This is a budgeting guide, not legal, tax, property or investment advice. Confirm the route, property category, payment path and family scope with Greek counsel before paying a deposit.
Greece Golden Visa cost in 2026
Start with the route. The headline investment amount is only one part of the budget, and the cheapest headline route is not always available to a normal apartment buyer.
| Route | Minimum investment | What it usually means | Main budget risk | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special conversion property | EUR 250,000 | Commercial or industrial property converted to residential use, with the change completed before the investor permit application. | This is a specialist route. The conversion evidence, one-property rule and timing matter. | Law 5100/2024 |
| Listed-building restoration | EUR 250,000 | A listed building or listed-building part bought for restoration or reconstruction. | Restoration completion affects renewal planning and transfer restrictions. | Law 5100/2024 |
| Standard real estate | EUR 400,000 | Property outside the high-demand zones. Built property normally needs at least 120 sq m of main spaces and must be one property. | Do not assume several smaller units can be combined. | Law 5100/2024 |
| High-demand real estate | EUR 800,000 | Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands with more than 3,100 residents. | The same one-property and 120 sq m built-property rules apply. | Law 5100/2024 |
| Fund or securities route | Usually budgeted from EUR 350,000 | A non-property route using eligible investment products rather than a property purchase. | Product eligibility, custodian, subscription and exit terms need separate review. | Ministry investor-permit page |
| Bank deposit route | Usually budgeted from EUR 500,000 | A fixed-term deposit route instead of real estate. | Bank onboarding, source-of-funds and rate terms can drive timing. | Ministry investor-permit page |
Total upfront budget by route
These are planning ranges for a single main applicant. They include the investment floor and a practical allowance for third-party costs. They do not include Movingto service fees, property search costs, mortgage costs, unusual due diligence, tax advice, or currency-transfer loss.
| Route | Investment floor | Transaction and professional allowance | Indicative upfront budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| EUR 250,000 conversion or restoration route | EUR 250,000 | About EUR 12,500 to EUR 17,500, plus filing and setup costs | Often EUR 265,000 to EUR 272,000+ |
| EUR 400,000 standard property route | EUR 400,000 | About EUR 20,000 to EUR 28,000, plus filing and setup costs | Often EUR 422,000 to EUR 432,000+ |
| EUR 800,000 high-demand property route | EUR 800,000 | About EUR 40,000 to EUR 56,000, plus filing and setup costs | Often EUR 842,000 to EUR 860,000+ |
| EUR 350,000 fund or securities route | EUR 350,000 | Subscription, legal, bank, custody and filing costs vary | Often EUR 358,000 to EUR 370,000+ |
| EUR 500,000 deposit route | EUR 500,000 | Bank, legal, filing and document costs vary | Often EUR 505,000 to EUR 512,000+ |
What each cost line means
| Cost item | Typical budget treatment | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Government e-fee | Budget EUR 2,000 for the main investor where applicable, plus the separate card-printing fee. | The Ministry document list refers to the investor e-fee and card fee for the permanent residence permit process. |
| Residence-card printing fee | EUR 16 per residence permit card. | This is a small line item, but it applies to card issuance. |
| Greek legal due diligence | Usually a separate professional fee. | Title, encumbrances, zoning, building status, cadastral records and Golden Visa eligibility need review before commitment. |
| Notary, registry and cadastral costs | Budget as part of the 5% to 7% transaction-cost allowance. | The purchase cannot be treated only as a visa spend. It is also a Greek real-estate transaction. |
| Transfer tax or VAT | Depends on the property and transaction. | Do not assume every purchase is simply transfer tax, and do not assume 24% VAT applies to every property. |
| Insurance | Required for the residence file and again at renewal. | Family members add insurance and document costs. |
| Translations, apostilles and certificates | Varies by country of issue and family scope. | Marriage, birth, criminal-record and identity documents can become the slowest small-cost items. |
| Property agent or search costs | Deal-specific. | These are separate from government and legal filing costs. |
Why the EUR 250,000 route is not the normal cheap route
The EUR 250,000 threshold is real, but it is not the general property route. It is for specific conversion and listed-building cases. The conversion route requires the main spaces to be changed to residential use before the investor residence application. The listed-building route carries restoration and renewal consequences.
If you are buying a standard apartment in Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini or most larger islands, the working threshold is usually EUR 800,000. If you are buying in the rest of Greece, the working threshold is usually EUR 400,000. In both cases, built property normally needs at least 120 sq m of main spaces and the investment is made in one property.
Family cost scenarios
Family members do not usually change the investment threshold, but they do add filing, card, insurance, translation and legal-coordination costs. The exact government fee treatment depends on age and category, so verify the amount before filing.
| Scenario | Investment amount | Extra budget items | Practical note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single applicant | Same route threshold | Main applicant government, legal, insurance and document costs. | Use the route table as the base case. |
| Couple | Same route threshold | Extra card, insurance, civil-status documents, translations and legal coordination. | Check whether co-ownership is being used and whether the couple relationship is documented correctly. |
| Family of four | Same route threshold | Children add insurance, birth certificates, translations and card/document costs. | Document collection can matter more than the small fee difference. |
| Parents included | Same route threshold | Parent relationship documents, insurance and extra filing coordination. | Build extra time and document cost into the plan. |
Ongoing and renewal costs
| Cost | How to budget it | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Maintained investment | The qualifying investment must remain in force for renewal. | Selling the property can affect the residence permit unless the structure is replaced correctly. |
| Property tax and owner costs | Budget annually if you buy property. | ENFIA, insurance, common charges and maintenance sit outside the visa headline cost. |
| Rental income tax | Budget separately if the property is rented. | Greek tax guidance taxes immovable-property income on a scale. Tax residence and double-tax treaty treatment need advice. |
| Short-term rental restriction | Do not model Airbnb income without legal review. | Law 5100/2024 restricts short-term sharing-economy rental and subleasing for Golden Visa properties. |
| Capital gains tax | Check before a future sale. | Greek Ministry of Finance guidance says immovable-property capital-gains taxation is suspended until 31 December 2026. |
| Renewal legal and admin costs | Budget before the five-year renewal point. | Renewal depends on the investment, insurance and continuing eligibility evidence. |
| Fund or deposit costs | Check product, custody, bank and management fees. | Non-property routes replace property transaction costs with financial-product and bank-compliance costs. |
Payment sequence
- Confirm the route before property shortlisting. The threshold, zone, size, use and property category should be checked before you pay a deposit.
- Get Greek legal due diligence on title, encumbrances, zoning, building status, cadastral records and Golden Visa eligibility.
- Set up AFM, banking and the payment trail. Law 5100/2024 specifies accepted payment paths and notarial evidence.
- Complete the purchase, tax, notary and registration steps. The residence file depends on transaction evidence, not only on the contract headline price.
- Prepare the residence application, insurance, biometrics and family documents.
- Keep renewal evidence visible from the start, especially for restoration, conversion, maintained-investment and rental-use restrictions.
How to use this page with the main guide
Use this page as the cost model. Use the main Greece Golden Visa guide for eligibility, process and family scope. Use the Greece Golden Visa service page if you need the route, property tier, purchase sequence and filing evidence reviewed before funds move.
Source notes
This page uses Law 5100/2024 for the 2024 real-estate threshold rules, Ministry of Migration and Asylum pages for the investor-permit document framework, and Greek Ministry of Finance tax guidance for rental-income and capital-gains tax notes.