FAQs

The Greek Golden Visa is a residence-by-investment programme established under Greek immigration law. It grants non-EU nationals, and their eligible family members, a five-year renewable Greek residence permit in return for a qualifying investment, most commonly the acquisition of real estate in Greece.

The permit provides the right to reside in Greece and to travel within the Schengen Area, with no obligation to relocate. It is renewable indefinitely for as long as the qualifying investment is maintained, and Greece remains one of the last major EU member states to offer residency through direct real estate ownership.

Because the programme is defined by legislation, its precise conditions are legal questions. OSEOS structures its projects around the current framework, and every investor’s eligibility is confirmed by a licensed Greek immigration lawyer before any commitment is made.

Since 31 August 2024, under Law 5100/2024 (Government Gazette A’ 69/2024), Greece applies a tiered threshold system based on location and property category:

• €800,000, for property in the Attica region (including all of Athens and Piraeus), the regional units of Thessaloniki, Mykonos and Santorini, and islands with a population above 3,100. The investment must be a single property with a minimum main surface area of 120 square metres.
• €400,000, for property in all other regions of Greece, also subject to the single-property and 120-square-metre requirements.
• €250,000, for two specific categories, anywhere in Greece: (a) properties converted from commercial or other non-residential use into residential use, and (b) listed buildings of historic interest undergoing full restoration. No minimum surface area applies to this tier.

The €250,000 tier is the reason conversion projects have become the most efficient route into prime locations: a qualifying conversion in central Athens is eligible at €250,000, in an area where a standard residential purchase would require €800,000.

Thresholds are set by the Greek state and may change. The figure applicable to any specific property is confirmed in writing during legal due diligence.

The main applicant may include the following family members, each of whom receives an individual residence permit linked to the same single investment:

• A spouse or registered partner;
• Children under 21 years of age (extendable, upon application, up to 24);
• The parents of both the main applicant and the spouse.

No additional investment is required for family members, which makes the Greek programme one of the most family-inclusive in Europe. Who qualifies in any specific family situation is confirmed by the lawyer handling the file.

Yes, but only through the two categories preserved by Law 5100/2024 (Government Gazette A’ 69/2024): commercial-to-residential conversions and the restoration of listed heritage buildings. The former general €250,000 route for ordinary residential purchases closed in 2024, and all transitional deadlines connected to the old regime have now expired.

For conversion properties, the law requires that the change of use to residential is legally completed before the residence permit application is submitted. For listed buildings, full restoration must be completed before the first renewal of the permit.

This is the segment in which OSEOS specialises. Our developments are structured from acquisition onward so that the change of use, permits and documentation satisfy the conditions of the €250,000 route, allowing investors to access central Athens at less than one third of the standard threshold for the region.

The programme is open to non-EU/EEA nationals who are at least 18 years old, hold a valid passport, have entered Greece legally, complete a qualifying investment using their own funds, hold health insurance covering their stay in Greece, and have a clean criminal record.

The full purchase price must be paid before the application is submitted, and the source of funds must be documented through the banking system. Because individual circumstances differ (nationality, source of wealth, family composition), eligibility is always confirmed by a licensed Greek immigration lawyer before an investor commits to a purchase.

The residence permit is issued for five years and may be renewed for successive five-year periods for as long as the qualifying investment is retained. Law 5275/2026 (Government Gazette A’ 17/2026) clarified that the five-year validity period runs from the date the residence card is issued.

Renewal does not require physical residence in Greece. The core condition is continuity of the investment: if the qualifying property is sold without being replaced by another qualifying investment, the permit, and those of linked family members, cannot be renewed and is subject to revocation.

No. The Greek Golden Visa has no minimum stay requirement. Investors may reside anywhere in the world and maintain their Greek residence permit, provided the qualifying investment is retained and renewal formalities are completed.

This is one of the programme’s defining advantages: it separates residency rights from relocation, allowing investors to preserve their existing professional and family arrangements. Investors who do intend to spend substantial time in Greece should note the tax residency consequences discussed in the Taxation section.

The Golden Visa is a residence permit, not a work permit. It does not entitle the holder to salaried employment in Greece.

However, it does not restrict economic activity as an investor: holders may own Greek companies, hold shares, receive dividends and rental income, and serve on a company’s board. Many Golden Visa investors operate businesses in Greece through corporate structures while remaining fully compliant. Anyone intending to take up employment in Greece should discuss the appropriate permit category with an immigration lawyer.

Yes. Family members holding residence permits have access to the Greek education system, including public schools and Greek universities, under the same general conditions as residents. For families considering international schools in Athens, the residence permit likewise removes visa obstacles to enrolment. Education access is one of the most common motivations we see among Golden Visa families alongside the investment itself.

Holders of a Greek residence permit may travel visa-free throughout the Schengen Area for short stays, generally up to 90 days within any 180-day period in other Schengen states, in addition to unlimited residence rights in Greece.

The permit does not confer the right to live or work permanently in other EU countries; each member state applies its own immigration rules. It also does not by itself grant visa-free access to non-Schengen destinations such as the United Kingdom or the United States.

