Portugal vs Greece Golden Visa in 2026: which route fits your family?

Key facts at a glance

Table 1: Portugal and Greece Golden Visa compared. Figures checked 2 November 2026 against Portuguese Law 23/2007 and Regulatory Decree 84/2007, Portuguese Law 37/81 as amended by Lei Orgânica 1/2026, and Greek Law 5038/2023 (Migration Code) as amended by Law 5100/2024.

How much do you need to invest in Portugal and Greece?

Portugal removed property from its Golden Visa in October 2023. The mainstream Portugal Golden Visa route is now a minimum EUR 500,000 subscription to a non-real-estate investment fund constituted under Portuguese law, with at least 60% of the fund invested in companies with their seat in Portugal and a maturity of at least five years when you invest (Law 23/2007, art. 3(1)(d)(vii), checked 2 November 2026). A EUR 250,000 route supporting artistic production or national cultural heritage is the lower-cost alternative (art. 3(1)(d)(vi)). Our fund route guide covers the detail, and our guide to the fund holding period explains why the five-year holding runs from the grant of the permit, not from subscription.

Greece remains a property programme. Under Article 100 of the Greek Migration Code (Law 5038/2023), as amended by Article 64 of Law 5100/2024, the Greece Golden Visa requires EUR 800,000 in the region of Attica, the regional unit of Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands with more than 3,100 inhabitants, and EUR 400,000 elsewhere, invested in a single property whose main areas measure at least 120 square metres. A EUR 250,000 tier survives for two narrow cases: a property legally converted from non-residential to residential use after 5 April 2024, and the restoration of a listed building (checked 2 November 2026). Qualifying property may not be let short-term; breach carries a EUR 50,000 fine and revocation of the permit.

The choice here is philosophical as much as financial: a diversified, professionally managed fund versus a single, tangible asset you can holiday in.

Updated 2 November 2026: an earlier version described the Greek EUR 250,000 tier as covering renovation projects generally. It is limited to completed conversions of non-residential property and to the restoration of listed buildings.

How long do you have to stay in Portugal or Greece each year?

Portugal: the Portugal Golden Visa requires seven days of physical presence in the first year, then fourteen days in each subsequent two-year period (Article 65-C of Regulatory Decree 84/2007, as amended; checked 2 November 2026). Over the first five years that is a minimum of 35 days in Portugal, a Citizenship360 calculation (7 days in year one, 14 in years two and three, 14 in years four and five). Among European residency-by-investment programmes that impose a stay requirement, it is the lightest, but it is an obligation, and missing it can cost you a renewal.

Greece: the Greece Golden Visa has no minimum stay requirement to maintain the permit, which makes it the lighter of the two. For investors who genuinely may not visit for years at a time, Greece is the more forgiving structure.

Corrected 17 August 2026: an earlier version of this section described Portugal’s stay requirement as the lightest obligation of any major European programme while correctly noting, in the next sentence, that Greece imposes none. Greece’s zero-stay rule is the lighter obligation; Portugal’s is the lightest among programmes that require presence at all.

Corrected 2 November 2026: an earlier version of this section described Portugal’s stay requirement as an average of around seven days a year. The rule is seven days in the first year and fourteen days in each subsequent two-year period.

Which Golden Visa leads to citizenship, Portugal or Greece?

Portugal: under the 2026 nationality law (Lei Orgânica n.º 1/2026, in force since 19 May 2026), Portuguese naturalisation requires ten years of legal residence for most nationalities, or seven for EU and CPLP nationals (Law 37/81, art. 6(1)(b), as amended). Applicants must also prove, by test or certificate, sufficient knowledge of the Portuguese language and culture, history and national symbols, and must know the fundamental rights and duties of citizenship and the political organisation of the Portuguese state (art. 6(1)(c) and (d)). The Council of Ministers approved the regulation that will set out how this is tested on 29 October 2026; as at 2 November 2026 it had not been promulgated or published in the Diário da República, so the format and level of the test are not yet confirmed. Golden Visa holders count as legally resident while holding a valid permit, so the light stay rule does not stop the clock (Law 37/81, art. 15(1)).

Greece: Greek naturalisation requires seven years of legal residence under the Greek Citizenship Code (Law 3284/2004), together with Greek language and integration requirements that in practice demand genuine, substantive residence in Greece. An absentee investor holding a Greek Golden Visa does not accumulate a realistic citizenship claim.

This is the sharpest practical difference: Portugal offers a credible citizenship path for non-residents; Greece does not. If an EU passport is the end goal, Portugal remains the stronger candidate despite the longer nominal period.

For who the 2026 reform actually protects, including applicants already in the queue, see our analysis of the Constitutional Court ruling of December 2025.

