Securing Your Family's Future: Multi-Generational Coverage Through Strategic Foreign Investment

The Problem

Many rich families keep most of their money, things they own, how they live, and what they want to do in the future in just one country. This means they use only one type of money, live in one area, and follow one set of rules.

Family planning is part of this. Kids can get too old to be counted as dependents for immigration. A parent might need other healthcare or a new place to live. These are real reasons to keep your choices open, and to think about how greece residency by investment can fit the future that your family may have.

Why It Happens

Relying on one country gives you fewer choices. It can also limit where your family can live. This can decide where your things are kept, where your kids go to learn, and how easy it is for you to move around Europe.

That is why more families today use residency-by-investment programs. They do this to help with wealth and planning for the next generation.

The Golden Visa program gives you a five-year permit to live in the country if you make a qualifying investment. You can renew this permit later. According to Law 5275/2026, the five years start on the day you get the residence card. With one investment, you can cover:

- your spouse or registered partner

- unmarried children under 21 (this can go up to 24 with a separate permit, if there are certain conditions; unmarried children under 21 years old can be extended up to age 24 under specific dependency/student conditions)

- the parents of both you and your spouse (with no age or dependency restrictions required)

Solution 1: Qualifying Real Estate in Greece

In accordance with Law 5100/2024, together with further specifications in Law 5275/2026 and Circular 1/2026, the property route includes three tiered real estate thresholds:

- €800,000: Applies to high-demand areas, including all of Attica (including Athens and Piraeus), Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini, and other Greek islands which exceed the population of 3,100 inhabitants. Must be a single property of at least 120 sq. meters.

- €400,000: Applies to all remaining municipalities across Greece (single property, min. 120 sq. meters).

- €250,000 Exception: Restricted strictly to specific property types: conversion of commercial/industrial property into residential use or the restoration of historically listed buildings.

For the €800,000 and €400,000 thresholds, you need to acquire one property that has a minimum of 120 square meters of livable area. You cannot put smaller units together anymore. The €250,000 route does not need a minimum floor area. But, it does have rules of its own. The change of use has to be fully checked and done before you send in your file. A property changed through this route can support a permit only one time. So, if another non-EU buyer comes, they must meet the usual rule for that area.

Solution 2: Schengen Mobility and Rights & Scope of Residency

Having a Greek residence permit provides visa-free travel within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. It can take several months to have your residence permit.

Holding a Greek residence permit does not grant the legal right to live, work, or access public healthcare/benefits in other EU/Schengen countries; it grants full residency rights only within Greece. Furthermore, regarding work restrictions, while the Golden Visa permits business ownership/shareholding in Greece, it does not allow direct local employment (unless the holder converts to a work permit or acquires long-term EU status/citizenship).

Solution 3: Multi-Generational Coverage

This is where the Greek program works best for families. One qualifying investment can cover the main applicant, their spouse or registered partner, unmarried children under 21 years old (which can be extended up to age 24 under specific dependency/student conditions), and parents of both the main applicant and spouse (with no age or dependency restrictions required). There is no extra qualifying amount for family members. This lets three generations be in one plan without anyone needing to move right away.

There is no rule about how long you must stay to keep or renew the permit. You can keep the permit as long as you keep your investment and meet the other rules. You do not have to move because of the permit. It is your choice if you want to live there or not.

Tax Residency Criteria

The Golden Visa alone will not make you a tax resident in Greece. Note that physical presence of 183+ days per year is not the only test for Greek tax residency. An individual can be deemed a Greek tax resident—regardless of physical day-counts—if their center of vital interests (main family, financial, or personal ties) is in Greece, or if Greece is established as their habitual abode or principal domicile.

Citizenship & Selling the Property

The visa does not give you citizenship; for that, you must live in Greece for many years and pass a language test.

Continuous ownership of the qualifying investment is required to retain and renew the 5-year residence permit. If you sell the property that got you the visa, your residence permit—and all associated family permits—will be revoked immediately, unless you simultaneously substitute the asset with another qualifying property of equal or greater required value. The property can be sold freely without affecting immigration status only after the investor transitions to EU Long-Term Resident status or acquires Greek citizenship (typically after 7 years of actual physical residence).

Short-Term Rental Restrictions & Fines

Properties acquired under the Golden Visa cannot be used for short-term vacation rentals (e.g., Airbnb, Vrbo). In case of violation of this regulation, the owner risks immediate revocation of the Golden Visa residence permit as well as having to pay an administrative fine of €50,000. Properties may only be leased on long-term residential contracts, where the owner might obtain rental income and maintain a permit to stay.

Conclusion

Relying only on one country can make it hard for a family to have many choices. International diversification is not about guessing what will happen next. It is about getting ready and having more options before you really need them.

If you and your family are thinking about moving to Greece, the Golden Visa can help. It gives you a permit to live there if you invest in a property that meets the rules. This permit can include your husband or wife, your kids, and your parents. mercan group has Greek Golden Visa options starting from €250,000. One option is Keranis Residences in Piraeus. This big development changes an old factory site into new homes by using the commercial-to-residential plan. The rules to get the permit depend on the paperwork for the property and how the use of the building has changed. You should let a lawyer check all of this before you pay or sign anything.

This article is for general information. It is not legal or tax advice. Rules about immigration can change, so check the latest requirements with a qualified adviser.