Greek law allows long-term residents to apply for naturalisation after seven years of legal residence. However, holding a Golden Visa alone is not sufficient: naturalisation requires genuine residence in Greece, demonstrated integration, knowledge of the Greek language, history and culture (verified through examination), and tax ties to the country.

Investors who maintain the permit while living abroad retain their residency indefinitely, but the citizenship path is realistic only for those who actually make Greece a centre of their life. We state this plainly because it is a point on which investors are frequently given inaccurate assurances elsewhere. Citizenship strategy should be discussed with a Greek lawyer from the outset if it is part of your objectives.

Yes, in defined circumstances. The most common grounds are:

• Selling the qualifying property without simultaneously replacing it with another qualifying investment;
• Using the property in breach of the statutory restrictions, in particular short-term letting through sharing-economy platforms, subletting, or, for conversion properties, use as a company’s registered seat or branch;
• Serious criminal or public-order grounds under general immigration law.

Breach of the property-use restrictions carries revocation of the permit and an administrative fine of €50,000. Compliance is straightforward when the rules are understood from the start, which is why they are documented in writing for every OSEOS investor before purchase.

Timelines vary with the property, the completeness of the file and government processing volumes. Official processing speeds change over time, which is why we do not publish fixed timeframes: your lawyer provides a current, realistic estimate for your specific file at engagement, and updates it as the process advances.

Two features of the system mitigate the wait. First, applications are filed digitally through the Ministry of Migration and Asylum’s platform. Second, upon filing, the applicant receives a certificate of pending application which allows legal residence in Greece while the application is processed. OSEOS coordinates each stage, from reservation and due diligence through contract, payment and filing, so that no stage waits on another unnecessarily.

No. The law requires only that the applicant has entered Greece legally, with any type of entry visa, including an ordinary Schengen tourist visa, or visa-free where the applicant’s nationality allows it. No prior investor visa is needed to begin viewing properties, sign a power of attorney or open the process.

Nationals of countries requiring a Schengen visa simply obtain a standard short-stay visa for their visit. Your lawyer confirms the entry documentation appropriate to your nationality as part of the initial checklist.

Children are covered until the age of 21, and their permits may be extended, upon application, up to the age of 24. Beyond that point they no longer derive status from the parent’s investment, but Greek law provides pathways for them to transition to an independent residence status, for example on education or other grounds, depending on their circumstances at the time.

Families with children approaching these thresholds should raise the point with the immigration lawyer at the planning stage, so the transition is prepared rather than discovered.

Upon filing a complete Golden Visa application, the applicant receives an official certificate confirming that the application is pending. This certificate keeps the applicant’s presence in Greece lawful while the file is processed and allows them to reside in the country during that period.

It is an administrative bridge, not the permit itself: Schengen travel rights in other member states attach to the residence card once issued. Its practical value is that a properly filed application removes time pressure from the process: the applicant’s status is secure from the day of submission.

The comparison has changed decisively in Greece’s favour in recent years. Spain terminated its golden visa programme in April 2025; Portugal removed the real estate route entirely in 2023. Among major EU economies, Greece is effectively the last programme offering residency through direct ownership of real property, a tangible, registered, income-capable asset rather than a fund subscription or contribution.

Combined with no minimum stay requirement, family inclusion across three generations, and a €250,000 entry point through the conversion route, the Greek programme now occupies a position in the European landscape that no longer has a direct substitute. That scarcity is itself a consideration: programmes tighten over time, and applicants are assessed under the rules in force when they invest.

No one can guarantee the future of any legislative programme, and we will not pretend otherwise. What can be said factually: Greece responded to EU-level and domestic housing pressures not by closing the programme but by restructuring it, raising thresholds in high-demand areas while deliberately preserving the €250,000 route for projects that create new housing supply, such as conversions. The programme remains a significant and publicly reported source of foreign direct investment for the Greek state.

Two structural protections matter for investors: Greek legislative practice has consistently honoured applications and permits granted under the rules in force at the time of investment; and the property itself remains the investor’s registered asset under any policy scenario. When Law 5100/2024 (Government Gazette A’ 69/2024) raised the thresholds, permits already issued and applications already filed under the previous framework remained valid and were expressly excluded from the new restrictions, confirming that the legal risk sits primarily at the application stage, not after issuance. The rational response to legislative uncertainty is not to avoid the programme but to invest in an asset that stands on its own fundamentals, which is the OSEOS underwriting standard.

No. A property’s eligibility for the Golden Visa says nothing about its quality as an investment. Two properties may both qualify at the same threshold while differing completely in rental demand, capital-appreciation prospects, operating costs, build quality and resale liquidity.

A meaningful part of the market treats residency eligibility as the end of the analysis. At OSEOS the analysis runs the other way: a project must first satisfy our investment criteria (location fundamentals, demand, exit potential), and only then is it structured for Golden Visa eligibility. Investors should be cautious of any offering in which the visa is the only argument for the asset.

