Vanuatu Passports and Greek Residency for a Retired Couple: Winters in Asia, Summers in the Peloponnese

Winter in Penang, grandchildren in Athens

Viktor designed bridges all his life and still consults for engineering institutes by video. Tamara taught music. Five years ago they first spent a winter in Malaysia, and every November since they pack their suitcases.

Winter means Penang and trips to Thailand and the Philippines. They used to spend summers at home near Moscow. But two years ago their son Egor moved to Athens with his family, and summers without the grandchildren began to feel empty.

They live on pensions, Viktor’s consulting income and rent from a flat in Moscow. They are ready to sell that flat to buy a house in Greece.

On the first call the spouse named the main thing: she was tired of gathering visa paperwork every autumn. At their age it takes more energy than the flights themselves.

The couple did not need to relocate. They needed a year of two seasons: winter in the warmth, summer near the grandchildren.

Irena SokolovskaHead of Europe Office

Why the road to Greece began with an island in the Pacific

Their son had already researched Greek programmes and was sure the Golden Visa for buying a home would suit his parents. The lawyer agreed: the programme fits perfectly, and year-round residence is not required. But there was one obstacle.

Since 2022 Greece has not accepted first-time Golden Visa applications from Russian and Belarusian citizens. The law does not ban the nationality itself, but an application on a Russian passport cannot be filed today.

There is one working path: obtain a second citizenship first, then apply for the Golden Visa as citizens of another country. For this couple the lawyer proposed Vanuatu. It takes 2-3 months, with no need to live on the islands. And a Vanuatu passport solves their second problem on its own: visas for their winters.

Their son stayed silent longest. Then he asked whether it was risky. The lawyer replied that before any payment he would get a written opinion from Greek lawyers: could the parents apply as Vanuatu citizens and pay for the house. Nothing would be bought before that opinion.

The opinion came ten days later. The Greek lawyers confirmed three things. Applying for the Golden Visa as Vanuatu citizens is possible on standard terms. Payment for the house must go through a bank from the buyers’ own account. And the money from the flat sale must be documented before the purchase, not after.

How the path through Vanuatu to Greece works is described on the Vanuatu passport and Greek residency page.

The son helped, but the parents decided

Egor wanted to take everything on himself: calls, documents, house hunting. The lawyer suggested dividing the roles differently.

The parents are the applicants, and they make every decision on money and documents themselves. Egor helps with the legwork: collects certificates in Moscow under a power of attorney, views houses in Greece, interprets at meetings with the Greek lawyer.

That is simpler for due diligence too. When the forms, accounts and signatures belong to the applicants themselves, there are fewer questions. And the parents, their son Egor said, felt for the first time in years that this was their own project, not something the children were handling.

Once a week the lawyer held a three-way video call: the parents from Penang, Egor from Athens. Twenty minutes, and everyone knew what was done and what came next.

A bonus the couple had not thought of: winters without visa forms

While the lawyer explained Vanuatu, the spouse opened a list of their winter destinations on her phone and started checking.

On a Vanuatu passport Malaysia and the Philippines are visa-free for 30 days. Thailand issues a 30-day visa on arrival. Hong Kong admits visitors visa-free for 90 days.

She worked out that last winter they had spent almost two weeks on visas and extensions. With a Vanuatu passport the winter can be built from one country to the next, without trips to visa centres. Right on the call she sketched next winter: December in Penang, January in the Philippines, February in Thailand.

All Asian destinations are listed in visa-free Asia with a Vanuatu passport.

The fund over the donation: money not needed for five years

For a couple the donation costs USD 155,000 including the due diligence fee. The coconut oil fund costs 165,000. At payment the donation is 10,000 cheaper, but after five years 50,000 comes back from the fund, making it 40,000 cheaper overall.

The lawyer asked whether the couple would need that USD 50,000 in the next five years. Viktor thought and said no. The house is bought with the flat sale proceeds, and winters are paid from current income.

The spouse joked that the money would come back just in time for her husband’s seventieth birthday. They chose the fund. The fund payment is made when the full document package is filed.

Both programmes are explained in donation or fund.

Documents gathered without leaving Malaysia

All the Vanuatu paperwork fell in winter. The couple did not want to fly to Moscow, so we ran everything from Penang.

Their son collected the Russian police certificates under a power of attorney, as he was flying home for the holidays anyway. He also brought back the apostilled marriage certificate. The couple had their medical checks at a hospital in Penang using the programme form we had sent the doctor in advance.

A photo that had to be retaken

The first photos were taken at a shopping mall. In Viktor’s photo, glare from his glasses covered his eyes. We asked for a retake without glasses, and the second set was fine.

