Greek Golden Visa Law changed on 23.12.2020: You can now apply for the program completely remotely. You or your dependents do not have to enter Greece during or prior to the application process.
What you will find in this article:
Launched in 2013, the Greek Golden Visa Program grants a five-year residence permit in exchange for as low as a 250,000 Euro real estate investment in Greece. You can include your family in the residency program. The Greek Golden Visa allows you to live in Greece and travel across the Schengen region, without a visa.
At Get Golden Visa, we’ve helped hundreds of families find the right property in Greece and get their Golden Visa, providing us with an expertise in the market. Take the first few steps of your journey by finding out just what the Greece Golden Visa program is, who is eligible to apply, what are the investment requirements, and all the other details before you make a decision. Let’s get the ball rolling.
The Greek Golden Visa allows you and your family to live in Greece. There is no limitation to how long you can stay. As a matter of fact, there is no minimum stay requirement either. The right to live in Greece comes with public healthcare and education benefits as well.
The Golden Visa gives you the freedom to travel across the Schengen zone without the need for an additional visa.
The Schengen zone consists of 26 European countries that have officially abolished visas and border control at their mutual borders.
Can your family join you? They sure can. The residence scheme allows you to include your spouse and children under the age of 21 in the program. This means that all these family members can also receive and enjoy all the benefits of a Golden Visa card.
In addition to the other Golden Visa programs, the Greek program provides an Extended Family benefit. This means that the principal applicant’s parents and parents-in-law can also receive cards without any further requirements.
Among the Golden Visa programs in Europe, Greece has the lowest investment threshold. You can invest as low as 250,000 Euros in Greek real estate in order to qualify for the program.,
The Greek property market took a big hit in the 2008 financial crisis and suffered for more than a decade. As of 2021, the Greek real estate market is expected to adjust in an upward trend.
Depending on your country of residence and the amount of time you spend in Greece, it is likely that your international income may not be subject to taxation in Greece. In that case, you may maintain your business activities outside of Greece and enjoy some tax benefits.
As of 2021, Greece also provides tax benefits to foreigners living in the country as tax residents. There are different incentive programs for retirees, digital nomads, and other particular expat segments.
Make sure and check with your certified financial advisor to see if you can benefit from any of these incentives.
Between 2014 and 2021, a total of 8,011 main applicants and 15,774 dependents received their Golden Visa in Greece. So, as of 2021, a total of 23,785 Greek Golden Visa permits were granted to their owners.
These applications directed in excess of 2 billion Euros of global funds into Greece.
The highest number of applicants came from:
Source: Ministry οf Migration and Asylum / General Secretariat for Immigration Policy (05.01.2021)
In order to qualify for a Golden Visa in Greece, you must meet the following requirements:
As of 2021, you no longer need to visit Greece in person in order to apply for your Golden Visa. Learn more about how to apply remotely here.
There are several investment types that qualify you for a Greece Golden Visa. These include:
If you chose to proceed with the purchase of a property;
In the case of an applicant who has signed a lease of a hospitality accommodation:
You may renew your Golden Visa residence permit every five years. You must fulfill the above conditions to be able to renew at the end of each five years.
A successful Golden Visa Program application requires the following documents:
In some cases, the authorities may request additional documentation.
You may submit your application yourself or through a Greek lawyer.
The Greek government issues the Greece Golden Visa cards valid for a period of five years at a time. Every five years, you are required to renew your residence permit. In order to renew the permit, you must meet the following conditions:
You will need the below documents in order to renew your Greek Golden Visa residency permit:
In some cases, the authorities may require additional documents to renew the permit.
As of 2021, the Greek Government introduced many tax incentive programs for non-residents in Greece.
As a non-Greek tax resident, you should appoint a tax representative and file tax returns with the Non- Greek Resident Tax Office, provided that you earn actual Greek source income.
The Greece Golden Visa program is not a citizenship by investment program. However, you may be eligible to apply for naturalization in Greece at the end of seven years, provided that you meet a set of criteria.
Below are the requirements to apply for Greek citizenship:
You need to:
For further information on the Golden Visa Greece read the article below: