Investment residence requires the correct property category
The mainstream property thresholds are €800,000 in the specified higher-demand areas and €400,000 elsewhere, subject to the detailed property and area conditions. A €250,000 route survives for defined cases such as qualifying conversion of non-residential property to residential use; it is not a general nationwide property threshold. A separate listed-building category has its own conditions.
The current registry entry for the conversion route requires a qualifying single property, completion of the change of use before filing and specified engineer and notarial evidence. It does not apply the mainstream 120-square-metre restriction to that conversion category. Verify the legal category of the actual property, including prior industrial use where relevant, before paying a reservation or purchase deposit. Immigration eligibility is only one component of property due diligence.
Sequence title checks, funds, application and biometrics
Obtain an AFM, establish the funding trail and instruct an independent legal review of title, encumbrances, planning and the applicable investment category. For conversion property, confirm that the necessary works and change-of-use documentation are legally complete before the residence filing. The notary’s certificate and engineer’s report need to match the actual transaction and property.
After the qualifying investment and supporting records are ready, file through the competent procedure, retain the application evidence and complete biometrics as instructed. The current conversion-route registry lists a 50-day completion deadline and €2,016 in fees, but that is not an assurance covering property acquisition, document preparation or appointment waiting. The residence permit is generally five years with renewal linked to continued eligibility. A sale can end the investor’s basis of residence.
Residence follows the home and vital interests as well as days
Greek individual residence can arise from a permanent or principal home, habitual abode or centre of vital interests, including personal and economic ties. Presence exceeding 183 days during any twelve-month period is a further test, generally applying from the first day of presence. The official guidance describes a limited exception for exclusively tourism, medical or similar private stays not exceeding 365 days; this is not a general remote-worker exemption.
Ordinary Greek residents are generally subject to worldwide income taxation, while nonresidents are taxed on relevant Greek-source income. A person retaining another home should examine the applicable treaty with the actual family and economic facts. Obtaining an AFM tax number or a golden-visa card does not alone establish the full residence conclusion. Record arrival, accommodation, family relocation and work activity so the first resident year can be supported.
Work permission and tax elections do not follow automatically
The property investor residence route does not provide general access to employment. A person intending to work or operate a business in Greece needs the appropriate legal analysis and, where necessary, another immigration basis. Ownership of an overseas company is not a substitute for reviewing the activities the individual will perform while physically in Greece.
Separately, an Article 5A tax application generally has a March 31 deadline and investment evidence requirements. The €500,000 tax-regime investment and the immigration investment categories should not be assumed identical. Eligible pension recipients or workers may instead fit Articles 5B or 5C, whose conditions differ. Choose the combination based on nationality, actual activities, income mix, residence history and family plans rather than treating the golden visa as a packaged tax status.
Keep the evidence needed for renewals and citizenship
Maintain current insurance, identity documents and investment evidence. Property and immigration changes should be reviewed before sale, redevelopment or transfer to another family member or entity. The title-registration evidence accepted on initial application can differ from what must be complete by renewal. Calendar the card expiry independently of tax filings and property obligations.
If eventual citizenship matters, plan actual residence, Greek-language and civic knowledge, economic integration and tax compliance. Merely maintaining the investment and a residence card while living elsewhere does not establish the permanent daily-life base required for naturalisation. Preserve annual tax assessments, social-insurance records, housing and travel evidence so a later application can demonstrate the real history.
Sources & research notes7 references
Sources supporting this guide. Research draft awaiting editorial review.
- Greek government housing portal: increased golden-visa property thresholds
- Greek National Registry: golden visa through qualifying change of use
- Greek Ministry of Migration: golden visa information (legacy thresholds require current-law check)
- aade.gr — official guidance
- Greek Ministry of Economy and Finance: current income taxation and ATAD rules
- AADE: November 2025 tax incentive guide
- en.mitos.gov.gr — official guidance