Greece Golden Visa for Family Members
Family members may apply for residence permits either together with the main applicant or after the investor’s application has been approved. Immigrant Invest guides clients through eligibility requirements, costs, and the process.
Who needs family inclusion assistance
Family inclusion assistance may be useful for the following categories:
- Investors adding relatives after approval. Those including a spouse, children, parents, or parents-in-law after receiving the Greece Golden Visa.
- Families with changed circumstances. Those affected by marriage, divorce, childbirth, adoption, or changes in dependency.
- Families with adult children or several generations. Those whose eligibility depends on age, marital status, dependency, or proof of family relationships.
- Families with international documentation. Those using civil-status documents issued in different countries or requiring legalisation and certified translation.
- Investors managing the process from abroad. Those requiring support with applications, documents, biometric appointments, and communication with the Greek authorities.
Immigrant Invest takes care of the entire process, making family inclusion easier for clients. We assess eligibility, prepare the required documents, coordinate the application and biometric appointments, and support the applicants until the residence permits are issued.
Who can be included as a family member
The Greece Golden Visa programme allows an investor’s eligible family members to obtain residence permits based on the same qualifying investment. They may apply together with the investor or submit their applications after the investor’s residence permit has been approved.
Each family member receives a separate document. Its validity is linked to the investor’s permit and normally expires on the same date.
During the application process
The investor may include the following family members in the application for the Greece Golden Visa:
- legally married spouse or partner with whom the investor has entered into a legally recognised partnership;
- unmarried children under 21;
- parents of the investor and the investor’s spouse.
After the application approval
Eligible relatives may also apply after the investor has received a Greece Golden Visa. This may be relevant when the investor applied alone, family members were not ready to apply at the same time, or the investor’s family circumstances changed later.
Family members who may be added after the approval include:
- spouse or partner;
- child born or legally adopted after the investor obtained the residence permit;
- unmarried children under 21;
- parents of the investor and the investor’s spouse;
Request assistance from migration experts
After sending your request, our migration expert will contact you to confirm the details and outline the next steps.
Zlata Erlach, Head of the Austrian office
Step-by-step process of securing the Golden Visa in Greece for family members
In Immigrant Invest experience, the process of obtaining the Golden Visa in Greece for family members takes around 2 to 4 months after the complete set of documents is ready. Actual timelines depend on biometric appointment availability, the competent authority’s workload, and whether additional documents are requested.
A separate application is submitted for each family member. Each applicant requires an appointment to provide biometric data, although the authority may schedule the whole family for the same day. Immigrant Invest accompanies the investor’s family members throughout the entire process.
1 day
Eligibility assessment
Immigrant Invest reviews the investor’s Golden Visa and confirms whether the family member qualifies for inclusion.
Our lawyers assess the family relationship, the applicant’s age and, where relevant, custody arrangements. We also identify the applicable expenses and prepare a personalised list of required documents.
1 to 2 weeks
Document preparation
The family member collects the documents required for the residence permit application. These usually include:
- valid passport;
- marriage or partnership certificate — for a spouse or partner;
- birth or adoption certificate — for children;
- proof of legal custody — for children;
- investor’s valid residence permit;
- health insurance valid in Greece;
- passport photographs.
Foreign civil-status documents must be legalised and officially translated into Greek.
Immigrant Invest checks the documents, arranges translations and certifications, and prepares the application forms.
1 day
Residence permit application
Immigrant Invest submits a separate electronic residence permit application for each family member and links it to the investor’s Golden Visa file. After submission, the application can be tracked through the official case-status service.
1 day
Biometric data collection
Biometrics must be submitted in Greece. Applicants attend the designed office in person with their original passport, photographs, and proof of payment of the card issuance fee. Minors must be accompanied by at least 1 parent.
Biometric collection applies to all family members, although fingerprints are not taken from children under 6[1]Source: Directorate for Aliens & Migration: Requirements for biometric enrolment.
Immigrant Invest coordinates the appointment booking and provides instructions on the process.
2+ months
Government review and residence permit issuance
The Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum review the application, verify the family relationship, and check that the main applicant continues to hold a qualifying Golden Visa.
Once approved, each family member receives an individual residence permit. The permit expires on the same date as the investor’s Golden Visa and may be renewed while the investment and family relationship continue to meet the requirements.
Immigrant Invest monitors the application, checks the issued permit and coordinates its collection or secure delivery where available.
Rights of included family members with a Greece Golden Visa
1
Living in Greece
Included family members can reside in Greece for as long as their residence permits remain valid. They may use Greece as their permanent home, a second residence, or a secure base in Europe.
