The Greece Golden Visa transfer tax is proposed to rise, if the government’s measure becomes law, from an effective 3.09% to 15.45% on homes bought by non-EU and non-EEA individuals from 1 July 2027. On an €800,000 purchase, that is about €98,900 extra, or roughly £83,800 at an illustrative £1 to €1.18 exchange rate. It is still a proposal, not a law in force, and key details remain open, including whether Golden Visa buyers will get any carve-out. Until a bill is published, the sensible approach is to plan around the higher rate without assuming the final wording will arrive exactly as announced.

This guide sets out what has been announced, what is still unknown, what the change would cost at each investment tier in pounds, and how to plan a purchase around the date.

What has Greece actually announced?

On 6 September 2026, the Greek Prime Minister announced at the Thessaloniki International Fair that the transfer tax on homes bought by third-country buyers would rise from 3% to 15%. The Finance Minister later gave 1 July 2027 as the intended start date. Add the municipal levy, which is 3% of the tax itself, and the effective rate moves from 3.09% to 15.45%.

Early reports pointed to 1 January 2027, so you may still see that date quoted. The July date is the one ministers have since confirmed, as To Vima’s report on the Finance Minister’s announcement sets out. As described so far, the higher rate would cover residential property bought by individuals who are not EU or EEA citizens. Commercial property and land are expected to remain at the current rate, and exemptions have been reported for certain long-term residents in Greece and some ethnic Greeks.

Question	Position as announced
Who pays the higher rate	Non-EU and non-EEA individuals buying homes
Who is outside it	EU and EEA citizens, with reported exemptions for certain long-term residents and ethnic Greeks
Property covered	Residential property only, with commercial property and land excluded
Companies	Described as natural persons only, so companies appear outside the proposal as announced
Start date	1 July 2027, subject to legislation
Golden Visa carve-out	Not announced
Transitional rules for deals in progress	Not yet set out in final legal text

Is the Greece Golden Visa transfer tax increase law yet?

No. The measure has been announced, not enacted. Reports indicate it is expected to be folded into wider legislation and go through public consultation, so the final text can still change. Some Greek lawyers have also questioned whether a rate that depends purely on nationality would survive an equal-treatment challenge. Treat the announcement as a strong signal of intent, not a guarantee of the final wording.

How much would it add to a Golden Visa purchase?

At the minimum thresholds, the effective rate moving from 3.09% to 15.45% adds roughly 12.36% of the taxable value to your bill. The table uses an exchange rate of about £1 to €1.18, which will move with the market.

Investment tier	Tax now at 3.09%	Tax if 15.45%	Extra cost
€250,000	€7,725, about £6,500	€38,625, about £32,700	€30,900, about £26,200
€400,000	€12,360, about £10,500	€61,800, about £52,400	€49,440, about £41,900
€800,000	€24,720, about £20,900	€123,600, about £104,700	€98,880, about £83,800

At the headline rates before the municipal levy, the €800,000 figure is €24,000 against €120,000, an extra €96,000, which is the number most headlines use.

These figures assume the price and the taxable value are the same. They often are not. Greece can tax on an official objective value rather than the contract price, so run your calculation on the right number. Our Greece Golden Visa cost guide explains how taxable value works, and our Golden Visa application cost breakdown shows where the tax sits among legal, notary and government fees.

Does the higher rate apply to every Golden Visa route?

Would the 15% rate apply to Golden Visa property buyers? On the announced wording, yes for the €800,000 and €400,000 residential routes. Every property investor in the programme is a third-country national by definition, so unless the final law carves them out, they should budget for the higher rate.

The other routes are less clear.

• The €250,000 conversion route. Commercial property is expected to be excluded, but the point of this route is converting a commercial unit into a home. Whether the higher rate catches those units has not been settled, and developers and advisers have been pushing for clarity. Our guide to the €250,000 exemptions explains what qualifies.

• Existing permit holders. Transfer tax is paid at purchase, so a property you already own is unaffected. Whether a further residential purchase by the same investor would be charged at 15% is open until the final rules are published.

• Reported exemptions. Long-term resident status is a specific legal status, not the same thing as a Golden Visa permit. Assume a Golden Visa card does not qualify you for the exemption unless the final text says so.

• Companies. Buying through a company is a different tax and Golden Visa structuring question with its own consequences, not a workaround to assume.

Our summary of the 2026 Golden Visa circular for property investors and the full list of Greece Golden Visa requirements show how the investment thresholds themselves are unchanged by this proposal.

Which date will matter, the deposit, the contract or the deed?

