Greece Golden Visa 2026: cost, routes & residency
The cheapest EU real-estate route — but the price tiers jumped in 2024.
Greece's Golden Visa is the most affordable EU real-estate residency, but the thresholds rose in 2024: €800,000 in the priciest areas (central Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini), €400,000 in most other places, and a €250,000 route kept for property conversions and restorations. It's a five-year renewable residency with no minimum-stay requirement.
How the Greece Golden Visa works
Real estate on a tiered scale since 2024: €800,000 in the highest-demand zones (central Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini), €400,000 across most of the country, and €250,000 for the conversion of commercial property to residential or the restoration of listed buildings. Financial-investment routes also exist.
Stay requirement and what it leads to
There is no minimum-stay requirement, so it's a pure residency-holding play. Citizenship is a different matter — it needs seven years of genuine residence plus a language and integration test, so most holders treat the Greek Golden Visa as residency, not a passport.
At a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Minimum investment | From €250,000 / €400,000 / €800,000 |
| Main route | Real estate (tiered) |
| Minimum stay | No minimum stay |
| Leads to | 5-yr residency (citizenship 7 yrs) |
| Where | EU / Schengen |
Where it fits in a borderless plan
Even after the 2024 increases, Greece remains the cheapest way into EU residency through property. A golden visa is a residency, not a passport. Pair it with a deliberate plan for where you are actually tax-resident and a self-custody plan for your Bitcoin. Compare every programme in our golden-visa guide, or go for a passport via investment or ancestry.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Greece Golden Visa cost?
The minimum investment is From €250,000 / €400,000 / €800,000. Real estate (tiered) is the main route. Programmes change often, so confirm current thresholds before applying.
Does the Greece Golden Visa lead to citizenship?
It leads to 5-yr residency (citizenship 7 yrs). A golden visa grants residency; a passport is a separate, longer process — see our golden-visa guide and the dual-citizenship guide.
What's the minimum stay for the Greece Golden Visa?
No minimum stay. Low-presence requirements are part of the appeal of most golden visas, but rules vary and change — verify the current position.
Official sources
Rules change — always confirm the current position with the primary authority:
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