Investor execution guide
From qualifying route to property handover
A disciplined Greece Golden Visa purchase is a sequence of documented decisions. Use this roadmap to understand what to request, who should review it and what must be confirmed before moving forward.
Decision gate
Confirm the qualifying route and investment brief
Define the intended residence route, investment budget, family scope, preferred area and ownership structure before comparing properties.
- Investor Action
- Set the budget, applicant structure and decision timetable.
- Documents to Review
- Passport copies, family details and a written investment brief.
- Professional Check
- Ask an independent adviser to confirm which current route may apply.
- Before You Continue
- Do not assume that price alone proves eligibility.
Professional team
Appoint independent legal and technical reviewers
Establish who represents the buyer, who checks title and who verifies the building and change-of-use record.
- Investor Action
- Select an independent Greek lawyer and engineer.
- Documents to Review
- Engagement terms, powers of attorney where applicable and applicant civil documents.
- Professional Check
- Confirm responsibilities, reporting lines and conflicts of interest.
- Before You Continue
- Every material finding should be available to the buyer in writing.
Project selection
Compare the property, project stage and evidence
Assess location, unit details, price, availability, delivery stage and the legal basis presented for the conversion route.
- Investor Action
- Shortlist projects against the same written criteria.
- Documents to Review
- Current project file, plans, specifications, availability and delivery schedule.
- Professional Check
- Separate marketing information from evidence requiring verification.
- Before You Continue
- Confirm the exact unit and current project status.
Controlled reservation
Reserve only against clear written conditions
A reservation should identify the exact property, amount, timetable, review conditions and consequences if a documented condition is not satisfied.
- Investor Action
- Ask the buyer's lawyer to review the reservation terms before payment.
- Documents to Review
- Reservation agreement, payment instructions and refund or release conditions.
- Professional Check
- Verify the payee, property reference and traceable payment method.
- Before You Continue
- Never rely on verbal eligibility or refund assurances.
Evidence review
Complete legal, title and engineering due diligence
The legal title, property record, permit history and engineering evidence should describe the same property and qualifying conversion.
- Investor Action
- Review the written legal and engineering findings.
- Documents to Review
- Title, cadastral data, permits, plans, use history and engineer's report.
- Professional Check
- Confirm ownership, restrictions, conversion evidence and outstanding risks.
- Before You Continue
- Resolve material exceptions before signing the purchase contract.
Notarial purchase
Align the contract, certification and payment evidence
The notarial documents and traceable payment trail must consistently identify the buyer, seller, qualifying property and transaction.
- Investor Action
- Approve final documents only after professional review.
- Documents to Review
- Purchase deed, notarial certification, payment receipts and registration evidence.
- Professional Check
- Reconcile names, amounts, payment route and property details.
- Before You Continue
- Keep a complete transaction record for the residence application.
Residence file
Prepare, file and track the residence application
Coordinate the property evidence with the applicant and family documentation required under the current official procedure.
- Investor Action
- Follow filing, biometrics and any case-specific attendance instructions.
- Documents to Review
- Application package, submission receipt and appointment records.
- Professional Check
- Confirm the filing reflects the completed transaction and current rules.
- Before You Continue
- Track authority requests and respond through the appointed professional.
Handover and continuity
Complete handover and maintain the ownership file
Receive the property and project records, document the condition at handover and retain the evidence needed for ownership, use and future renewal.
- Investor Action
- Inspect delivery, record exceptions and organise ongoing administration.
- Documents to Review
- Handover record, keys, warranties, final plans and ownership file.
- Professional Check
- Confirm any open works, property-use limits and renewal timetable.
- Before You Continue
- Keep legal, engineering and payment records together for the full holding period.
Source hierarchy
Official document centre
Use current legislation and official procedure records as the controlling sources. Historic clarifications remain context, not a substitute for current rules.
IN-DEPTH ANSWER PAGES
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Official Greece Golden Visa Guidance
This page separates the current official framework for Greece Golden Visa real-estate applications from historic clarifications. It is designed as a document guide for investors considering the EUR 250,000 commercial-to-residential Greece Golden Visa conversion projects. It is general information, not legal, tax or immigration advice.
Current official sources for the EUR 250,000 Greece Golden Visa conversion projects
The current English procedure record published in the National Registry of Administrative Public Services describes the initial permanent investor permit for a property whose main spaces have been changed from commercial to residential use under Article 100 of Law 5038/2023. It should be read together with the current law, the applicable Government Gazette material and the documents for the specific transaction.
- Article 100 route: the official record describes a minimum EUR 250,000 acquisition value for a single property whose main spaces are converted to residential use. The ordinary 120 sqm minimum does not apply to this special conversion category.
- Timing of change of use: the conversion must be completed after 5 April 2024 and before the residence-permit application is filed. Where the relevant permit pre-dates that reform, the official record describes a further update or revision requirement; the technical file must be checked case by case.
- Technical evidence: an engineer’s report must identify the relevant permit, approval, update or revision and confirm the conversion of the main spaces to residential use. Industrial-building cases require additional evidence that no industrial activity operated for the preceding five years.
- Payment evidence: the official procedure specifies traceable payment routes, including qualifying bank cheque, credit transfer or a qualifying card/POS payment. The notarial documentation and payment trail must be consistent.
- Application route: applications are filed electronically through the Ministry’s e-services. A proxy may file before entry where the official power-of-attorney requirements are met; biometrics and any other personal attendance requirements remain case-specific.
Joint Ministerial Decision 214926/2025
Joint Ministerial Decision 214926/2025, published in Government Gazette B 6014 in November 2025, specifies special supporting documentation and the method of certification for the special real-estate cases in Article 100(2)(c) and (d), including change-of-use cases. It is a documentation and certification decision. It does not replace the underlying statute or turn every commercial property into an eligible EUR 250,000 investment.
For a conversion project, the practical takeaway is straightforward: the legal title, payment evidence and engineering file must all point to the same qualifying property and the same completed conversion. A marketing description alone is not proof of eligibility.
2020 Ministry clarifications: how to use them
The Ministry’s Golden Visa clarification archive includes documents issued in 2020, including family-document guidance of 31 January 2020, investor-permit clarifications of 6 February 2020, information published on 4 March 2020, supporting-document guidance of 29 September 2020, and further clarifications in November and December 2020. These documents remain useful for understanding administrative history, family-file practice and document terminology.
They must not be presented as the current threshold or the current conversion rule. They were issued under the prior legal framework and do not override Article 100 as amended, the 2024 implementation guidance, the 2025 documentation decision, or later official instructions. Where a historic document and a current source differ, the current legislation and current official procedure control.
Document review before commitment
Before a buyer signs or pays a reservation amount, the project file should be reviewed by an independent Greek lawyer and engineer. The review should cover ownership and registration, the precise commercial-to-residential history, building-permit acts, the engineer’s report, payment route, notarial wording, any prior Golden Visa use of the property, intended use after purchase, and the requirements in force on the filing date.
Eligibility is subject to final legal review. Santheos can explain project materials and coordinate the project file, but the competent authority makes the permit decision.