Greece 2026: island property, the Golden Visa and what changed
Transfer tax at 3.09%, notary and lawyer fees, ENFIA, and where the Golden Visa thresholds now sit for island and mainland property.
Greece combines the lowest headline transfer tax in the Mediterranean with the highest legal-diligence requirement. The tax saving is real; so is the risk of buying a title that cannot be cleanly registered.
Purchase costs
| Cost | Rate | On what |
|---|---|---|
| Property transfer tax | 3.09% | Higher of price or objective value (includes 3% municipal surcharge) |
| Notary | 0.8–1.5% + VAT | Mandatory |
| Lawyer | 1–1.5% + VAT | Title chain search — the critical work |
| Land registry / cadastre | 0.475–0.575% | Deed registration |
| Agency | 2% + VAT | Buyer-side commission is normal in Greece |
| Total | 7–10% on top of the price | |
VAT of 24% technically applies to new-build sales under recent permits, but it has been suspended for the current policy period, which is why nearly all stock trades under the 3.09% transfer tax instead.
Golden Visa: the tiered thresholds
Greece replaced its flat €250,000 property route with a tiered structure. The entry level is now materially higher in the high-demand zones — Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and the larger islands — with a lower threshold retained elsewhere, and reduced-price routes for restoring listed buildings or converting commercial premises to residential. There are also minimum property-size rules and restrictions on short-term letting for qualifying properties. Thresholds and conditions have changed more than once; verify the current figures with a Greek lawyer before structuring a purchase around them.
Annual costs
- ENFIA — the main property tax, banded roughly €2–€16 per m² according to location, floor, age and frontage.
- Rental income tax — progressive from 15% to 45% on gross rents for individuals.
- Short-let — properties let through platforms must be registered with AADE and display the registry number.
Where the value sits
Caldera Santorini (Oia, Imerovigli, Fira) — effectively finite supply, bought on rental performance. Ask for verified booking history, not projections, and remember that renovation materials arrive by ferry.
Inland Santorini (Pyrgos, Megalochori, Emporio) — traditional houses at a fraction of rim pricing, sea in view rather than beneath you.
Paros, Naxos, Crete — longer seasons, more buildable land, lower entry prices; Crete has genuine year-round living.
Peloponnese and the mainland coast — the value play, drivable from Athens, with far thinner resale liquidity.
Non-negotiable checks
- Get an AFM (Greek tax number) and a Greek bank account before you offer.
- Have your lawyer trace the title back through the full inheritance chain and confirm every co-heir has signed.
- Check the cadastre (Ktimatologio) declaration matches the deed and the building as it stands.
- Verify that extensions and pools are covered by a permit or a completed legalisation.
- Confirm any island property is not in a designated border area requiring extra approval.
Source for statutory rates: AADE, the Greek Independent Authority for Public Revenue.