# €250K Residence Permit



## TNLady (Sep 8, 2014)

Do you know of anyone who has moved to Greece with a Type D visa? I found this helpful document: http://www.mfa.gr/missionsabroad/images/stories/missions/uae/docs/permit_ependytes_en.pdf

It says: "Type D—national visa (for online info click here) : there is a special provision for real estate property owners or perspective buyers. Its duration is up to 365 days. Its holder may stay in Greece during the whole period and travel to or from Greece as often as desired. He/she may travel to other Schengen countries for a up to 90 days per six-month period."

As the yearlong stay comes to a close, I wonder what happens to the prospective buyer if they haven't found a property?


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## concertina (Oct 18, 2012)

*Type D visa*

You should check that is still possible under this new government,the previous government had improved the offer and said that 5 years of continuous ownership of the property would entitle the owner,their spouse,children and parents to citizenship.If they sold it in the 5 years the deal would pass to the new owner.And one would presume that when the year is up,over, then the person must legally remove themselves to where they came from,thats fair enough.But check it out as things change all the time especially here in Greece,obviously its a great chance for a non EU person to gain right of residence here and then they would be able to settle in a different EU country if they wanted.


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## OldPro (Feb 18, 2015)

What do you actually want to do TNLady?

The link you provide is written in Gringlish as many such documents are. That makes it somewhat more difficult to read and understand.

You can enter Greece without a visa for up to 90 days. During that 90 days, you can if you wish buy a property. The only reason to apply for a Type D visa would be if you intend to buy a property but do not think you will be able to do so within 90 days. 

The link covers TWO things, the visa and a Residence Permit. To get a Residence Permit, you must have BOUGHT a property.

So you really need to say what it is you want to do in order for advice to be relevant to your specific plans. There are circumstances under which I would not see any need to apply for a type D visa even if you plan to buy. Knowing Greece and Greek bureaucracy, I would try to avoid it if possible simply because of the likely hassle factor involved.

If what you are thinking of is a way to get around the 90 day Schengen rule and stay in Greece for a year with no real intentions of buying at all, that is another thing altogether and will change potential advice. 

My advice to anyone thinking of buying property in any foreign country is always the same. Never buy anything until you have lived in a place for at least 1 and preferably 2 years. That advice is based on no statistical data but on first hand personal observations of people making such a move.

In the 7 years I lived in Greece, for every 10 I saw move with their rose coloured glasses on, 5 were gone within 2 years and only 1-2 were still there after 5 years. None ever left with more money than they arrived with. 

I'm not trying to scare monger, simply say what I observed. There is no way to know if you will 'stick' or not until you try. The single biggest reason for people not 'sticking' is simply the inability to adapt to 'different'. Not good or bad, right or wrong, just different.

So again, what is you you want to do? Asking what happens at the end of a year long visa raises questions in my mind as to your intentions since it is obvious what happens when any visa expires, you have to leave. In this case you would have to leave UNLESS you have purchased a property in which case you would apply for a Residence Permit to allow you to stay. Residence permits are usually issued for 5 years.


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