Greece has the clearest published rules of the three countries. You can buy through a company if you own 100% of its shares and it is based in Greece or another EU state, but you may face a 15% annual tax unless you qualify for an exemption. Spouses can buy jointly and meet the threshold together, while other co-owners each need to meet it separately. In Cyprus, the rules on joint and company ownership are much less clear. In Portugal, the property route has closed, although the fund route allows a single-member company.

For most people, the simplest answer is to buy in your own name unless you have a good reason not to. This guide explains why, and what changes the picture. It forms part of our wider guidance on residency and citizenship by investment, where the way you hold an asset can matter as much as the asset itself.

Can you buy golden visa property through a company?

In Greece, yes, under conditions. You must hold 100% of the company’s shares, and the company needs its registered office in Greece or another EU member state. In Cyprus, the sources we reviewed don’t confirm a company route for property, and in Portugal the property route is closed. A company can also bring extra tax and paperwork, so it’s rarely the easiest option.

Country	Joint ownership	Company purchase	Main watch point
Greece	Spouses or cohabiting partners can meet the threshold together. Other co-owners each need to meet it	Allowed if you own 100% of the shares and the company is based in Greece or another EU state	A 15% annual special tax can apply to company-owned property unless an exemption is claimed
Cyprus	Not clearly addressed in the sources we reviewed	Not clearly confirmed for property. A separate company investment route exists	Ownership names should match your application, so confirm before signing
Portugal	Not relevant to property, because the route has closed	The fund route allows investment through a single-member limited company	You must show you are the company’s sole partner

Greece: buying through a company

Greece’s rules were reworked by Law 5100/2024, which took effect on 5 April 2024. Under the new framework, property can be acquired through a company as long as the applicant owns 100% of its shares. A summary on Greek tax law site taxlaw.gr adds that the company must have its registered office in Greece or another EU member state.

That has a practical consequence for UK investors. A UK limited company isn’t based in an EU member state, so on these rules it wouldn’t meet the registered office test. If you were planning to use an existing UK company, speak to a Greek lawyer before you go any further.

The 15% special tax

The bigger issue is tax. Greece charges a special annual tax of 15% on the objective value of real estate held by legal entities. According to KPMG Greece’s tax update, Greek or EU entities can be exempt if they disclose their ultimate beneficial owners, who must hold a Greek tax registration number. The exemption isn’t automatic, so it has to be claimed correctly each time.

To put it in numbers, a property with an objective value of €400,000 would attract a charge of about €60,000 a year, which is roughly £50,400, if no exemption applied. Most investors who use a company will therefore want the exemption confirmed in writing before they buy. Our guide to Greek tax residency vs the Greek golden visa covers the wider tax picture.

Greece: buying jointly

Joint ownership has its own rules. According to the Bernitsas law firm briefing on the new framework, spouses or partners under a cohabitation agreement need to meet the property requirement together. Any other co-owners must each contribute the full threshold for the category.

The thresholds are €800,000 in Attica, the regional units of Thessaloniki, Mykonos and Santorini and islands with more than 3,100 inhabitants, and €400,000 elsewhere. A €250,000 route applies to listed building restoration and conversion to residential use. In pounds, that is roughly £672,000, £336,000 and £210,000. You can check how the exemptions work in our guide to the Greece golden visa exemptions.

So a married couple can buy one €800,000 property in Attica together and the threshold is met. Two unrelated friends buying the same property would each need to invest €800,000, which means a €1.6 million purchase. That catches people out when they treat a shared purchase as a way of splitting the cost.

The 120 square metre floor area rule also applies to the property as a whole, not to each owner’s share. EY Greece’s alert on Article 100 of the Greek immigration code confirms that point and notes that ownership and possession must be retained to renew.

Cyprus: where the rules are less clear

Cyprus is harder to pin down. The rules for permanent residence under Regulation 6(2) set out the amount and the type of investment, but the sources we reviewed don’t clearly say whether a jointly owned or company-held home satisfies it. A Cyprus law firm’s June 2026 guidance only says that you should check who the legal purchaser is, who counts as the investor for immigration purposes and whether the ownership structure matches the application.

A company does feature in a different way. Legal 500’s summary of Regulation 6(2) lists a separate category for investing €300,000 in the share capital of a Cyprus company, which needs a physical presence in Cyprus and at least 5 employees. That is a business investment, not a way of holding a home.

Family funding is more flexible. Earlier commentary suggests funds can come from the applicant’s or a spouse’s account, or from a company the two of you wholly own. That’s useful if your wealth sits in a company, though you should confirm it is still accepted. See our Cyprus permanent residency by investment guide for the full route.

Portugal: no property, but a company can hold fund units

Portugal has closed its real estate route, so there is no joint or company purchase of property to plan. The investment fund route does allow a company structure. AIMA’s document checklist for the fund route says that if you invest through a single-member limited company, you must provide a commercial registry certificate showing you are its partner.

That is a narrow allowance, so don’t assume a multi-owner company or a family holding company will qualify. Our guide to Portugal golden visa investment funds explains the route in more detail.

Questions to settle before you sign

The structure should be decided before the contract, not after. Ask your lawyer these questions in writing and keep the answers on file.

•       Who Is Named As The Buyer And Registered Owner
•       Whether The Structure Matches The Residence Application
•       If The Threshold Applies To The Whole Property Or Each Owner
•       Whether A Company Is Based In An Accepted Country
•       What Annual Taxes The Structure Triggers
•       How Ownership Must Be Kept For Renewal
•       What Happens If You Sell Or Divorce

Think beyond the visa

The structure also affects things the immigration authority never asks about. Ownership decides who inherits, what happens in a divorce and how easily you can sell. Joint ownership with a spouse is usually straightforward, but a company adds directors, accounts and filings for as long as you hold it. For a wider look at passing assets and status on, see our article on whether citizenship can be inherited.

If your children are heading to university abroad, think about how their status fits with your ownership, and our global education services can help you plan that alongside the permit. For the property itself, our real estate services for overseas investors can coordinate with your lawyer on the purchase.

How it can go wrong

Imagine a couple who buy a Greek property in the husband’s name only, and later decide the wife should hold half. If the transfer is done without checking the permit rules, the ownership no longer matches what was approved. It might be fine, but it might also need authority approval before the change.

Another common mistake is setting up a company for convenience, then discovering the annual tax and filings cost more than the legal fees you were trying to save. It’s much cheaper to ask the question at the start.

Frequently asked questions

Can I buy a Greek golden visa property through my company?

Yes, if you own 100% of the shares and the company is based in Greece or another EU member state. Expect the 15% special tax to apply unless you qualify for the disclosure exemption.

Can a UK company buy golden visa property in Greece?

On the rules we reviewed, probably not, because the company must have its registered office in an EU member state. Confirm this with a Greek lawyer before you proceed.

Can spouses buy a golden visa property jointly?

In Greece, yes. Spouses or partners under a cohabitation agreement meet the threshold together. Other co-owners each need to meet it individually.

Do both spouses need to invest?

Not in Greece, where a spouse can meet the threshold together with the applicant. Check the position for your chosen country, because Cyprus and Portugal work differently.

Is it better to buy in my own name or through a company?

For a single home, your own name is usually simpler and avoids the company tax. A company can make sense in specific cases, but it needs advice on tax and structure first.

Decide the structure before you decide the property

How you hold a golden visa property affects your permit, your tax and your family plans, so it’s worth settling early. If you’d like help choosing the right structure for your country and your circumstances, our team can guide you through our immigration and investment migration services. If you’re also weighing a second passport, you can compare the citizenship by investment programmes we work with. Get in touch and we’ll help you plan the next step.