Because the legislator deliberately preserved the lower threshold for investments that add to Greece’s housing stock rather than absorbing it. Converting offices, commercial premises or industrial buildings into homes creates new residential supply, which is why Law 5100/2024 (Government Gazette A’ 69/2024) kept these projects at €250,000 regardless of location, while raising the bar for ordinary purchases in high-demand areas to €800,000.

The practical consequence is significant: a professionally executed conversion allows an investor to hold a new, fully renovated residential asset in central Athens, the country’s deepest rental market, at less than one third of the capital otherwise required for the same postcode. This regulatory asymmetry is the foundation of the OSEOS development model.

Beyond the lower entry threshold, well-executed conversions share several structural advantages:

• The delivered unit is effectively new: new installations, insulation, energy performance and layouts designed for today’s rental market, rather than a decades-old apartment at a similar price;
• Acquisition of the underlying commercial building typically occurs below the per-square-metre pricing of comparable residential stock, embedding a margin at entry;
• Central locations: commercial buildings suitable for conversion are concentrated precisely where residential demand is strongest;
• No minimum surface area requirement, allowing unit sizes matched to actual tenant demand.

None of this makes conversions automatically attractive. The value depends entirely on execution: planning, engineering, and the legality of the change of use.

We prefer to state these plainly. The principal risks are:

• Regulatory: the change of use to residential must be legally completed before the Golden Visa application is filed. A conversion with incomplete permits or irregular documentation is not merely a delayed investment: it is an ineligible one. Industrial buildings carry an additional statutory condition: no industry may have operated in them for at least five years.
• Construction: conversions involve real works, with the cost and schedule risks that construction always carries.
• Use restrictions: conversion properties may not be used as a company’s registered seat or branch, and no Golden Visa property may be let short-term.
• Sponsor quality: the investor’s protection is ultimately the competence and incentives of the developer executing the works.

OSEOS manages these risks by developing its own projects, controlling permits, engineering and delivery directly rather than reselling third-party stock, and by having the eligibility of each unit confirmed in writing by independent Greek counsel before it is offered.

Athens combines characteristics that rarely coexist in one European capital: a structural housing shortage, strong and diversified rental demand (domestic professionals, students, corporate tenants and a growing international community), sustained infrastructure investment, and pricing that, despite significant growth since 2017 (documented in Bank of Greece residential price indices), remains below most Western European capitals on a per-square-metre basis.

For Golden Visa investors specifically, the 2024 reform sharpened the case: Attica was placed in the €800,000 tier precisely because demand there is strongest, while the conversion route preserved €250,000 access to the same market. Owning centrally located residential property in a supply-constrained capital, acquired through the lowest available threshold, is a defensible position under any Golden Visa scenario.

Every acquisition passes through the same sequence before any unit is offered to investors: micro-location analysis (transport links, employment and university proximity, area trajectory); rental market evidence for the specific unit types planned; legal due diligence on title, encumbrances and planning status; technical assessment of the building and conversion feasibility; development budgeting with contingency; and an exit analysis: who the future buyer of each unit is likely to be, and at what pricing assumptions.

Projects that fail any stage are declined. This is also the honest answer to why our inventory is limited: the filter is the product.

Because we are a developer, not a marketplace. Listing volume is the business model of brokers, whose economics reward transaction count. Our economics reward the performance of a small number of projects we control end-to-end, which means our interests are aligned with the asset’s quality rather than with the speed of its sale.

Investors who want maximum choice of listings are better served by portals. Investors who want a professionally underwritten asset, with eligibility and execution controlled by the party selling it, are the investors OSEOS is built for.

On selected projects a fixed rental return is available under a separate rental agreement with the operating company for that building. Where that applies, the rate, the period and the conditions are set out in that agreement and you receive it before you commit. Rental performance depends on market conditions, occupancy, management quality and regulation, none of which any developer controls completely.

Where a rental arrangement forms part of a specific OSEOS offering, it exists as a defined contractual term with a defined counterparty and duration, provided in writing, never as a marketing figure. On projects where no rental agreement is offered, rental income depends on the market and any figure shown is an indicative estimate. Ask which applies to the specific unit before relying on a number.

Yes. Real estate is a market asset, and all real estate markets move in cycles. Greek residential values have risen substantially since 2017, but past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results, and any analysis that assumes uninterrupted appreciation is incomplete.

The disciplined responses to this risk are entry price, asset quality and holding horizon: buying below replacement cost in supply-constrained locations, holding an asset tenants actually want, and maintaining the flexibility not to sell into a weak market. These are underwriting principles, not slogans, and they shape which projects OSEOS takes on.

Resale value is driven by micro-location, building and unit quality, the depth of the future buyer pool, and the market cycle at the time of sale. Unit-level decisions made at development stage (sizes, layouts, energy class) determine how wide that future buyer pool is, which is why we design for the resale market as much as for the rental market.

Typical exit strategies include holding for income indefinitely, selling after permanent-residency objectives are secured, or selling to a subsequent Golden Visa investor, noting that a sale of the qualifying property ends the seller’s residency unless it is replaced with another qualifying investment. The exit should be part of the investment plan on day one, not an afterthought.

