep it for as long as you want the permit. In return you get a five year residence permit with no minimum stay and no right to work.

The investment: one property at or above the threshold for its area (€800,000, €400,000, or €250,000 for the two special cases below). Built property needs at least 120 m² of main living space.
Payment: the full price paid before the application is filed, by bank check, credit transfer or card payment into a Greek account. Your spouse or a relative up to the second degree may pay.
Use: no short term or holiday lets and no subletting.
Presence: adults and children aged six and over come to Greece once to give biometrics. After that, absence does not stop renewal.
Work: none. Article 100 says plainly that the permit gives no access to any form of employment.

You can hold the property in your own name, jointly with your spouse, or through a Greek or EU company you own 100%. Co-ownership works only if each share is itself at least the threshold. An inherited property or a gift from a parent also counts, at its objective value.

Greece golden visa minimum investment 2026: the three tiers and where they apply

€800,000 in the expensive areas, €400,000 in the rest of Greece, and €250,000 only for conversions and listed buildings. These amounts have applied since 5 April 2024.

Tier	Where	Main conditions
€800,000	Attica region (Athens and around), Thessaloniki regional unit, Mykonos, Thira (Santorini), and any island with more than 3,100 inhabitants at the last census. The Ministry's circular adds that Evia counts as an island in this tier.	One property only. Built property needs at least 120 m² of main living space.
€400,000	All other areas	One property only, at least 120 m² if built.
€250,000	Anywhere, for two cases only: a commercial or industrial building converted to residential use, or a listed building restored	One property. No 120 m² minimum.

Which islands are over 3,100 people is a census question, not something you can guess from a map. Ask the lawyer to confirm the tier for the exact municipality before you sign anything.

The old €250,000 and €500,000 thresholds survived only for buyers who had paid a 10% deposit or signed a pre contract by 31 August 2024 and completed by 28 February 2025 (or switched to another property by 30 April 2025). Those windows have closed. Permits already granted under the earlier rules stay valid and are renewed as long as their original conditions are still met.

Greece golden visa properties: one property, 120 m² and the €250,000 cases

The whole amount has to go into a single property, and if it is built, the main living space must be at least 120 m². Two cheaper apartments do not add up to a qualifying investment.

The 120 m² rule does not apply to plots of land.
Storage rooms and parking spaces can count towards the price, but not towards the 120 m², and they must be in the same building and on the same contract.
The single property rule now applies in all cases, including the €250,000 tier.

The conversion route (commercial to residential)

You can qualify with €250,000 if you buy a building whose main spaces have been changed from commercial or industrial use to residential. The change of use must be complete before you apply and must have been completed on or after 5 April 2024. The seller may be the one who does the conversion. A former industrial building only counts if no industry has operated there for at least five years, and the converted property cannot then be used as a business seat or branch. A 2025 joint ministerial decision (214926/2025) added an engineer's report certifying the change of use, and a declaration at each renewal that the property is still a home.

The listed building route

You buy a listed building for €250,000 or more and restore it. The restoration must be finished by your first renewal. Selling before the restoration is done is void, and failing to finish carries a €150,000 fine.

The short-term rental ban and other conditions

You can let a golden visa property long term, but not as a short term or holiday rental: lets of under 60 days through platforms, and subletting, are banned. Breaking the rule costs the permit plus a €50,000 fine on the owners or holders.

Properties bought under the older rules, or completed in the transitional window, are outside this ban. If your plan depends on summer rental income, the Greece golden visa program is not built for it any more. At renewal you now sign a declaration that the property has not been let short term.

Two other conditions matter for anyone holding the permit from abroad. You must still own the property at each renewal. And if you sell to another non EU buyer, they can take over the right to a permit, and yours is revoked.

Other routes in the Greece golden visa program

Greece also gives investor permits for financial investments, mostly from €500,000, and a €250,000 startup route that needs you to create jobs.

€500,000: a capital contribution to a Greek company, a Greek real estate investment company (REIC), a Greek venture capital company or fund, Greek government bonds with at least three years left, or a one year fixed term deposit with a Greek credit institution.
€800,000: listed shares or corporate or Greek government bonds.
€350,000: units in a mutual fund investing in Greek listed securities, with fund assets of at least €10 million.
€500,000: setting up a business, or holding at least 33% of a Greek company.
€250,000: a stake of no more than 33% in a company on the National Startup Registry, with at least two new jobs in the first year, kept for five years (added by Law 5162/2024). That permit lasts one year, then two years at a time, and carries an extra €2,500 fee to the Startup Registry and a €50,000 fine for breaches.

