Greece's Golden Visa programme now accounts for more than 100,000 active residence permits when investors and their family members are included, even as the pace of new applications has slowed in 2026.
China remains by far the largest source market for the programme, while Turkey is a significant second market. Investors from the Middle East, the UK, the US and elsewhere also make up Greece's increasingly international Golden Visa investor base.
According to August 2026 data from the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum, there were 26,690 active initial Golden Visa investor permits, alongside 8,069 active renewals.
Together, this brings the number of active investor permits to 34,759. When residence permits for investors' family members are included, the total reaches 100,784.
At the same time, the number of pending investor applications fell from 8,977 in June to 7,686 in August, showing that Greece is reducing a sizeable existing pipeline while continuing to add active permit holders.
So, where are Greece's Golden Visa investors coming from, and what does the latest data tell us about the programme in 2026?
China Remains the Largest Greece Golden Visa Market
Chinese investors continue to account for the largest share of the Greece Golden Visa programme.
As of August 2026, Chinese nationals held 12,664 active initial investor permits, equivalent to 47.4% of the total.
This means almost one in every two primary Golden Visa investors is Chinese.
China has long been an important market for residence-by-investment programmes and remains central to the Greece Golden Visa investor base despite changes to the country's property investment thresholds.
However, the latest figures also show that the programme has developed a much broader international investor base.
Turkey Accounts for Almost One in Five Investors
Turkey remains comfortably the programme's second-largest source market.
Turkish nationals held 5,107 active initial investor permits in August, representing 19.1% of the total.
Combined, Chinese and Turkish nationals therefore account for around two-thirds of Greece's active initial Golden Visa investor permits.
Turkish investors are also strongly represented among applications still being processed, accounting for 18.1% of the outstanding Golden Visa caseload in August.
For investors in Turkey, Greece offers geographical proximity alongside the residence rights associated with an EU and Schengen Area country.
Where Else Are Greece's Golden Visa Investors Coming From?
Beyond China and Turkey, the programme attracts investors from a wide range of countries.
The ten largest nationalities among active initial Golden Visa investors in August 2026 were:
The figures highlight particularly strong participation from the Middle East, with Lebanon, Iran, Israel and Egypt all appearing among the ten largest nationalities.
They also demonstrate that Greece's Golden Visa is no longer associated with only one or two dominant overseas markets.
Israel, the UK and US Are Also Well Represented
Israel now ranks fifth among active initial Golden Visa investors, with 849 permits, moving slightly ahead of the United Kingdom.
Israeli nationals are also particularly prominent within the current application pipeline, accounting for 5.3% of pending investor applications, compared with 3.2% of active initial permits.
This does not by itself establish a long-term change in the programme's investor profile, but it shows that Israel is currently relatively prominent among applications still being processed.
The United Kingdom ranks sixth, with 840 active initial investor permits.
Before Brexit, British citizens benefited from EU freedom of movement rights in Greece. British citizens moving to Greece today generally fall under third-country immigration rules, making routes such as the Golden Visa relevant to those seeking longer-term residence rights in the country.
The United States also appears among the top ten, with 642 active initial investor permits.
While each of these markets remains considerably smaller than China or Turkey, their presence reflects the increasingly international profile of the programme.
What Does the Current Application Pipeline Look Like?
The latest figures also provide an insight into applications still moving through the Greek system.
At the end of August 2026, there were 7,686 pending Golden Visa investor applications, down from 8,977 in June.
China remained the largest nationality within the pending caseload, accounting for 45.9%, followed by Turkey at 18.1% and Israel at 5.3%.
The declining backlog is notable, but it needs to be considered alongside another development: new Golden Visa application volumes have slowed in 2026.
In the first half of the year, 2,551 initial applications were submitted, compared with 4,553 during the same period of 2025, representing a 44% year-on-year decline.
By the end of August, the number of initial Golden Visa applications submitted during 2026 had reached 3,426.
At the same time, Greek authorities have continued processing applications lodged during previous years. This helps explain why the number of active Golden Visa permits can continue to increase even while the volume of new applications falls.
The figures therefore point to two developments taking place at once: Greece is working through the application pipeline created during previous periods of particularly high demand, while fewer new investors are entering the application process than during the equivalent period of 2025.
Renewals Show How Established the Programme Has Become
The Greece Golden Visa is also becoming an increasingly mature residence programme.
There were 8,069 active renewed investor permits in August 2026, alongside 26,690 active initial permits.
These renewals represent investors who have moved beyond the initial application stage and continued to maintain their Greek residence status.
When family members are included, the scale of the programme becomes larger still, with 100,784 active residence permits connected to the Golden Visa recorded in August.
This means the programme is no longer simply a story of new investment. Greece now has a substantial established population of investors and families maintaining residence permits over the longer term.
A Different Golden Visa Market in 2026
Today's Greece Golden Visa operates under a different investment framework from the programme that many existing investors originally entered.
For real estate investment, the programme now generally operates across three property investment thresholds:
- €800,000 in designated high-demand areas
- €400,000 across much of the rest of Greece
- €250,000 for certain qualifying property categories, including eligible commercial-to-residential conversions
The reforms significantly changed the entry point for investors in many of Greece's most popular property markets and have coincided with a slowdown in new Golden Visa applications.
However, the latest figures also show the scale the programme has already reached. China remains the dominant source market, Turkey is firmly established as the second largest, and investors from Israel, the Middle East, the UK, the US and elsewhere give the programme a broad international profile.
At the same time, Greece is continuing to issue permits and reduce its outstanding application caseload, even as the pace of new applications has cooled under the current investment framework.
For prospective investors, the headline numbers are only one part of the decision. The current investment thresholds, the eligibility of individual properties, the costs involved and the requirements for maintaining residence all need to be considered before deciding whether the Greece Golden Visa is the right option.
Investors considering the property route can also explore current investment opportunities or browse Greece investment properties that may be suitable for the Golden Visa programme.
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