Greece Golden Visa Law Changes 2024-2026
The Greece Golden Visa changed more between 2024 and 2026 than in the previous decade. This guide covers the new €400,000 and €800,000 zone thresholds, the short-term-rental ban, the narrow €250,000 conversion exception, and the five-year clock now running from card issuance.
If you read a Greece Golden Visa guide written before 2024, treat it with care, because almost everything about the price changed. In the space of about a year the programme went from a flat €250,000 entry point that had stood for a decade to a tiered system reaching €800,000, with new rules on what you can buy and what you can do with it. A further reform in 2026 fixed how the residence card is counted. This article is the plain timeline: what changed, when, under which law, and what it means if you are looking at the programme now. It is general information, not legal advice.
Reviewed by Clare Toumpaniari, Legal & Compliance Lead, mamaXO.
Key takeaways
What is the biggest change to the Greece Golden Visa?
The price. For roughly a decade the minimum was a flat €250,000 for any qualifying property, anywhere in Greece. That ended. After a first increase to €500,000 in the prime areas announced in 2023, the programme moved in 2024 to a three-tier, location-based system under Law 5100/2024 (Article 64): €800,000 in the high-demand zone, €400,000 in the rest of Greece, and €250,000 only for two narrow property cases. The new regime applies in full to applications from 1 September 2024.
What happened to the famous €250,000 entry price?
It did not disappear, but it narrowed sharply. The €250,000 threshold now applies only to a property converted from commercial to residential use, or the restoration of a listed building, as a single property. The flat €250,000 for an ordinary residential flat is gone. There is also a separate €250,000 route into an approved Greek start-up, outside real estate. So when a listing says "Golden Visa from €250,000", it is only accurate if the property genuinely fits the conversion or restoration rules, which is the detail to check rather than assume. We cover this in full in our minimum investment guide.
What other rules changed in 2024?
Law 5100/2024 did more than reprice the programme. Three conditions came in with it:
- The single-property rule. The threshold must be met by one property. You can no longer combine several smaller flats to reach the figure.
- A 120 square-metre minimum. For the €400,000 and €800,000 routes, the property must have at least 120 square metres of usable interior area. The €250,000 conversion route has no size limit.
- A short-term-let ban. A property acquired through the Golden Visa cannot be let short-term, no Airbnb. Long-term letting and personal use are allowed, and breaking the rule risks a fine and loss of the permit.
These were clarified operationally by Circular 9/2024 from the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, which set, among other things, that a commercial-to-residential conversion must have been completed after 5 April 2024 and before the residence application.
What changed in 2026?
The 2026 reform was procedural, not financial. Under Law 5275/2026, the five-year residence permit now runs from the date the card is issued, rather than from the application date. That fixes a real problem from the backlog years, where time spent waiting for a delayed card used to eat into the five years of validity. The law also tidied up renewals and family-reunification paperwork. Importantly, it left the investment thresholds untouched, so the €400,000, €800,000 and €250,000-conversion figures from 2024 still stand.
A timeline of the changes
The whole sequence at a glance:
When | What changed | Instrument |
|---|---|---|
2023 | Minimum raised to €500,000 in the prime areas (Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini); €250,000 elsewhere | Government decision |
31 March 2024 | The new Migration Code takes effect, replacing the old framework | Law 5038/2023 |
April 2024 | Tiered thresholds (€800k / €400k / €250k conversion), single-property rule, 120 m² minimum and the short-let ban enacted | Law 5100/2024, Art. 64 |
1 September 2024 | The new regime applies in full; the old €250,000 flat threshold closes | Law 5100/2024 |
September 2024 | Operational clarifications, including the conversion cut-off of 5 April 2024 | Circular 9/2024 |
28 February 2025 | Final deadline to complete grandfathered purchases under the old thresholds | Transitional provisions |
6 February 2026 | Five-year permit clock now runs from card issuance; renewals simplified | Law 5275/2026 |
What does it mean if you are applying now?
Plan around the current rules, not the old headlines. The €250,000 flat route is closed, so a standard residential purchase is €400,000 outside the high-demand zone or €800,000 within it, on a single property of at least 120 square metres. The €250,000 figure is only for a genuine commercial-to-residential conversion or a listed-building restoration. Whatever you buy, you cannot short-let it. And because the five-year card now counts from issuance, a processing delay no longer shortens your permit, though biometrics appointments remain the main thing that paces an application's timeline.
What might change next?
Honestly, no one can promise stability in a programme that has moved this much, but the current signals point to continuity rather than closure. The thresholds were deliberately left alone in the 2026 reform. There is EU-level scrutiny of investment-residence schemes generally, and Greece's housing pressures keep the programme in the political conversation, but there is no announced plan to close it, and with Spain and Portugal having shut their property routes, Greece is now one of the main remaining options in Europe. The sensible reading is that the rules are settled for now, with operational tweaks more likely than another price overhaul.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Greece Golden Visa still €250,000?
Not for a standard residential purchase. Since 1 September 2024, €250,000 applies only to a commercial-to-residential conversion or a listed-building restoration, plus a separate approved-start-up route. The general minimum is €400,000 or €800,000.
When did the Greece Golden Visa minimum increase?
The major change took effect on 1 September 2024 under Law 5100/2024, after a first increase to €500,000 in prime areas in 2023.
What is the minimum investment now?
€800,000 in the high-demand zone (the whole Attica region including Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands over 3,100 residents), €400,000 in the rest of Greece, and €250,000 only for conversion or restoration cases.
Did the Golden Visa rules change in 2026?
Yes, but procedurally. Law 5275/2026 made the five-year permit run from card issuance and simplified renewals. The investment thresholds were not changed.
Can I still short-let a Golden Visa property?
No. Since the 2024 reform, a property acquired through the Golden Visa cannot be short-let. You can use it yourself or let it long-term.
Is Greece going to close its Golden Visa?
There is no announced plan to close it. The scheme faces EU scrutiny but remains open, and is now one of the main residency-by-property routes left in Europe.
What to do next
If you are weighing the programme, start from the current rules and the threshold that fits your goal, rather than an out-of-date guide. Our minimum investment guide breaks down the three tiers and who qualifies for the €250,000 route, and the complete Greece Golden Visa guide covers the full process. mamaXO works specifically with the €250,000 central-Athens conversion route, confirming a property genuinely qualifies and managing it long-term afterwards. For a view on a specific case, get in touch.
About mamaXO
mamaXO is an Athens-based property and Golden Visa operator. This guide is produced by the mamaXO editorial team and reviewed by our in-house legal, tax and property specialists. We focus on accurate, source-backed and risk-honest guidance for international investors in Greek real estate. Meet the team →
Sources
- Law 5100/2024, Article 64 (Golden Visa thresholds, single-property rule, 120 m², short-let ban), kodiko.gr.
- Law 5038/2023 (Migration Code), kodiko.gr.
- Law 5275/2026 (five-year clock from card issuance, renewals), kodiko.gr.
- Circular 9/2024, Ministry of Migration and Asylum (operational clarifications), migration.gov.gr.