Georgaki Law Firm explains how banking products and fund investments offer a distinct pathway to EU residency through the Greek Golden Visa.
Georgaki Law Firm explains how banking products and fund investments offer a distinct pathway to EU residency through the Greek Golden Visa.
When investors hear “Greek Golden Visa,” they picture apartments in Athens, villas on the islands, renovation projects in up-and-coming neighborhoods. Real estate dominates the conversation for good reason: It’s tangible, familiar, and historically the most popular route into the program.
But the Greek Golden Visa has never been a real estate-only proposition. Since 2018, the program has offered a full suite of financial investment pathways, from fixed-term bank deposits to mutual funds to government bonds. These routes qualify for the same five-year renewable residence permit, the same Schengen-wide travel rights, and the same family inclusion benefits. They just don’t get talked about.
That’s starting to change.
What the Financial Pathways Actually Look Like
Greece’s September 2024 regulatory overhaul raised real estate thresholds across the board. It left the financial investment routes largely intact, and in the new pricing landscape, they deserve fresh attention.
The qualifying options break down as follows. A fixed-term bank deposit of €500,000 in a Greek credit institution, held for a minimum of one year with automatic renewal. Mutual fund shares totaling €350,000, provided the fund invests exclusively in Greek equities, corporate bonds, or government bonds traded on regulated markets.
Alternative investment fund units of €350,000, where the fund is established in Greece or another EU member state and invests exclusively in Greece. Greek government bonds worth €500,000 with a minimum three-year maturity. Or equities and corporate bonds totaling €800,000 on regulated markets.
Each of these triggers the same residence permit as a property purchase, with the same travel rights and family coverage spanning up to three generations. For the bank deposit route specifically, the golden visa remains valid for as long as the funds remain deposited in the Greek financial institution, giving investors a residency guarantee that is directly tied to a decision they control.
The Mechanics That Matter
Christina Georgaki, Managing Partner of Georgaki Law Firm, sees growing interest in these pathways from investors who prioritize speed and simplicity.
“Not every investor wants to own property in a country they may not live in full time,” Georgaki observes. “For many of our clients, the financial routes are a better fit for how they actually plan to use their residency.”
The practical differences are worth understanding. A bank deposit golden visa can be processed in roughly four months from start to finish. The investor opens a Greek bank account, transfers the funds, and the deposit does the rest. No property search, no notarial process, no title deed verification, no transfer tax.
Tax treatment is equally streamlined. Returns on term deposits are taxed at a flat 15%, automatically withheld by the banking institution. There’s no annual filing obligation in Greece related to the deposit itself, and no need to engage a local accountant solely to maintain the investment.
The full €500,000 must be placed with a single Greek credit institution, which means selecting the right bank is itself a consequential decision. Deposit terms, service quality for international clients, and the institution’s track record with golden visa applicants all factor in, and it’s the kind of choice where local legal guidance pays for itself early.
Built-In Flexibility
One of the less obvious features of the financial routes is the ability to switch investment categories without losing residency status. An investor who enters through a bank deposit can later liquidate those funds and redirect them into real estate, a mutual fund, or another qualifying asset, provided the new investment is completed within two months of the liquidation.
This creates an unusual optionality. An investor can secure EU residency within months through a deposit, then take time to explore the Greek market, visit properties, evaluate fund performance, or simply decide whether relocation makes sense, all while holding a valid residence permit.
“The ability to transition between investment categories is one of the program’s most underappreciated features,” Georgaki notes. “It turns what looks like a single decision into a staged process, and that appeals to investors who want certainty first and optionality second.”
The Tax Planning Dimension
For investors considering Greece as more than a residency solution, the country’s Non-Dom tax regime adds another layer of planning value. Qualifying individuals can elect a flat annual tax of €100,000 on their worldwide income, regardless of its source or amount. The regime applies to new Greek tax residents who were not tax resident in Greece for seven of the eight years preceding their application.
The interaction between a golden visa and the Non-Dom regime is not automatic. Residency by investment does not itself trigger Greek tax residency; that requires spending 183 days in Greece or establishing a center of vital interests there. But for investors whose long-term plan includes relocation, the two frameworks layer together in ways that merit early structuring.
Which investment vehicle works best under a Non-Dom election depends on the investor’s country of origin, their existing asset structure, and whether they intend to generate income within Greece. These are questions that sit at the intersection of immigration law, tax planning, and financial regulation, exactly the kind of multi-dimensional advisory that general program guides tend to gloss over.
Why the Financial Routes Are Getting a Second Look
Several market shifts have pushed these pathways toward the center of the conversation. Spain terminated its golden visa program entirely. Portugal eliminated its real estate route and previously offered a bank deposit option at €1.5 million, which is now also gone. Across the EU, the menu of available golden visa programs is shrinking, and the financial investment options within the programs that remain are drawing closer scrutiny from investors who previously defaulted to property.
Greece’s financial routes carry thresholds that sit below the European median for comparable instruments. The €350,000 mutual fund entry point is accessible by regional standards, and the fund structures themselves are regulated by Greek financial authorities, providing a layer of institutional oversight that reassures investors accustomed to regulated markets.
The application process can be initiated remotely. Document preparation, bank account opening, and fund subscription can all be handled through a power of attorney, with the investor’s only required visit to Greece being the biometric appointment after approval.
Working With Georgaki Law Firm
Georgaki Law Firm has operated at the intersection of foreign direct investment and Greek immigration law since 2007. The firm has facilitated over 9,000 foreign direct investments and processed more than 3,500 residence permits from its offices in Athens and Thessaloniki.
“We’ve built specific expertise in the financial investment pathways because they require a different kind of advisory than real estate,” Georgaki explains. “The immigration process is identical, but the investment structuring, the banking relationships, and the tax planning are distinct disciplines. Our banking and finance team works alongside our immigration lawyers from the first conversation.”
The firm’s practice spans corporate structuring, tax planning, banking and finance, litigation, and investment migration across multiple sectors. Its team operates in seven languages.
For investors exploring how Greece’s financial golden visa pathways might fit their residency and investment objectives, Georgaki Law Firm offers consultations through its website at georgakilawfirm.com.
Article written by Christina Georgaki, originally published on IMIDaily