Low-threshold routes

€250,000 property or €350,000 fund — which is really the lower threshold?

€250,000 is the lowest property threshold in the Greek Golden Visa, and on the face of it cheaper than a €350,000 fund. The two numbers are not comparable, because the €250,000 band comes with a construction project attached.

Last updated: 7 September 2026Reviewed by: The FastGreece Athens legal team

What the €250,000 band actually is

It is not a cheap flat. It covers two specific situations: converting a building in commercial use to residential use, or restoring a listed building.

The conditions are firm. The whole property must be acquired in a single transaction — not one unit within it — and the qualifying works must be completed. Completing them is a condition of the permit, not an option.

The costs a capital table cannot show

Set €250,000 against €350,000 and the first looks €100,000 cheaper. But the works themselves are a substantial spend, and an estimated one rather than a fixed price — an old building tends to reveal its true condition only once work has begun.

Beyond money, three risks sit with you: schedule (no completed registration means no filing), permitting (listed buildings have their own consent process), and remote oversight — supervising a construction project in a country you are not in.

So the real question is not which figure is smaller. It is whether you want to run a cross-border building project in order to save the difference.

When the €250,000 route genuinely fits

If you wanted to take on a Greek renovation anyway, have contractors and supervision you trust locally, and can live with an uncertain schedule, the route stands up — and you end up owning a restored property.

If you want residence on a predictable timeline and have no interest in managing works, trading €100,000 for a construction project is a poor bargain.

Capital required

What would the property route actually tie up?

Property route
Athens / Attica
€862,320
Capital required
Property price
€800,000
Property transfer tax
€24,000
Municipal surcharge on transfer tax
€720
Notary
€9,600
Conveyancing legal fee
€8,000
Land registry / cadastre
€4,000
Estate agency fee
€16,000
Annual holding cost€9,600
  • ENFIA property tax (indicative)€3,200
  • Upkeep, building charges, insurance€6,400
Asset form
Real property
Management
Owner-borne
Liquidity
Sale process, months
Golden Visa eligible
Yes
Fund route
Regulated fund subscription
€353,500
Capital required
Subscription
€350,000
Fund subscription fee (varies by fund)
€3,500
Annual holding cost€3,500
  • Fund management fee (varies by fund)€3,500
Asset form
Fund units
Management
No property to manage
Transfer tax
Not applicable
Golden Visa eligible
Yes
Fund units fluctuate in value and can be worth less than the amount subscribed. This table compares what you put in, not what you get back.
€508,820more capital tied up by the property route

Both routes lead to the same 5-year renewable permit. The difference is not the outcome — it is how much capital leaves your hands, and whether you have to look after it afterwards.

How we are paid

Our fee is visible. Your investment is yours.

FastGreece charges a disclosed legal and administrative service fee. We take no sales commission, no kickback and no revenue share from any investment fund.

That keeps two things apart: immigration and legal advice on one side, distribution of an investment product on the other. An adviser paid by the fund has two clients.

The practical consequence: our fee is the same whether you end up in a fund or buying a flat. We have nothing riding on which way the comparison above comes out.

View the complete fee breakdown
What we do not take
  • Fund sales commission
  • Kickbacks from a fund manager
  • A share of your subscription
  • Referral or introduction fees
  • A cut of an estate agency fee
What we do take

One legal and administrative service fee, itemised in full before you pay anything — the amount, what it covers and when each part falls due, all on the pricing page.

Frequently asked

Can I buy a €250,000 property and simply let it out?
The band is conditioned on completing the qualifying works. How the property may be used afterwards depends on the rules and the permitted use at the time; it is not the same as buying something you can let from day one.
How much do the works typically cost?
There is no reliable general figure — it turns on the age and structural condition of the building, its protected status and its location. Any budget quoted before the building has been inspected should be treated with suspicion, and that uncertainty is the core risk of this route.
Does the €350,000 fund have hidden costs of its own?
It has costs, but of a different kind and visible in advance: a subscription fee and an annual management fee, both stated in the fund’s documents. There is no construction or schedule risk, but the units can fall below the amount subscribed.
Is the residence permit the same on both?
Yes. Both give a five-year renewable permit with the same family inclusion and the same absence of a minimum stay. What differs is the asset you hold to keep it.

Start by finding out whether this fits you

A two-minute questionnaire and a preliminary read on your position — including when the answer is that now is not the right time. No fee, nothing to prepare.