Hungary
Hungarian guest investor programme
Hungary's guest investor programme grants a 10-year residence permit for investments starting at EUR 250,000, renewable for another 10 years.
News · Greece
Greece plans to raise property transfer tax to 15% for non-EU individual buyers
On 6 September 2026, at the 90th Thessaloniki International Fair, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced that the property transfer tax for third-country buyers will rise from the current 3% to 15%. According to Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis, the measure would take effect from 1 July 2027.
Summary
In brief
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The tax would rise from 3% (3.09% with the municipal surcharge) to 15% (15.45%).
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Affected: non-EU/EEA individuals without long-term resident status buying residential property.
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According to reports, exempt would be: companies, EU/EEA citizens, long-term residents, members of the diaspora, and non-residential property.
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According to reports, the start date was moved from 1 January to 1 July.
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The rule will go into an omnibus bill, which will be put to public consultation before it is submitted to parliament; the text has not been published.
Background
What happened
According to Proto Thema, in his speech on 6 September 2026 Mitsotakis announced the government's intention to raise the property transfer tax for third-country buyers from the current 3% to 15%. The Prime Minister mentioned 1 January 2027; two days later Finance Minister Pierrakakis said the measure would take effect from 1 July 2027, "because our goal is not to surprise the market".
According to cretaone.gr, the increase would apply only to non-EU/EEA individuals without long-term resident status buying residential property. Exempt would be legal entities, EU and EEA citizens, long-term residents, members of the diaspora, and buyers of commercial, industrial and other non-residential property. In an example given by To Vima on 4 October 2026, the tax on an €800,000 property would rise from about €24,000 to €120,000. According to the paper, third-country buyers invested about €1.2 billion in Greek property in 2025, led by buyers from Turkey (€214.4 million), Switzerland (€210.8 million), Hong Kong (€115.5 million), Israel (€88.2 million) and the USA (€88 million).
The legislative text has not been published; the final exemption criteria and how the measure affects individual routes of the Greek investor residence programme are not known.
For you
What it means for you
- If you plan to invest in Greek property: as a non-EU individual buying residential property, allow for a transfer tax of 15% of the price from mid-2027.
- Details open: the text is still under consultation, so check the final conditions again after it is published.
- Alternatives: if you are considering investor residence, we will compare the programmes available today with you when you request a quote, including the Hungarian guest investor programme.
Programmes
Related programmes
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- Malta
Malta Startup Residence Programme
The Malta Startup Residence Programme is for people who found an innovative company in Malta or move one there, investing at least EUR 25,000.
Sources
Sources
Last checked:
- Proto Thema: The new 15% transfer tax – how it impacts the luxury real estate market – 29 September 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- To Vima: Property – 15% transfer tax for non-EU buyers from 2027 – 4 October 2026 (in Greek) (opens in a new tab)
- Cretaone: Property – who pays the 15% transfer tax (in Greek) (opens in a new tab)