No. The 120-square-metre single-property requirement applies to the €400,000 and €800,000 tiers. The €250,000 conversion and heritage-restoration categories are expressly exempt from any minimum surface requirement: the law requires a single property and a lawfully completed change of use, but imposes no size floor.

This allows conversion developments to offer unit sizes calibrated to real rental demand in central Athens, rather than sizes dictated by an immigration statute.

Under the current framework, the qualifying investment must be made in a single property; the pre-2024 practice of aggregating several smaller units to reach the threshold is no longer available for new applications.

Joint ownership structures, for example between spouses, or co-ownership with defined shares, are possible in specific configurations defined by law, and their Golden Visa consequences depend on how title and value are allocated. Each co-owner seeking a permit must be attributable an investment meeting the applicable threshold: co-owners cannot pool a single threshold amount between them, though spouses may acquire jointly under one qualifying investment. Any co-investment structure should be designed with a Greek lawyer before the purchase contract is drafted, not adapted afterwards.

We deliberately do not publish a single headline yield figure, because honest answers are unit-specific: returns depend on the entry price, unit type, management and holding period. Where a project offers a rental agreement with a contracted return, that figure is defined in the agreement rather than estimated. In general terms, centrally located long-term rentals in Athens have historically produced moderate, stable income yields, with the larger component of total return coming from capital appreciation in a market that has repriced significantly since 2017; Bank of Greece indices document sustained residential price growth over that period.

For each OSEOS unit, investors receive an underwriting sheet showing the assumptions (rent evidence, occupancy, costs) behind any projected figure, so the numbers can be tested by your own advisors. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results, and projections are estimates, not commitments.

Greek residential values have recovered strongly from the post-2010 crisis lows, with Bank of Greece data showing substantial cumulative price growth since 2017, led by Athens and Thessaloniki. The drivers have been real rather than speculative: a decade of near-zero construction created a structural supply deficit, while demand broadened across domestic households, returning Greeks, international buyers and institutional capital.

Growth of this kind is a reason for discipline, not complacency: entry price and asset quality matter more, not less, after a strong run. It is also worth noting that despite this growth, Athens continues to price below most Western European capitals on a per-square-metre basis, which is the context in which we underwrite.

Yes. Greek law provides alternative investment categories, including capital contributions to Greek companies and investment funds, purchases of Greek government bonds, fixed-term bank deposits, and, under Law 5162/2024 (art. 44), a €250,000 route through investment in registered Greek startups. Thresholds and conditions differ by category and are confirmed by counsel.

OSEOS works in the real estate route because it is the only category in which the investor holds a directly owned, registered, income-producing hard asset. For investors weighing the alternatives, we are happy to make introductions to advisors who cover the financial routes; the comparison deserves independent advice, not a sales answer.

Yes, with important structural caveats. The Golden Visa application requires the full purchase price to be paid and, for conversion properties, the change of use to be legally completed before filing. In practice this means an off-plan purchase secures the unit and price today, while the residency application is filed at the defined completion milestone.

The investor’s protection in that interval is contractual and must be explicit: a notarial contract, defined delivery obligations, and a developer whose permits and financing are verifiable. In OSEOS projects the acquisition and works timeline is disclosed at reservation, and the filing sequence is planned with your lawyer from day one so that the residency milestone is a date, not a hope.

The honest structural answer: a delay postpones the Golden Visa filing, because the law requires the conversion to be complete before the application is submitted. This is precisely why the developer’s execution record and permit status are the most important due diligence items in a conversion purchase, more important than any brochure figure.

Contractually, OSEOS purchase agreements state delivery obligations and the consequences of delay, and investors’ counsel reviews these terms before signature. Operationally, we control our own works rather than depending on third-party developers, which is the single most effective mitigation available. We encourage investors to ask any developer, including us, to evidence the permit status of the specific building before reserving.

In outline: you select a unit; reserve it under a signed reservation agreement with a reservation deposit, which takes the property off the market; your appointed lawyer, acting for you, not for us, conducts legal due diligence while our team prepares the technical file; the purchase contract is executed before a licensed Greek notary; payment is completed through the banking system; and the Golden Visa application is then filed with supporting documentation.

OSEOS coordinates the entire sequence and the professionals involved, but the legal representation, the notarial act and the state registration are independent of us by design; that separation is part of your protection.

The reservation deposit takes the property off the market while due diligence and contract preparation are completed. The conditions under which it may be refunded or retained are set out in the reservation agreement you receive and review before paying anything.

Most of the process (tax number registration, due diligence, contract execution, payment, application filing) can be completed remotely through a notarised power of attorney granted to your Greek lawyer. In current practice, at least one visit is required for the capture of biometric data (fingerprints and photograph) in connection with the residence permit.

Law 5275/2026 (Government Gazette A’ 17/2026) has expanded digital procedures and reduced the steps requiring physical presence. Your lawyer confirms exactly which steps, if any, require you in Greece, and the visit is typically brief and scheduled at your convenience.

The AFM is the Greek tax identification number, issued by the Independent Authority for Public Revenue. It is required for any property transaction in Greece, the purchase contract, tax payments and utility registrations all reference it.

