Golden visa backlog eases as permit approvals double
Greece is making progress in clearing its Golden Visa application backlog, with permanent investor residence permits more than doubling in the first eight months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
According to the Migration and Asylum Ministry, 5,555 new permits were issued by the end of August, marking a 112% increase over the 2,623 permits granted in the same period last year.
The surge reflects intensified efforts to process a large number of pending applications — which still stand at 11,692, largely due to the investment boom of 2023 and 2024. While the backlog remains substantial, it is expected to gradually decline in the coming months.
At the same time, new applications have slowed sharply, dropping 43% in August (288 vs. 504 in August 2024) and nearly 24% in July. This follows a spike early in the year, as investors rushed to finalize property purchases before the February deadline to qualify under the older, lower investment thresholds (€250,000–€500,000 depending on location).
In total, since the Golden Visa program launched, 17,724 new permits and 6,158 renewals have been issued, bringing the total to 23,882. If all pending applications are approved, that number could rise to 35,574 permits, reflecting a minimum real estate investment of €8.89 billion.
Recent applications are increasingly focused on properties outside central Attica, including holiday homes and residences converted from other uses.
