Greece Investor Program Less Popular Than European Rivals

Greece's golden visa is losing out to rivals despite being among the cheapest residency-by-investment programs available in Europe.

Just 1,000 visas had been granted through the program until the end of 2015, compared with 6,000 for a similar program in Portugal and 13,000 in Latvia.

The Greek program requires a €250,000 property investment, which is the same as Latvia and €100,000 less than the €350,000 required in Portugal.

Property investment requirements

• Greece: €250,000
• Latvia: €250,000
• Portugal: €350,000
• Cyprus: €300,000

Portugal is currently enjoying a surge in the popularity of its program, which has generated more than €2 billion in investment since it was introduced in October 2012.