Obtaining an AFM is a routine administrative step that your lawyer completes, usually under power of attorney and without your presence, at the start of the process.

A Greek bank account is optional rather than mandatory: the law permits payment through defined banking channels, including cross-border transfer to the seller’s Greek account, and your lawyer will confirm the accepted methods for your transaction.

Two statutory points matter. The full purchase price must be paid, and documented, before the Golden Visa application is submitted; and the funds must be the investor’s own, transferred through the banking system with a documented origin. Cash payment is not permitted, which is a protection rather than an obstacle: the banking trail is part of what makes the Greek process auditable and secure.

For the property purchase: a valid passport, the AFM, and the power of attorney if you are represented remotely. For the residence permit application, the standard file includes the notarial purchase deed and registration certificates, proof of payment through the banking system, a criminal record certificate from your country of residence (apostilled and translated), health insurance covering Greece, birth and marriage certificates for family members (apostilled and translated), and biometric photographs.

The exact list varies by nationality and family composition. The lawyer handling your file issues a personalised checklist at the outset, and OSEOS’s coordination role includes making sure document preparation runs in parallel with the property process rather than after it.

Your lawyer verifies, at minimum: the seller’s title and the chain of ownership; the absence of mortgages, liens, claims and encumbrances at the land registry and cadastre; planning and building-permit legality, including the lawfulness of the change of use for conversion properties; outstanding tax or utility liabilities attached to the property; and the completeness of the certificates required for a valid notarial transfer.

For Golden Visa purposes, counsel additionally confirms in writing that the specific property and transaction structure satisfy the current eligibility conditions. No OSEOS transaction proceeds to contract before this confirmation exists.

Yes. Greek transfers require certification by an engineer regarding the legality of the building against its permits, and prudent practice extends this into a genuine technical review: structural condition, installations, energy performance and, in conversions, the correspondence between the works executed and the approved change-of-use documentation.

Because OSEOS is the developer of its projects, the technical file (permits, studies, certifications) exists as a matter of course and is made available to the investor’s advisors rather than assembled retroactively.

Through the structure of the Greek system itself, applied without shortcuts:

• The reservation deposit is governed by a written reservation agreement you review before paying anything, which states the conditions under which it is refundable;
• No purchase funds are paid except against a notarial contract executed before a licensed Greek notary, a neutral state-appointed official, after due diligence has cleared;
• The transfer is registered at the land registry/cadastre, making your ownership a matter of public record;
• All payments pass through the regulated banking system with documentary trails, as the Golden Visa law itself requires.

Your own independent lawyer sits at the centre of each step. We regard the investor’s independent representation as a feature of the process, not a friction in it.

Yes. Greece grants foreign buyers full freehold ownership, the same absolute ownership a Greek citizen holds, registered in the national land registry and cadastre. There is no leasehold structure, no expiry, and no special category of ‘foreigner title’. In apartment buildings, ownership includes the unit plus a proportional co-ownership share of the land and common parts, in the standard European condominium form.

Limited restrictions exist only in designated border and certain sensitive areas, where non-EU buyers require a permit, a point your lawyer clears at due diligence. Central Athens is not among them.

After the notarial contract and registration, the file moves to the residency stage: your lawyer submits the Golden Visa application through the Ministry of Migration and Asylum’s digital platform with the supporting documents, you receive the certificate of pending application, biometrics are captured, and the residence cards are issued for you and your family members.

In parallel, the property is made operational: utility transfers, insurance, and, where the investor wishes, hand-over to rental management. OSEOS remains the coordinating point throughout; the relationship does not end at the notary’s office.

Delays are usually administrative and are managed through the pending-application certificate, which keeps your status lawful while processing continues. Rejections in properly prepared files are rare, because eligibility is a matter of objective statutory conditions verified before purchase, which is precisely why we insist on written legal confirmation of eligibility beforehand rather than optimism afterwards.

If an issue arises, remedies exist: deficiencies can be cured, decisions can be challenged, and the property itself, a registered, owned asset, is unaffected by the administrative process. Your lawyer advises on the specific course in any such case.

Yes, in the specific configuration the law allows: the property may be acquired through a legal entity in which the applicant holds the shares or interests in full, so that the investment is unambiguously attributable to the applicant. Corporate structures introduce their own tax, reporting and compliance dimensions, in Greece and potentially in the investor’s home jurisdiction.

Whether a corporate acquisition improves or complicates your position is a case-specific question for the lawyer and tax advisor together, decided before the purchase contract is drafted. Note also that properties acquired under the conversion route cannot themselves serve as a company’s registered seat, regardless of how title is held.

The Greek notary is a state-appointed public official, neutral between buyer and seller, before whom every property transfer must be executed. The notary verifies the parties’ identity and capacity, confirms the required certificates are present (tax clearances, engineer’s certification, cadastral documents), reads the deed into the record, and executes the transfer as a public document, which is then registered.

This is a civil-law protection that common-law buyers sometimes under-appreciate: the validity of the transfer is checked by an independent official as a condition of its existence, not litigated afterwards. The notarial system is one of the reasons properly conducted Greek transactions are structurally secure.

