Greek golden visa applications down 36%: ministry figures for eight months

In brief

• January - August 2026: 3,426 new main-investor applications. A year earlier, over the same period: 5,333.
• Valid main-investor permits at the end of August stood at 34,759, against 23,882 at the end of August 2025.
• Family members are counted separately: these figures cover main applicants only, without spouses and children.
• The property route remains. The opposition proposed closing it; according to the PASOK party, the government rejected the amendment.
• The thresholds are unchanged: EUR 800,000 in Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and large islands, EUR 400,000 in the rest of Greece, EUR 250,000 for converting a non-residential building into housing.

What the ministry figures show

The ministry publishes investor permit statistics every month, in an annex to its general report on legal migration. Applications are counted by month of filing. Below are new main-investor applications by month of 2026.

* The latest month in a report is always undercounted: the ministry adds applications retroactively because a permit is dated by its filing date. August 2026 will rise in later reports, as August 2025 did.

The highest month of the year is July, with 526 applications. The first seven months average about 445 applications a month. In 2025 the average month was noticeably higher.

What this means for you. Demand for Greece has fallen but not disappeared: hundreds of new investors enter the programme every month.

Why there are fewer applications

The main reason is well known: since September 2024 Law 5100/2024 has applied, raising the thresholds. Previously EUR 250,000 was enough in most of the country; now an ordinary flat needs EUR 400,000 or 800,000 and at least 120 square metres. The EUR 250,000 segment remains only for converting non-residential buildings into housing and restoring listed buildings. We covered these changes in detail in the review of Greek golden visa changes 2024-2026.

The second reason is uncertainty. In autumn 2026 Greece announced a plan for a 15% purchase tax on homes bought by non-EU citizens from 1 July 2027, and on 15 October the migration minister promised to revoke permits for off-contract discounts and nightly sublets. Neither step has become a rule yet, but investors hear them. See our analyses of the 15% tax and of revocation for discounts.

The third reason is politics. On 30 September 2026 the PASOK party tabled an amendment that would have closed the property route to new applicants. It was debated in Parliament on 1 October, and on 7 October the party wrote that the government had rejected it again. The amendment was not passed and has no legal effect, but closing the programme is now being discussed from the podium.

What this means for you. The smaller flow is a consequence of the 2024 rules and the noise around new measures. The programme itself and its thresholds have not changed as at 17 October 2026.

More and more permits

While applications fall, the number of people who already hold a permit is rising. At the end of August 2026 there were 34,759 valid main-investor permits, against 23,882 at the end of August 2025. That is growth of about 45% in a year.

This means the ministry is actively issuing permits on applications from previous years, many filed under the old thresholds. The report does not show processing times for an individual file, so these figures cannot promise a quick decision.

The ministry also shows a breakdown by nationality, but only for the ten largest groups. Citizens of China and Turkey hold the most permits.

What this means for you. If you have already applied, the growth in issued permits is a good sign for the queue. If you are only planning, count by the new thresholds.

What this means for you

1. Count by the current thresholds: EUR 400,000 for most of the country, EUR 800,000 for Attica, Thessaloniki and popular islands, a minimum of 120 square metres.
2. Check the EUR 250,000 segment with particular care: after the minister's statement of 15 October, discounts and "guaranteed rentals" became a direct risk to the permit.
3. Build the 15% purchase tax into your plan if the deal could slip into the second half of 2027. It is still a plan, but it is better to prepare in advance.
4. Do not treat a possible closure as a reason to rush. The opposition amendment was rejected, and a purchase decision should rest on the property and the family, not on the news.

The amount for your family is shown by the Greek golden visa cost calculator. The full list of costs is in the piece on the cost of the Greek golden visa, and the specifics for Russian citizens in the article on the Greek golden visa for Russians.

Greece among other golden visas

Greece remains one of the few EU countries that grant residence for a direct home purchase. Portugal removed property from its programme, and Spain closed its golden visa. That is why Greece keeps a significant flow of applicants even after the threshold increase.

How Greece compares with Hungary and Portugal we set out in the piece on the golden visas of Hungary, Greece and Portugal. The wider European picture is in the review of EU golden visas in autumn 2026.

What this means for you. Fewer applications is not a reason to leave Greece. It is a reason to choose the property more calmly and check the deal more carefully.

How this piece was prepared

The figures come from the annex to the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum report on legal migration for August 2026 (published on 23 September 2026) and from the same report for August 2025. Information on the PASOK amendment is based on the party's own statements of 30 September and 7 October 2026. The thresholds are under Law 5100/2024. The ministry revises monthly figures retroactively, so the latest month may rise. It is not legal advice on a specific transaction.