Want to get a Greek residency, even citizenship? Golden visa is your key
Last November 2023, Filipino actress Bea Alonzo made the headlines for getting her residence card in Spain after a year of securing her golden visa, which grants residency or citizenship to individuals and their families by investing a minimum amount set by the respective country’s government.
Bea invested P30 million in real estate, giving her several perks like free-visa travel within Europe’s Schengen zone. Ultimately, she and her mother would become Spanish citizens, too.
There exist cheaper residency-by-investment programs in other European countries. One such country is the Hellenic Republic a.k.a. Greece.
The Greek Golden Visa allows one to live in Greece and travel across the Schengen region, without a visa. (Yes, no need to go through the hassle of getting a visa and fear the possibility of not getting one!)
One company that offers such is Golden Visa Centrale (GVC), a Taguig-based international property marketing consultancy firm that has facilitated numerous applications in the United States, Portugal, and Spain since 2019.
The program is worth 250,000 euros (P15 million) and offers an investment opportunity in more than 30 islands in Greece, including Patras, the country’s third-largest city situated along the Peloponnese peninsula and home to three public universities. Those who would want to stay in the more popular areas like Mykonos, Athens, and Santorini, would have to pay about 500,000 euros or P30 million.
GVC's golden visa program involves investing at Wonderwall, a university residence in Patras serving as the ideal business venture for a city boasting a huge student population.
Non-EU individuals over the age of 18, with no criminal record, and sufficient income are eligible to apply for this type of visa.
GVC’s investors, who would earn 5 percent of the rent annually, will enjoy the following perks as part of the golden visa program:
- five-year permanent residence visa with unlimited renewals;
- citizenship application after a seven-year residence; and
- family reunification of up to three generations (spouse, children, parents, and in-laws).
GVC said its program has no residency stay requirements, meaning Filipinos don’t necessarily have to live there as their businesses elsewhere are ongoing.
It caters to remote applications that don’t need a National Bureau of Investigation or NBI Clearance, making the process convenient.
There are also no world taxes involved as they earn money.
To date, golden visa holders may not yet apply for a job in Greece due to local laws, though they may do business or study there.
GVC said processing takes six to nine months, one of the swiftest ones in the business.
Interested parties may visit Golden Visa Centrale’s office located at 29F World Plaza on 5th Avenue in Taguig. They may also email [email protected] and text or call 09178561237.
