Golden Visa steadying course as demand drops, the Program is gradually stabilizing

• 13 November, 25

The Golden Visa residence permit-for-investments program is rapidly returning to a more normal pace after a sharp increase in demand, recording successive and larger annual decreases in the rate of submission of new applications.

Based on the latest Migration Ministry data, in September this year there was a 49.7% drop in the number of residence permit applications compared to September 2024, as 392 applications were submitted against 780 filed 12 months earlier.

In August there was a 43% drop in applications, while in July the decline was 23.75%. In total, 5,747 applications have been submitted in the first nine months of this year, compared to 6,108 applications in the same period in 2024 (-6%).

If the current rate of decline in new applications is maintained, as expected, it appears that 2025 will mark the first year of normalization and rationalization of the program’s operation, after a frenetic course in the two-year period 2023-2024, which was caused by successive changes in legislation and increases in the minimum investment limits in order for someone to secure a residence permit. These resulted in a frenzy by investors who wanted beat the deadlines set for the implementation of higher thresholds, distorting the course of the program. 

Cre: ekathimerini