Greece Golden Visa for US Citizens: The 2026 Guide
Greece Golden Visa for US Citizens: The 2026 Guide
US citizens can get the Greece golden visa by buying one qualifying property for EUR 250,000, 400,000 or 800,000, depending on location and type. It is a 5-year renewable residence permit with no right to work, not a passport. For a US person, the direct property route also avoids the fund units that raise PFIC questions.
On this page
- Can US citizens get the Greece golden visa?
- What US investors need to invest
- The US tax layer
- Greek tax: the permit is not tax residence
- The application steps
- Greece vs other programmes popular with US investors
- Frequently asked questions
This guide is general information about the Greek investor residence permit and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. It gives no US tax advice. Programme terms, thresholds and fees can change. Obtain independent professional advice, including from qualified Greek counsel and a qualified US tax adviser, before making any application or investment decision.
Can US citizens get the Greece golden visa?
Yes. We found no Greek rule that restricts US citizens (September 2026), and Americans can enter Greece visa-free and file in the country. The route is one qualifying property, paid in full through a Greek bank account, for a 5-year renewable residence permit. It does not allow work and is not citizenship.
US citizens already visit the Schengen Area visa-free for short stays, so the value here is the right to reside and base a family in Greece, not travel.
Residence, not a passport
The permit is called the “permanent investor residence permit” (B.5), but it is a 5-year residence permit, renewable for equal periods, and not EU long-term residence. It gives no right to any form of employment. Greek citizenship is a separate question: according to the Ministry of Interior procedure on mitos.gov.gr, it needs 7 years of lawful and permanent residence, the PEGP written knowledge certificate and proof of economic and social integration, with Greece as the continuous centre of your vital interests. “No minimum stay” describes the permit, not citizenship.
Who counts as family
Family members receive permits that expire with yours:
- your spouse or registered partner;
- unmarried children under 21, common or of either spouse in lawful custody;
- the parents of both spouses;
- adult children of any age who lack legal capacity, live with you and are supported by you.
A child who reaches 21 can get an autonomous 3-year permit.
What US investors need to invest
The price zones and the EUR 250,000 tiers
| Tier | Where or what | Minimum | 120 sqm rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-demand zone | Attica Region, Thessaloniki Regional Unit, Mykonos and Thira (Santorini), islands with over 3,100 inhabitants | EUR 800,000 | Yes |
| Rest of Greece | All other areas | EUR 400,000 | Yes |
| Change of use | Conversion to residential, completed before applying and after 5 April 2024 | EUR 250,000 | No |
| Listed building | A listed building to restore; restoration is a condition of the first renewal, with EUR 150,000 fine exposure | EUR 250,000 | No |
Every tier means one property only. Undivided co-ownership qualifies only between spouses or registered partners; otherwise each share must meet the threshold on its own. The thresholds are set by Migration Code article 100(2), as replaced by Law 5100/2024.
How the purchase must be paid
The price is paid in full before you apply, only by crossed cheque, credit transfer or POS into a payee account in Greece. Payment may come from your spouse or relatives up to the second degree. The payment details are recorded in the notarial deed.
Public costs in US dollars
| Item | EUR (legal amount) | USD | Paid to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property, EUR 800,000 zone (minimum) | 800,000 | 910,200 | Seller (asset retained) |
| Property, EUR 400,000 zone (minimum) | 400,000 | 455,100 | Seller (asset retained) |
| Property, conversion or listed-building tier (minimum) | 250,000 | 284,500 | Seller (asset retained) |
| Initial B.5 permit fee (as listed on mitos.gov.gr, see note) | 2,016 | 2,300 | Greek state |
Converted at EUR 1 = USD 1.1378, European Central Bank euro reference rate of 28 September 2026, rounded to the nearest 100. Figures in EUR are the legal amounts; USD is illustrative and moves with the exchange rate.
mitos.gov.gr lists EUR 2,016 for each B.5 procedure it publishes but has no page for a standard purchase, so confirm the fee for your file.
Not included, and not estimated: property transfer taxes, notary and land registry costs, family members’ permit fees, renovation costs, and advisory fees (quoted per engagement). For a cross-programme budget, see how much a golden visa costs.
