The Greek Golden Visa for Chinese Investors
A Schengen residence permit, a European education base for your children, and a stable euro-denominated asset. We verify the property and the threshold on the Greek side, with the clear, predictable process Chinese investors rightly insist upon.
Independent Greek counsel, in English. We act for you, not the seller — and we tell you plainly when a €250,000 listing does not meet the law.
A clear, lawful path — with no surprises.
For many Chinese families, a home in Greece means Schengen mobility, a European education for the children, and diversification into a stable euro-denominated asset. Two things matter most to the Chinese investors who come to us: a process that is predictable and transparent, free of the opacity and mis-selling that plague this market — and a path that is entirely lawful on both sides.
So we are precise about the division of labour. On the Greek side — our work — we verify the property's title, planning and the genuine Golden Visa threshold, document the source of funds and the bank transfer Greek law requires, prepare the deed and registration, and file the residence application. The movement of funds out of China is governed by Chinese foreign-exchange regulation and must be arranged lawfully by you, with your own Chinese bank and adviser.
We advise on Greek law only. We do not advise on Chinese currency controls, and we do not assist in circumventing them — the funds must arrive lawfully and be properly documented. Within those bounds, we make the Greek side clear, orderly and predictable.
The fund-transfer dimension — lawful, and planned in advance
This is the part Chinese investors must plan most carefully. We set out the landscape factually; the lawful execution is for your own Chinese bank and adviser, not for us.
Chinese foreign-exchange rules apply first
Moving funds out of China is governed by Chinese regulation, including the individual annual foreign-exchange quota. How this is lawfully arranged — and over what timeframe — is a matter for your own Chinese bank and adviser. It should be planned before you commit to a property.
The Greek side requires documented transfer
Greek law requires the price to be paid bank-to-bank into a Greek account in your name, with the source of funds documented. Cash payment is not permitted and can invalidate a Golden Visa application. We handle this Greek-side requirement and the source-of-funds file.
Lawful only — no shortcuts
We do not advise on, or assist with, circumventing Chinese capital controls. The funds must arrive through lawful channels and be properly documented — which is also what protects your Golden Visa application from challenge.
Where we coordinate
We brief your Chinese bank on the Greek-side requirements — the Greek account, the form the transfer must take, the documentation needed — so that what you arrange lawfully in China meets what Greek law requires on arrival.
The investment thresholds, precisely
The €250,000 figure is heavily marketed to Chinese buyers and rarely qualifies. We confirm the genuine threshold for the specific property before you commit a single euro.
The specified areas
Attica, the Regional Unit of Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands with a population of more than 3,100 residents.
Other regions
All other regions of Greece.
Qualifying cases only
Only change-of-use conversions and listed-building restorations, under strict statutory conditions, usable once per property — not a general low-cost route. (A separate €250,000 start-up investment route under article 100A is not a property purchase.)
In both the €800,000 and the €400,000 categories the investment must be made in a single property of at least 120 m², held in full ownership. Surface is a condition in its own right, independent of price: a smaller property does not qualify at either threshold whatever it costs, so an 85 m² flat in Athens bought for €900,000 will not support an application. The figure that counts is the one in the title deed and the building permit, not the one in the listing. The €250,000 categories carry their own separate conditions, and we confirm in writing which apply to your property before you commit. Check a specific property against both conditions — it runs in your browser and nothing is sent to us.
To date, we have filed Golden Visa and residence applications for hundreds of families, with no rejections. We protect that record the only way it can be protected — by carefully preparing the matters we accept, declining those we cannot stand behind, and telling clients the truth about a property before they commit. That is a record, not a promise: every application is decided by the Greek authorities on its own facts, and no lawyer can guarantee an outcome.
The process, from China
Many steps may be managed through a notarised Power of Attorney, subject to acceptance by the competent notary, authority, bank or registry. The biometric appointment for the residence permit requires physical presence in Greece. Where the file is lodged complete, each applicant receives the official filing certificate (βεβαίωση κατάθεσης), which evidences lawful residence in Greece for as long as the application is under examination; it is not the residence card, and it does not by itself confer a right to travel in the other Schengen states. There is no statutory deadline for deciding a Golden Visa application. Law 5275/2026 introduced a 90-day decision period when it transposed EU Directive 2024/1233, and it is widely quoted as a Golden Visa improvement — but article 81 par. 2(ιγ) of the Migration Code, as replaced by that same law, expressly excludes holders of residence permits for investment purposes under articles 96 to 100 from the procedure that deadline belongs to. Plan around the certificate rather than a calendar. We will tell you at the outset what we are seeing on files comparable to yours — our experience to date, not a forecast of your file.
