Against the backdrop of the closure of the Golden Visa in Ireland and similar plans in Portugal, the Greek program “Residence Permit by Investment” is experiencing a boom in popularity. And the fact that the investment threshold for its receipt should soon be doubled also stimulates a rush from the side of investors.

Over the past year, under the Greek program “Golden Visa,” a total of €1.57 billion was invested, and according to some estimates, even more. The Department of Immigration Policy reports that during this time, 6064 applications have been submitted, of which 2072 residence permits have already been issued and 3976 are pending.

The beginning of 2023 was very active, with data showing that in the first quarter, an average of 1,052 new permits were issued, an increase of 141% over the same period a year earlier. In addition, between January and March of this year, the number of requests for the granting of permits for investors increased by 156%, reaching 2,367.

Curiously enough, in March 2023 alone, the number of online searches for the Golden Visa program in Greece increased by 75%. Currently, the Greek program is one of the most popular in Europe. And according to a study by Astons, a London-based investment and immigration firm, it has recently become more in demand among Americans as well.

With the "Golden Visa" scheme in Greece, wealthy foreigners can obtain a residence permit in this country by investing as little as €250,000. However, as of July 31, this amount is to be doubled to €500,000.