Included family members can reside in Greece for as long as their residence permits remain valid. They may use Greece as their permanent home, a second residence, or a secure base in Europe.
2
Visa-free travel within the Schengen Area
Family members can travel within the Schengen Area for short stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period. The main applicant does not need to accompany their family members during trips.
Family members can travel within the Schengen Area for short stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period. The main applicant does not need to accompany their family members during trips.
3
Access to Greek education and healthcare
Children can attend schools in Greece, while older family members may apply to Greek universities without obtaining student visas. Family members can also access healthcare services in Greece and within the EU.
Children can attend schools in Greece, while older family members may apply to Greek universities without obtaining student visas. Family members can also access healthcare services in Greece and within the EU.
4
Independent entry to Greece
Each family member receives a separate residence permit rather than being named on the investor’s one. This allows family members to enter and leave Greece without travelling together with the main applicant.
Each family member receives a separate residence permit rather than being named on the investor’s one. This allows family members to enter and leave Greece without travelling together with the main applicant.
5
Path to Greek citizenship
Family members who genuinely relocate to Greece become eligible to apply for citizenship by naturalisation after 7 years, subject to meeting language, integration, and other statutory requirements.
Family members who genuinely relocate to Greece become eligible to apply for citizenship by naturalisation after 7 years, subject to meeting language, integration, and other statutory requirements.
Path to permanent residence and citizenship for family members
A Greece Golden Visa can support the whole family’s long-term plans, but permanent residence and citizenship require family members to establish their own record of actual residence in Greece.
Permanent residence
After 5 years of lawful and uninterrupted residence in Greece, family members become eligible for permanent residence, officially known as EU long-term resident status.
Applicants must have health insurance and demonstrate access to stable and regular financial resources, which may include the income or resources of the family household[2]Source: Greek Government Gazette: Greek Migration Code, Law 5038/2023. They must also show integration into Greek society, including Greek language proficiency at B1 level or another accepted qualification proving knowledge of the Greek language, history and culture[3]Source: Greece Ministry of Migration & Asylum: Greek language certification.
Absences of less than 6 consecutive months and no more than 10 months in total during the 5-year period do not interrupt the qualifying residence period[2]Source: Greek Government Gazette: Greek Migration Code, Law 5038/2023. However, merely holding a Golden Visa family residence permit while living primarily outside Greece is not sufficient.
The status is permanent, but the residence permit card is issued for 5 years and must be renewed regularly.
Citizenship
Family members become eligible to apply for Greek citizenship after 7 years of lawful and permanent residence in Greece. Applicants must also meet the naturalisation requirements[4]Source: Greece National Registry of Administrative Procedures: Naturalisation of foreign nationals:
- demonstrate that Greece is the centre of their permanent personal, economic and social life;
- obtain the Certificate of Adequacy of Knowledge for Naturalisation by passing an examination in Greek at a level equivalent to B1, as well as in Greek history, geography, culture, and political institutions[5]Source: Official portal of the Hellenic Republic: Details on the exams of the Knowledge Adequacy Certificate for Naturalisation;
- demonstrate economic and social integration into Greek society;
- provide evidence of lawful income, tax compliance, and social security registration;
- have no criminal convictions and present no threat to public order or national security.
Each adult family member must submit a separate naturalisation application and is assessed individually, even when several relatives apply at the same time.
Citizenship is not granted automatically after 7 years, and merely holding a Golden Visa family residence permit is not sufficient.
Why choose Immigrant Invest
Immigrant Invest is a licensed investment migration company with experience in cross-border client support and compliance-driven processes. We work strictly in accordance with Greek legislations, including Law No. 4251 of 1 April 2014 and its amendments, Law No. 5038/2023, and Article 64 of Law No. 5100/2024.
The Investment Migration Council certificate confirms that we operate in line with recognised professional and ethical standards.
Your Immigrant Invest team
Our legal and compliance specialists ensure that the family inclusion process is handled smoothly and efficiently.
Our clients’ reviews
Names and photos of investors have been changed to comply with non-disclosure agreements.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- 1.
Source: Directorate for Aliens & Migration: Requirements for biometric enrolment
- 2.
Source: Greek Government Gazette: Greek Migration Code, Law 5038/2023
- 3.
Source: Greece Ministry of Migration & Asylum: Greek language certification
- 4.
Source: Greece National Registry of Administrative Procedures: Naturalisation of foreign nationals
- 5.
Source: Official portal of the Hellenic Republic: Details on the exams of the Knowledge Adequacy Certificate for Naturalisation