To obtain a Greek residence permit, you must visit the country three times. You can use any type of visa for this. The procedure will take from 3 to 6 months, and the period depends on how quickly the documents for the object are completed and on the speed of the applicant. We will tell you about 9 stages of obtaining a residence permit in Greece when buying real estate.
Plan 3 Visits To Greece
To obtain a residence permit, you will need to be personally present at some procedures, so plan 3 visits to the country:
- The first trip to select a property, audit documentation, obtain a tax number and open an account with a local bank. And also for transferring money to buy real estate on an open account and concluding an agreement with the seller.
- The second trip after one and a half to two months after the previous one for filing papers for a residence permit.
- The third trip after another one or two months to fingerprint and obtain a residence permit.
All About The Golden Visa
This program is one of the most popular for obtaining a Greek residence permit, especially for investors. It is often used by Russians and Chineese due to the convenience of the procedure.
According to the provisions of the Golden Visa, it is necessary to become the owner of Greek real estate, the value of which is at least 250 000 €. It can be one object or several. With our help, you will profitably buy housing in Greece, and we will also help in the preparation of papers for a residence permit.
Benefits Of A Golden Visa:
● has a low entry threshold;
● allows you to obtain an unlimited residence permit, provided that the property is owned by the applicant. Residence permit can be updated every five-year period;
● It is not necessary to live in Greece
● Both the applicant and his family receive a residence permit: wife / husband, children under 21 years of age, parents of spouses;
● If the property owner lives in Greece for less than 183 days a year, he is not considered a Greek tax resident.
Stages Of Obtaining A Residence Permit
1 Stage
At the first stage, the object is selected. A secure transaction requires the assistance of a lawyer who will conduct an audit of the property. It is necessary to check the seller’s certificate of ownership with the seller, and also make sure that there are no tax debts and other burdens on the property. Also, a legal specialist will be needed in order to correctly pay all taxes upon purchase.
2 Stage
During the legal audit of real estate, it will be necessary to conclude a preliminary agreement with the seller. At this stage, you will need to make a deposit of 10% of the value of the object.
3 Stage
To pay taxes, you need an account at a local bank. To open it, you first need to become the owner of an individual tax number. You can issue it in the Greek tax. You will need to come there with a passport and its copies and marriage certificate, if the number is also needed for the husband / wife.
4 Stage
After registration of the tax number, you can proceed to banking issues. To open an account with a local bank, it is preferable to submit an application in person than remotely. This will eliminate problems with checking documents. But if there is no opportunity to come for such a procedure, then you can draw up a power of attorney for a lawyer, and he will open an account in your place. Not all banks work with representatives by proxy, but it is still possible to find an institution that will meet them. It will take 1-2 days to open an account.
Personally, you will submit documents or with the help of a lawyer, before which they require a thorough legal review. The package of papers consists of:
● passport and its copies;
● documentary evidence that your income is legal. You can provide a tax return, evidence of inheritance or rental income, etc.
● evidence that you are employed;
● copies of utility bills to confirm the actual address of residence;
● information that you own a Greek phone number;
● bank statement.
All documents except your passport must be in Greek or English.
5 Stage
When you have an account with a local bank, you will need to put money into it in order to transfer it to the seller from there. Of course, this can also be done from a Russian account, but you still need a local one to pay taxes.
6 Stage
After the legal audit of the property and the completion of banking issues are completed, the purchase and sale agreement is signed. This can be done in person or with the help of a representative (lawyer) by issuing a power of attorney. Money from a new Greek account is transferred to the seller before signing the contract or after it – by agreement of the parties.
Further, the transaction is registered a month and a half later in the collateral registry, and real estate – in the cadastral office.
7 Stage
Now that the object has been purchased and registered, you can begin to issue a residence permit in Greece. This will require a large list of documents and mandatory legal assistance.
Papers are submitted to the Office for Foreign Citizenship and Immigration in the area where the purchased property is located. At the same time, the main applicant must be present, and family members are not required.
The main applicant must provide:
● a copy of the passport certified by a notary (in Greek with an apostille);
● photo: in color, 2 pcs. in 4×6 cm format (can be electronically on disk);
● confirmation of payment of the state duty – receipt;
● original contract for the purchase of real estate;
● papers from the collateral registry, which are issued after registration of the contract;
● insurance (in Greek).
In addition, you will need to prepare a set of documents for family members, consisting of:
● copies of passports certified by a notary (in Greek with apostille);
● insurance (in Greek);
● marriage certificates and child birth certificates (also notarized and in Greek with apostille);
● color photo: 2 pieces for each family member, 4×6 cm (can be electronically on a disk).
When you submit this package of documents, you will be given a certificate of their admission. Thanks to this paper, you can live in Greece and enjoy the rights of the holder of a residence permit for 12 months.
8 Stage
After approval of the application, you must visit Greece with your family (without small children under 5 years old) for fingerprints.
9 Stage
After a few days, the residence permit will be ready. Documents can be collected in person or with the help of a legal specialist, giving him a passport in advance (original).
You cannot work with such a residence permit in Greece, but you can carry out investment activities.
Expenses
On average, for a family of three who purchased housing worth € 250,000, a residence permit will cost € 17,700. The calculation of expenses is as follows:
| Property Transfer Tax | 3.09% of the property value |
| Registration tax | 0.475 – 0.775% of the transaction value |
| Notarial services | 1.5% of transaction value + VAT |
| Legal services | 1.5% of transaction value + VAT |
| State Fee for Golden Visa | main applicant – 2016 € adult family members – 516 € minors – 16 € |
| Legal services for applying for a Golden Visa | main applicant – 1 000 € each family member – 500 € + VAT |
Conditions For Obtaining Greek Citizenship
In order for a Russian to become a citizen of Greece, one must know the Greek language, obtain a Greek residence permit and reside in Greek lands for at least seven years. EU residents have concessions: the minimum required length of stay in Greece for them is 3 years. The same conditions apply for spouses of Greek citizens, if their family has a common child.
In addition, a child who was born in Greece can obtain citizenship, provided that mom or dad are Greek citizens (at least one of them), or both citizens of other countries, but have lived in Greece for at least 5 years.
Through the acquisition of real estate, Greek citizenship can only be obtained through the local residence permit program.