Greece's Golden Visa in 2025: changes, trends and new rules for investors

Greece's Golden visa program continues to be one of the most popular in Europe for investors wishing to obtain a residence permit through the purchase of real estate. However, in 2025, the market showed new trends that every investor should consider.

The dynamics of applications for residence permits through real estate

Since 2018, the program has demonstrated a steady increase in interest from foreign investors:

• 2018 – about 2,000 initial applications;
• 2019 – more than 4,000;
• 2022-2024 – a sharp increase to 9,391 applications in 2024.

In 2025, the trend changed: the number of new applications was 6,978, and the total number of applications, including extensions, was 8,116. Despite the decline relative to the record year of 2024, this indicator remains high by historical standards.

The leading countries in terms of the number of investors

Most investors still come from Asia and the Middle East.:

• China is the leader with more than 3,400 visas, an increase of 53% compared to last year;
• Turkey – about 25% of applications, an increase more than 1.5 times;
• Lebanon, Iran, Great Britain, USA and Egypt are also actively involved;
• Russia is practically not represented due to political restrictions.

🏢 Popular regions for investments

The main area of interest remains Attica, including Athens and Piraeus – this region accounts for almost 80% of all applications. Other regions (Crete, Peloponnese, Thrace, Thessaly) show a lower volume of investments.

💰 New investment requirements

Starting in 2024, new rules have been introduced on the minimum amount of investments. Previously, investments of €250,000 in residential real estate were sufficient for participation. Currently, such amounts are applied mainly to facilities that have been converted from commercial to residential.

This change has not reduced the attractiveness of the program, but forces investors to choose facilities and regions more carefully.

⚡ Why Greece's golden visa remains attractive

Despite the adjustment in the volume of applications, the program has key advantages:

• the opportunity to obtain a residence permit for the whole family;
• relatively low entry threshold compared to other EU countries;
• the prospect of rental income real estate;
• stable real estate market with long-term investment opportunities.

Company Digital-Nomad.gr has many years of experience in successfully supporting investors under the Golden Visa program in Greece and offers a full range of legal services in this area. The company's professional staff of lawyers and immigration specialists works directly in Greece, which minimizes risks, speeds up registration as much as possible and provides an individual approach for each client. If you are considering investing in Greek real estate to obtain a residence permit, you can read the terms of participation in detail and get advice on the program on the "Golden Visa of Greece" on our company's website: https://digital-nomad.gr