The purchase and sale of real estate in Greece, which has shown a significant increase in recent years, is governed by a set of special provisions and requires specialized legal knowledge and many years of experience, which our office has in collaboration with a team of specialized consultants.
In particular, as regards the issuance of residence permits to investors/ third- country citizens (Golden Visa), the Greek institutional framework is especially favorable. With the specific five-year residence permit, third-country nationals who acquire real estate in Greece under specific circumstances, are granted the opportunity to obtain a residence permit in Greece. In particular, for the region of Attica, the Regional Units of Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini, and the islands with a population of more than 3,100 inhabitants, the minimum value of real estate at the time of acquisition is set at 800,000 euros, while for all other regions of the country, the minimum value of real estate at the time of acquisition is set at 400,000 euros. In addition, the investment must be carried out in a single property with a minimum surface area of 120 square meters. However, in case the property is converted from commercial into residential use, or in case the property is located in listed buildings that are to be fully restored or reconstructed by the Investor, the minimum threshold remains 250,000 euros, regardless of the location and the size of the property.
The said residence permit affords the beneficiaries the advantage of free movement within the European countries included in the area defined by the Schengen Convention (“Schengen Convention Area”).
The above permit may be renewed for an equal duration each time, as long as the real estate remains in the ownership and tenancy of the investor.
The investor to whom the above residence permit is issued, may also be accompanied by his family members who are issued, upon their request, an individual residence permit that expires at the same time as the investor’s residence permit.
Our office undertakes to handle all stages of the process of issuing a residence permit to investors/third – country citizens (Golden Visa), providing, among others, the following services:
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- cooperation with real estate agencies and assistance in finding properties according to the needs of investors.
- carrying out a thorough legal control of the property and cooperation with a notary when drawing up the contract of sale.
- guidance for executing a power of attorney before the competent authorities.
- completion of the process of obtaining a Greek tax identification number (TIN).
- completion of the process of opening a bank account with a Greek bank.
- assistance in issuing an insurance policy.
- gathering the required documents for submitting an application for an investor residence permit, monitoring the course of the case and receiving the issued temporary and subsequently permanent residence permit.
- guidance when visiting Greece to submit the investor’s biometric data within 12 months of submitting the application.