Where retirees’ money comes from

Due diligence always asks where the money comes from. The couple’s account held savings from many years, consulting income and rent. We gathered the contracts with the institutes, the flat lease and three years of statements. Every large sum in the account had its explanation.

They gave biometrics in Hong Kong, under four hours’ flight from Kuala Lumpur, and combined the trip with a visit to old friends. Under the plan Vanuatu passports are issued 2-3 months after filing.

Why they looked for a house in the Peloponnese, not Athens

At first the couple wanted a house in the Athens suburbs, close to the grandchildren. The lawyer showed the Golden Visa thresholds. The whole of Attica, including Athens, requires EUR 800,000 for one property. That was twice their budget.

Outside Attica, Thessaloniki and the large islands the threshold is EUR 400,000 for one property of at least 120 sq m. The Peloponnese, two hours’ drive from Athens, falls into exactly that zone.

Their son went to see three houses. The first turned out to be 112 sq m instead of the advertised 125: part of the area was an illegal extension. The second was in good condition, but the seller owed property tax.

The third house, 140 sq m near Nafplio, was checked in full by a Greek lawyer: title, encumbrances, extensions, area. Everything matched. The couple saw it on a video call and agreed within five minutes: the sea is visible from the kitchen window, and their son Egor’s home is under two hours away by car.

How to choose a property and where buyers go wrong is covered in Greek Golden Visa through real estate.

A flat in Moscow became a house in Greece

The money for the house came from selling the flat. The lawyer asked them not to withdraw it in cash or move it through acquaintances. The sale agreement, the bank credit and the account history show the Greek bank where the money came from.

On top of the house price came EUR 12,360 purchase tax and EUR 2,182 residence fees for two, a confirmed base of EUR 414,542. Lawyer, notary, translations and health insurance, which costs more for applicants over 60, were priced separately by contract.

Their son offered to add his own money so the parents would not have to sell the flat. The lawyer talked him out of it: Egor’s money would have to be documented separately as a gift, and the couple had enough of their own. All costs are covered in how much the Greece Golden Visa costs.

May: the first trip to Greece on the new passports

Travelling to Greece on a Vanuatu passport requires a Schengen visa. The lawyer helped arrange it in spring, while they were still in Malaysia. A national D visa is not needed for the Golden Visa: the application is filed while in the country.

In May the couple flew to Athens. By then the lawyer had completed the house purchase under a power of attorney. The residence application was filed through him, and the couple came in person for biometrics. One such trip is usually enough.

On biometrics day their son Egor took the day off and drove his parents to the migration office. It took less than an hour. On the way back they stopped at the house: that day the couple held its keys for the first time.

Insurance that took a month to find

The Golden Visa requires health insurance for each applicant. For people over 60 the choice is smaller and prices higher. We started looking in March and compared four insurers. Two did not take clients over 62, and the third did not cover the full term. The fourth fitted. Without that work, filing would have slipped to autumn.

Outside Attica processing usually takes 6-12 months. While it is pending, the blue certificate confirms lawful stay in Greece. It does not allow Schengen travel, but the couple did not need that: they spent the summer in their new house.

Summers near the grandchildren

Under this scenario the couple holds two statuses. Vanuatu passports cover winter travel in Asia. Five-year Greece Golden Visa cards give the right to spend summers in their own house and are renewed as long as they own it. The outcome is described as expected: decisions are made by each country’s authorities.

In summer the grandchildren will be able to visit their grandparents by the sea at weekends. The spouse has already found an amateur choir in Nafplio and plans to sing there from the first summer.

In October they will close up the house and fly to Penang. It cannot be let on a short-term basis: that carries a EUR 50,000 fine and loss of the residence permit. The couple does not need it anyway; the neighbours agreed to look after the garden.

After five years the fund terms return USD 50,000. The couple has already decided to spend it on a big trip with the whole family.

Two statuses solve two tasks: the Vanuatu passport opens Asia and the Greek application, and Greek residency gives summers near family.

Irena SokolovskaHead of Europe Office

Who this path suits

This story repeats for couples and families who cannot apply for the Golden Visa on their own passport, spend part of the year in Asia and want a home of their own in Greece.

If the plan is to live in Greece year-round on a pension or foreign income, compare the Golden Visa with the financially independent person permit.

A similar story: Vanuatu passport and Greek residency for a family of four. How both stages are handled is described on the Vanuatu passport and Greek residency page.

Composite example: this story is based on typical enquiries; no real clients are described. Figures as of September 2026. Decisions on Vanuatu citizenship and Greek residency are made by the authorities of those countries.