The Greece Residency Programme offers the right to live, invest, and do business in Greece, and travel freely within the Schengen area. Family members can also be included in the process.

The Greece golden visa is attractive both in terms of business expansion and providing a safe haven in times of uncertainty. Obtaining and retaining the visa imposes no minimum residency requirement, and neither does renewing it, making it an extremely flexible investment. The process of obtaining the residency visa is a significantly quick one, taking up only 40 days.

The Greece investor visa, or permanent residency permit, is granted for five years, after which it may be renewed as long as the investment is upheld.

After seven years of residency in Greece, an applicant becomes eligible to apply for Greek citizenship, after the attainment of which he/she may dispose of the investment. A Greece passport would offer visa-free travel to 174 destinations. Greece also allows dual citizenship, meaning that any original citizenships need not be renounced upon acquiring a Greece one. 

At this point in time, individuals and businesses can find enticing opportunities in the competitive prices offered by the Greece property market. These high prospects for profitability, combined with the low prices of the programme and Greece’s upcoming exit from three international bailouts have quickly made the Greece Residency Programme programme one of the most popular of its kind in Europe.

The Greece residency programme is open to all non-EU applicants of good repute. Medical insurance is required to ensure coverage for any stay in Greece.

The main applicant must be 18 years of age, and eligible dependants include the spouse, children under 21 years of age, as well as parents.

Applicants must not have any restrictions on entering the EU countries, the US and Canada, and they must have a stable enough income to maintain any financially dependent family members. 

The investment options vary from the purchase of property or a plot of land, to a timeshare agreement.

For a purchase of property to qualify as sufficient investment for the Greece residency programme, it must have a minimum value of €250,000. Both commercial and residential properties are eligible, and these may be situated in any part of Greece, be it on the mainland or the surrounding islands. Collective investments are also allowed provided that the applicants’ investments meet the minimum required value. Properties can also be leased to compensate for the investment.

The minimum investment requirement for the purchase of a plot of land also falls at €250,000, and this includes the combined value of the purchase along with the contract with the construction company.

The third option which is open to interested applicants is signing a 10-year timeshare agreement with the value of the lease being no less than €250,000.