Who Gets the Greece Golden Visa in 2026: China and Turkey Lead

The Golden Visa program continues to be one of the main drivers of international demand for real estate in Greece. It is particularly interesting to look not only at the total number of investors, but also at their citizenship.

According to data for April 2026, China leads among active initial investor permits with 11,374 Golden Visas, or about 48% of the total.

Country	Number of active initial permits	Share / Rank
China	11,374	~48% (1st place)
Turkey	4,064	2nd place
Lebanon	1,092	3rd place
Iran	905	4th place
United Kingdom	820	5th place
Israel	738	6th place
USA	609	7th place

Why Does China Hold First Place?

Chinese investors have for many years viewed Greek real estate as a way to both diversify capital and obtain a European residence permit. The scale of this demand is so significant that the Ministry of Migration of Greece officially names Chinese citizens as the largest national group among Golden Visa holders.

However, today growing interest is particularly noticeable from Turkey, Middle Eastern countries, Israel, and the USA. This shows an important trend: Greek real estate is increasingly becoming an international investment asset.

What Has Changed for Investors in 2026?

Golden Visa rules have become more differentiated:

• €800,000 — threshold for standard real estate purchases in Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini, and major islands, including Crete.
• €400,000 — threshold in other regions.
• from €250,000 — special investment opportunities, specifically for certain commercial properties converted to residential use, as well as select historic buildings.

We discussed this in detail in the article “Greek Residence Permit for €250,000 in 2026”.

Athens or Crete?

This is one of the main questions from our clients.

• Athens attracts investors with high liquidity, year-round demand, and a large long-term rental market.
• Crete appeals with the opportunity to purchase or build a quality seaside property that can be used by the whole family while preserving capital in European real estate.

We made a detailed comparison of the two destinations in the article “Crete or Athens: Where Is It More Profitable to Buy Real Estate for the Golden Visa”.

Can You Build a Property Yourself?

For some investors, interest lies not only in purchasing existing real estate, but also in constructing their own property. This strategy allows control over location, architecture, construction quality, and final property cost.

However, the transaction structure must comply with the program requirements, so even before acquiring land, it must be cleared with a lawyer and a notary.

Read more: “Golden Visa Through Real Estate Construction in Greece”.

What Does This Statistics Mean for the Real Estate Market?

The main conclusion is that demand for Greek real estate is becoming increasingly global. China remains the undisputed leader, but a significant stream of buyers is coming from Turkey, the Middle East, Israel, the USA, and other countries.

For an investor, this means stronger competition for quality properties in prime locations. Therefore, today it is important to look not only at the opportunity to obtain a Golden Visa, but also at property liquidity, value appreciation potential, and an exit strategy in 5–10 years.

AILITGroup operates in Greek real estate as a full-cycle developer: plot or property selection, architectural design, construction, legal transaction support, and subsequent property management.