Corrected 2 November 2026: an earlier version of this section said the new law requires A2 Portuguese and a civic-knowledge test. Lei Orgânica 1/2026 requires sufficient knowledge of the language and culture, history and national symbols, proven by test or certificate, and leaves the detail of the test to the Nationality Regulation, which had not been published at this date.

Which family members can Portugal and Greece include?

Portugal includes your spouse, minor children, dependent adult children in full-time education, and dependent parents of you or your spouse, all under a single qualifying investment.

Greece covers your spouse or registered partner, unmarried children under 21, and, more generously than Portugal, the parents of both the investor and the spouse with no dependency test (Greek Migration Code, Law 5038/2023, checked 2 November 2026).

The trade-off sits at opposite ends of the family. Greece is broader for parents; Portugal is broader for adult children, who age out of the Greek structure earlier. For planning around university-age children, Portugal’s scope is materially wider; for bringing elderly parents, Greece’s is simpler.

Corrected 17 August 2026: an earlier version described Greek coverage of parents as narrower than Portugal’s. Greek law admits the parents of both spouses without a dependency test, which is broader than Portugal’s dependency-based parent route.

Updated 2 November 2026: two details in this section could not be re-verified against a primary source today and have been removed pending confirmation: a dependency presumption for Portuguese applicants’ parents aged 65 or over, and an extension of Greek permits for children to age 24. The Greek legal reference has been updated from Law 4251/2014 to the Migration Code that replaced it.

Which family fits which programme?

Our position: Portugal fits families who want a real path to an EU passport, investors who prefer a regulated fund to concentrated property exposure, and parents planning around university-age children. Greece fits investors who want a lower entry point through the EUR 400,000 tier or one of the narrow EUR 250,000 categories, families who will actually use a Mediterranean property, and those who value zero stay obligations above a citizenship endgame.

Costs also differ in structure. Greece front-loads costs into the property purchase, plus transfer taxes and fees, while Portugal’s are spread across government fees per applicant, detailed in our 2026 cost breakdown. Those planning to live in Greece rather than simply hold a permit should also read our guide to the Greece non-dom tax regime under Article 5A, which is a separate tax election and is not granted by the Golden Visa itself.

The mistake we most want to help families avoid is choosing on entry price alone and discovering later that the citizenship question mattered more to them than they had admitted at the start. Families weighing a wider set of options should start with our guide to retiring and relocating to Europe, or our complete guide to the Greece Golden Visa.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Portugal or Greece Golden Visa cheaper?

The Greece Golden Visa is cheaper to enter: EUR 400,000 for a single qualifying property outside the high-demand areas, or EUR 250,000 in two narrow categories, against EUR 500,000 for Portugal’s fund route (figures as at 2 November 2026).

Do you have to live in Portugal or Greece to keep the Golden Visa?

No. The Greece Golden Visa has no minimum stay requirement, and the Portugal Golden Visa requires only 7 days in the first year and 14 days in each subsequent two-year period (Regulatory Decree 84/2007, art. 65-C).

Can you get citizenship through the Greece Golden Visa?

Not in practice for an absentee investor. Greek naturalisation requires seven years of legal residence plus language and integration requirements that assume genuine residence in Greece.

How long until citizenship through the Portugal Golden Visa?

Ten years of legal residence for most nationalities, or seven for EU and CPLP nationals, under Law 37/81, article 6(1)(b), as amended by Lei Orgânica 1/2026, plus the language, culture and civic requirements of article 6(1)(c) and (d).

Can you buy property for the Portugal Golden Visa?

No. Residential real estate stopped qualifying for the Portugal Golden Visa in October 2023; the main route is now a EUR 500,000 investment fund.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or investment advice. Investment migration rules and tax rules change frequently and depend on your personal circumstances. Figures are correct as at the date shown and should be confirmed before you act. Speak to a qualified adviser, and contact Citizenship360 for guidance specific to your situation.

Sources

• Portugal, Law 23/2007, article 3(1)(d)(vi) and (vii), consolidated text including Law 62/2026: pgdlisboa.pt. Checked 2 November 2026.
• Portugal, Regulatory Decree 84/2007, articles 65-B and 65-C, as added by Regulatory Decree 15-A/2015: text as published. Checked 2 November 2026.
• Portugal, Lei Orgânica 1/2026 of 18 May, amending Law 37/81: published text. Checked 2 November 2026.
• Greece, Law 5038/2023 (Migration Code), Article 100 as amended by Article 64 of Law 5100/2024, summarised in M. Lalaouni and S. Gofa, “The Greek Golden Visa after the 2024-2026 overhaul”, International Bar Association, 9 September 2026: ibanet.org. Checked 2 November 2026.