Plan the transfer lawfully
With your Chinese bank and adviser, arrange the lawful movement of funds in advance. We brief them on the Greek-side requirements.
Power of Attorney & AFM
A PoA signed before a Greek consulate in China or a local notary, apostilled and translated; Greek tax number and bank account arranged.
Due diligence & deed
Title, planning, cadastre and threshold checks completed and reported; funds received bank-to-bank; the notarial deed signed and registered.
Permit & family
The Golden Visa application filed, family included where eligible, with one visit to Greece for biometrics.
Related guidance
For the mechanics of acting from China, see Power of Attorney in Greece. For a larger or company-held acquisition, see Greek property due diligence. And before any commitment, the independent Legal Risk Check of the specific property is the right first step.
Who will read what you send
Not an account manager, and not a call centre. Every enquiry is read by one of three partners, and the one who answers you is the one who will run the matter. All are members of the Athens Bar Association and work from the same office at 12 Athanasiou Diakou Street, a few minutes from the Acropolis.
Konstantinos Touris
Managing Partner
Greek property, citizenship, immigration, inheritance and accredited mediation.
Georgia Louka
Senior Partner
Greek and international tax, the non-dom regime and family-office structuring.
Apostolos Parthenis
Partner
Property, civil litigation, corporate and commercial disputes.
You are welcome to ask for any of them by name, and to see the file they open for you. Full profiles.
Send a property for legal review
Tell us about the property you are considering. A supervising partner will review the details and respond personally, usually within one business day, to confirm the genuine threshold, the scope, and the fixed fee for a written legal note.
There is no obligation, and nothing here creates a lawyer–client relationship until terms are agreed in writing. We advise on the Greek side; the lawful movement of funds is arranged by you with your Chinese bank and adviser.
Please do not upload documents here. A short description is enough. After initial contact, we provide access to the Secure Client Portal for confidential document exchange. Documents are not exchanged by WhatsApp.
Or contact us directly
Phone: +30 210 363 6035
WhatsApp: +30 697 827 6455 (first contact and scheduling only)
Email: [email protected]
Request received.
Thank you. A supervising partner will review what you have shared and respond personally, usually within one business day. For anything urgent you may also email [email protected].
Questions Chinese investors ask
Can Chinese citizens buy property in Greece and obtain the Golden Visa?
Yes. Chinese nationals may buy and own property in Greece and, where the qualifying investment is met, obtain the Golden Visa residence permit. The Greek process is the same that applies to other non-EU investors: due diligence, the notarial deed, registration and the application. The price must be paid by bank transfer into a Greek account in the buyer's name, with the source of funds documented.
How are funds transferred from China?
The movement of funds out of China is governed by Chinese foreign-exchange regulation, including the individual annual quota, and must be arranged lawfully through your own Chinese bank and adviser. We advise on Greek law only and do not advise on Chinese currency controls. On the Greek side, the law requires the price to be paid bank-to-bank into a Greek account in your name, with the source of funds documented; we handle that part and coordinate so the funds arrive in the correct, documented form.
What are the investment thresholds?
€800,000 for Attica, the Regional Unit of Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands with a population of more than 3,100 residents; €400,000 for other regions; and €250,000 only in specific qualifying cases such as change-of-use conversions and listed-building restorations, subject to statutory conditions and usable only once per property. The applicable threshold must be verified for each specific property.
Can the purchase be handled from China through a Power of Attorney?
Yes. Many steps may be managed through a notarised Power of Attorney, subject to acceptance by the competent notary, authority, bank or registry. It can be signed before a Greek consulate in China or a local notary, then authenticated with an Apostille and officially translated into Greek. The biometric appointment for the residence permit requires physical presence in Greece.
Does the Golden Visa lead to citizenship?
No. The Golden Visa is a residence permit and does not by itself grant citizenship. Greek citizenship is a separate legal process requiring, among other conditions, actual residence over a number of years. Greece does not offer citizenship by investment.
Counsel written for other jurisdictions
Greek law is the same for everyone. What differs is the route the money and the documents take to get here — and how long each one takes. If you hold a different passport, or a family member does, these pages are written for them.