Two standard routes exist: signing the power of attorney before a Greek consulate in your country of residence, or signing before a local notary with an apostille (or consular legalisation for non-Hague states), followed by official translation into Greek.

Your Greek lawyer drafts the text, defining exactly which acts the attorney may perform (typically tax registration, contract execution, payments handling and application filing), and coordinates the formalities. The document takes days, not weeks, and once in place it allows the entire transaction to proceed without your travel until the biometric appointment.

Greek is the language of the notarial deed and official filings. Foreign investors are protected in two ways: your own lawyer reviews and explains every document before signature, and where a party does not speak Greek, the notarial process provides for certified translation or interpretation so that no one signs a text they have not understood.

OSEOS provides English working documents throughout the process, reservation agreements, summaries, cost schedules, and our team works with investors in English and Arabic. The controlling legal text remains the Greek original, which is standard, and is precisely why independent counsel review is built into every transaction.

The principal transaction costs in a Greek property purchase are the property transfer tax (currently 3.09% including surcharges, for properties not subject to VAT), notary fees, land registry and cadastre fees, and your lawyer’s fees. Translation, apostille and power-of-attorney costs apply for international buyers, and the state charges application and card-issuance fees for the residence permits.

New-build properties can fall under a 24% VAT regime instead of transfer tax; Greece has operated a suspension of this VAT in defined cases, and which regime applies to a specific property is confirmed during due diligence. As a planning figure, investors typically budget in the region of 8 to 10% above the purchase price to cover taxes, fees and the permit process, with the exact schedule itemised for your transaction before you commit.

Property owners pay ENFIA, the annual unified property ownership tax, calculated on the property’s objective (tax-assessed) value, size, age and location. For centrally located apartments of the sizes typical in conversion projects, ENFIA is generally a modest annual amount relative to the asset value.

Municipal charges are collected through electricity bills, and rental income, where earned, is taxed separately as described below. Your accountant quantifies the ENFIA exposure for a specific unit before purchase; it is a known, calculable figure, not an open-ended risk.

No. Residency-by-investment and tax residency are separate concepts. You generally become a Greek tax resident only if you spend more than 183 days in Greece in a calendar year or make Greece your centre of vital interests.

Investors who hold the permit while living abroad are typically taxed in Greece only on Greek-source income, such as rent from the property, and not on worldwide income. Cross-border situations are governed by double-tax treaties, and investors with complex affairs should map the position with a tax advisor before, not after, structuring the purchase.

Rental income earned by individuals from Greek property is taxed in Greece at progressive rates specific to rental income, with the applicable bands set by tax legislation and adjusted from time to time. Leases must be registered on the tax authority’s electronic platform, and annual filings are required even for non-resident owners.

In practice, non-resident investors appoint a Greek accountant to handle registration and filings, a routine, low-cost arrangement that OSEOS coordinates for its investors. Where ownership runs through a corporate structure, a different regime applies, which is one of several reasons structure should be decided with professional advice at the outset.

The buyer, not the seller, bears the transfer tax in a Greek sale. For individual sellers, Greece has repeatedly suspended the application of capital gains tax on real estate disposals; whether any such tax applies at your future point of sale depends on the legislation then in force.

Sale proceeds are freely repatriable through the banking system. Because disposal also has residency consequences, selling the qualifying property without replacement ends the Golden Visa, exit decisions should be taken with both the tax advisor and the immigration lawyer at the table.

Yes. Greece operates several special regimes, the best known being the non-domiciled investor regime under Article 5A of the Income Tax Code, which allows qualifying new tax residents to settle tax on foreign-source income through an annual flat payment instead of ordinary progressive rates, subject to investment and other conditions.

These regimes are relevant only to investors who intend to become Greek tax residents, and their conditions are specific. We flag them here because they materially change the calculus for families considering genuine relocation, a dimension many Golden Visa presentations ignore entirely.

The qualifying minimum investment must be made with the investor’s own funds, transferred through the banking system with a documented origin. As a rule, the threshold amount cannot be met through borrowing, and any financing arrangement touching the qualifying amount must be reviewed and confirmed by Greek counsel before the transaction is structured.

Financing above the threshold, or refinancing after the permit is issued, are separate questions on which banks apply their ordinary lending criteria; in practice, the substantial majority of Golden Visa purchases are completed without financing.

A realistic ownership budget includes ENFIA, building common charges where applicable, insurance, utilities during vacant periods, accounting fees for the annual filings, and a maintenance reserve. For managed rental units, management fees are set out contractually.

OSEOS provides investors with a projected annual cost schedule per unit before purchase, so that net, not gross, figures inform the decision. An investment case that only works on gross numbers is not an investment case we would present.

Greek inheritance and gift taxation applies to Greek real estate, with rates and exemptions that depend heavily on the family relationship: transfers between spouses, children and parents fall into the most favourable category, with significant tax-free thresholds, while more distant relationships bear higher rates.

Cross-border succession adds a second layer: the EU Succession Regulation and the investor’s home-country rules interact with Greek law, and the right structure differs between, say, a family intending eventual relocation and one holding purely for investment. We flag succession at the outset because the cost of planning it early is trivial and the cost of ignoring it is not; specialist advice is arranged as part of the process where investors wish.

