Greece Golden Visa 2026: zones, thresholds and the rules that matter

Greece Golden Visa thresholds in 2026, by zone

Article 100 of the Greek Migration Code (Law 5038/2023), rewritten by Law 5100/2024, governs the permit. The Ministry of Migration applies the new text from 5 April 2024, and the current thresholds apply with no transitional relief to purchases from 1 September 2024.

The reform is sometimes dated to 31 August 2024, but that was the transitional cut-off: buyers who had paid a 10% deposit under a dated preliminary contract, or the full price, by then could complete at the old €250,000 and €500,000 levels. The last such window closed on 30 April 2025.

Investors who completed a qualifying purchase under the earlier rules, even without applying, may still apply on those terms — worth checking with a lawyer.

Which islands are in the €800,000 zone — and why Lesvos is one of them

No official island list exists. The law sets a test instead: an island whose population exceeded 3,100 in the latest census, today the 2021 census.

Lesvos (Mytilene) is clearly inside it: the Lesvos regional unit had 83,755 permanent residents in 2021. A Golden Visa purchase anywhere on the island — Plomari included — falls under the €800,000 threshold, the single-property and 120 m² rules and the short-term rental ban. We state this plainly because Angelina Estate's Greek base is in Plomari: a €400,000 home on Lesvos does not qualify; the only lower route there is a €250,000 conversion or restoration.

Crete is also far above the test and, on the wording of the law, falls in the €800,000 zone, though no official list confirms it. The Ministry has stated that Evia (Euboea) counts as an island area and is therefore €800,000.

Small islands can be caught by their region: Ios, Sikinos, Folegandros and Anafi sit in the Thira Regional Unit, and Aegina, Salamina, Hydra, Spetses, Poros and Kythira in the Attica Region — on a plain reading, €800,000 locations. Confirm with a lawyer.

Buying on Lesvos: the border-area approval

Lesvos is a designated border area; others include Chios, Samos, the Dodecanese, Thira (Santorini), Skyros and several mainland border districts. Under Law 1892/1990, a buyer from outside the EU and EFTA needs prior approval from a committee of the Decentralised Administration before acquiring property there; a contract signed without it is void.

This approval comes before the deed, and so before the Golden Visa application. In April 2024 local press reported that the North Aegean committee had not met for about eighteen months, with more than 70 Lesvos purchases waiting — ask about current timing before you commit.

One property, 120 m²: how the size rule works

The full amount must go into a single property — since the 2024 law, on every route including €250,000. Smaller properties can no longer be combined.

Where the property is built or has a building permit, its main spaces must total at least 120 m². Parking and storage in the same building and contract count toward the price but not the 120 m²: in the Ministry's own example, a €1 million home with 118 m² of main space plus parking and storage is refused.

Spouses or registered partners may share one property and reach the threshold together; other co-owners must each meet it with their own share. If you buy land and build, the home you keep must itself pass the 120 m² and value tests.

The €250,000 route: conversions and listed-building restorations

€250,000 is not a general minimum. It applies anywhere in Greece — the €800,000 zones and Lesvos included — but only to one property in one of two kinds of project, with conditions rechecked at renewal.

• Conversion: an existing commercial, office or industrial building whose main spaces become residential, completed after 5 April 2024 and before you apply, by seller or buyer. Industrial buildings need at least five years without active industry; a new build switched to residential at permit stage does not qualify.
• After conversion: the home cannot serve as a company seat or branch, you declare at each renewal that it remains residential, and a property can use the €250,000 level only once. An engineer's technical report goes with the first application.
• Listed-building restoration: full restoration before your first renewal, documented by an engineer. A sale before completion is void and brings revocation plus a €150,000 fine; missing the deadline also carries a €150,000 fine.
• Multi-unit conversions: a sworn valuation report must show the apartment you keep is worth at least €250,000.

Renovation is part of what our own team does in Türkiye and Greece, so we can assess a candidate building with you early and plan the works; the engineer's documentation and legal checks stay with licensed engineers and our partner lawyers.

Short-term rentals: what the Airbnb ban covers

A property acquired for a Golden Visa — at first issue or at renewal — may not be let short-term through Airbnb-type platforms or sublet. A breach leads to revocation of the permit and a €50,000 fine.

The Ministry defines short-term through Law 4446/2016: a lease under 60 days with no services beyond lodging and linen, listed online or not. Long-term leases remain allowed, including to tourism businesses such as hotels. You declare at each renewal that the property has not been let short-term. Properties bought under the earlier rules, or within the 2024–2025 transitional window, are outside the ban.

Our short-stay holiday homes in Plomari are a separate rental-management service, not Golden Visa investments; a property bought for a Golden Visa today could not be let that way.

Who in your family is included

Family members receive linked permits that expire with the investor's. A child who turns 21 can move to a three-year independent permit.

• Your spouse or registered partner.
• Unmarried children under 21 — your common children, or either spouse's children where custody is legally assigned.
• The parents of both spouses.
• Adult children of any age who lack legal capacity and live with, and are supported by, the investor (added by Law 5275/2026).

Step by step: from purchase to residence permit

Dual nationals choose one nationality at the outset; the permit cannot later move to the other unless the first is officially lost. New investor applications from Russian and Belarusian citizens remain suspended, as the Ministry confirmed in April 2026.

Government fees and purchase taxes

Transfer tax is generally calculated on the higher of the tax value and the contract price. Notary, land registry and legal fees vary — ask for written quotes before you sign.

Permit term, renewal and the right to work

The permit renews for five years at a time while the property stays in your full ownership and possession, directly or through a Greek or EU company you own outright. There is no minimum stay, and a lawyer with your power of attorney can file the renewal.

If you sell during the permit, a non-EU buyer can take over the right and your permit is cancelled. The permit gives no right to work in Greece, though holders may own shares and sit as non-executive board members.

Golden Visa is residence, not citizenship

A Golden Visa does not grant Greek citizenship. Naturalisation is a separate Ministry of Interior procedure; the investor permit is one of the residence titles that can count toward the seven years of lawful and permanent residence it requires.

Applicants also need the PEGP certificate — a written exam in Greek language, geography, history, culture and institutions — plus proof of economic integration, such as Greek tax assessments as a tax resident, and social integration, with Greece as the continuous centre of life. The fee is €550.

In practice these conditions are hard to meet without living in Greece; if a passport is the goal, plan for it from the start with a lawyer.

What may change next

As of early October 2026 these are announcements and proposals, not law.

• Transfer tax: in September 2026 the government announced a rise from 3% to 15% for homes bought by non-EU/EEA individuals from 1 July 2027. Its effect on Golden Visa buyers is unsettled; no bill had been published by 4 October 2026.
• VAT: the suspension on new buildings runs to 31 December 2026; Greek press has reported a planned extension to 2030.
• Portfolio route: the National Housing Strategy 2026–2035 proposes a future option based on several properties let long-term. No amount or conditions are set.
• Political debate: on 30 September 2026 the opposition party PASOK tabled an amendment to stop new real-estate permits. It is not government policy.

How Angelina Estate helps

Angelina Estate works between İstanbul and Lesvos, with our Greek base in Plomari. We start from the rules above: the right zone for your budget, one qualifying property, and any border-area approval planned from day one.

We source the property, guide the purchase, coordinate the legal file with trusted partner lawyers in Greece and, where a conversion or restoration is the route, plan and coordinate the works with our own renovation team. Afterwards we can manage the property on long-term leases.

Frequently asked questions