The Greece Golden Visa is a 5-year renewable residence permit for investors and their family members. Its key feature: there is no minimum stay requirement, so the status can be maintained without ever visiting the country. You can invest in real estate, cultural heritage, financial instruments, or startups, but restrictions apply to Russian citizens.
Who qualifies and what the status provides
The program covers investors, their spouses or partners, children, and in certain cases dependent parents of both spouses. The status allows holders to live in Greece and travel within the Schengen Area — currently 29 European countries.
However, the visa itself does not make the holder a tax resident of Greece. Tax residency arises only if you stay in the country for more than 183 days a year. Purchased property can be leased long-term for income, but short-term rentals through platforms like Airbnb are prohibited.
Real estate investment: prices by region
Property prices depend on the location of the asset. In Attica (including Athens and Thessaloniki), Mykonos and Santorini, as well as islands with a population over 3,000, the minimum value is €800,000. The property must be at least 120 m² and constitute a single unit.
In the rest of Greece, the threshold is lower — €400,000, with the same area requirements.
Alternative investment routes from €250,000
You can also obtain the Golden Visa through other routes. The first is to purchase a commercial property and convert it into residential use. The €250,000 value requirement applies across all of Greece regardless of region, and the 120 m² minimum does not apply here.
The second option is investing in designated cultural heritage properties, which must then be restored. Since 2025, a third route has been added: investments of €250,000 or more in startups listed in the Elevate Greece state registry.
Restriction for Russian citizens
Greece still does not accept new Golden Visa applications from Russian citizens. It is currently impossible to apply directly using a Russian passport.
However, if an applicant holds a second citizenship not covered by these restrictions, the situation can be treated differently, and documents can be submitted under the alternative passport. This explains why some Russian investors acquire citizenship of other countries — even if such a passport does not grant visa-free access to Schengen, it opens access to the Greek program.
The path to Greek citizenship
The Golden Visa is not a direct route to Greek citizenship. Simply holding the status for 7 years is not enough: if the investor does not live in Greece, those years alone do not qualify as grounds for naturalization.
To obtain a Greek passport, you must actually reside in the country for the period required by law, and then go through a separate naturalization procedure. It includes requirements for Greek language knowledge and integration. If EU citizenship is the ultimate goal, it may require either an actual move to Greece or an alternative strategy, such as the Portugal Golden Visa, where the path to citizenship does not require permanent residence in the country.
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