The asset, the rent and the eventual sale proceeds are all denominated in euros. For investors whose wealth and obligations sit in another currency, exchange-rate movement therefore affects the home-currency value of both the investment and its income, in either direction.

For many of our investors this is a feature rather than a bug: a euro-denominated hard asset is deliberately held as diversification against home-currency exposure. Investors converting funds for the purchase should also plan the transfer practically: documented banking channels are a legal requirement of the programme, and large conversions deserve competitive execution rather than default retail rates.

Insurance is not a statutory condition of the Golden Visa, but no professionally managed property should operate without it. Standard cover for an Athens apartment includes fire, earthquake (a material consideration in Greece and inexpensive to cover), water damage and owner’s liability; landlords letting long-term typically add loss-of-rent cover.

Premiums for the unit sizes typical in conversion projects are modest and are included in the annual cost schedule OSEOS provides per unit. Where we manage the property, policy administration is part of the management scope.

Yes, long-term residential letting is fully permitted and is the standard strategy for Golden Visa investors. Athens has one of Europe’s tighter long-term rental markets, driven by a structural shortage of quality stock, and long-term leases provide stable, registered, bankable income.

The lease is registered electronically with the tax authority, the income is declared under Greek tax rules, and the arrangement has no adverse effect on the residence permit. What the law restricts is a specific category of use (short-term letting), addressed in the next answer.

No. Law 5100/2024 (Government Gazette A’ 69/2024) expressly prohibits properties acquired for a Golden Visa under the current framework from being let on a short-term basis in the context of the sharing economy (Airbnb-style platforms), and from being sublet. Violation carries revocation of the residence permit and an administrative fine of €50,000.

We state this without ambiguity because it is one of the areas where investors most often receive misleading assurances. The restriction applies to the Golden Visa property itself; it does not prevent an investor from owning other, non-qualifying properties operated differently. OSEOS underwrites its projects on long-term rental fundamentals precisely so that the investment case never depends on a use the law does not allow.

Properties acquired under the €250,000 conversion route must be used as residences: the law prohibits their use as the registered seat or branch of a business, with the same €50,000 fine and permit revocation applying to breaches. The property may of course be the investor’s own home or a long-term rented residence.

This restriction is a direct corollary of why conversions enjoy the lower threshold: the state’s objective is new housing stock. Investors who need business premises in Greece acquire them separately, outside the Golden Visa framework, and we are glad to advise on that as a distinct matter.

Yes. Personal use as a residence (permanent, seasonal or occasional) is entirely permitted and requires nothing beyond ordinary ownership. Many of our investors combine strategies over time: personal use in the early years, long-term letting later, or the reverse.

The only structural constraint is contractual rather than legal: a unit under an existing long-term lease is available for personal use only when that lease ends.

Yes. For investors who want a fully passive holding, OSEOS coordinates end-to-end management: tenant sourcing and vetting, registered lease administration, rent collection, maintenance, and annual coordination with the investor’s accountant. Scope and fees are defined per project in a written management agreement.

Management is optional: owners are free to appoint their own manager or self-manage. Our interest in offering it is straightforward: buildings we developed perform and resell better when they are professionally maintained, and our investors’ after-sale experience is part of our reputation.

Vacancy is a normal real estate risk and should be in every underwriting, which is why our projections use occupancy assumptions rather than promising uninterrupted income. Vacancy has no effect on the residence permit: the Golden Visa requires ownership of the qualifying property, not its occupation.

The structural mitigant is the market itself: centrally located, newly delivered units in Athens address the deepest segment of Greek rental demand. The operational mitigant is competent management and realistic pricing. Between the two, prolonged vacancy in this segment is the exception, but an investor’s plan should never require the exception to be impossible.

Greek law provides residential tenants with a statutory minimum lease protection: residential leases are binding on the landlord for a minimum period of three years, even if a shorter term is agreed, while rent level and adjustment mechanics are set contractually. Leases are registered electronically with the tax authority, which is both a legal obligation and the basis for declaring the income.

Deposits, payment terms and maintenance allocation follow market practice and are set out in the lease. For owners, the practical meaning of the three-year framework is stability of income; the corresponding discipline is tenant selection at the outset, which is exactly the part professional management earns its fee on.

Under an OSEOS management agreement: we do. Tenant communication, rent collection, coordination of repairs with vetted contractors, emergency response and the administrative cycle (lease registration, renewals, handovers) are handled locally, with the owner receiving statements and being consulted on defined matters: expenditure above agreed limits, lease terms, re-letting decisions.

Owners who prefer their own arrangements remain entirely free to appoint any manager or to self-manage; nothing in an OSEOS purchase ties the investor to our management. The offer exists because absentee ownership without competent local management is where good assets go to underperform.

OSEOS Developments acquires, develops and sells investment-grade residential real estate in Greece, with a particular focus on commercial-to-residential conversion projects in Athens suited to Golden Visa investors. We manage the full journey: sourcing and underwriting, development and delivery, coordination of the legal and residency process through licensed independent professionals, and after-sale management.

