Updated August 11, 2026

GR-FI

Residency on your own means

Residency in Greeceon income

A residence permit for those who live in Greece on their own income. The card runs for two years at once with renewal and no investment is required — €2,000 a month and a home in the country are enough.

Go through your situation

The conditions are checked against article 20 of law 4251/2014
Working since 2004
We run the visa, the residence card and the renewal

A Greek residence card for financially independent persons

from €2,000 a monthIncome for the applicant

A card for 2 yearsWith renewal

No investmentNo capital is required

01 / About the program

How the FIP status works

The financially independent person is a separate ground in Greek migration law. First the consulate issues a national visa, and after entry the residence card is arranged. No investment is required: what matters is a steady income from abroad.

Income of €2,000 a month

The law requires sufficient means without working in Greece. The practical threshold is €2,000 a month for the applicant, that is €24,000 a year.

The family additions are fixed

For a spouse the requirement rises by 20% and for each child by 15%. That is an express rule, not a matter of discretion.

You cannot work in Greece

The status excludes employment in the country. The income must come from outside: a pension, rent, dividends or interest.

This is not the Golden Visa

Here there is no property purchase and no right to work, but no threshold of hundreds of thousands of euro either. In return you have to live in the country for real.

02 / What you get

What the status gives you

Life in Greece

The right to live in the country, to enter and leave freely and to move around Schengen for up to 90 days in every 180.

A status for the family

A spouse and minor children receive the status together with the applicant. The income requirement rises by 20% and 15% respectively.

Schools and medicine

Children study in Greek schools and the family arranges medical insurance for the whole term of the status.

The road to permanent residence

Five years of continuous residence open up European Union long-term residency where the requirements are met.

A low entry point

The income requirement is one of the most moderate in southern Europe, and Greece itself remains an inexpensive country to live in.

Tax regimes

Special regimes apply to new tax residents, foreign pensioners included. Whether they apply is worked out separately.

A preliminary assessment

Calculate the budget for your family

Set out who is applying with you. With the calculation you get the full Greek picture: the income with the family additions, the budget for the move, the timeline by stage and a plan of action.

Who is applying for the residence permit?

Get the calculation

about a minuteno calls and no obligationsconfidential

The full calculation for your family composition
The timeline for each stage of the process
A plan of action: where to start

A Greek residence card and a set of documents

03 / Why people apply

Why people arrange the FIP status

This direction is for those moving to Greece to live: pensioners, people living on their assets and families for whom the climate, the sea and a moderate cost of living matter.

A move with no large investment

The Golden Visa requires from €250,000; here it is enough to evidence an income of €2,000 a month. The difference is fundamental.

The climate and the cost of living

Mild winters, the sea and prices noticeably below Western Europe. For pensioners those are the key arguments.

Education for the children

State schools and universities at resident rates, and international schools in Athens and Thessaloniki.

A tax regime for pensioners

Greece offers special regimes for new tax residents. The decision is taken together with a tax adviser.

Clear family additions

The income requirement rises by fixed percentages rather than at the consulate’s discretion. The budget is worked out in advance.

A base in the European Union

Residency of a Schengen country, travel around Europe and access to European banks as a local resident.

04 / Travel

Where you can travel on the residence card

A Greek residence card gives the right to live in the country and travel around Schengen, but no right to work.

Mode 01

Greece without limits

Residence, entry and exit for the whole term of the card. The status is designed for actual residence.

Mode 02

Schengen, 90 days in 180

Travel around the Schengen countries without a visa — up to 90 days in every 180.

Mode 03

Work is forbidden

Employment in Greece is excluded on this ground. Work requires a different type of permit.

Mode 04

The rest of the world on your own passport

You travel to third countries on your passport of citizenship: that is what sets the visa regime, not the residence card.

Sources: law 4251/2014, article 20(1), the procedure of the decentralised administrations and the Schengen Borders Code (Regulation (EU) 2016/399).

05 / The composition of the application

Who can obtain the status

The applicant files first and the family comes into the same application. Open a row to see the conditions.

