A residence permit for property owners is the most attractive type of residence permit in Greece, called as a Golden Visa or a Golden residence permit, which promises the owner a number of benefits. The price of real estate starts from 250,000 euros for all over Greece except from some regions of Greece that they have a minimum investment of 500K for Greek Golden Visa and they apply to South Sector of Athens in the Attica Region, the islands of Mykonos and Santorini and the Municipality of Thessaloniki. As it is well known, Greece offers the cheapest Schengen Residence Permit available through an investment of 250000€ in Property that can be later turned into citizenship through retaining the original 250000€ investment for 10 years. Citizenship applications can be submitted at 7 years.
In summary, the Process of Acquiring a Greek Golden Visa is described below.
- Legally Enter Greece
- Tax ID Issuance (link for supporting documents needed)
- Establish a Greek Bank Account (Link for Supporting Documents Needed)
- Choose Property/properties
- Sign POA with a lawyer in order to complete the property purchase and apply for Golden Visa on your behalf
- Perform Legal and Technical Due Diligence on the Property
- Gather all the required documentation for the transaction (Link for supporting list of documents)
- Complete Transaction
- Submit Golden Visa application to immigration authorities and set an appointment for submitting biometric data (physical presence required)
- Receive temporary residence permit in mail (blue card)
- Receive Golden Visa
Rita Daskalaki Law office will take care of the whole documentation till the completion of the purchase plus the specifying documents for article 20 of Law 4251/14 (permanent residents residence permit), such as:
• Application Form
• Four (4) recent printed digital passport photos, also stored in digital form (CD) jpeg2000, with certain specifications applied.
• Certified copy of a valid passport or other travel document recognized by Greece with the valid national visa.
• A fee of €16 concerning the printing of the separate document (electronic residence permit).
• A fee in the form of an electronic fee in accordance with provisions of Article 132 of Law 4251/2014 and of Article 38 of Law 4546/2018 (101 A), where appropriate.
• An insurance contract from a private insurance body, as provided by the legislation in force, which shall cover all health and safety risks and the size of the benefits financed, as defined in the decision issued by delegation of the provisions of Article 136 par. 3 of Law 4251/2014.
• A certificate issued by the notary who composed the purchase contract or the notarial deed for the lease of hotel accommodation facilities or furnished houses for tourists in complex tourist accommodation facilities which certifies the personal data of parts contracted, the information concerning the property, the type of payment of the agreed price or hire and the specific information concerning the transaction of the payment, according to the provisions of article 20 B, the existence, by chance, of dissolving heresy, as well as if the particular property has been used by the seller for the issuance of the permanent residence permit or
• A certificate issued by the notary (in case the sum paid during the property purchase was lower than two hundred and fifty Euro (250.000) but the current objective value of the property exceeds or is equal to the amount concerned and which should state that, ” “According to the result of the check conducted on contract no ……… for the purchase of property, the income of the property value was paid in full and the contract is NO longer subject to terms, conditions and time limits and the objective value of the property amounts to …”.
• A certificate of encumbrance issued by the land registry or national cadastre agency attesting to the non-existence of any encumbrance
• A copy of the notarial deed for the lease of hotel accommodation facilities or furnished houses for tourists in complex tourist accommodation facilities acknowledging the full payment of 250.000 Euro and where there is reference to the granting of an operating license issued by the National Tourist Organisation (EOT) and
• Proof of transfer registration issued by the competent land registry where the relevant lease has been transferred or
• Purchase agreement of a land parcel or land site and relevant contract concerning house building/restoration lodged out in the competent Tax Office in accordance with the Law and
• Planning permission in the name of the person concerned
• Invoices issued by the contractor/s and the relevant receipts or
• Timeshare contract for a minimum period of five years which should clearly state the corresponding income per year and
• Proof of transfer registration issued by the competent Land Registry and
• A certificate issued by the National Tourism Organization (NTO) that it has been informed of the particular timeshare
BENEFITS OF THE GOLDEN VISA:
- Residence permit for Family members
- Validity for 5 years with the right to further extension, on the condition to remain the owner of the property for the amount of 250,000 euros/500,000 euros
- No obligation to reflect account balance.
- No obligation of permanent residence besides the owners who want to apply for citizenship.
- Possibility to acquire citizenship after 7 years of permanent residency.