News, 8 October 2026
Greece’s centre-left PASOK has tabled an amendment to abolish the real estate route of the Greek golden visa, per IMI Daily. Party leader Nikos Androulakis put it forward during the plenary debate on a Development Ministry bill around the end of September. It would end investor residence permits for property purchases and replace them with an “Angel Visa” tied to investment in Greek businesses. Existing holders would fall under the short-term letting ban when their five-year permits come up for renewal, and Androulakis has called for that ban to apply retroactively.
It is very unlikely to pass. PASOK holds just over 30 of 300 seats, per IMI Daily, and the governing New Democracy dismissed the amendment: its parliamentary spokesman Notis Mitarakis said the government’s reforms already keep golden visa buyers out of competition for the homes most Greeks want. The proposal matters more as a signal: abolishing the property route was a headline PASOK pledge at the Thessaloniki International Fair in September, so it is now part of the opposition’s housing platform heading towards the next election.
The current rules are unchanged: €800,000 in Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands of more than 3,100 people, €400,000 elsewhere, and €250,000 only for conversions to residential use or listed-building restorations, all for a single property of at least 120 m² (Law 5100/2024). Short-term letting of a golden visa property risks a €50,000 fine and loss of the permit. Separately, per IMI Daily, the government has proposed raising the property transfer tax for non-EU buyers of homes from 3% to 15% from 1 July 2027; that is a proposal, not law (verify before relying on it).
What it means for you: nothing changes today, and an amendment from a party with a tenth of the seats won’t pass. But the political direction in Greece is towards tighter rules, the backlog was over 29,000 files at the end of July per IMI Daily, and a proposed non-EU transfer-tax rise is on the table. If you are buying for residence, budget for the permit taking longer than advertised and for further rule changes at renewal, and don’t count on short-term letting income from the property.
Full guide: Golden visa countries (2026): which are open, closed and the cost · Greece digital nomad visa 2026: €3,500 income, permit and tax
Sources
This is general information from the Nomad Forums team, not immigration, tax or legal advice. Rules change; check the official source or a qualified adviser before applying.
Over to you: If you hold a Greek golden visa, are you worried about renewal terms changing at the five-year mark? And for anyone who has applied this year, how long has your file been pending?