I.A.   Non-EU nationals who own property in Greece, either personally or through a legal entity of which they own the total of the  company shares, provided the minimum value of the property is €250.000.

I.B.   Non-EU nationals who have signed a timeshare agreement (lease) – for a minimum of 10 years – for hotel accommodations or furnished                   tourist residences in integrated tourist resorts according to article 8, paragraph 2 of Law 4002/2011 (Government Gazette 180 A’), provided the       minimum cost of the lease is €250.000

I.C.   Non-EU nationals who either reside legally, with a residence permit, in Greece, or wish to enter and reside in the country, and who have full                 ownership and possession of  property in Greece, which they have purchased before the enactment of law 4146/2013, provided that they had purchased the property for a minimum of €250,000 or the current objective value of their property is at a minimum of €250,000;

I.D    Non-EU nationals who fully and legally own property in Greece, the minimum value of which is €250,000, and which they acquired  through a donation or parental concession. The right to a residence permit in this case can only be exercised by the receiver of the donation or parental concession.

I.E    Non-EU nationals who purchase a plot of land or acreage and proceed to construct  a building, provided that the cumulative value of the land purchase and the contract with the construction company is at minimum €250,000.

I.F.   Non-EU nationals who have signed a ten-year timeshare agreement (lease), based on the provisions of Law 1652/1986. A time share lease,             according to the provisions of article 1 of law 1652/1986 is the commitment of the leaser to grant, each year,  for the duration of the timeshare, the use of the tourist accommodation and to provide them the relevant services for the determined period of time according to the contract, and the leasee must pay the agreed rent.

I.G.  Family members of the third country citizens described above.

The following conditions must be fulfilled to receive a permanent residence permit of investor, which shall be renewed every five (5) years:

II.A.  The real estate property must be owned by and be in possession of its owners.

II.B.  In cases of joint ownership, where the value of the property is €250.000, the   residence permit is only granted if the owners are spouses with undivided ownership of the property. In all other cases of joint ownership, the residence permit is only granted if the amount invested by each of the joint owners is at least €250.000.

II.C.  If the owner has acquired the property through a legal entity, the applicant must own 100% of the company shares.

II.D   The residence permit is also granted in cases where the Non-EU national is the owner, either directly or through a legal entity, of more thanone property with a combined value of at least €250.000.

II.E   In cases where the applicant wants to enter the country with a type D visa, the documented intention to own property should be supported by documentation which prove the financial eligibility (e.g., certificate of an A-class certified bank, or other recognized financial institution), which certify the existence of bank accounts or other  assets, such as bonds or shares, which can cover the cost of the investment of at least €250.000, and which certify the intention of the applicant to purchase the property (contract with a law firm or with a real estate office).

II.F.  In case of non- EU nationals who have signed a lease of at least 10 years for hotel accommodation or furnished tourist residences in integrated tourist resorts, provided the minimum value of the lease is €250.000, the contract must require a single payment of the lease for the equivalent of the ten year leasing of the property. In all cases outlined above, the value of the property will be determined based on the value of the property, or the lease, indicated in the contract of purchase. The value of the property, according to law 4251/2014, is the amount stated explicitly on the contract which has been submitted for the purchase of the property.

This residence permit is permanent. The holder of the residence permit is however required to renew it every five (5) years. To renew the residence permit, the following conditions must be met:

III.A.  The property must remain in the full ownership of the applicant.

III.B.  The relevant leases/contracts must be ongoing.

III.C   Absence from the country do not impede the renewal of the residence permit.

III.D.  The resale of the property, during the period when the residence permit is valid, to another non-EU national provides to the new owner the right to a residence permit along with a simultaneous cancellation of the seller’s residence permit.

Step 1:

In order to obtain an entry Visa for Greek Territory ,the interested party must submit an application  to the Greek consulate authority in their country of origin.