These amounts come from the 2023 Migration Code text. We did not find a later change, but we have not read a fully consolidated 2026 text.

What the Greece golden visa costs, all in

On top of the property price, the state charges €2,000 for the investor's permit at grant and at each renewal, plus €16 for the residence card. Property transfer tax is 3% of the property's taxable value, paid by the buyer, plus a municipal surcharge, and notary and lawyer fees come on top.

Permit fee: €2,000 for the investor, at grant and at each renewal.
Residence card: €16.
National (type D) visa, if you enter on one: €180 consular fee.
Family members: we read the 2024 ministerial decision as setting €150 for each family member, with nothing for minors, but no single sentence says so directly.
Property transfer tax: the tax authority (AADE) says the rate is 3% of the taxable value of the property, paid by the buyer, with a 3% surcharge for municipalities charged on the amount of that tax. The taxable value is not necessarily the price you pay. Some purchases, such as new buildings, can fall under VAT instead.
Notary, land registry, lawyer and engineer fees.

Run the numbers for your family in the golden visa cost calculator.

The process and timeline

The law says the permit is issued within two months of a complete file reaching the issuing authority, and completeness should be checked within 40 days.

Choose the property and confirm the tier for its exact municipality with a Greek lawyer.
Buy and pay in full. At first grant, proof that registration at the land registry was requested is now enough; final registration proof can follow at renewal.
File. A lawyer can file for you under a power of attorney before you arrive. The one stop service checks the file within 40 days and issues the application certificate (once called the "blue certificate").
Biometrics. Adults and children aged six and over then come to Greece to give biometrics, within twelve months. Children under six do not need to come.

Family members

Your spouse or registered partner, your unmarried children under 21, and the parents of both of you can be included, and since February 2026 adult children who lack legal capacity can be too.

Children of either spouse count if that spouse has legal custody. Family members of investors enter Greece without going through the usual family reunification approval, and their permits expire with the investor's. A child who turns 21 can get an independent three year permit just by showing the previous one. The 2026 addition comes from Law 5275/2026, which we read in a reproduction of the official text.

Renewals, and is it Greece permanent residency by investment?

The permit lasts five years and renews for another five each time, as long as you still own the property, with no minimum stay. It is open ended in that sense, which is why Greek documents call it the permanent investor residence permit.

The law says periods of absence from Greece do not stop renewal. The Ministry's own clarification and the naturalization record use the name "permanent investor residence permit" for it. That is a name for a renewable permit tied to the property, not a status that survives selling it.

Greece residency by investment vs citizenship by investment

There is no Greece citizenship by investment: you cannot buy a Greek passport. Citizenship by naturalization needs seven years of lawful and permanent residence, a written knowledge exam and a €550 application fee, and the investor permit is on the list of residence titles that count.

The catch is in the word "permanent". The government's procedure record asks for proof of continuous residence, Greece as the permanent center of your life, and Greek tax returns filed as a resident for the qualifying years. That reads to us as meaning years held without living in Greece will not get you there, though no source we read says so in one sentence.

The exam is the certificate of knowledge for naturalization, held twice a year, unless you went to school in Greece.

Tax if you do move

The permit does not decide your tax residence. You are Greek tax resident if your home, habitual abode or center of vital interests is in Greece, or if you spend more than 183 days there in any twelve months.

Greece also has an optional regime for new residents under Article 5A of the Income Tax Code: a flat €100,000 a year on foreign income, plus €20,000 for each family member included, for up to fifteen years. It applies if you were not tax resident in seven of the previous eight years and invest at least €500,000 in Greece within three years. We read this in a secondary source, a reproduction of the code on a Greek tax portal, not in the Government Gazette. The code waives the investment condition for holders of an investment activity permit under the old Law 4251/2014, and it does not say whether that covers today's property permit.

What changed and what we are watching

The big change was Law 5100/2024, which raised the thresholds from 5 April 2024 and brought in the single property, 120 m² and short-term rental rules. Since then the property thresholds have not moved; the changes have been about procedure, a startup route and family.

Law 5167/2024: extended the transitional deadline for old rule buyers to 28 February 2025.
Law 5162/2024 (December 2024): added the €250,000 startup route.
Joint ministerial decision 34693/2025 (March 2025): procedure for the business and financial routes.
Joint ministerial decision 214926/2025 (November 2025): new document list for property permits, the engineer's report for conversions and listed buildings, and the short-term rental declaration at renewal.
Law 5275/2026 (passed 5 February 2026): widened family members to adult children who lack legal capacity. The Ministry says it also sets a minimum validity of two years for every residence permit. Its article index shows no change to the golden visa thresholds or the €2,000 fee.