Worked example: a US family of four
A main applicant, a spouse and two children aged 14 and 20 buy in the EUR 400,000 zone.
| EUR | USD | |
|---|---|---|
| Property + initial permit fee (EUR 400,000 zone) | 402,016 | 457,400 |
| Variant: EUR 800,000 zone | 802,016 | 912,500 |
| Variant: EUR 250,000 conversion tier | 252,016 | 286,700 |
EUR 400,000 of the base case is a property the family owns; family members’ own permit fees are not in the verified figures. The 20-year-old is covered until 21, then can move to an autonomous 3-year permit. The parents of both spouses can be added; the statute sets no separate investment for family members.
The US tax layer: what changes for a US person holding a Greek golden visa
This section flags questions for a US tax adviser. It does not answer them.
You still file in the US
The IRS states that US citizens living or travelling abroad generally must file US returns as if they lived in the US. A Greek permit does not change that. Confirm your filing position with a US tax adviser.
FBAR and Form 8938 on Greek accounts
- FBAR (FinCEN Form 114) applies if your foreign accounts together exceed USD 10,000 at any time in the year.
- Form 8938 applies, for taxpayers living abroad, above USD 200,000 on the last day of the year or USD 300,000 at any time (single or married filing separately), or USD 400,000 or USD 600,000 for joint filers. Lower thresholds apply to filers living in the US.
Directly held foreign real estate is not a specified foreign financial asset for Form 8938, per the IRS. The accounts that fund it may be. Confirm both reports with a US tax adviser.
Why the property route keeps PFIC off the table, and the Greek routes that do not
A passive foreign investment company (PFIC) is a foreign corporation with 75% or more passive income or at least 50% passive assets, as set out in the Instructions for Form 8621. A home you hold directly is not a share in a foreign corporation, so the PFIC rules are not the question.
Greece also runs a B.4 “investment activity” permit, certified by the Directorate of Foreign Direct Investment at the Ministry of Development. It lasts 5 years, is renewable while the investment is held, needs money remitted from abroad and gives no right to employment. Its thresholds: EUR 500,000 for Greek government bonds, a 1-year Greek bank time deposit, Greek company capital, a REIC share capital increase or a venture capital company or fund; EUR 800,000 for listed shares or bonds on Greek markets; EUR 350,000 for a Greek-listed-securities mutual fund or a Greece-only AIF.
| Greek route | What you hold | PFIC question? |
|---|---|---|
| B.5 property | Directly held real estate | No, not a share in a foreign corporation |
| B.4 government bonds | Greek government bonds | No, not shares |
| B.4 time deposit | A Greek bank deposit | No, but it counts for FBAR and Form 8938 |
| B.4 mutual fund, AIF, REIC or VC fund | Units or shares in a non-US pooled vehicle | Likely, and fund-specific |
| B.4 company capital or listed shares | Shares | Depends on the company; ask your adviser |
This column flags the question; it does not answer it.
Non-US fund units treated as corporations for US tax will often meet the income or asset test in the Form 8621 instructions, though status depends on the fund. A QEF election needs a PFIC Annual Information Statement from the fund, which a non-US fund may not provide. Confirm any structure with a US tax adviser before you commit.
Renting the property out: what Greece allows and what the IRS sees
Greece bans short-term letting through the sharing economy, and subletting, for a property that supports a permit. The penalty is revocation plus a EUR 50,000 administrative fine, under Migration Code article 100(7A), introduced by Law 5100/2024. Ministry of Migration Circular 1 (April 2026) reads the ban as covering sharing-economy lets under the Law 4446/2016 definition (lets of under 60 days with no services beyond accommodation and linen), and as not covering property acquired under the earlier rules or completed within the Law 5100/2024 transitional period. Long-term letting is allowed. Any rent is reportable US worldwide income, and IRS Publication 946 puts foreign residential rental property placed in service after 2017 on 30-year straight-line ADS depreciation. Confirm with a US tax adviser.
The US-Greece treaty and social security agreement
The US-Greece income tax treaty is in force, but the IRS states that treaties generally do not reduce the US taxes of US citizens, with certain exceptions. The US-Greece totalization (social security) agreement has been in force since 1 September 1994; the US also has agreements with Italy, Portugal and Hungary, among other countries, and none with Malta or Cyprus. Whether a Greek article 5A lump-sum payment is creditable against US tax is a question for a US tax adviser.
