Moving to Greece from the US, Canada or the UK

For retirees and people on passive income, remote workers paid from abroad, property buyers and people with Greek roots. How each route works, the EUR 3,500 income test, and the golden visa's higher thresholds.

Greece has two routes built on one income test: a residence permit for people who live on their own means, and a visa for remote workers. Both ask for at least EUR 3,500 a month, net. Greece also has a golden visa for property buyers and citizenship routes for people of Greek descent. This guide covers each and what changed.

How it works: consulate first, then a permit in Greece

US, Canadian and UK citizens follow the same steps. You apply for a national (type D) visa at the Greek consulate that covers where you live. Once in Greece, you apply for a residence permit at the Decentralised Administration for your area. The golden visa is the exception: you file in Greece.

The main ways in

Financially Independent Person (FIP) permit. This fits retirees and people who live on pensions, investments or savings. You need at least EUR 3,500 a month, net. The amount rises by 20% for a spouse and 15% for each child, so a couple needs EUR 4,200. You can show it with a foreign pension, a bank account or other lawful means of your own. Pensions and dividends are assessed monthly. Other sources, such as bank deposits, are assessed over a year. Neither you nor your family may work or run a business in Greece. The permit lasts three years and renews for three years at a time while you still meet the income test.

Digital Nomad Visa. This fits employees, freelancers and business owners who work for employers or clients outside Greece. You need at least EUR 3,500 a month. For employees, that figure is net, after tax in the country where you work. The same 20% and 15% increases apply for family. You sign a declaration that you will not work for an employer based in Greece. The consulate issues a visa for up to 12 months. By law, it must answer within 10 days of your request. Before the visa expires, you can apply in Greece for a two-year residence permit. Your spouse and children under 18 can come with you, but they may not work in Greece.

Golden Visa. This fits property buyers who want a five-year permit with no minimum stay. You must buy one residential property. The minimum is EUR 800,000 in Attica, the Thessaloniki regional unit, Mykonos, Santorini and islands with more than 3,100 residents. It is EUR 400,000 elsewhere. Built homes at these two tiers need at least 120 square metres of main living space. A EUR 250,000 tier covers commercial buildings converted to homes and listed buildings that you fully restore. Short-term rentals of the property are banned. The permit gives no right to work. Compare it with other countries in our golden visas guide.

EU Blue Card. This fits highly qualified people with a Greek job offer. The contract must last at least six months. The salary must be at least 1.6 times the average gross annual salary in Greece. We have not found the official 2026 euro figure.

Citizenship by descent. If a parent is Greek, you are a Greek citizen by law. The state recognises it once you are entered in a Greek municipal register. Claims through a grandparent or great-grandparent need each generation documented. Start with the Greek consulate for where you live. The consulate checks your file and sends it on; municipalities and the Ministry of Interior decide.

Naturalisation for people of Greek origin abroad. This fits adults of proven Greek origin whose ancestors were never registered in a Greek municipality. You do not need to live in Greece. The consul interviews you on Greek language, history, geography and institutions. Fees total EUR 130, and the official estimate is 18 months.

See every route below for the full rules on each.

What changed recently

• The golden visa costs more. Law 5100/2024 raised the property thresholds to today’s EUR 800,000 and EUR 400,000 tiers. It also brought in the one-property rule, the 120 square metre minimum and the short-term rental ban. Breaking the rental ban means losing the permit and a EUR 50,000 fine.
• Apply for the digital nomad visa before you travel. Greek law issues this visa through the consulate. Older advice describes entering visa-free and applying from inside Greece. Our table records that Law 5275/2026, from February 2026, ended that option. We have seen this only in a secondary copy of that law, so confirm it with the consulate.

Money, tax and health care

The permit fees are higher than in many countries:

The permit fees come from the Migration Code as passed in 2023. Later changes were not checked. US consulates may charge a different visa fee. Our visa cost calculator adds up fees for a family.

On living costs, our cost of living in Greece page compares national averages with home. The cost of living calculator prices your own spending.

Greece offers special tax regimes for some new residents, including foreign pensioners. We have not yet confirmed their terms from an official source, so ask a tax adviser before you move. US citizens still file US tax returns wherever they live.

Timeline and your first weeks

1. Gather proof of income. Pension statements, bank statements or work contracts, depending on the route. Have them translated and apostilled as your consulate asks.
2. Apply at your consulate. For the FIP permit and the digital nomad visa, you need a national visa first.
3. Apply for your permit in Greece. File with the Decentralised Administration where you live, before your visa expires.
4. Settle in. Open a bank account, arrange health insurance and keep proof of your address.

What catches people out

• Net, not gross. The EUR 3,500 is after tax. A gross salary of EUR 3,500 falls short.
• The FIP permit means no work at all. That includes remote work for clients abroad. Remote workers need the digital nomad visa.
• The golden visa does not let you work. It allows residence only, and you must keep the property to renew it.
• Citizenship by residence needs an exam. Foreign residents must pass the exam for the certificate of knowledge adequacy before they apply to naturalise. The exam fee is EUR 150.

This is general information, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Confirm each requirement with the Greek consulate or the Decentralised Administration before you apply.