Greece Golden Visa: Costs, Rules and Process (2026)

The permit is valid for five years and can be renewed while the qualifying investment and renewal conditions remain in place. It does not require a minimum number of days in Greece. It also supports short visits elsewhere in the Schengen area under the ordinary Schengen rules; it is not a right to settle or work in another member state.

It does not provide access to employment or self-employment in Greece. The April 2026 Ministry circular allows passive ownership, shareholder rights and a non-executive board role where no work is performed. It excludes acting as a company's legal representative or executive board member.

Government fees are €2,000 per application for the main investor, payable on the initial grant and again at each five-year renewal. It is flat per application, not per year or per family. Adult family members pay €150 each, and children under 18 are exempt from that application fee. Every card carries a separate €16 production fee, including cards for children.

By law the permit is issued within two months once the authority has the complete file (Law 5038/2023, art. 100 §10, checked 27 Sep 2026), but that deadline is often exceeded. There is no statutory end-to-end deadline or official average for the whole process (selection, due diligence, closing, registration, filing, biometrics and card issuance), and practitioner estimates vary widely. The National Registry's listed-building procedure shows an estimated administrative time of 50–60 days for a complete application. That figure is not a promise for the whole investment journey or for every route. Ask a lawyer for current office-specific experience and what their estimate includes.

After filing you receive a blue submission certificate. It lets you live in Greece legally while the decision is pending, but it does not allow Schengen travel, which surprises people who assumed filing was equivalent to holding the permit.

Acquisition tax, VAT treatment, notary, registry, legal and due-diligence costs depend on the asset and transaction. The cost calculator gives a planning estimate, but the tax treatment of a specific property should be confirmed before exchange or payment.

Property owners may owe annual ENFIA and tax on Greek rental income. The amount depends on the property, income and taxpayer position. The short-term letting prohibition is an immigration rule; it does not remove tax and reporting duties from permitted long-term letting.

Tax residence does not turn solely on the permit or on a simple day count. The Greek tax authority treats more than 183 days in Greece during a twelve-month period as one route to tax residence, while a permanent or principal residence, habitual abode or centre of vital interests can also establish it. Greek tax residents are generally taxed on worldwide income, subject to treaties and any valid special regime; non-residents generally remain liable on Greek-source income.

Article 5A offers an alternative regime for some people who transfer tax residence to Greece. It has separate eligibility, application and investment rules. Treat it as a tax-planning question, not as an automatic Golden Visa benefit.

The permit covers a spouse or registered partner, unmarried children under 21, and the parents of either spouse or partner. Greece including both sets of parents is unusually generous and is a genuine reason families choose it over the alternatives.

The part worth planning for is what happens at 21. A child who completes their 21st year can receive an autonomous three-year permit. It cannot be renewed in the same category, so before it expires the holder needs another lawful residence basis or a qualifying investment of their own.

There is no student or dependency extension to 24, whatever you may read elsewhere. The age-24 horizon people describe is simply the arithmetic of a three-year permit granted at 21. The single exception, added by Law 5226/2025, covers adult children of any age who lack legal capacity, proven by a final court decision.