International buyers often ask whether they must remain in Greece throughout the purchase of an EUR 250,000 Greece Golden Visa conversion project. Many legal, tax, banking and property steps can be coordinated remotely through properly appointed professionals. Remote handling, however, does not mean informal handling. Every authority, document and payment instruction should be defined before a power of attorney is signed.
The official Greek procedure for the change-of-use Golden Visa confirms that an eligible applicant may submit through a proxy, including before entering Greece, when the relevant power of attorney has been executed and authenticated in the required form. This makes remote coordination possible, but the property and applicant must still satisfy all applicable requirements.
What a power of attorney does
A power of attorney authorises a named person, commonly a Greek lawyer, to perform specified acts for the buyer. Depending on its wording, those acts may include obtaining a Greek tax number, signing preliminary documents, filing tax declarations, completing a purchase deed, dealing with the land registry or cadastre, and submitting a residence-permit application.
Its scope must match the transaction. A lawyer should prepare or review the final text and explain which powers are necessary and which are optional.
How the document is executed abroad
According to the National Registry of Administrative Public Services, a power of attorney used for this procedure may be executed before a Greek consular authority, or before a competent foreign authority or notary abroad. When executed abroad, it must carry the Hague Apostille where applicable or the corresponding authentication by the competent Greek consular authority.
Translation and document-format requirements should be confirmed before signing. Names and passport numbers must remain consistent throughout the file.
Step 1: define the property before granting transaction powers
Remote buyers should receive a clear project file before authorising a purchase. At minimum, the file should identify the property, seller, acquisition price, intended conversion, delivery scope and proposed payment schedule. The lawyer and engineer need enough information to decide what must be checked independently.
For the special EUR 250,000 change-of-use category, the official procedure refers to full ownership and possession of a single property whose main spaces are converted to residential use. The EUR 250,000 minimum is the acquisition value at purchase. The 120-square-metre rule applying to certain standard investment categories does not apply to this special route.
Step 2: complete legal and technical due diligence
The buyer’s lawyer should review title, cadastral information, registered rights and encumbrances. The engineer should review the planning and change-of-use file, approved drawings and property identity.
The official change-of-use procedure requires completion of the conversion before the residence application. It also requires an engineer’s technical report confirming the change of the main spaces to residential use and identifying the relevant permit, file update, small-scale works approval or building-permit revision. The qualifying change must satisfy the timing requirements linked to Article 64 of Law 5100/2024.
Remote execution should therefore be tied to written review milestones. A power of attorney can authorise signatures, but it does not replace the lawyer’s title report or the engineer’s technical opinion.
Step 3: establish the Greek tax and transaction file
A foreign buyer generally needs a Greek tax identification number before acquiring property. The Independent Authority for Public Revenue states that a buyer must obtain a Greek tax number and pay the real-estate transfer tax before the purchase contract is signed.
The standard transfer-tax rate is 3% of the taxable property value, with the applicable municipal levy on the main tax. The buyer’s accountant and notary should calculate the amount for the specific transaction. Legal, notarial, registration, translation, engineering, insurance and permit costs should be budgeted separately.
Step 4: control the payment trail
The notarial certificate required for the residence-permit file records the agreed consideration, payment method and specific details of execution. Payments should therefore follow the method approved by the lawyer and notary, with complete bank evidence retained for every transfer.
Use a written payment schedule linked to contractual milestones. Verify bank details through a trusted channel before sending funds, especially after any change to beneficiary details.
Step 5: sign and register the purchase deed
When due diligence, tax preparation and payment conditions are complete, the authorised representative may sign within the limits of the power of attorney. The deed must then be registered with the competent land registry or cadastral office.
The official procedure accepts proof of registration, registration of the registrable act, or the corresponding lawyer’s certificate. In specified circumstances, proof that registration has been applied for may be used at initial issuance, while the final proof must be supplied for renewal. The transaction lawyer should determine which evidence is appropriate to the individual file.
Step 6: assemble and submit the residence application
The residence application is submitted digitally. The official file includes identity and entry-status evidence, the purchase and notarial documents, registration evidence, the engineer’s technical report, insurance and the relevant fees. Documents must be internally consistent: the property described in the deed, engineer’s report and registration evidence should be the same property relied upon for the application.
The official procedure lists five-year validity and government fees of EUR 2,016 for the principal procedure. Family-member fees and document costs should be confirmed for each application. Processing targets are not guaranteed delivery dates.
When the investor may still need to attend in person
A proxy can coordinate substantial parts of the transaction and filing, but the investor should plan for any in-person requirements connected with identity checks, biometrics, document collection or bank procedures. Requirements may differ according to nationality, entry status, family composition and the service provider involved.
A practical remote-purchase control list
- Use a transaction-specific power of attorney prepared or reviewed by Greek counsel.
- Confirm apostille, consular authentication and translation requirements before signing.
- Keep names and passport details identical throughout the file.
- Complete independent legal and engineering checks before authorising the final deed.
- Use a documented payment schedule and independently verify bank details.
- Retain the deed, payment evidence, notarial certificate, registration proof and engineer’s report.
- Ask the immigration lawyer which steps still require the applicant’s physical presence.
Request a current Santheos project file
Santheos develops and presents Greece Golden Visa conversion projects in Athens. Project availability, conversion documentation and purchase terms should be reviewed for the specific property by the buyer’s appointed legal and technical professionals.
Read the Golden Visa Q&A and the Golden Visa Guide, or contact Santheos to request current project information.
Official references
- National Registry: Permanent Golden Visa (change of use) – Initial issuance
- Independent Authority for Public Revenue: Before buying a property
- Independent Authority for Public Revenue: Real Estate Transfer Tax
Continue your research
- EUR 250,000 Greece Golden Visa: Commercial-to-Residential Conversion Eligibility
- EUR 250,000 Commercial Conversion Projects in Athens: How to Choose the Right Location
- EUR 250,000 Conversion Golden Visa Greece: Payment Trail and All-In Budget
Prepared by: Santheos Research & Project Team. Last reviewed: September 2026. General information only, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Eligibility is subject to final legal review. Review the Greece Golden Visa Encyclopedia, the official Mitos entry, or contact Santheos for a property-specific discussion.
