A residence permit is any documentation issued by the Greek authorities, according to which a third country citizen is given the right to reside legally within Greek territory, in accordance with the provisions of the European Union (Regulation 1030/02 as applicable). Different categories of residence permits exist, as well as different types of permit within each category. Employment rights depend on the type of permit issued. Applications for the granting and renewal of residence permits are submitted directly to the municipality or the relevant authority of the Aliens and Immigration of the Decentralised Authority in the applicant’s place of residence, apart from certain specific types of residence permits for which applications are submitted to the Department for Migration Policy at the Ministry of the Interior.
A residence permit for real estate owners is a new type of residence permit, for third country citizens who have entered the country legally on any kind of visa (type D or C) or are legal residents in the country, even if the residence permit they hold does not allow for change of residence scope. Beneficiaries of the right of entry and the permanent residence permit, which shall be renewed every five (5) years, are :
* According to the law, family members of third country citizens entering the country are : 1) Spouses, 2) The direct descendants of the spouses, who are under the age of 21, 3) The direct relatives of the spouses in the ascending line.
The following conditions must be fulfilled to receive a permanent residence permit, which shall be renewed every five (5) years : 1) The real estate property must be owned by and be in possession of its owners. 2) In cases of joint ownership, where the value of the property is €850.000, the residence permit is only granted if the owners are spouses with undivided ownership of the property. In all other cases of joint ownership, the residence permit is only granted if the amount invested by each of the joint owners is at least €850.000. 3) If the owner has acquired the property through a legal entity, the applicant must own 100% of the company shares. 4) The residence permit is also granted in cases where the third country citizen is the owner, either directly or through a legal entity, of more than one real estate property with a combined value of at least €850.000. 5) In cases where the applicant wants to enter the country with a type D visa, the documented intention to own property should be supported by documentation which prove the financial capacity (e.g., certificate of an A-class certified bank, or other recognised financial institution), which certify the existence of bank accounts or other mobile assets, such as bonds or shares, which can cover the cost of the investment of at least €850.000, and which certify the intention of the applicant to purchase the property (contract with a law firm or with a real estate office). 6) In the case of third country citizens who have signed a lease of at least 10 years for hotel accommodations or furnished tourist residences in integrated tourist resorts, provided the minimum value of the lease is €850.000, the contract must require a single payment of the lease for the equivalent of the ten year leasing of the property. In all cases outlined above, the value of the real estate property will be determined based on the value of the property, or the lease, indicated in the contract of purchase. The value of the property, according to law 4251/2014, is the amount stated explicitly on the contract which has been submitted for the purchase of the real estate property. The objective, or assessed, value of the property is not relevant, unless it corresponds to the amount which was, according to the contract, paid for the sale of the property.
An entry Visa, that is, legal entry in the country, is necessary to obtain a residence permit for owners of real estate property. Following the issuance of a residence permit, and for its duration, there is no need for a Visa. Pursuant to Law 4251/2014, any third country citizen who has entered the country legally holding a visa of any type or is a legal resident of the country irrespective of their status or type of residence permit, has the right to apply for a residence permit.
This residence permit is permanent. The holder of the residence permit is however required to renew it every five (5) years.
The residence permit shall be renewed every five (5) years. To renew the residence permit, the following conditions must be met :
Absences from the country do not impede the renewal of the residence permit.
The resale of the real estate property, during the period when the residence permit is valid, to another third country citizen provides to the new owner the right to a residence permit along with a simultaneous revocation of the seller’s residence permit.
Depending on the specific case, the following documentation may need to be submitted in addition to the above : 1. Residence permits for third country citizens who own and posses, either wholly or jointly, property in Greece.
2. Residence permits for third country citizens who own property in Greece through a legal entity, where the applicant owns all shares.
3. Residence permits for third country citizens who have a lease – for a minimum of 10 years – for hotel accommodations or furnished tourist residences in integrated tourist resorts.
4. Residence permits for third country citizens who have purchased real estate property in Greece before Law 4146/2013 came into effect :
5. Residence permits for third country citizens who purchase plots of land or acreage and erect a building. The following additional documents must be submitted :
6. Residence permits for third country citizens who have a timesharing lease of at least ten year duration, for hotel accommodations or tourist furnished accommodations in integrated tourist resorts. The following additional documents must be submitted :
7. Residence permits for family members of the third country citizen.
Step 3: Submitting the documents Applications for the residence permits must be submitted to the one-stop service of the Aliens and Immigration Department at the Decentralised Authority where the property of the interested party is located. For more information on your case, please contact the one-stop shop of the Decentralised Authority where the property is located. A list of all one stop shops and their contact information can be found in the attached list.