Over 18
An income from €2,000 a month from abroad
Medical insurance and housing in Greece
No convictions and no right to work in the country

In a registered marriage
Adds 20% to the income requirement
Receives the status for the same term as the applicant

The children of the applicant or the spouse
Each adds 15% to the income requirement
On reaching adulthood they move to a ground of their own

06 / Cost

What income has to be evidenced

The requirement is fixed by law: €2,000 a month for the applicant, plus 20% for a spouse and 15% for each child.

A single applicant · €2,000 a month

€24,000

≈ $28,000

Evidenced The whole term of the status

A pension from abroad, rent, dividends or interest
Evidenced by a pension certificate or a Greek account statement
Work in Greece is forbidden on this status
Medical insurance is compulsory for the whole term

The applicant and a spouse · the base plus 20%

€28,800

≈ $33,000

Evidenced The whole term of the status

For a spouse 20% of the base sum is added — €400 a month
The marriage is evidenced by documents with an apostille and a translation
The income may belong to either spouse
The cards are issued at the same time and for the same term

A couple with a child · the base plus 20% and 15%

€32,400

≈ $38,000

Evidenced The whole term of the status

For each child 15% of the base sum is added — €300 a month
Children study in Greek schools on equal terms with local pupils
Housing is evidenced for the whole family
Adult children are arranged on a separate ground

The composition of the application

The main applicant

Spouse

Minor children

The thresholds are given under the requirements for the permit under article 20(1) of law 4251/2014. On top of the income come the state fee, the residence card, the insurance, the housing and the support. This is a preliminary calculation, not a decision of a state authority.

07 / Comparison

The FIP against the Golden Visa and the neighbours

Greece itself offers two routes: an investment in property or evidence of income. They answer different tasks.

	Greece FIP	Greece Golden Visa	Spain	Italy	Portugal D7
What is evidenced	Income of €2,000 a month	An investment from €250,000	Funds from €28,800 a year	A guide of €31,000 a year	Income from €11,040 a year
Residence requirement	Yes, real	No	from 183 days	Yes, real	Yes, real
The right to work	No	No	No	No	Yes
The term of the card	2 years	5 years	1 year	1 year	2 years
The qualifying period for citizenship	7 years of residence	7 years of residence	10 years	10 years	10 years

The thresholds are given as at the date this page was updated. The conditions of the Greek Golden Visa are set out on the programme’s own page.

Full program comparison →

10 / How it works

How the process works

STEP 1

The preliminary check

We work out the income required with the family additions and check whether the structure of the income fits the law’s requirements.

STEP 2

Preparing the file

Proof of income, medical insurance, police clearance certificates and documents on the family relationships with an apostille and a translation.

STEP 3

The national visa

The file is filed with the Greek consulate for the place of residence. The visa is issued for entry and for arranging the status afterwards.

STEP 4

Housing and the tax number

After entry the Greek AFM tax number, a bank account and a lease or purchase of housing are arranged.

STEP 5

The residence card

The application goes to the decentralised administration for the place of residence: the biometrics, the check on the documents and the issue of the card for two years.

STEP 6

Renewal and permanent residence

We run the renewals, the record of residence and the preparation for long-term residency after five years.

A panorama of the old town of Corfu, the Old Fortress and the sea

The entry point is income, not an investment: €2,000 a month and life in the country.

GreeceThe European Union and SchengenLaw 4251/2014, art. 20

Go through your situation

11 / Our role

Why people arrange the FIP status with us

The ground is simple in its figures and demanding in its documents: what matters is the form of the income evidence and the accuracy of the translations.

We calculate the income with the additions

The additions for a spouse and children are fixed but often overlooked. We work out the final sum for the whole composition in advance.

We prepare the income evidence

Pension certificates, statements, lease agreements. The documents must show regularity, not a one-off receipt.

We run the process on the ground

The AFM tax number, a bank account, the lease and the filing with the decentralised administration.

We stay with you after the move

Renewing the card, adding family members, the tax questions and preparation for long-term residency.

12 / Team

Who runs the Greek residency process

The application is run by a permanent team: an immigration lawyer, a documents specialist and a family coordinator.

