Greece's Financially Independent Person (FIP) Visa Explained

Greece's Financially Independent Person (FIP) visa offers a calm, straightforward route to living in the country for people who can support themselves from their own resources. It is not an investment scheme and not a work permit — it is a residence permit for people who can show at least €3,500 a month in net resources and who will not work in Greece.

What the law says

The FIP permit is not a separate law: it is the residence permit for third-country nationals with sufficient means of living, set out in Article 163(8) of the Greek Migration Code (Law 5038/2023). The Code speaks of "sufficient resources, at the level of a stable annual income"; the amount is fixed by a joint ministerial decision (No. 225679, Government Gazette B' 5223 of 17 September 2024) at a minimum of €3,500 per month, counted as net income or capital.

Three further rules come straight from the Code:

• you first need a national (type D) visa issued for this purpose, and the residence permit is then granted on the basis of that visa;
• the permit lasts three years and can be renewed for periods of the same length (Article 163(8)(a));
• it gives no right to employment or to independent economic activity of any kind in Greece — for you or for the family members who join you (Article 163(8)(c)).

Who the FIP visa suits

The FIP route is designed for foreigners whose money does not depend on working inside Greece. If your income or savings come from sources elsewhere, this is often the most natural permit to consider.

It tends to fit people such as:

• Retirees living on a pension from their home country.
• People with income from abroad such as rental income, dividends, royalties or other returns.
• People with savings or investments large enough to cover their living costs.
• Couples and families who want to relocate together, where the main applicant can include a spouse and children.

If you instead plan to take a salaried job with a Greek employer or actively run a business in Greece, a different category will suit you better. The FIP visa is about self-sufficiency, not local employment.

How much income do I need?

The starting figure is €3,500 per month for the main applicant. The same ministerial decision increases it by 20% for a spouse and by 15% for each child. Because the increases are percentages, the easiest way to check your own figure is a formula:

Monthly requirement = €3,500 × (1 + 0.20 if your spouse comes + 0.15 for each child)

The decision lets you prove the amount through a pension from abroad, a bank account, or other evidence that you have sufficient means of your own whose lawful origin can be shown. Regular income such as a pension or dividends is assessed month by month; other resources, such as bank deposits, are assessed on an annual basis. So savings can count — the question is whether they are large enough and whether you can show where they came from. Expect to document everything: bank statements, pension letters, tax returns and similar records.

Figures last verified October 2026 against the Migration Code (Law 5038/2023) and joint ministerial decision 225679/2024 published by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum. Amounts can be revised by a new decision — confirm the current figure with a Greek immigration lawyer or the consulate before you apply.

The no-work condition

This is the most important rule to understand, because misunderstanding it can put your status at risk. Article 163(8)(c) states it plainly: the permit gives no right to dependent employment or to independent economic activity of any kind in Greece, and the same applies to the family members who join you.

What "no work" usually means in practice

The condition is aimed at economic activity in Greece. Living on a pension, rent or investment returns from abroad is exactly what the permit expects.

Remote work for clients or employers outside Greece is a different matter. Greece has a separate permit built for that purpose — the digital nomad route in Article 68 of the same Code — and remote work can also carry tax consequences once you become resident. If your real plan is to keep working, even remotely, discuss with a lawyer whether the digital nomad route is the safer fit rather than assuming the FIP permit covers it.

FIP or digital nomad: which permit fits?

The two routes look alike on paper — both use the same €3,500 starting figure — but they rest on opposite ideas about work.

How to apply, step by step

1. National visa at the consulate. Apply to the Greek consulate responsible for your place of residence for a national (type D) visa for financially independent persons. Each consulate publishes its own checklist; expect to show your passport, proof of resources, health insurance and where you will live.
2. Enter Greece and apply for the permit before the visa expires. Under Article 10 of the Code the application is lodged after arrival and before the visa runs out, online through the Ministry of Migration and Asylum's information system. It can be filed by you, by a lawyer holding your power of attorney, or by your spouse, an ascendant or an adult descendant.
3. Biometrics. The permit card carries a recent digital photograph and the fingerprints of both index fingers (Article 14). The Directorate for Aliens and Migration of the Decentralised Administration where you live will summon you to give them; if you do not appear after a second summons, the application is rejected.
4. Decision. The permit is granted by the Decentralised Administration for your place of residence, and the card is issued once the biometrics are taken.