Step 4: Procedures until the final issuing of the permit
Upon arrival
A third country citizen who intends – and has the necessary supporting documentation – to own real estate property or to lease hotel accommodations or furnished tourist residences and has entered the country legally, is required to complete the required actions to apply for the residence permit before the expiry of the entry visa. In this case, the prospective applicant is able to undertake legal acts and transactions with the competent authorities, using their entry visa.
Application process
The submission of the application for the issuance of the residence permit, the submission of additional documentation, the receipt of the residence permit or of a rejection, or any additional documentation from the relevant file, can be done either in person by the third country citizen, or through a proxy. Third country citizens who have never entered Greece are not allowed to submit an application for a residence permit via a proxy. The applicant is allowed to enter the country, to assign their representation to a lawyer, either with a proof of authenticity of their signature issued by any public authority or with a notarized power of attorney, and then depart from the country and not be present during the submission of the application for a residence permit and/or the granting of the relevant permit.
Consequently, it is possible to submit the application via proxy, under the condition that the person submitting the application also submits either an original passport of the third country citizen or a copy or a true copy of the passport certified by a lawyer. It is possible, in the same way, to receive the certification that the application has been submitted, as well as the residence permit. The relevant provision will be valid until the establishment of an independent document which will replace the unified type of residence permit. For the submission of the independent document, the presence of the third country citizen will be necessary, because of the requirement to obtain biometric data.
The documentation outlined in the previous steps should be attached and submitted with the application.
Documentation check
The authorities receiving the application will issue a confirmation that the application has been submitted, provided that all the necessary documentation has been submitted with the application. This confirmation is valid for one year and it constitutes an evidencing document until the residence permit is issued.
Application processing time frame
The owner of the real estate property is not affected by the duration of the processing of their application, from the moment the application is submitted to the relevant authorities until the issuing of a decision by the Secretary General of the Decentralised Authority regarding their residence permit. After the application has been submitted, the applicant receives a receipt confirming the submission of the application which is valid for one year. The time required to process the application depends on the authority where it has been submitted yet it may not exceed two months after all the necessary documents have reached the competent authority.
Provisions during the application processing period
The third country citizen, who has submitted an application and received the confirmation receipt described above, can reside legally in the country for the duration of the confirmation receipt (one year). The holder of the confirmation receipt is entitled to the benefits of the residence permit that they have applied for. Hence, they can proceed with any legal transaction regarding their investment and can transact with all the relevant authorities.
Issuing of the decision
Once the authority of Aliens and Immigration of the Decentralised Authority has verified that the application fulfils all necessary conditions and, in accordance with the decision of the Secretary General of the Decentralised Administration, they will issue a five-year residence permit.
According the information above, third country citizens can be accompanied by their family members, who will be granted the appropriate entry Visa. Members are :
Family members have the option of entering the country at a later date from the applicant, from whom they draw their residence rights. These family members are issued with a residence permit of the same duration as the applicant, but this permit does not include access to employment. The children of the applicant, who have been originally admitted to the country under the terms and requirements of residence permit for property owners, are issued with a residence permit for family reunification until the age of 21. After that, it is possible to acquire a renewal as an independent residence permit until they reach the age of 24 and then it is possible to renew it further according to pertinent immigration legislation.
The renewal of the residence permit requires different documents, including : In all cases :
Additionally, and depending on the case, the following documents are required to renew a residence permit, provided that real estate property with a value of €850.000 has been purchased : 1. Renewal of residence permits for third country citizens who own and posses, either wholly or jointly, property in Greece.
2. Renewal of residence permits for third country citizens who own property in Greece through a legal entity, where the applicant owns 100% of the shares.
3. Renewal of residence permits for third country citizens who have a lease – for a minimum of 10 years – for hotel accommodations or furnished tourist residences in integrated tourist resorts.
4. Renewal of residence permits for family members, according to article 20, case B, paragraph 4 of Law 4251/2014, of the third country citizen.
The documents that are required for the application for a residence permit must be submitted in Greek, except for the documents issued by foreign authorities, which need to be certified. There are two types of certification : a. The Apostille stamp for countries that are parties to the Hague Convention. b. Certification by the Consular. The Apostille stamp: For countries that are parties to the Hague Convention, and for which Greece has not issued a warning, the Public Administration accepts the Apostille stamp which is provided by the relevant foreign authority on the foreign document. Certification by the Consular: For any countries that are not parties to the Hague Convention, a certification by the Greek consular in the country of origin of the document is required. The translation of foreign public documents can be done : a. By the Translation Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or b. A lawyer, who must be a member of a Greek bar association, with a certification of their signature by the Bar Association.
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