Greece Golden Visa vs Hungary Guest Investor Programme
A factual side-by-side comparison of two residency programmes. All figures are drawn from the canonical program pages — follow either link in the table header for sources and the full profile.
Key Differences at a Glance
- ›Hungary Guest Investor Programme is faster: 3 months vs 4 months for Greece Golden Visa.
- ›Faster to citizenship: Greece Golden Visa at ~7 years, vs 8 for Hungary Guest Investor Programme.
- ›Lower capital: Greece Golden Visa (250,000 USD) vs 270,000 for Hungary Guest Investor Programme.
Greece Golden Visa Greece · investment | Hungary Guest Investor Programme Hungary · investment | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Greece | Hungary |
| Category | Investment | Investment |
| Application Fee | $2,200 | $1,000 |
| Minimum Income | — | — |
| Minimum Investment | $250,000 | $270,000 |
| Processing Time | 4 months | 3 months |
| Family Included | No additional investment required; covers spouse and dependent children up to 21, as well as parents and parents-in-law | Spouse and dependent children under 18 may be included at no additional investment requirement |
| Path to PR | Yes — 5 years | Yes — 3 years |
| Path to Citizenship | Yes — 7 years | Yes — 8 years |
| Physical Presence | No minimum annual stay required to maintain the Golden Visa; 7 years of actual residence required for citizenship | No mandatory minimum stay requirement; permit must be renewed every 10 years |
| Dual Citizenship | Allowed | Allowed |
| Tax Impact | No mandatory tax residency triggered by the visa; those who choose to tax-reside may benefit from Greece's non-dom lump sum tax of €100,000/year on foreign income for up to 15 years | Holders without habitual residence in Hungary are generally not considered Hungarian tax residents; those who establish a domicile or spend 183+ days per year become tax residents subject to Hungary's flat 15% personal income tax on worldwide income |
| Tax Residency Trigger | 183 days/yr | 183 days/yr |
| Worldwide Taxation | Yes | Yes |
| Renewal Cost | $2,200 | $500 |
About Greece Golden Visa
Greece's Golden Visa is one of Europe's most accessible investment-residency programmes. Originally a uniform €250,000 real-estate threshold, the 2024 reform raised investment minimums sharply: €800,000 in high-demand zones (Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini, islands over 3,100 inhabitants), €400,000 in other regions, with the legacy €250,000 threshold preserved only for commercial-to-residential conversions and specific listed-building restorations. Alternative routes include €500,000 in Greek capital-company shares, €500,000 in mutual funds or AIFs, or €500,000 bank deposit. The visa grants 5-year renewable residence with no minimum physical-presence requirement — making it one of the lowest-effort EU residency permits and a popular passive-investment route for non-EU HNWIs. Holders gain Schengen visa-free travel but cannot acquire Greek citizenship through this route directly; standard naturalisation requires 7 years of physical residence plus B1 Greek language. Greece levies progressive income tax to 44%, but a flat-tax regime for qualifying HNWIs taxes worldwide income at €100,000/year for up to 15 years. Property tax (ENFIA) applies annually to the underlying real-estate investment.
Full Greece Golden Visa profile →About Hungary Guest Investor Programme
Hungary's Guest Investor Programme, relaunched in July 2024, is a golden-visa route granting a 10-year renewable residence permit to non-EU investors; EU/EEA and Swiss nationals are ineligible. The defining requirement is a qualifying investment—€250,000 in an approved Hungarian real estate fund (restricted to rental, not a primary residence) or a €500,000 donation to a designated higher-education institution—which must be maintained and shown to derive from lawful funds. Application-side fees run about $1,000, with realistic first-year costs of $7,000–17,000 excluding the qualifying investment itself. Nominal processing is three months, but card issuance stretches total time to 20–32 weeks as the relaunched programme settles. Spouse and children under 18 are included at no extra investment. A standout feature is no mandatory minimum stay; permanent residency is available with minimal delay and citizenship after eight years (B1 Hungarian), with dual citizenship allowed. Holders without a Hungarian domicile are generally not tax residents; establishing domicile or 183+ days brings a flat 15% tax on worldwide income.
Full Hungary Guest Investor Programme profile →Gotchas to Watch For
Greece Golden Visa
- ⚠September 2024 reform raised thresholds significantly; Athens/Thessaloniki/Mykonos/Santorini now €800k minimum
- ⚠No physical presence required, but also no path to citizenship without 7 years actual residence
- ⚠Greek Golden Visa ≠ EU Schengen freedom; allows visa-free Schengen travel but not residence
- ⚠Property cannot be rented short-term (Airbnb) in Athens/Thessaloniki districts under some interpretations — consult lawyer
- ⚠Citizenship requires 7 years of genuine residence, B1 Greek, civic test
Hungary Guest Investor Programme
- ⚠Programme RELAUNCHED July 2024 — historical processing data limited
- ⚠Real estate investment route restricts to rental properties (not primary residence)
- ⚠8-year citizenship path + B1 Hungarian (harder than Romance languages for many)
- ⚠Hungary in EU + Schengen — but residence here ≠ EU-wide residence rights
Neutral reference — we don't recommend one programme over another. Programmes change: always verify each detail against the official source linked on the individual program pages.