Health insurance deserves early attention. Article 8 of the Code requires full sickness insurance covering all the risks covered for Greek nationals — through a private insurer, unless a foreign insurer already covers you in Greece. A cheap travel policy with low limits is a common reason for a weak file.

Where FIP applications usually go wrong

Most problems are avoidable, and almost all of them trace back to one of the rules above:

• Resources calculated without the family increases — the €3,500 figure is for the main applicant alone; a spouse and children raise it, and a file that only just meets the base amount leaves no margin.
• Savings whose origin cannot be shown — the decision accepts your own means only where their lawful origin can be proved, so a large deposit that arrived recently needs a paper trail: a property sale, an inheritance, a pension lump sum.
• Health cover that is not full cover — a policy with low limits or travel-only cover does not meet the Article 8 standard.
• Applying after the visa has expired — the permit application has to be lodged while the national visa is still valid.
• Missing the biometrics appointment — failing to appear after a second summons leads to rejection.
• Starting work or a business — even a small local activity breaches the no-work condition and can put the permit, and its renewal, at risk.

Foreign documents — pension letters, bank certificates, marriage and birth certificates for family members — usually also need official translation and, depending on the country that issued them, an Apostille. Ask the consulate which documents it wants legalised before you order them, because the requirements differ between consulates.

How renewals work

The FIP permit lasts three years and is then renewed for periods of the same length if you still qualify. Since the 2026 amendment of Article 11 of the Code, the renewal application is filed within the two months before the permit expires; a late application is still accepted up to three months after expiry, but with a fine of €100 for each month of delay.

At renewal, you will need to show that you still meet the same conditions that qualified you in the first place:

• Your resources remain at or above the required level, including the increases for family members.
• You still hold valid health insurance.
• You have genuinely been living in Greece, as the permit is meant for real residence, not just a document on paper.

Renewals are smoother when you keep tidy records throughout the year — up-to-date proof of resources, insurance and address — and put the renewal date in your calendar well before the two-month window opens.

Over the longer term, continuous lawful residence may open the door to further options, such as longer-term residence status or, eventually, possible pathways toward citizenship. These come with their own separate conditions and waiting periods that are beyond the scope of this guide.

Tax: when does Greece treat you as resident?

Immigration status and tax residence are separate questions. Under Article 4 of the Greek Income Tax Code (Law 4172/2013), a person who is present in Greece for more than 183 days in total in any 12-month period is a Greek tax resident from the first day of presence, unless the stay is exclusively for tourist, medical or similar private purposes and does not exceed 365 days. A person whose permanent home, usual residence or centre of vital interests is in Greece can also be resident.

Most FIP holders move to Greece to live there, so tax residence is likely — and Greek tax residents are generally taxed on their worldwide income, subject to any double-tax treaty between Greece and the country your pension or investment income comes from. Take tax advice before you move, not after your first Greek tax return is due.

A calm word before you start

The FIP visa is one of Greece's more accessible residence routes for self-supporting foreigners, but the details — the resources you can count, documents, the limits of the no-work rule, renewal timing and tax effects — are specific to your circumstances and can change with policy. This guide is general information only and not legal advice. Before you commit time or money, speak with a qualified Greek immigration lawyer who can confirm the current rules, review your particular situation and guide you through the application and renewals with confidence.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

Rules, fees and thresholds change. Confirm anything in this guide with the official source before you act.

• AADEtax authority
• Ministry of Migration and Asylumimmigration authority
• Athens Bar Associationbar association — verify a lawyer

Brisamo editorial · General information, not legal advice. This guide is general information. For advice on your situation, get matched with a firm — free. How we research and verify these guides · Find an immigration lawyer →