We are the principal in our projects: we develop what we sell, which means our name is attached to the asset’s performance long after completion.

A developer. The distinction matters practically, not rhetorically: an agency intermediates other parties’ stock and is compensated per transaction; a developer controls the permits, the engineering, the budget and the delivery of its own projects, and lives with the results.

For a conversion-based Golden Visa investment, where eligibility itself depends on the lawful completion of the change of use, the difference is material. The party responsible for the works and the party answerable to the investor are, in our model, the same party.

No. Legal and immigration advice is provided exclusively by licensed Greek lawyers, and tax advice by qualified tax professionals, independent of OSEOS and engaged for you. Our role is coordination: we structure projects so that the legal pathway is clean, and we make sure the right professional answers every legal question in writing before you rely on it.

We consider this separation a strength of the process. An investor whose developer also claims to be their lawyer has one opinion where they should have two.

Because development capacity, done properly, is finite, and because most opportunities fail our underwriting. Location, acquisition price, conversion feasibility, legal cleanliness and exit depth must all clear at once, and the intersection of those conditions in central Athens is not large.

Limited inventory is therefore not a marketing posture; it is the visible output of the filter. We would rather decline a project than dilute the standard that makes the projects we do deliver worth owning.

No. Two different things. A contracted rental return, where a project offers one, is a commitment under the rental agreement and is honoured on those terms. Future market performance, capital appreciation and resale value are not guaranteed by us or by anyone, and figures of that kind in our materials are indicative estimates. Real estate carries risk, including the potential loss of capital.

Where a specific offering includes a contractual arrangement (a defined rental term, for example), it exists in writing with defined parties and duration. Everything else is analysis, offered transparently with its assumptions, so that you and your advisors can test it.

The relationship continues past completion: coordination of the residence permit process through to card issuance, utility and insurance set-up, optional rental management as described above, annual coordination with your accountant for filings, and a standing point of contact for anything concerning the property.

Renewal of the permit after five years is a routine process when the investment is maintained, and we calendar and coordinate it with your lawyer so that it never becomes urgent.

Through direct control of the development chain: OSEOS engages and supervises the engineers and contractors on its projects, works are executed under the supervising engineer’s responsibility against the approved studies and permits, and statutory certifications (structural, energy performance, legality) are issued at defined milestones and form part of each unit’s technical file.

That file is not marketing material; it is the documentary basis on which your own engineer and lawyer verify what was built. We consider a buyer who commissions an independent technical review a well-advised buyer, and our projects are structured to withstand exactly that review.

Three layers, and it is worth being precise about each. Contractual: the notarial purchase agreement defines the property, the specification and the delivery obligations (enforceable terms, not brochure language). Statutory: Greek law imposes defect liability on the seller and constructor for defined periods, independent of the contract. Documentary: registered title, permits and certifications that exist as public and technical records.

What an investor does not receive, from us or any honest counterparty, is a guarantee of market performance. The distinction between enforceable obligations and market expectations is one we draw explicitly in every transaction, because confusing the two is how investors get hurt.

Yes, and we actively prefer it. Investors are free to appoint any licensed Greek lawyer, tax advisor or engineer; where an investor has no existing relationships in Greece, we introduce independent professionals with Golden Visa experience, whom the investor engages and instructs directly.

The advisors act for you, are paid by you, and answer to you. A transaction in which the investor’s advisors are genuinely independent of the developer is a better transaction for both sides; it is, frankly, also how serious counterparties recognise each other.

Every investor’s objectives are different. Whether your priority is securing EU residency for your family, generating long-term rental income, preserving capital in a hard asset, or building a broader position in Greek real estate, the right structure depends on your circumstances, and on the Greek legal framework as it stands at the time you invest, not as it is summarised on any website, including this one.

Speak to our team for a consultation grounded in current law and live projects, and bring your own advisors: we are at our best in front of well-advised investors.

Our investors are international, families and individuals seeking EU residency alongside a defensible real estate position, typically advised by their own lawyers and, in many cases, introduced by professional intermediaries.

We also operate a structured Partner Programme for qualified intermediaries: approved partners receive access to the OSEOS Partner Portal, a dedicated platform containing all available projects, live inventory and pricing, time-limited client holds, deal tracking and marketing materials. Registration through the Partner Registration form is required, and each application is individually reviewed.

Registration is a required first step: apply through the OSEOS Partner Registration form. Every application is individually reviewed by our team, and partner access, terms and client protections apply only to approved, registered partners.

Once approved, you receive credentials to the OSEOS Partner Portal and a direct point of contact within our team. Commission terms are agreed per project and confirmed in writing, we do not operate blanket rates.

The OSEOS Partner Portal is a dedicated platform designed exclusively for our registered partners. It contains everything needed to work a deal from introduction to completion: all available projects with live unit availability and pricing, full project information and documentation, time-limited holds to secure a unit for your client, deal tracking through every stage, and ready-to-use marketing materials.

Access is granted upon approval through the Partner Registration form, and approved partners sign in at the Partner Portal.