Nobody knows yet, and it is the most important unanswered question. Reports suggest transfers completed by 30 June 2027 should stay on the current rate, but there is no final published transitional rule for reservations, deposits or preliminary agreements. A final text could tie the rate to the notarial deed, the preliminary contract, the tax declaration or something else.

A common mistake is to assume a reservation deposit locks in the rate. Do not rely on that. Ask your lawyer to confirm in writing which event fixes the rate once the bill is published, and build in a margin if your purchase depends on a building permit or a conversion being finished. Greek transfer tax is normally paid before the final contract is signed, so the tax is settled at completion, not at application.

Planning a purchase around 1 July 2027

A straightforward purchase commonly takes three to four months from instruction to completion, so your real deadline is earlier than the date suggests.

1. Decide your tier and budget, including the transfer tax at both rates.

2. Appoint a Greek lawyer, sign a Power of Attorney and obtain your tax number, as we explain in our guide to buying Greek property from abroad.

3. Shortlist properties and complete due diligence on title, planning and size.

4. Sign the preliminary agreement only once your lawyer has confirmed what it protects.

5. Pay the transfer tax and complete the notarial deed.

6. File the Golden Visa application after completion.

If you want to finish comfortably before the date, you should be instructing a lawyer in the first quarter of 2027 at the latest, and earlier if the property is off plan, under conversion or dependent on planning or registry steps.

Do not let a deadline push you into a poor purchase. Greek authorities have investigated agents who took deposits without delivering properties, and the 2026 circular tells officials to refer misleading advertising. A property that does not qualify, or a rushed price, can cost far more than the tax you were trying to avoid. Our guide to shortlisting a Golden Visa property and our comparison of lawyers and consultants explain how to protect yourself.

Should you rush to buy before the deadline?

Not automatically. The direction of travel in Greece is clear, since the programme has been tightened at each stage and recent Ministry data suggests new applications are down sharply in 2026 compared with 2025. PASOK, the main opposition party, has also proposed ending the real estate Golden Visa route, although that amendment has not become law. At the same time, the government has floated a portfolio-style category that would let investors spread the qualifying sum across several properties, provided they are committed to long-term rental. That is uncertainty in both directions, and it argues for a considered decision, not a panicked one.

Ask the broader question first. Greek property carries other costs and rules that sit alongside the purchase tax. Short-term letting of a Golden Visa property is banned, as we explain in our guide to renting out your Golden Visa property. Capital gains tax has been suspended until 31 December 2026, which our piece on tax when you sell Golden Visa property covers. Holding the permit also does not make you a tax resident, a point we cover in Greek tax residency and the Golden Visa. Families should look at including family members on the permit before committing.

If the extra tax changes your mind

For some investors, a higher purchase tax tips the balance. If you want Greek residence without buying a home, the Greece Financially Independent Person visa relies on income, not property, and our comparison of the Golden Visa and the FIP visa shows who each route suits. Italy’s investor visa is another European option, and Portugal’s route now runs through regulated investment funds, which our Greece versus Portugal comparison puts side by side.

If a second passport matters more than European residence, Dominica and St Lucia’s citizenship by investment programme avoid Greek property tax questions altogether. It helps to understand residency versus citizenship by investment before choosing, and our overview of the best Golden Visa options in Europe and our note on planning a second residency in 2026 put the Greek change in context.

Frequently asked questions

Is Greece’s 15% transfer tax in force now?

No. It has been announced for 1 July 2027, but no final law has been passed. Anyone buying today should still be assessed under the current rules, where the standard effective transfer tax is 3.09%.

Will existing Golden Visa holders pay the higher tax?

Not on a property they already own, because the tax is paid at purchase. Whether a further residential purchase by the same investor would be charged at the new rate has not been confirmed.

Does the proposal change the Golden Visa investment thresholds?

No. The €800,000, €400,000 and €250,000 thresholds are unchanged. The proposal raises the tax on top of the price, so it increases your total purchase cost.

Can I avoid the tax by buying commercial property?

Commercial property is excluded as announced, but the €250,000 route involves converting commercial space into residential use, and its treatment is unresolved. Do not plan around a loophole until the final text is published.

Should I sign a preliminary agreement now to be safe?

Only with legal advice. There are no final transitional rules yet, so a preliminary agreement may not protect the current rate, and signing early on the wrong property can be costly.

If you are weighing a Greek property purchase against the new tax and the alternatives, Coates Global’s immigration lawyers can model the total cost at both rates and sequence your purchase against the July 2027 date. Get in touch before you pay a deposit.