Greek Golden Visa 2026: What Law 5275/2026 Changed

What is the Greek Golden Visa in 2026?

The Greek Golden Visa, previously known as the Greece Investment Residence Permit (GIRP), is a residency-by-investment programme for qualifying non-EU nationals. It provides a five-year renewable residence permit following an eligible investment in Greece and can include qualifying family members.

What has changed most recently?

The latest significant legislative development for the Greece Golden Visa is Law 5275/2026, published in the Greek Government Gazette, FEK A’ 17, on 6 February 2026. The law consolidated immigration and investment residency rules, introduced procedural changes and expanded digital submission options.

What are the current investment amounts?

The Greece Golden Visa offers real estate investment options starting from €250,000, with higher thresholds depending on the location and type of property. Alternative investment routes, including bank deposits, bonds, and investment funds, are also available. For a full breakdown of the current investment amounts and eligibility requirements, visit the Greece Golden Visa programme page.

How long does an application take now?

Harvey Law Group currently indicates an overall processing period of approximately six to nine months. However, recent changes to how applications are distributed among migration offices are intended to address administrative backlogs. Actual processing times can vary, and the effects of the latest allocation system are still developing.

Does the Greece Golden Visa lead to Greek citizenship?

A holder may apply for Greek citizenship through naturalisation after seven years of lawful residence, provided they meet the applicable residence, integration, and other naturalisation requirements.

What has changed in the Greece Golden Visa recently?

The most recent legislative update is Law 5275/2026, published in the Government Gazette (FEK A’ 17) on 6 February 2026. The law is part of Greece's updated immigration framework and brings together rules affecting immigration and investment residency.

For Golden Visa applicants, one of the main changes is the improvement of the application and renewal process. The law expands digital submission options and simplifies certain procedures. It also provides longer grace periods for renewals, helping applicants maintain their legal residence status while waiting for a decision. Although Golden Visa applications are not subject to the standard 90-day decision deadline, applicants can still use filing certificates as proof of their legal status while their applications are being processed.

Another important change is how applications are distributed among migration offices. Applications can now be sent to different offices based on their capacity, helping reduce delays and manage backlogs more efficiently. This is particularly important following the sharp increase in applications in 2023 and 2024, which left many cases waiting to be processed.

Unlike the property investment reforms introduced in 2024, the latest changes focus mainly on improving how Golden Visa applications and renewals are handled. They also form part of a broader effort to clarify the available investment pathways.

Applicants in 2026 therefore need to consider both the updated application procedures and the investment rules introduced in previous years.

What are the current Greece Golden Visa investment amounts?

The Greece Golden Visa currently has three main real estate investment thresholds, starting from €250,000. The required amount depends on the location and type of property being purchased. Investors can find a full breakdown of the investment amounts and eligibility requirements on the Greece Golden Visa programme page.

Property location plays an important role in determining the minimum investment. Higher thresholds generally apply to popular areas such as Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, and Santorini, while lower thresholds are available in other parts of Greece. Investors should therefore consider both their preferred location and the applicable investment conditions before choosing a property.

The €250,000 route offers another option, but it is not available for all residential property purchases. It applies to specific investments, such as converting commercial properties into residential use or restoring listed buildings with historical or cultural significance. These investments have different eligibility conditions from standard property purchases.

Property use is another important consideration. Real estate acquired through the Golden Visa programme is subject to restrictions on short-term rentals, including Airbnb-style letting. Investors planning to generate rental income should take these restrictions into account when assessing their options.

Real estate is not the only way to qualify for the Greece Golden Visa. The programme also offers alternative investment routes, including qualifying investment funds, government and corporate bonds, bank deposits, and investments in eligible Greek startups. Each option has its own investment requirements, allowing applicants to explore different routes based on their budget and investment goals. For more details on the available options and eligibility criteria, visit the Greece Golden Visa programme page.

Why have Greece Golden Visa applications fallen?

Greece has seen a significant drop in new Golden Visa applications after the high demand recorded in 2023 and 2024. Ministry of Migration and Asylum figures reported in August 2026 showed 2,551 new applications in the first six months of 2026, compared with 4,553 during the same period in 2025, a decline of approximately 44%.

The decline follows a period in which investors rushed to apply before higher property investment thresholds took effect. This led to a sharp rise in applications in 2023 and 2024, making recent figures appear lower by comparison.

The higher investment requirements may also have affected demand. Property investments in popular areas such as Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, and Santorini now require larger budgets, which may influence investors' decisions. More information about the current thresholds and available options can be found on the Greece Golden Visa programme page.

However, the decline in applications may not fully reflect investor interest. Some investment routes, such as converting commercial properties into residential use, take longer to complete. As a result, investors may still be working on their projects before submitting their Golden Visa applications.

