Buying Greek Property Through a Company: Does It Count for the Visa?

Several law-firm guides say a property bought through a legal entity can count for the Golden Visa only if the applicant owns 100% of the company's shares and the company is based in Greece or another EU country; we found no official text and the IBA's 2026 overview does not address it. Wealthy buyers often prefer a company for privacy, succession or holding reasons, so the question matters. Treat the points below as questions for a Greek lawyer, not as the rule.

What the guides agree on

• 100% ownership. The applicant must own all the shares, one source adds that the applicant must be the only member of the company.
• Where the company is. Its registered office should be in Greece or another EU member state.
• An existing foreign company is described by one Q&A page as not usable; a new qualifying entity is typically needed.
• The tier still applies. The company holds the property, but the thresholds and the 120 m² rule of the €800,000 and €400,000 levels are unchanged.

What the sources do not settle

• The IBA's September 2026 overview says nothing about whether a company can be the buyer, about the ownership percentage or about the entity's location. Its only related line is that a property acquired under the €250,000 conversion route may not be the registered seat or branch of a company.
• One 2026 guide speaks of foreign entities with up to three shareholders holding at least 33% each. That looks like the rule of the separate start-up route, not of property purchases, and we do not apply it here.
• Co-ownership is not addressed in the sources: the IBA says only that the investment must be a single property and that smaller units may not be added together: the single-property rule.
• Tax and running costs of a company that owns the flat are not covered: ask about the annual costs, the transfer tax and what happens when the permit ends.

"Golden Visa eligible" is a sales phrase

The IBA warns that the label is a marketing description, not a legal status, and that a property can fail if it sits in the wrong price tier. Have the title, the planning position and the structure tested against the law before you pay a deposit: see what happens if you sell.

Questions to put in writing

1. Will the authorities accept a purchase by this company for my application, and on what legal basis?
2. Must I be the sole shareholder, and where must the company be registered?
3. How are the permit's conditions kept (no short-term letting, holding period) when the company is the owner?
4. What are the annual costs, and how do I exit the structure?
5. Would owning in my own name be simpler for the permit and for resale?

Sources: law-firm and agency guides (Uglobal Q&A pages, Global Law Experts, a 2026 Greek law-firm overview) as described; IBA, "The Greek Golden Visa after the 2024–2026 overhaul" (September 2026). We sell Greek property for this programme. Informational, not legal or tax advice.