Greece financially independent person permit: an income test instead of a property purchase, and no work in Greece

If buying property has been presented as your only way to live in Greece, look at this permit first: it asks for steady income or means of your own, at the monthly figure shown above, plus 20% for a spouse and 15% for each child. The same rule sets its limit: the money must cover your living costs without a job or any business activity in Greece.

Someone with a foreign pension or investment income may be about to buy a home they do not want, just to get a residence permit they could have had by showing income. The ministers' 2024 decision on sufficient resources sets this permit's test in a few lines. It names three kinds of proof: a pension from abroad, a bank account, or other means of your own whose lawful origin you can show. The same test applies when the permit is first granted and each time it is renewed.

How the money is measured depends on its kind. Regular income, such as a pension, a salary or dividends paid from abroad, is assessed month by month. Other sources, such as bank deposits, are assessed over a year. A household of a couple with two children needs half again the main applicant's amount, every month.

The condition that rules people out

The decision describes money that lets you live in Greece without working as an employee or running any independent economic activity there. That rules out taking a local job, freelancing in any form, or opening a business in Greece. If you plan to keep working remotely from Greece for an employer abroad, note that the same decision assesses digital nomads who apply for this permit under the digital nomad rules, so check which route your remote work belongs to before applying.

Before you pay a deposit on property

If an agent or developer has shown you only the investor route, ask why this one was ruled out. Your income, your family and your plans to work decide which route fits.

To the Greek state:

• A consular visa fee, then the residence permit fee and the card fee, shown above as the government fee; family members applying with you pay their own fees.

To an adviser or agency:

• Their own fee for preparing and filing the application, shown apart from the state's charges.

Questions to answer before signing anything:

1. Does your regular income from abroad reach the monthly figure, with the additions for each family member joining you?
2. If savings carry part of the case, how will they be shown, given that deposits are measured over a year?
3. Will anyone in the family work in Greece, even part-time or freelance?
4. Who explained the income route next to the property route, and why was one chosen?
5. Does the quote list the state's fees apart from the firm's own?

Has a residence agency sent a fee quote, or a property agent a proposal that ties the permit to a purchase? Either can be checked: say yes at the box's first question and it is compared with the published Greek rules. Without one, say no and enter the monthly income you can show. The check compares a document or a figure with the published rules, and does not look at your application or advise on it; for advice on your own case, speak to a qualified immigration lawyer.

General information, not legal advice.