How Much Do I Need to Invest in Greece for a Golden Visa?

How Much Do I Need to Invest in Greece for a Golden Visa

The Greek Golden Visa Program, which was established in 2013, offers a five-year residence permit in exchange for a minimum real estate investment of €250,000 in Greece.

In April 2023, this investment amount will increase to €500,000 for properties in Athens only, but there will be no change in the investment amount if you purchase a property outside Athens.

Your family is welcome to participate in the residency program. You can live in Greece and travel throughout the Schengen area without a visa thanks to the Greek Golden Visa. We at Coates Global have experience in the market because we have assisted hundreds of families in finding the ideal property in Greece and obtaining their Golden Visa. Before you decide, take the first few steps of your journey by learning everything there is to know about the Greece Golden Visa program, including who is eligible to apply, what the investment requirements are, and all other specifics. Let’s start the process.

Benefits of the Greece Golden Visa

Compared to other Golden Visa programs, obtaining a Greek Golden visa residence permit has a number of advantages.

  • Visa-free movement within the Schengen region
  • EUR 250,000 is a comparatively low minimum investment amount.
  • Family members, both immediate and extended, are also eligible.
  • Tax advantages for both residents and non-residents of Greece
  • There is no minimum duration of stay requirement.
  • 5-year permit for immediate residence.
  • A remote application option.

How to Apply for the Golden Visa Greece

The Greek Golden Visa application procedure is not too complicated. Here are the procedures:

  • Choose your investment strategy.
  • Open a Greek bank account and obtain a Greek non-resident tax identification number.
  • Purchase real estate or make your chosen investment.
  • Prepare all of the paperwork required to apply for a Golden Visa.
  • Visit Greece and provide biometric data to the appropriate authorities there.

You’ll be given a Golden Visa once your application has been accepted. The law governing the Greek Golden Visa now permits remote application, including the actual collection of residence permits. Investors will only need to travel to Greece once to submit their biometric data, along with their families.From submission to approval, the application process can take one to two months.

Documents Required to Apply for a Greece Golden Visa

You must submit the following paperwork in order to apply for the Greek Golden Visa program and finish the above steps:

  • Application for the Golden Visa in Greece.
  • Passport photos from recently. Use the handy iVisa online photo service if you don’t have one.
  • Genuine passport
  • A receipt for the necessary government and visa fees.
  • Proof of health insurance coverage in Greece for you and each applicant’s family members.
  • Proof of the source and amount of the investment’s funding.

Additional records depend on the investment, such as a real estate purchase agreement, contracts for investments made in corporations, or a certificate from the Land Registry.

Your documents must be translated into Greek by a Greek lawyer or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs translation service in Athens.

Getting Greece Citizenship through the Golden Visa

You will be given a Golden Visa for Greece as long as you maintain the investment, therefore you visa is renewable every five years. Contrary to the majority of other nations that issue Golden Visas, Greece does not require you to reside there in order to renew your residence permit.

After seven years, you may submit an application for Greek citizenship. You must, however, actually reside in Greece and pay taxes in order to be eligible. An applicant can only finish this procedure if they can show that they have assimilated into Greek society. For instance, passing an exam is required to demonstrate that you have a basic understanding of the Greek language.

Who may Submit a Greece Golden Visa Application?

Greek Golden Visa applicants must fulfill the following requirements:

  • 18 years of age or older
  • You have never been convicted of a crime anywhere you’ve lived.
  • Make a sizable investment in Greece’s economy (see options below).
  • Obtain medical insurance for each member of your family coming with you
  • from a Greek insurance provider.
  • Golden Visas are available to the relatives of Greek nationals.

The Golden Visa application can include family members, such as:

  • Your spouse
  • Children under 21 who are not married
  • Parents who are dependent on you or your spouse.
  • Children studying between the ages of 21 and 24

These family members will have the same privileges as the visa holder and be able to visit any Schengen country without a visa.

Is The Greece Golden Visa Appropriate For You?

You might believe that you require a second passport in order to accomplish your personal and professional objectives, but that isn’t always the case.The Greece Golden Visa is the most flexible European residency program in terms of your actual investment and has the lowest investment requirement.

Furthermore, despite its relatively high property taxes and lack of experience with naturalizing long-term residents, Greece may still be a desirable destination for some investors looking for the best possible treatment.As always, you should seek professional advice before deciding which investment is best for you or where to apply for residency.

Whether it’s Greece or another country with a Golden Visa, we can help you sort it all out. Let’s talk.

Important Changes to the Golden Visa in Portugal

Review Portugals Golden Visa

Potential Golden Visa applicants – the Portuguese Government is introducing some major changes to its Golden Visa programme (known in Portugal as ARI).

The new rules will limit the number of Golden Visas granted in the cities of Lisbon and Porto, as well as in other coastal areas, including the Algarve. This is because Portugal now wishes to encourage more foreign investment in its interior regions and the islands of Madeira and Açores.

These changes will start to come into effect on 1 July 2021, when they will be introduced in phases.

The decision to promote more foreign investment in low-density regions (particularly in the areas of urban requalification, cultural heritage, productive investment, activities of high environmental or social value and job creation) was approved within the scope of the Portuguese State Budget for 2020.  This has been on stand-by since the start of the pandemic, but the Portuguese Government has now decided to move forward, whilst still accepting applications to renew residence permits already granted.

Due to the current crisis and the importance of Golden Visa investments to the real estate market, the Government will introduce a transitional period to allow the sector to adapt, rather than launching the new criteria at the beginning of 2021 as originally intended.

Although the restriction of the Golden Visa to the interior of the country (or to low density real estate investments) begins in July 2021, it will not start immediately, but will be introduced gradually up until the end of 2022.

During the transitional period, those interested in obtaining residence permits in exchange for making investments in real estate in the metropolitan areas of Lisbon, Porto and the coast can continue to benefit from the current regime. However, the monetary requirements for access to Golden Visas will become progressively higher, and at the same time the possibility of applying to metropolitan and coastal areas will gradually be reduced. It has not yet been disclosed what the new investment amounts will be.

With this in mind, we strongly advise all potential Golden Visa applicants who wish to invest in Lisbon, Porto or the coast to make their Applications as quickly as possible, before the changes take place.