Where sources differ: the Ministry's own English golden visa page still describes the old law (4251/2014) and the €250,000 minimum. The law in force, and the Ministry's circulars, say otherwise. Enterprise Greece's golden visa pages were offline or marked "under review" when we checked.

What we are watching: a consolidated 2026 text of Article 100, any change to the financial investment amounts, and the Gazette text of Law 5275/2026. We check the rules again whenever we update this page, and no outcome is guaranteed.

Weighing Greece against the other two? Our Portugal vs Greece vs Italy golden visa comparison puts the routes, minimums, stay rules and costs side by side, with the date each was checked. You can also see what your nationality changes on the golden visa by passport page.

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Questions we hear most

What is the Greece golden visa minimum investment in 2026?: For a home, €400,000 outside the high demand areas and €800,000 inside them (Attica, the Thessaloniki regional unit, Mykonos, Santorini, Evia and islands of more than 3,100 people). €250,000 is enough only for a commercial or industrial building converted to a home, or a listed building you restore. These amounts have applied since 5 April 2024.
Is the Greek golden visa still €250,000?: Only for the two special cases: conversions to residential use and restored listed buildings. The old €250,000 rule for ordinary homes ended with Law 5100/2024, and the transitional windows for buyers under the old rules have closed. The Ministry's English golden visa page still mentions €250,000 because it describes the old law.
Can I buy two cheaper apartments to reach the amount?: No. The law requires the whole investment to be in one property, in every tier.
Can I rent out a Greece golden visa property on Airbnb?: No. Lets of under 60 days through platforms, and subletting, are banned. Breaking the rule costs the permit and a €50,000 fine. Long term lets are allowed.
Do I have to live in Greece to keep the golden visa?: No. There is no minimum stay, and the law says time spent outside Greece does not stop you renewing. Living there matters only if you later want citizenship.
Is there a Greece citizenship by investment program?: No. Greece sells residence, not citizenship. Naturalization needs seven years of lawful and permanent residence, a written knowledge exam and a €550 fee, and the investor permit is one of the titles that count. Whether years held without living in Greece count is a question for a lawyer.
Can I work in Greece on a golden visa?: No. Article 100 says the investor permit gives no access to any form of employment.
Can my parents be included in my Greece golden visa?: Yes. The parents of both you and your spouse or registered partner can be included, along with your spouse and your unmarried children under 21. Their permits expire with yours.

Sources

Law 5100/2024, codified Migration Code text including Article 100 (investor residence), Ministry of Migration and Asylum, Hellenic Republic. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
Circular 9 of 24 September 2024 on investor residence permits (golden visa), Ministry of Migration and Asylum. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
Clarification on the permanent investor residence permit (December 2024), Ministry of Migration and Asylum. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
Specific issues on investor residence permits (25 October 2024), Ministry of Migration and Asylum. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
Law 5162/2024, Article 44 (startup investor permit), Ministry of Migration and Asylum. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
Golden Visa (information page), Ministry of Migration and Asylum. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
Joint Ministerial Decision 214926/2025 (document list for investor permits), as reproduced, forin.gr. Secondary source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
Law 5275/2026, as reproduced, taxheaven.gr. Secondary source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
Announcement: bill on legal migration passed by Parliament (5 February 2026), Ministry of Migration and Asylum. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
Naturalization of foreign nationals (procedure record), MITOS, National Register of Administrative Procedures, Hellenic Republic. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
Greek Income Tax Code (Law 4172/2013), Article 4 (tax residence), as reproduced, taxheaven.gr. Secondary source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
Greek Income Tax Code (Law 4172/2013), Article 5A (alternative taxation for new residents), as reproduced, taxheaven.gr. Secondary source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
Property transfer tax (ΦΜΑ): taxable persons and calculation, Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE). Official source. Last checked 30 October 2026.
Short-stay calculator (90 days in any 180-day period), European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.
Investor citizenship and residence schemes in the EU (press release IP/19/526, 23 January 2019), European Commission. Official source. Last checked 28 October 2026.

This page is general information, not legal, tax, immigration or investment advice. Rules and fees change, so check the sources above and the date we last checked them. No approval, permit or timeline is guaranteed. We are paid for introductions; here is how.