Greece golden visa floors stay at €400k and €800k, with €250k used once

Greece did not invent a new golden visa. It explained how the current property floors work.

Circular 1 dated 21 April 2026 (summarised in an EY Greece law note in May 2026) walks through Article 100 of Law 5038/2023 for the permanent investor residence permit (type B.5). This is a news summary, not legal advice.

€400,000 and €800,000 floors

• Most of the country stays at €400,000 for a qualifying property buy.
• €800,000 applies in Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini, and islands with more than 3,100 people.
• One property only. The minimum must sit in a single property. Parking or storage bought in the same contract can count toward the money, but not toward the size rule.
• 120 m² of main space is the usual size rule for built property on the €400,000 and €800,000 floors. Land without a building permit is treated differently.

The €250,000 path, once

• €250,000 is not the normal home-buy floor. It covers qualifying change-of-use into housing, or restoration of a listed building.
• Change of use must finish first. You complete it before you file the residence request, and after 5 April 2024.
• One use per property. If someone already used that lower floor on a change-of-use or listed restoration unit, the next buyer cannot claim the same €250,000 privilege on that same property.
• No 120 m² rule on that narrow €250,000 track.

Short-term rentals and work

• No short-term platform rentals for golden-visa properties on the first permit or renewals. Longer leases and some tourism-business leases can still be allowed.
• No local Greek job on this permit. You may own a company in many cases, but not act as its legal representative.
• Health insurance and a full passport copy still go in with the filing.
• Russia and Belarus filings for this investor route remain suspended under the circular’s extension language.

Investors comparing EU property routes

• People who still budget €250,000 for a normal Athens or island flat.
• Buyers chasing Airbnb income on the same property that unlocks the permit.
• Families comparing Spain or Portugal investment stays, where floors and rental rules also move.

Check these three things

1. Read the EY Greece summary of Circular 1/21.04.2026 and confirm your zone on the migration ministry materials.
2. Open our Greece golden visa page. We raised the planning savings floor from $250,000 to $400,000 to match the country-wide residential minimum.
3. Compare Greece vs Spain or Greece vs Portugal if you are still choosing a country.

News summary only, not legal advice. Check the Greek migration authority and licensed counsel before you commit funds.