Step 2:

Collecting the following documents:

1. Two copies of the application document;
2. Four recent colour photos (passport type, printed as well as in Compatible Disc form);
3. Certified copy of a valid passport or travel documents recognized by Greece and with the relevant valid entry visa, where required;
4. A fee paid and obtained through the “e-paravolo” platform according to provisions of Law 4251/2014 article 132, which amounts to €500 for residence permits of up to a five year duration.
5. A fee paid and obtained through the “e-paravolo” platform according to provisions of Law 4018/2011 article 1, which amounts to €16 concerning the printing of the separate document (electronic residence permit).
6. Certification by an insurance agency for the cost of hospitalization and medical care. To certify that this condition is fulfilled, the following are accepted:

• • – Insurance contracts which have been signed outside Greece, provided that they explicitly mention that they cover the interested party for the duration of their stay in Greece.
  • – Insurance contracts which have been signed in Greece. Depending on the specific case, the following documentation may need to be submitted in addition to the above

7. A. Residence permits for non-EU nationals who own and posses, either wholly or jointly, property in Greece. A contract of purchase stating that  “the contract of purchase of the property is not subject to conditions or exemptions, the total price amounts to ….. which has been paid in full with a crossed bank  check or bank transaction” and a proof of transfer of the contract by the competent Land Registry.

B.  Residence permits for non-EU nationals who own property in Greece through a legal entity, where the applicant owns all shares A contract of sale and purchase stating that “the contract of sale and purchase of the property is not subject to conditions or exemptions, the total price amounts to …..   which has been paid in full with a crossed bank check or by deposit of a bank transfer to the beneficiary’s account held with a bank in Greece or a credit institution under the supervision of the Bank of Greece, the specific details of which shall be solemnly declared by the parties before the notary who draws up the contract and written in it” and a proof of transcription of the contract by the competent Land Registry.

C.  Residence permits for non-EU nationals who have a lease – for a minimum of 10 years – for hotel accommodations or furnished tourist residences in integrated tourist resorts Notarized copy of the lease for the hotel accommodations or furnished tourist residences in integrated tourist resorts, which demonstrates a single payment of €250.000 and includes a mention of the granting of the relevant operation license by GNTO (Greek National Tourism Organization) Proof of title transfer from the land registry where the relevant lease contract has been transferred.

D.  Residence permits for non-EU nationals who have purchased property in Greece before Law 4146/2013 came into effect: If the payment submitted before Law 4146/2013 came into effect is smaller than two hundred and fifty thousand euro (250,000) but the current    objective  (assessed) value of the property exceeds or is equal to this amount, a certification by a notary must be included in the documents that are submitted, stating: “From the verification of the contract with number …for the purchase of property, it can be concluded that the full payment of the cost of the property has been completed, it no longer has any conditions, exemptions or                  deadlines, and the objective (assessed) value of the property as it stands today is equivalent to the amount of …..”. In this case it is also necessary to submit the contract of purchase for the property or properties, the value of which is at minimum €250,000, and a proof of title transfer from the land registry where the relevant contract has been transferred.

E.  Residence permits for non-EU nationals who purchase plots of land or acreage and erect a building , the following additional documents must be submitted:

1. 1. contract for the purchase of the plot of land or acreage, and
   2. contract with the construction company for the construction/restoration of the residence, which has been submitted to the tax office according to the law
   3. building permit in the name of the applicant
   4. invoices by the contractors and the corresponding proofs of payment.

F.  Residence permits for non-EU nationals who have a timesharing lease of at least ten year duration, for hotel accommodation or tourist furnished accommodation in integrated tourist resorts. The following additional documents must be submitted:

1. 1. contract for the timeshare of at least ten years duration, which states the exact amount to be paid every year.
   2. Proof of title transfer from the competent land registry
   3. Certification by the Greek National Tourism Organization that they have been informed of the establishment of this timeshare lease.

G .  Residence permits for family members of the third country citizen:

         Recent family status certificate from foreign authorities which certifies the family relationship

Step 3:

Submitting the documents :

Applications for the residence permits must be submitted to the one-stop service of the Alien and Immigration Department at the Decentralized Authority where the property of the interested party is located. For more information on your case, please contact the one-stop shop of the Decentralized Authority where the property is located.

Step 4:

Procedures until the final issuing of the permit are required to be completed before the expiry of the entry visa. In this case, the prospective applicant is able to undertake legal acts and transactions with the competent authorities, using their entry visa. Application process Since February 20, 2017, the new procedure for granting non EU-EEC national’s residence permits in Greece was launched, pursuant to Regulation (EC) 380/2008, under which all EU Member States will issue an electronic residence permit, which will replace the sticker, typically affixed in a valid passport.

