Portugal or Greece Golden Visa in 2026: Funds or Property?

The Greece Golden Visa was one of my first cases at BRIDGES, so it is the programme I compare Portugal with most naturally. On paper they look alike: both are in the EU and Schengen, both give a residence card for an investment and both cover the family. In 2026 they are built on different assets and lead to a passport on very different terms.

The short answer

Greece is a property programme with a lower entry and a faster decision. Portugal is a financial programme, more expensive at entry, with a slow agency and a longer road to citizenship, but with no need to own and manage a building.

Side by side

	Portugal Golden Visa	Greece Golden Visa
What you buy	Fund units, research, culture or a company with jobs	Property; alternatives such as a deposit, fund units or securities from €500,000
Main threshold	€500,000 in a fund	€400,000 or €800,000 depending on the zone; €250,000 for conversion or restoration
Real estate	Excluded since October 2023	The core of the programme
Stay rule	7 days in the first year, then 14 days per two-year period	None
Card	2 years at first, renewals after that	5 years, renewed while the property is kept
Processing (BRIDGES)	6 to 18 months; average 50.4 months reported on older cases	4 to 6 months
Citizenship	10 years of legal residence (7 for EU and CPLP nationals)	7 years of continuous actual residence plus exams

The Greek figures come from the BRIDGES page on the Greece Golden Visa, the Portuguese ones from AIMA, the nationality law and the BRIDGES page on Portugal.

The entry price

In Greece the threshold depends on where the property is. According to BRIDGES, it is €800,000 in Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands with more than 3,100 inhabitants, and €400,000 elsewhere, for a single property of at least 120 square metres. The €250,000 threshold survives only for converting a commercial building into housing or restoring a listed building, with the works finished before filing. Greek property purchases also carry a transfer tax of 3.09% and notary and legal costs.

In Portugal the realistic entry for a private investor is €500,000 in a fund. The €250,000 cultural route exists, but it is a donation and BRIDGES calls it narrow. On top of the fund come state fees per person, fund fees and legal costs, which I list in my guide to costs and investment options.

What happens to the money

A Greek apartment is a tangible asset that can be rented out, and it needs looking after. A Portuguese fund needs nothing from you, but you own units rather than a building, the return depends on the manager and the state guarantees nothing. For a family that does not want to deal with tenants, repairs and taxes on rent, the Portuguese format can look less expensive than its entry price.

Presence and time

Greece asks for no minimum stay at all. Portugal asks for a few days, which is easy for most people. The bigger difference is the wait. BRIDGES gives four to six months in Greece after a complete filing. For Portugal it gives 6 to 18 months on its programme page, but its October 2026 analysis reports 46,000 Golden Visa applications in the AIMA queue and an average wait of 50.4 months on cases closed in the second quarter of 2026.

The road to a passport

This is where the old picture has turned around. Portugal was once the five-year route. Since 19 May 2026 Organic Law 1/2026 requires 10 years of legal residence for most non-EU nationals, and BRIDGES reads the period as counting from the first card. Greece, according to BRIDGES, requires seven years of continuous actual residence and exams. The Portuguese count is based on legal residence, the Greek one on really living there, so the two numbers measure different things. Neither programme gives a passport to someone who only visits.

A note on passports

For Russian citizens the choice is narrower. BRIDGES explains that EU sanctions close the Portuguese fund route to them, leaving only non-refundable donations, while Greece remains a property programme. Which passport you hold decides the route before any comparison of yields.

Who each one suits

Greece suits a family that wants EU residence soon, likes the idea of owning a property and does not plan to live in the country full time. Portugal suits a family that prefers a financial asset to a building, is in no hurry and sees Portugal as a place to live later. If citizenship within a decade is the main goal, I would plan for real residence in either country. The Portuguese rules are summarised in the complete guide.

BRIDGES sets out its own comparison in the article Golden Visa Portugal or Greece. Last checked 20 October 2026.