Greece golden visa property: which home qualifies, and which does not.

How much property do you need to buy for a Greek golden visa?

EUR 800,000 in the whole Attica region, the regional unit of Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and every island with more than 3,100 inhabitants. EUR 400,000 everywhere else. The thresholds were raised by Article 64 of Law 5100/2024, from EUR 500,000 and EUR 250,000.

The investment has to be in a single property with at least 120 m2 of main space. Two smaller apartments that add up to the threshold do not qualify, and neither does one apartment of 110 m2 at the right price. Check the area and the main-space figure on the title documents before you sign anything binding.

The permit itself runs for 5 years and renews for as long as you keep the investment. It does not give you the right to work as an employee in Greece.

Can you let a golden visa property on Airbnb?

No. Since the 2024 changes, a property bought for the golden visa may not be used for short-term rentals. A long-term lease is allowed. Breaking the rule puts the permit at risk.

This changes the sum for anyone who planned to pay for the home with holiday lets. Price the property on a long-term tenancy, or on your own use, not on nightly rates. Rules for letting, and the registry every short let needs, are on the Greece rental page.

What is the EUR 250,000 golden visa route?

A route for buying a building being converted from a non-residential use, such as an office or industrial building, to residential, or for restoring a listed building. The 120 m2 minimum does not apply. The change of use must be completed after 5 April 2024 and before you apply.

The registry lists the change-of-use permit at a cost of EUR 2,016, processed in 50 days, applied for digitally through the Ministry of Migration and Asylum's e-services. If the building was part of an industrial site, it must be certified that no industrial activity has operated there for at least the last five years.

It is a cheaper ticket with more paperwork: a building permit, a completed conversion and the contractor's invoices. Budget for the works, not just the purchase. The registry also records that, on this route, reselling the property while the permit is valid revokes it.

What does the purchase cost on top of the price?

Transfer tax of 3% of the taxable value, the higher of the price and the government's objective value, plus a 3% municipal surcharge on the tax, about 3.09% in all, paid by the buyer before the deed. In September 2026 the government announced a rise to 15% for non-EU buyers of homes.

The 15% figure was an announcement at the Thessaloniki International Fair, not yet law when this page was written, and press reports give different start dates in 2027. A golden visa buyer is by definition a non-EU buyer, so check the rate in force on the day of your deed. Every other cost: Greece property buying costs.

Then the property test that matters for your money. The golden visa checks the price, the area and the size. It does not check whether the home is worth EUR 400,000. The Custom Report does: every listing in your budget against comparable homes, so you know the unit clears the bar on value before you sign.

Header photo: Cayambe, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. All credits: image credits.