Small decrease in golden visa applications in the first half of 2024

According to a report by K, golden visa applications fell by 3.3% in the first half of 2024 compared to the previous year. In the corresponding period of 2023, 4,150 permits were issued.

According to data from the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, at the start of 2023, the government increased the minimum investment requirement from €250,000 to €500,000 for properties located in central Athens, the northern and southern suburbs, the Municipality of Thessaloniki, Mykonos, and Santorini.

However, in other areas of the metropolitan region, especially in Piraeus, this led to sharp and unjustified increases in residential property prices.

The Golden Visa is a residence permit granted to property owners from non-EU countries who have legally entered or are legally residing in Greece.

For this reason, a few months ago, it was decided to raise the investment threshold to €800,000. This new threshold now applies across all of Attica, including Thessaloniki, and to all islands with a permanent population exceeding 3,100 residents.

Nevertheless, even in areas where the higher threshold had previously been applied, there was no restriction on price increases; the rate of price growth slowed compared to before

Since the launch of the Golden Visa program in 2014, the total number of investors from non-EU countries who have received or are expected to receive residence permits will reach 26,370.