Avoidable mistakes, and why a delay is not a rejection.

Buying a property that does not qualify

The mistake that circulates most widely is assuming any property at the lowest figure qualifies. €250,000 applies only to change-of-use conversions and listed-building restorations. Standard property purchases start at €400,000, or €800,000 in high-demand zones. A standard purchase must also be a single property of at least 120 m² of main areas, and on the conversion route the change of use must be completed before the initial residence-permit application. The minimum investment by route.Migration Code (Law 5038/2023) art. 100, as amended by Law 5100/2024

Investment not evidenced correctly

For a property purchase, the qualifying amount has to be paid through a permitted banking channel and backed by the notarial deed and the land-registry evidence for the route. A payment the file cannot trace, or missing route evidence, is a recurring cause of a stalled or failed application. The full requirements and documents.Migration Code art. 100; JMD 214926/2025

Health insurance that does not qualify

The file needs private insurance, or overseas cover that expressly applies in Greece, for the applicant and each family member. Cover that does not clearly apply in Greece is a frequent gap. Cover for each family member.JMD 133692/2024; Circular 1/2026

Filing after your entry visa expires

If you enter Greece on a national visa, the residence-permit application has to be filed before that visa expires. Missing that window is a timing failure rather than a merits one, and it is entirely avoidable. Timing and processing.MITOS, B.5 initial issuance

Documents not legalised or translated

Foreign civil-status and supporting documents usually need an apostille or consular legalisation and an official translation. Documents that are not legalised or translated as required are a routine cause of delay. The documents checklist.Ministry document rules; see the requirements checklist

Public-order, security or public-health grounds

The applicant must not be treated as a threat to public order, public security or international relations, be listed as undesirable, or pose a public-health risk. These are assessed case by case against national databases, so a generic checklist is not the final authority. The eligibility conditions in full.Law 5038/2023; MITOS B.5 eligibility conditions

There are two ways to read that, and both matter. Of the 252 files actually decided so far, refusals were a small fraction — 250 issued to 2 rejected. But 1,885 of the 2,137 filed were still pending, so most of the year’s applications had no decision yet, and a refused count this small moves month to month. A low count across the whole system is not a guarantee for your file, which still turns on meeting the requirements above.

Ministry of Migration and Asylum, Legal Migration bulletin (May 2026 issue), Appendix B, Table 16, cumulative to end-May 2026.

8,977 investor-permit applications pending as at June 2026, so long waits are common and are routinely mistaken for a problem with the application. The processing-time page sets out the real timelines. Statutory deadline: two months from the date a complete file reaches the authority (Law 5038/2023 art. 100 par. 10).

Why do Greek Golden Visa applications get rejected or delayed?

The avoidable failures cluster in a few places: a property that does not qualify, the qualifying amount not evidenced through a permitted banking channel, health insurance that does not clearly apply in Greece, filing after an entry visa expires, and documents not legalised or translated. Most are matters of preparation rather than the formal eligibility grounds.

What is the Greek Golden Visa rejection rate?

The Ministry reports outcomes, not a rate. Of 2,137 initial investor applications filed January to May 2026, 250 had been issued and 2 rejected by the end of May 2026, with 1,885 still pending. Very few decided files were refused, but most were not yet decided and the refused count is small and volatile, so no settled rate can be read off it.

Can a criminal record block a Greek Golden Visa?

It can. The application is assessed against public-order, public-security and public-health conditions, and being treated as a threat or listed as undesirable can bar it. The exact effect is case-specific and turns on the live Ministry procedure, not a generic checklist.

Is a long wait the same as a rejection?

No. A delay is not a refusal. While the file is pending, the blue submission certificate is lawful residence in Greece until the decision issues. Realistic timelines run to 6 to 9 months, and longer in Attica, against 8,977 investor-permit applications pending as at June 2026 — a wait, not a no.

Can a Greek Golden Visa be revoked after it is granted?

Yes, and that is different from a rejection. A granted permit can be revoked for breaching its conditions — most notably letting the qualifying property short-term. A property used to obtain a Greek Golden Visa may not be let on a short-term basis or subleased. Breach means revocation of the residence permit and a fine of €50,000.