Meanwhile, Greek authorities have continued processing applications from previous years. In the first half of 2026, 4,919 new permits were issued, compared with 4,057 during the same period in 2025. This increase suggests that authorities are making progress in processing earlier applications, despite the decline in new submissions.

Whether application numbers remain lower will depend on how investors respond to the updated investment requirements and available alternatives.

Has Greek Golden Visa processing become faster?

Greek has introduced changes to how Golden Visa applications are distributed among migration offices to help reduce processing delays. Under the new system, applications can be automatically sent to offices with smaller backlogs, rather than remaining with offices handling a large number of cases.

Previously, some migration offices faced much heavier workloads than others, leading to longer waiting times. The new approach aims to distribute applications more evenly and help authorities process pending cases more efficiently.

There are also signs of progress in clearing older applications. In the first half of 2026, the number of permits issued increased even as new applications declined. This suggests that authorities have continued processing cases submitted in previous years.

However, these improvements do not necessarily mean that every application will be processed faster. Harvey Law Group currently estimates an overall processing time of approximately six to nine months, although the full impact of the new system on waiting times is not yet clear.

Law 5275/2026 also confirms that Golden Visa applications are not subject to the standard 90-day decision deadline. Actual processing times can vary depending on the investment route, supporting documents, biometrics, and the workload of the relevant migration office. The newer allocation system is intended to improve efficiency, but it does not guarantee a specific processing period on its own.

What new Greek Golden Visa investment routes have been added?

One of the newer investment options under the Greek Golden Visa is a route involving Greek startups registered with Elevate Greek, the country's national startup registry. This allows qualifying investors to explore business investments as an alternative to traditional real estate purchases.

The startup route has a minimum investment of €250,000, offering another option for investors interested in supporting Greek businesses. However, applicants must meet specific eligibility requirements beyond the investment amount.

The programme also includes other non-property investment options, such as qualifying investment funds, bank deposits, government bonds, and corporate bonds. These routes have different investment thresholds and conditions, which are explained in more detail on the Greece Golden Visa programme page.

These alternatives give investors more flexibility when choosing how to qualify for residency in Greek. Depending on their financial goals, some may prefer investments that do not involve purchasing or managing property.

However, each investment route has its own eligibility criteria, so investors should review the requirements carefully before choosing an option.

What changed in 2024, and does it still apply?

The 2024 Greek Golden Visa reforms introduced higher property investment thresholds, which continue to apply in 2026. The changes created different investment requirements based on the location and type of property being purchased.

Under the updated rules, higher investment amounts apply to popular areas such as Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, and Santorini, while lower thresholds apply to qualifying properties in other parts of Greek. The reforms also introduced additional property requirements, including minimum size conditions for standard residential investments.

The 2024 reforms also kept a €250,000 investment option for certain types of property, including commercial properties converted into residential use and the restoration of listed buildings. However, this lower threshold does not apply to ordinary residential purchases, and investors must meet specific conditions to qualify.

The restrictions introduced in 2024 also remain in place. In particular, properties acquired through the Greek Golden Visa cannot be used for short-term rentals.

These rules remain relevant for investors in 2026, as the newer legislative changes mainly focus on application procedures and renewals rather than replacing the 2024 property investment framework. For more information on current investment thresholds and property requirements, visit the Greece Golden Visa programme page.

Does the Greek Golden Visa lead to Greek citizenship?

Not directly. Greek is not a citizenship-by-investment country. The Golden Visa grants a renewable residence permit, while Greek citizenship follows a separate naturalisation process.

The residence permit is generally valid for five years and can be renewed, provided the qualifying investment and other applicable conditions are maintained.

According to the current programme information, a Golden Visa holder may potentially apply for Greek citizenship after seven years of lawful residence, subject to satisfying the requirements applicable to naturalisation. These include actual residence and other integration-related requirements.

This distinction is particularly important because the Golden Visa itself does not impose a general minimum physical residence requirement simply to maintain the investment residence permit. An investor can therefore maintain Golden Visa status without necessarily establishing the pattern of actual residence needed to pursue naturalisation.

Holding a Golden Visa for seven years should consequently not be interpreted as an automatic entitlement to a Greek passport after seven years.

The two processes should be considered separately. The Golden Visa concerns residence based on a qualifying investment. Naturalisation concerns eligibility for citizenship and requires the applicant to meet the legal requirements applicable at the time of the citizenship application.

Investors whose long-term objective is Greek citizenship should therefore obtain advice on the naturalisation rules independently from the requirements for maintaining their Golden Visa.

Greek Golden Visa: 2024 framework compared with the position in 2026

The principal property rules introduced in 2024 remain relevant, but the 2026 framework adds important procedural and investment-route developments.