Cyprus Permanent Residence vs Greece Golden Visa: Which Fits Your Family

My first two cases at BRIDGES were the Greece Golden Visa and Cyprus permanent residence, and families still ask me to choose between them almost every week. They are often presented as twins. They are not: one is a permanent status kept by visits, the other is a renewable permit kept by the property. The right choice depends on what you need the status for.

The short answer

Choose Cyprus if you want an open-ended status, have a clear income from abroad and do not need Schengen travel on the card. Choose Greece if you need to travel freely in Schengen now, want to include parents, or your capital is not backed by a large regular income.

Side by side

	Cyprus permanent residence	Greece Golden Visa
Minimum investment	€300,000 (a new home plus VAT, commercial property, a company or a fund)	€250,000, €400,000 or €800,000 depending on the property and the zone
Type of status	Permanent; the card is replaced every 10 years	Residence permit for 5 years, renewed while the property is kept
Schengen	No visa-free travel on the card	Up to 90 days in any 180
Presence	Do not stay away for two years	No residence required
Income	€50,000 a year plus €15,000 for a spouse and €10,000 per child	No fixed threshold
Family	Spouse, children under 18; students 18 to 25 on their own application	Spouse, children under 21, parents of both spouses
Short-term letting	Not restricted by the criteria	Forbidden for programme properties
Typical time (BRIDGES)	2 to 3 months for the review	4 to 6 months

The Cyprus side comes from the official criteria of the Migration Department. The Greek side comes from the BRIDGES page on the Greece Golden Visa, which cites law 5038/2023 as amended by law 5100/2024. The timelines are BRIDGES practice figures.

Thresholds

Cyprus has one threshold everywhere on the island. Greece has three: €800,000 in Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands with a population over 3,100, €400,000 in the other regions, and €250,000 only for converting a commercial property to residential or restoring a listed building. In Greece the property must be a single unit of at least 120 square metres, while in Cyprus you can reach the threshold with up to two new homes.

My Greek guide explains the zones in detail: Greece Golden Visa thresholds.

The type of status

This is the difference families underestimate. In Cyprus the right of residence has unlimited validity, and only the plastic card is replaced every ten years. In Greece the card is issued for five years and renewed for five more as long as the property stays in your ownership.

Both statuses depend on keeping the investment. In Cyprus, disposing of it without immediate replacement cancels the permit. In Greece, selling the property removes the basis for renewal.

Schengen and travel

Greece is in Schengen, so the Greek card lets you stay in other Schengen countries for up to 90 days in any 180 without a visa. Cyprus is a member of the EU but not of Schengen, so the Cypriot card does not do this. BRIDGES reported in September 2026 that Cyprus plans to tighten its programme before joining Schengen; I would not base a decision on a Schengen date that has not happened yet.

Presence and obligations

Neither programme asks you to live in the country. The obligations differ in kind. In Cyprus you keep the status by not staying away for two years, by sending evidence each year that the investment is kept and by renewing criminal record certificates every three years. In Greece you keep it by holding the property and renewing the card every five years.

Income

Cyprus asks for documented secure income on top of the investment, from abroad for a home purchase, proved by your tax return or by an independent certified accountant. Greece has no fixed income threshold for the Golden Visa. For families whose wealth is in assets rather than in regular income, this alone can decide the choice.

Family

Greece is broader: a spouse, children under 21 and the parents of both spouses join on the same investment. Cyprus covers the spouse and children under 18, with students aged 18 to 25 filing their own application on the same investment. One advantage stays with Cyprus: a permit granted to a student child remains valid after 25. The details are in my Cyprus family guide.

Letting the property

BRIDGES notes that Greece forbids short-term letting of Golden Visa properties, with a penalty of €50,000 and cancellation of the status; long-term letting is allowed. The Cyprus criteria do not contain a similar restriction.

The path to citizenship

Neither route gives a passport quickly. In Cyprus naturalisation needs at least seven years of legal residence in the last ten, continuous residence in the final year, Greek at B1 and a test on Cyprus today. In Greece, too, naturalisation requires years of actual residence and the language. I explain the Cypriot rules in the guide on keeping the status and citizenship.

How I decide with a family

• If someone in the family needs to travel around Schengen on the card, I start with Greece.
• If parents must be included, I start with Greece.
• If the family has a clear, documented income from abroad and values a status without renewals, I start with Cyprus.
• If the budget is close to €300,000 and the family wants a ready new home, Cyprus usually comes out lower.

BRIDGES compares the two programmes in its article Cyprus permanent residence or Greece Golden Visa and describes the Greek route on its Greece Golden Visa page. Last checked 19 October 2026.