Irena SokolovskaHead of Europe OfficeThe strategy for the programme and complex cases

Eva LauriHead of OperationsRunning the application legally and the documents

Hanna BergerTrusts and Succession AdvisorTaxes on the move and residency

Darya MelnikSenior Investment Migration AdvisorCoordinating the family and contact at every stage

14 / Reviews

Client reviews on Greece

Real reviews from the reviews page — with photographs and links to the case behind them.

ValeryLiving on investment income

Greece · residence for the financially independent

I live on rental income and dividends. For the financially independent route they assembled proof for every source — the consulate accepted the file without a single query.

All reviews

ShahlaOwner of a language school

Greece · residence for the financially independent

I sold my share in the business and wanted a year by the sea without working. The financially independent route fitted perfectly: I showed the income, received the status and live in Glyfada.

All reviews

StepanRetired, former judge

Greece · residence for the financially independent

At my age what matters is that nobody sends you running between offices. Everything was collected for me and I signed twice. The residence is in my passport and I winter in Athens.

All reviews

All reviews →

15 / Materials

Useful materials on Greece

Materials on the status for financially independent persons: calculating the income, the documents and the order of the process.

The main materialPresentation

A Greek residence permit on your own means

The presentation gathers the essentials: the income requirements with the additions, the documents, the order of filing and life with the status.

Inside:

how much income is required for your family composition
what is accepted as evidence
how the FIP differs from the Golden Visa
which documents will be needed
how the filing and the issue of the card work
what happens on renewal
how work with BRIDGES is organised

PDF · free · current as of August 2026

A short check: whether the income with the additions is enough, whether you are ready to live in Greece and not to work in the country.

The list for the applicant and each family member, marking what has to be translated and apostilled.

We calculate the income required, the budget for the move, the fees and the support.

All the materials are updated regularly by our team and are used when supporting BRIDGES clients.

16 / News

What matters to know

2026-08-11

The income requirement for financially independent persons is €2,000 a month, with additions of 20% for a spouse and 15% for each child.

2024-08-31

The Greek Golden Visa thresholds rose to €400,000 and €800,000 by zone. For those moving to live, the FIP status became noticeably more attainable.

Worth having

Review Greek residence requirements for foreign income

The short document we give clients before the start: the income with the additions, the documents, the stages and the timelines.

Inside the document

The income required by family composition
How the FIP differs from the Golden Visa
The current conditions for 2026

We will send it after a short form - no call or obligation.

17 / Questions

Answers to common questions

€2,000 a month for the applicant, that is €24,000 a year. For a spouse the requirement rises by 20% (€400 a month) and for each child by 15% (€300 a month). For a couple with a child that is around €32,400 a year.

The Golden Visa requires an investment from €250,000 and no residence in the country. The FIP requires no investment but is designed for a real move and gives no right to work. They are two different instruments for different tasks.

No. The status is issued to those who support themselves without employment in the country. The income must come from abroad.

A foreign pension, a Greek bank account statement, documents on rent, dividends or interest. What matters is the regularity of the receipts, not a one-off sum in the account.

The residence card is issued for two years and renewed while the conditions hold. Five years of continuous residence open up European Union long-term residency.

A spouse and minor children. Each raises the income required: a spouse by 20% and a child by 15%. Adult children are arranged on a separate ground.

Yes, the status is designed for residence. A long absence puts renewal and the path to the long-term status in question.

On living there more than 183 days a year, yes. Special regimes apply to new tax residents, foreign pensioners included; whether they apply is worked out separately, before the move.

Usually three to four months: preparing the file, the visa at the consulate, the entry and filing for the residence card. The timeline depends on the workload of the particular consulate.

The law sets no restrictions on citizenship. The practical difficulty is evidencing the origin of funds and opening an account with a Greek bank; we go through that part before filing.

INITIAL ASSESSMENT

Tell us what outcome your family needs

We will design a solution for your case, choose the country and the right status, and take the whole process through to the result.

Or message us on WhatsApp or Telegram

Anna Kovalevskaya, lead lawyer at BRIDGES GLOBAL

Anna KovalevskayaLead lawyer, citizenship and residency, 12 years of practice