• When the investor submits his application in person or accompanied by his attorney, he will be called to submit, on top of the application and the related specific documents required by the law (joint ministerial decision 68019/2015 – Category C 3.2.), the following:
  • 4 printed digital passport photos, also stored in digitalform(CD)
  • A sample of his digital signature
  • A fee of 16 euro, which covers the cost of supply, printing and secure handling of the e-card, paid through the “e-paravolo” online payments platform
  • Completion of the fingerprinting process (for two fingers)
• If the application is filed by an appointed attorney, in the absence of the interested investor, then written notification will be given for the applicant to define a specific date for submitting his biometric data, required for the issue of the residence permit, in consultation with his attorney, so that this date is convenient for the applicant. If the applicant’s travel arrangements change and thus cannot attend the biometrics appointment, then he should promptly inform the competent authority through his attorney so as to arrange a new  appointment . In any case, since the applications must be handled quickly and should not remain pending for a long time, the attendance of the applicant for submitting his biometric data should be completed within six months from the time of application and in any case before the lapse of 1 year. One of the major advantages enjoyed by holders of permanent investor residence permit, is that following their initial entry into Greece, they have no other obligation to stay in the country for any length of time, without affecting in any way their residence permit. Therefore , after signing the property purchase contract or even after filing the application for his  permanent residence permit, the applicant may depart from Greece. it is necessary to inform the relevant department, where his application was filed, about the attorney through whom communication between the department and the permit holder will be carried out, whenever necessary.
• Documentation check

The authorities receiving the application will issue a confirmation that the application has been submitted, provided that all the necessary documentation has been submitted with the application. This confirmation is valid for one year and it constitutes a valid document until the residence permit is issued.

Application processing timeframe

The owner of theproperty is not affected by the duration of the processing of their application, from the moment the application is submitted to the relevant authorities until the issue of a decision by the Secretary General of the Decentralized Authority regarding their residence permit. After the application has been submitted, the applicant receives a receipt confirming the submission of the application, which is valid for one year. The time required to process the application depends on the authority where it has been submitted yet it may not exceed two months after all the necessary documents have reached the competent authority. 

The non-EU national, who has submitted an application and received the confirmation receipt described above, can reside legally in the country for the duration of the confirmation receipt (one year). The holder of the confirmation receipt is entitled to the benefits of the residence permit that they have applied for. Hence, they can proceed with any legal transaction regarding their investment and can transact with all the relevant authorities. Issuing of the decision Once the authority of Aliens and Immigration of the Decentralized Authority has verified that the application fulfils all necessary conditions and, in accordance with the decision of the Secretary General of the Decentralized Administration, they will issue a five-year residence permit.

According the information above, non-EU nationals can be accompanied by their family members, who will be granted the appropriate entry Visa.

Members are:

1. Spouses.
2. The direct descendants of the spouses, who are under the age of 21.
3. The direct relatives of the spouses in the ascending line.

Family members are not obliged to submit their application for initial residence permit simultaneously with the investor; they have the option to submit it subsequently, whenever they enter the country. These family members are issued with a residence permit of the same duration as the applicant, but this permit does not include access to employment.

The children of the applicant, who have been originally admitted to the country under the terms and requirements of residence permit for property owners, are issued with a residence permit for family reunification until the age of 21. After that, it is possible to acquire a renewal as an independent residence permit until they reach the age of 24 and then it is possible to renew it further according to the relevant immigration legislation. Family members have the same obligation pertaining to the collection of biometric data. The requirement to provide their fingerprints applies to all non-EU nationals over six (6) years old, and the digital signature requirement applies to all citizens over the age of twelve (12) years.

The documents that are required for the application for a residence permit must be submitted in Greek, except for the documents issued by foreign authorities, which need to be certified. There are two types of certification:

1. The Apostille stamp for countries that are parties to the Hague Convention and for which Greece has not issued a warning, the Public Administration accepts the Apostille stamp which is provided by the relevant foreign authority on the foreign document.
2. Certification by the Consular for any countries that are not parties to the Hague Convention, a certification by the Greek consular in the country of origin of the document is required.

The translation of foreign public documents can be done:

1. By the Translation Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or
2. A lawyer, who must be a member of a Greek bar association, with a certification of their signature by the Bar Association.

Interested parties are only subject to the fee for the issuance of a five year residence permit amounting to €500. At the time of application for the residence permit a fee is paid, which covers the cost of supply, printing and secure handling of the electronic residence permit, set at 16 euro per card. This fee is independent from the respective Application fee, even if the applicant is exempt from paying the fee (eg minors), and collected in the form of electronic fee (e-paravolo). The obligation to pay the fee applies to all non-EU nationals, whose applications for residence permits are successful and eventually lead to their issue, including children under 6 years old, although fingerprinting is not required.