Greece to Re-launch Its Golden Visa Program

Greece plans to re-launch its much-criticized Golden Visa Program, becoming one of the first European countries to reopen its immigration process, after being among the first European countries to close it due to the situation created by the Coronavirus pandemic.

Greece’s authorities consider that the country has timely and successfully managed the pandemic situation. Thus the government is seeking the best way to relaunch the Golden Visa program, with the changes that have been made before the Coronavirus situation.

“To accelerate the course of growth in the coming months, we will seek to lift the bureaucratic obstacles that currently exist in the property market,” the Greece prime-minister pointed out in April, in an announcement.

Below you can find the changes that have been applied in the Golden Visa Program:

- Remote applications for Golden Visa investors directly to the Ministry of Migration via authorized attorneys;

- Submission of biometric data is permitted at a later stage;

- Collection can be made by showing a certified copy of the passport;

- Collection of already issued Golden Visas and submission of additional documents can be done via courier.

Golden Visas offered by some of the European Union Member States have often been criticized by the EU Commission for being a “doorway” for corruption and money laundering. In March last year, a recommendation adopted by the European Parliament members urged the European Union countries running golden visa and passport schemes to put them to an end.