All you need to know about European residency by investment

Home > What is a Golden Visa

A Golden visa is a type of residence visa with added benefits, offered by several European countries including Greece. It is an investment scheme that ensures visa-free travel in the Schengen zone to non-European investors and their families.

The Legal basis for a Golden Visa in Greece

Greece introduced the law No 4251/2014 that allows citizens from any non-European countries to acquire a European residence permit by investment, granting them free movement to travel within the Schengen Zone (26 countries).

SCHENGEN AREA

AUSTRIALIECHTENSTEIN
BELGIUMLITHUANIA
DENMARKMALTA
ESTONIANETHERLANDS
FINLANDNORWAY
FRANCEPOLAND
GERMANYPORTUGAL
GREECESLOVAKIA
HUNGARYSLOVENIA
ICELANDSPAIN
ITALYSWEDEN
LATVIASWITZERLAND

Working to implement later

BULGARIACYPRUS
CROATIAROMANIA

WHAT COUNTRIES YOU CAN TRAVEL TO WITH A GREEK GOLDEN VISA

The Golden Visa Programme in Greece is exceptionally competitive as it features friendly terms, minimizing both the amount of the capital required and with the help of investment consultants it is easy to obtain. It is an investor visa and it can be renewed indefinitely as long as the main applicant keeps the investment, while there is no requirement to stay in Greece whatsoever.

Eligibility

Αll non-European citizens are eligible to apply for a Golden Visa, as long as the main applicant is over 18 years old and the total investment is no less than 250000 euros.

Golden Visa for Families

Children under 21 years of age, parents, spouse or partner with a co-habitation agreement (concluded in Greece) and in-laws of the main investor can benefit from the same investment of 250000 euros and above and issue a permanent European residence permit too.

Greek Golden Visa investment options

Property Acquisition
The most common way of acquiring a Golden Visa is through property acquisition, although there are other alternatives related to business investments.

General Investment
Through general investment in promising fields of Greek economy, is the other option to acquire the Greek Golden Visa, and as investment consultants we would be happy to work together on a plan on how you can utilize the opportunity for Golden Visa investment by proposing business ventures that suits your individual needs and requirements as well as being relevant to your field of expertise.

It is worth mentioning that the applicable law for the Golden visa Programme may soon widen and the blend of acceptable investments will by including alternative types of assets (i.e government bonds, shares of existing Greek companies, etc). Sign up to our mailing list in order to be notified as soon as the proposed law amendments are in effect.

If you would like to know more about the process of acquiring a permanent Greek residence permit through real estate investment, feel free to browse our page on How to get a Golden Visa. Alternatively, feel free to contact us for details on the general investment route, as the process and timeline are slightly different.

Real estate investment options for Golden Visa acquisition in Greece

There is an a bundance of choice when you are interested in investing in Greece for a Golden Visa. Whether you are investing in residential or commercial real estate, you can buy your property either as an individual or jointly with other investors, or alternatively as a legal entity (owning 100% of the company shares).

RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY

RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY

Apartment/Flat
Maisonette
Detached House
Entire Building

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY

Shop
Office
Hotel

PLOT OF LAND

PLOT OF LAND

Olive Field
Vineyard

SOME OF THE REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT OPTIONS TO ACQUIRE A GOLDEN VISA BY BUYING PROPERTY IN GREECE

Types of properties eligible for a Golden Visa application are incredibly varied, ranging from apartments, detached houses, villas and entire buildings, to shops, offices, hotels and even plots of land.