9,289 applications in 2024: Greece Golden Visa reaches record high

CA, UNITED STATES, June 12, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Over the past few years, investors’ interest in the Greece Golden Visa has been growing. While Greek authorities received around 2,000 applications in 2021, by 2024 that figure had risen to over 9,000. This trend is likely to continue due to changes in other European Golden Visas and ongoing global instability.

Zlata Erlach, an expert at Immigrant Invest, provides an overview of the statistics for the Greek Golden Visa.
Greece Golden Visa’s statistics
Over the course of 2024, Greece received 9,289 Golden Visa applications, 10% more than the nearly 8,500 lodged in 2023. This figure has risen year on year, the only decline occurring during the pandemic. By comparison, there were around 4,000 applications in 2019.

Pending applications have also risen sharply. In 2024, authorities processed only 17% of the submissions, leaving 49,301 cases outstanding, which is 76% more than in December 2023.

Real-estate investment remains the most popular route. Properties acquired under the Golden Visa accounted for about 10% of all Greek real-estate transactions in 2023 and 2024, with total sales over that period amounting to €41.2 billion. Investors thus spent around €4.5 billion on Greek property in those two years.

The most sought-after locations are the Athenian Riviera, Crete, Rhodes, Corfu, and Paros, with growing interest in the Peloponnese. Purchases typically comprise seaside villas, luxury homes and historic town residences.

Greece Golden Visa’s investor demographics
Chinese nationals dominate the Golden Visa program by a wide margin, reflecting a longstanding trend. To date, they have obtained 6,520 Golden Visas in Greece. Turkish investors follow with 1,471 permits, Lebanese nationals with 798 and UK citizens with 595. Demand also comes from Americans, Iranians, and Israelis.

Ongoing political and economic instability in many regions motivates high-net-worth individuals to seek residency abroad as a form of backup and to diversify their family’s future options.
Future of the Greece Golden Visa
The Greece Golden Visa is one of the most attractive residency by investment pathways in Europe and is likely to remain so, owing to the closure and tightening of criteria in competing European Golden Visas.

Spain, for example, has ended its Golden Visa, while Portugal has abolished the real estate investment option. These developments are already redirecting investor interest towards Greece.

With its EU membership, relative political stability and sunny Mediterranean lifestyle, Greece stands out as an appealing alternative. Provided the Greek authorities can speed up application processing and align with economic needs, the Golden Visa is set to thrive and further shape the Greek real estate market.

Greek authorities also plan to introduce changes to the Golden visa, shifting the focus towards attracting investors through more effective ventures rather than solely through real estate investments.
How to qualify for the Greece Golden Visa
The Greece Golden Visa is granted in exchange for a minimum investment of €250,000. The most popular route is the purchase of real estate, which follows a three-tier pricing structure:
€250,000+ — for properties bought for renovation or conversion into residential space;
€400,000+ — for standard residential real estate outside high-demand urban areas;
€800,000+ — for properties in high-demand regions, such as Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini, and larger islands with populations over 3,100.

In addition to real estate, there are eight other qualifying investment options:
purchase of shares in mutual or alternative investment funds — €350,000+;
10-year lease of tourist accommodation — €400,000+;
timeshare in tourist residences — €400,000+;
acquisition of real estate by inheritance or gift — €400,000+;
capital investment in Greek companies — €500,000+;
purchase of government bonds or other securities — €500,000+;
fixed-term deposit in a Greek credit institution — €500,000+;
purchase of corporate or government bonds listed for trading — €800,000+.

To be eligible, an investor must be over 18, have no criminal record or pending prosecutions, and demonstrate that the investment funds derive from legal sources.

Immigrant Invest helps foreigners from all over the world obtain Greece Golden Visas, accompanying them throughout the entire procedure. Lawyers provide post-approval help, by assisting in renewing residence permits and eventually obtaining Greek citizenship.

The Immigrant Invest legal team possesses deep knowledge of immigration legislation in different countries and follows all current changes.

Zlata Erlach
IMIN MALTA LIMITED
+356 20330178
email us here