Greece threatens to revoke golden visas over hidden rebates

Greece will revoke the golden visas of investors whose property deals hide a partial refund of the price, and of those who get round the programme's short-let ban through subleases, Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris said on 15 October, Parapolitika and other Greek outlets reported. He was speaking at the Prodexpo 2026 real estate conference in Athens.

Plevris gave the example of a property sold for €250,000 with €100,000 guaranteed back to the buyer through a lease (figures from his speech, as of 15 October 2026). Permits linked to deals advertised as a golden visa for less than the €250,000 minimum will be revoked, however the lower price is reached, he said (as of 15 October 2026). Investors who use parallel subleases to let short-term will also lose their permits.

No new law was announced. According to IMI Daily's analysis, Greece's Migration Code already bans short-term letting of golden visa properties and provides for loss of the permit, plus a €50,000 fine on owners (as of 17 October 2026). For rebates, revocation rests on Circular 1/2026, a ministry instruction issued in April, which IMI Daily says cites no legal provision allowing it.

The thresholds are unchanged. As of 17 October 2026, €250,000 applies only to conversions of non-residential buildings into homes and to listed buildings under restoration; other purchases need €400,000, or €800,000 in Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands of more than 3,100 people. Plevris also defended the programme as "an important tool".