Can Foreigners Buy Property in Greece?

Greece opens its doors to foreign property buyers with one notable exception: border regions require special permits for security reasons.

The restricted areas include the Dodecanese Islands (Rhodes, Kos, Patmos), some northeastern Aegean islands, and the Thrace region along the Turkish border. These are historic strategic zones. Getting a permit isn't impossible - people do it - but adds bureaucracy and time.

Everywhere else is unrestricted. Athens. Thessaloniki. Crete. Corfu. The Cyclades (Mykonos, Santorini, Paros). The Peloponnese. Most of mainland Greece. Americans, Europeans, Chinese, Brazilians - everyone has identical property rights to Greek citizens in these areas.

The buying process is similar to other EU countries. Get an AFM (Greek tax number). Open a Greek bank account. Find a property. Your lawyer verifies ownership, checks for debts, confirms building legality. Sign at a notary. Register the sale.

Costs are lower than Western Europe: 3% transfer tax, 1-1.5% notary, 1-2% legal, 2-3% agent commission. Total around 8-10%.

Citizenship is possible after 7 years of residency plus passing a Greek language exam. That's longer than Portugal's 5 years, but Greece's lower entry cost and no-stay requirements make it attractive anyway.