Greece Golden Visa vs Italy Investor Visa (Visto per Investitori)
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
- ›Italy Investor Visa (Visto per Investitori) is faster: 3 months vs 4 months for Greece Golden Visa.
- ›Faster to citizenship: Greece Golden Visa at ~7 years, vs 10 for Italy Investor Visa (Visto per Investitori).
- ›Lower capital: Greece Golden Visa (250,000 USD) vs 270,000 for Italy Investor Visa (Visto per Investitori).
Greece Golden Visa Greece · investment | Italy Investor Visa (Visto per Investitori) Italy · investment | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Greece | Italy |
| Category | Investment | Investment |
| Application Fee | $2,200 | $130 |
| 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 may be included as family members at no additional investment requirement |
| Path to PR | Yes — 5 years | Yes — 5 years |
| Path to Citizenship | Yes — 7 years | Yes — 10 years |
| Physical Presence | No minimum annual stay required to maintain the Golden Visa; 7 years of actual residence required for citizenship | Must reside in Italy for the duration of the visa; investment must be maintained throughout the residency period |
| 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 | Residency triggers Italian tax obligations; the Neo-Residenti flat substitute tax on all foreign-source income (€300,000/year for elections from 1 January 2026, grandfathered at €200,000 or €100,000 for earlier entrants) is particularly advantageous for high-net-worth investors and may be combined with family members at €50,000 each per year (€25,000 for pre-2026 elections) |
| Tax Residency Trigger | 183 days/yr | 183 days/yr |
| Worldwide Taxation | Yes | Yes |
| Renewal Cost | $2,200 | $130 |
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 Italy Investor Visa (Visto per Investitori)
Italy's Investor Visa (Visto per Investitori) is a golden-visa route giving non-EU nationals residency in exchange for one of four qualifying investments: EUR 250,000 in an Italian innovative startup, EUR 500,000 in an established Italian company, EUR 2,000,000 in government bonds, or a EUR 1,000,000 philanthropic donation. Beyond the capital, realistic costs run about USD 20,000-45,000 in the first year, and the process, gated by a Nulla Osta clearance and proof of lawful funds, takes roughly three months of application time. Family is included at no additional investment. Permanent residency is available after 5 years (with a language test) and citizenship after 10 years (B1 Italian); dual citizenship is allowed. Holders must reside in Italy and maintain the investment throughout. Residents are taxed on worldwide income, but the optional New Residents flat tax substitutes a fixed annual charge on all foreign-source income, EUR 300,000 per year for new entrants from 1 January 2026 (up from EUR 200,000 for 10 Aug 2024–31 Dec 2025 elections and EUR 100,000 before that; earlier beneficiaries keep their entry rate) plus EUR 50,000 per family member (EUR 25,000 for pre-2026 elections), for those non-resident 9 of the prior 10 years.
Full Italy Investor Visa (Visto per Investitori) 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
Italy Investor Visa (Visto per Investitori)
- ⚠€300k/yr flat tax for NEW applicants from 1 January 2026 (up from €200k for 10 Aug 2024–31 Dec 2025 entrants, and €100k before that) — existing beneficiaries keep the rate they entered at
- ⚠Startup route (€250k) requires innovative start-up status (iscritta sezione speciale del registro imprese) — not every new company qualifies
- ⚠Family flat-tax add-on is €50k/yr per dependent for entrants from 1 January 2026 (doubled from €25k, which still applies to earlier grandfathered elections)
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.