Buying a Home in Greece: Golden Visa, Prices and the Process
Buying a home in Greece requires neither a residence permit nor citizenship. A foreign buyer takes freehold title and holds the property indefinitely. But one thing sets Greece apart from our other two markets: two different reasons to buy that keep getting mixed up in the same country. One is the Golden Visa, the other is yield. This page separates them, because deciding without knowing the difference is one of the most expensive mistakes on offer.
First, one distinction
When you see a €250,000 flat listed in Athens, the first question is usually the Golden Visa. For most of the market the answer is no: since the 2024 reform the threshold on a standard home in Attica is €800,000. But the rule has an exception, and our portfolio sits exactly inside that exception.
Converting a commercial or industrial building into housing brings the threshold down to €250,000, and that tier carries no 120 square metre rule. Every apartment scheme we sell on the Greek side is a conversion of exactly that kind, and OIKOS, the developer, confirms that they qualify. A standard flat in the same area would need €800,000; on these schemes €250,000 is enough. The whole €550,000 gap comes from one clause.
The second route is the standard home route. The scheme in our portfolio that clears the €400,000 tier is Levante Villas: it sits in Boeotia, so the €400,000 threshold applies, its 130 square metres of internal area clear the 120 square metre rule, and it is bought as a single home.
Golden Visa thresholds
| Tier | Where it applies | Further condition |
|---|---|---|
| €800,000 | Attica (Athens and its surroundings), Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands with a population above 3,100 | A single home, at least 120 square metres |
| €400,000 | The rest of Greece | A single home, at least 120 square metres |
| €250,000 | Region does not matter: conversion of a commercial or industrial building into housing, and restoration of a listed historic building | No floor area requirement |
The apartment schemes in our portfolio fall into the third tier: every one of them is developed by converting an existing building into housing, and OIKOS confirms that they qualify for the €250,000 tier. With no floor area rule to meet, a €250,000 budget can take you into the programme in Athens, Piraeus and Thessaloniki. For the programme in full, who counts as family and the questions we are asked most, see our article on the Greek Golden Visa is worth a read.
The schemes in our portfolio
Every scheme on the Greek side is by OIKOS Property Developments, an Athens based developer with more than 15 years behind it. Prices are entry prices; current availability is on the scheme pages.
| projects | Where | Entry price | Entry size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curve Park 6 | Ilion, Athens | €250,000 | 40 sq m, garden duplexes available |
| Oasis Residences | Peristeri, west Athens | €250,000 | 35 sq m, 41 apartments |
| Meridia Residences | Piraeus | €250,000 | 40 sq m, completion December 2027 |
| Thermae View Residences | Thessaloniki | €250,000 | 33 sq m, 300 metres from the seafront |
| Boulevard | Kallithea, Athens | €260,000 | 38 sq m, 54 apartments |
| Kifisia Suites | Lykovrysi, North Athens | €290,000 | 56 sq m, 42 apartments |
| Trinity | Michalakopoulou, central Athens | €300,000 | 39 sq m, boutique block of 17 |
| Levante Villas | Skroponeria, Boeotia | €695,000 | 130 sq m detached villa, 3 bedrooms |
What goes on top of the price
The asking price is not what you pay. Buying costs in Greece come to roughly 6.73% of the price plus about €684 in fixed items. On a €250,000 flat that is around €17,500 on top.
| Item | How much | When it is paid |
|---|---|---|
| Property transfer tax | 3.09% of the price | Before the transfer |
| Notary | 1.70% of the price | On signing the contract |
| Legal fees and due diligence | 1.24% of the price | In stages, with an advance at the outset |
| Land registry | 0.70% of the price | At registration, after the transfer |
| Civil engineer due diligence | 300 € | Before the contract |
| Power of attorney | 160 € | At the start of the process |
| E9 declaration | 124 € | After the transfer |
| Postage and documents | 100 € | Throughout the process |
| Opening a bank account | €500, optional | At the start of the process |
For your own numbers, the Greece Purchase Cost Calculator page sets every item out one by one.
Transfer tax, not VAT
A newly built building in Greece carries 24% VAT. Where an existing building has been converted into housing there is no VAT; a 3.09% transfer tax applies instead. The apartment schemes in our portfolio fall into that second group. The gap is about 20 percentage points, which on a €250,000 flat runs into tens of thousands of euros. Which regime a scheme falls under is on its own enough to set your budget.
What the residence application itself costs
If you take the Golden Visa route, application items land on top of the property costs. They are calculated per person, independently of the property price.
| Item | Amount | Who it is charged on |
|---|---|---|
| State fee, main applicant | 2.000 € | Once |
| State fee, family member | 150 € | Per spouse, dependent adult and child over 13 |
| Residence permit card | 16 € | Per person, everyone |
| Health insurance | €160 to €750 a year | Per person, varies with age |
Cost of holding it
Greece is not a zero tax structure like the United Arab Emirates. ENFIA, the annual property tax, runs from roughly €2 to €16.20 per square metre depending on the zone value of the location. On a mid sized flat that stays at a few hundred euros a year. Rental income is taxed in Greece, and there is a double taxation treaty between Türkiye and Greece. Seeing a binding figure means working from the property’s own zone value, which we do scheme by scheme.
The buying process
- Tax number (AFM). Everyone who buys property in Greece needs a tax number. It can be obtained from Türkiye under a power of attorney.
- Power of attorney. To run the whole process without travelling to Greece, you give your lawyer a power of attorney. It costs €160.
- Due diligence. The lawyer checks title and planning status, the structural engineer checks the physical condition of the building. Both are finished before contracts.
- Preliminary contract and deposit. Price and payment schedule are fixed here.
- Paying the transfer tax. The 3.09% tax is paid before the transfer of title.
- Transfer of title before the notary. The final contract is signed before the notary.
- Land registration and the E9 return. Registration follows the transfer, and the E9 return puts the property on your tax record.
Frequently asked
Can I get a Golden Visa in Athens for €250,000?
On the schemes in our portfolio, yes. The threshold on a standard home in Attica is €800,000, but the €250,000 tier applies to the conversion of a commercial or industrial building into housing, and every one of our apartment schemes fits that definition. On a standard flat bought on the open market, the answer is no.
Does the Golden Visa grant citizenship?
No, it is a residence programme. Citizenship requires having actually lived in Greece and meeting the language and integration conditions.
Do I have to live in Greece?
Not on the Golden Visa. The permit is renewed for as long as the investment is held, and there is no residence requirement in Greece.
Do I need to travel to Greece to buy?
No. From the tax number to the transfer of title, the process can be run under a power of attorney.
Can I rent the flat out?
You can. Rental income is taxed in Greece, and short lets carry a separate registration obligation.
The next step
The quickest way in is to settle which route suits you in Greece: the residence permit, the yield, or both. Write us your budget and what you are after, and we will put together the schemes that fit and the full cost table. Write to us. If you want to see it side by side with our other two markets, our Overseas Property Investment Guide page puts all three countries in one table.