Greece plans to introduce an update to its “Golden Visa” program in January 2026, with benefits in favor of investors. This is a rare case where changes do not tighten conditions, raise thresholds, or increase requirements, but instead make the process more logical and advantageous for applicants.
What is Changing?
- Residence permit validity will start from the date of card issuance, not from the application date
Currently the review of an application can take several months to over a year, but the residence permit card indicates the application submission date. As a result, the investor receives a card whose actual validity is noticeably shorter than the stated five years.
The new law fixes this issue: the card will be issued with the full five-year validity starting from the date of receipt, not retroactively.
This change applies only to the validity period shown on the residence permit card. The terms for permanent residency and citizenship remain unchanged and are calculated from the start of legal residence.
- Elimination of the application backlog
One of the goals of the reform is to clear the accumulated volume of pending Golden Visa applications.
As of July, the number of unprocessed applications exceeded 49,000, though processing speeds have already noticeably increased in 2025.
- Simplified renewals and family reunification
The bill also provides for a reduction in administrative steps when renewing residence permits and submitting family reunification applications.
Reforms for Developers
At the same time, another recently announced package of changes targets the real estate market:
- Tax incentives for developers
- Simplified procedures for obtaining building permits
- Support for projects involving the conversion of commercial buildings into residential properties
All of this will increase the supply of properties eligible for residence permits and reduce bureaucracy on the developers’ side. This, in turn, will positively impact the time it takes for investors to obtain a Golden Visa.
