Residence permit (Golden Visa) for third country nationals who invest in Greek State Bonds or other financial instruments (summary of options)
According to the provisions of Law 5038/2023, article 99 et seq (as amended by Law 5130/2024), by decision of the Minister of Immigration and Asylum, upon the proposal of the Foreign Direct Investment Directorate of the Ministry of Development and Investment, a residence permit may be granted to third country nationals who have made an investment in Greece in one of the following categories:
(a) contribution of capital, in the amount of at least €500,000, to a company having its registered office or establishment in Greece, with the exception of Portfolio Investment Companies and, subject to sub-paragraph b, Real Estate Investment Companies, for the acquisition of shares in a share capital increase or bonds in the issuance of a bond loan, which are admitted to trading on regulated markets.
b) Capital contribution of at least €500,000 to a Real Estate Investment Company (REIT) of Article 21 of Law 2778/1999, whose purpose is to invest exclusively in Greece, for the acquisition of shares in an increase of its share capital. During the initial stage and until its listing on the Stock Exchange, the realisation of the investment and its retention are certified by certificates issued by the company.
(c) a capital contribution of at least €500,000 to a Business Venture Capital Company (BCCC) under Article 5 of Law 2367/1995 for the acquisition of shares or to a Business Venture Capital Fund (BFC) under Article 7 of Law 2992/2002 for the acquisition of shares, provided that the above mentioned Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) are intended to invest exclusively in companies having their registered office and/or establishment in Greece.
(d) purchase of Greek government bonds with an acquisition value of at least five hundred thousand (500,000) euros and a residual maturity, at the time of purchase, of at least three (3) years, through a credit institution established in Greece, which is also their depositary. The realisation and retention of the investment shall be evidenced by certificates issued by the credit institution.
(e) a fixed-term deposit of at least €500,000 with a domestic credit institution, with a maturity of at least one year, with a fixed renewal mandate. The realisation and retention of the investment shall be certified by certificates issued by the credit institution. The joint beneficiaries of the time deposit may be the spouse, the partner and blood or marriage relatives up to the second degree of the investor (this case falls under financial investments by law, although it does not concern an investment in securities).
f) purchase of shares, corporate bonds and/or bonds of the Greek government, which are admitted to trading or traded on regulated markets or multilateral trading facilities operating in Greece, with an acquisition value of at least €800,000.
g) purchase of units of an acquisition value of at least €350,000 in a mutual fund, which is established in Greece or in another country and which has as its purpose the exclusive investment in shares, corporate bonds or Greek government bonds admitted to trading or traded on regulated markets or multilateral trading facilities operating in Greece, provided that: (i) the assets of the mutual fund amount to €10. (ii) the fund and its manager are authorised by the capital market supervisory authority of the country where the fund is domiciled; and (iii) the fund’s assets amount to at least EUR 10 000 000 000; and (iv) the fund and its manager are authorised by the capital market supervisory authority of the country where the fund is domiciled.
(h) the purchase of units or shares with an acquisition value of at least €350,000 in an Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) established in Greece or in another Member State of the European Union and whose purpose is to invest exclusively in Greece, provided that: (i) the AIF’s assets amount to at least €3,000,000 and (ii) the AIF and its manager are licensed or registered by the capital market supervisory authority of the country in which it is established.
The information is accurate to the best of our knowledge as at the time of writing. We have no obligation to update it. We accept no responsibility against any third party who is not a client of the firm and has not signed the terms of our engagement.