Greek tax: the permit is not tax residence
Holding a B.5 permit does not by itself make you Greek tax resident. Article 4 of the Income Tax Code decides: a home, habitual abode or centre of vital interests in Greece, or more than 183 days in any 12-month period.
If you do move your tax residence, article 5A offers a flat EUR 100,000 a year on foreign income, plus EUR 20,000 per included relative, for up to 15 years. You must not have been Greek tax resident in 7 of the prior 8 years. The EUR 500,000 investment condition is waived for holders of an investor residence permit; whether that waiver reaches today’s B.5 permit is a question for a Greek tax adviser. The “article 5C non-dom” label is a mislabel: article 5C is a relief on Greek work income.
The application steps
- Enter Greece visa-free. US citizens can file in the country.
- Buy one qualifying property, price paid in full into a Greek account, recorded in the notarial deed.
- File digitally through Ministry of Migration and Asylum e-services. The initial B.5 fee listed on mitos.gov.gr is EUR 2,016.
- Decision within 2 months of a complete file, per the statute.
- Receive the 5-year permit, with family permits alongside.
- Renew every 5 years while you keep the property. Absences from Greece do not prevent renewal.
Greece vs other programmes popular with US investors
- Greece: direct property, so no PFIC question on the qualifying asset; a US income tax treaty and a totalization agreement.
- Malta: a directly held property from EUR 375,000 or a lease from EUR 14,000 a year, no fund units; permanent residence; a US-Malta treaty but no totalization agreement. See the Malta golden visa for US citizens.
- Hungary: EUR 250,000 in central-bank-registered real estate fund units (the PFIC question) or a EUR 1,000,000 donation; no US-Hungary income tax treaty from 2024; a totalization agreement exists. See the Hungary golden visa for US citizens and Hungary vs Greece golden visa.
- Portugal: EUR 500,000 in Portuguese non-real-estate funds (the PFIC question); a totalization agreement; citizenship now takes 10 years under Organic Law 1/2026. See the Portugal golden visa fund route for US citizens and Portugal golden visa to citizenship.
Frequently asked questions
Can US citizens get a Greek golden visa?
Yes. We found no Greek restriction on US citizens (September 2026). Americans enter visa-free, buy one qualifying property and receive a 5-year renewable residence permit. The permit gives no right to work.
How much does the Greece golden visa cost in US dollars?
The property minimum is EUR 250,000, 400,000 or 800,000 by location and type, about USD 284,500, 455,100 or 910,200 at the ECB rate of 28 September 2026, plus the EUR 2,016 initial permit fee listed on mitos.gov.gr.
Does a Greek golden visa property create PFIC problems?
Directly held Greek real estate is not a share in a foreign corporation, so the PFIC rules are not the question. Greek fund, AIF and REIC routes likely raise PFIC questions. Confirm with a US tax adviser.
Do I report my Greek property on FBAR or Form 8938?
Directly held property is not a Form 8938 asset. Greek bank accounts count for FBAR once your foreign accounts exceed USD 10,000 in aggregate, and for Form 8938 above its thresholds.
Does the US-Greece tax treaty lower my US taxes?
Generally no for US citizens, because of the saving clause effect the IRS describes. Separately, the US-Greece social security agreement has been in force since 1 September 1994. Take both points to a US tax adviser.
Can I work in Greece or become a Greek citizen with the golden visa?
The permit gives no right to work. Citizenship needs 7 years of lawful and permanent residence, the PEGP exam and proof of integration, with Greece as your centre of vital interests.
The bottom line
For US citizens, the Greece golden visa is a simple structure: one qualifying property, a 5-year renewable residence permit, family cover that reaches children under 21 and both sets of parents, and a treaty plus social security agreement on the US side. It gives no right to work, no short-term rental income and no citizenship shortcut, and the US filing, FBAR, Form 8938 and PFIC work belongs with a US tax adviser. For the programme overview, see our Greece golden visa guide. For a family-specific assessment, the Aegir Global team advises American families and their advisers, and advisory fees are quoted per engagement.
