Greece Golden Visa: Check Conversion Evidence Before Buying
A property advertised as a Golden Visa conversion needs a file that connects the specific unit, its previous legal use, the completed changes and the proposed residence application. Start that file before paying a reservation amount or signing a purchase commitment. Treat unanswered questions as pending evidence, not as facts supplied by a sales brochure.
Identify the unit and reconstruct its use history
Ask the seller for the unit and project identifiers, address, plans and documents showing previous legal use. Build a chronology linking the original premises to the property being offered. Record document dates, issuing bodies and any differences in descriptions or boundaries.
Ask an independently instructed engineer to identify authorized changes, relevant plans and reports, and the scope of their inspection. Request a clear distinction between completed work and proposed work. Ask whether the property's actual use and intended housing purpose match the documentary record, and what remains unresolved.
The official Mitos change-of-use investor-residence procedure includes an engineer report identifying changed use, alongside notarial, payment and registration evidence categories. Those categories provide a practical starting point for document requests; they do not establish that a marketed project qualifies.
Build a conversion-property workfile
Use a shared index with a document version, responsible reviewer and unresolved question for every row. Keep technical status, title transfer and application admissibility as separate conclusions.
| Workfile section | Records to request | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Property identity | Unit/project identifiers, descriptions and plans | Do all records identify the same property? |
| Use chronology | Previous legal-use records and dated change documents | What changed, under which authorization, and when? |
| Technical status | Authorized plans, engineer report and inspection scope | What is completed, proposed or outside the review? |
| Purchase evidence | Draft notarial instrument, payment records and registration evidence | Do parties, property descriptions and transaction details align? |
| Ownership history | Ownership records and seller responses about previous programme use | Does the proposed ownership structure or prior use raise an application question? |
| Application basis | Written assessment identifying the proposed route, applicable provisions, source versions or dates, and date checked | How does the assessment apply to this applicant, acquiring party, unit and conversion chronology, and what remains unresolved? |
Ask counsel to address any advertised investment amount or area exemption against the applicable provisions and actual property documents. Record the answer and its assumptions before treating the property's price as a qualifying investment. Ask specifically about joint ownership, the identity of the acquiring party and any prior investor-residence use of the property.
Reconcile title, payment and registration records
Request the title and encumbrance records appropriate to the property, with the search scope and date stated. Ask who can obtain them and which office holds the relevant records. The Hellenic Cadastre certificate-service guidance describes certificate resources with area and access requirements; it does not establish unrestricted buyer access or clean title.
Have the proposed notarial instrument checked against the unit identifiers, seller's authority and agreed transaction. Ask how payment evidence will identify the payer, recipient and purchase, and what registration evidence will be retained. Resolve inconsistent names, descriptions or payment references before relying on the bundle for an application.
Plan representation and attendance separately
AADE's nonresident tax-register resources link guidance on tax identification, authentication keys and tax representatives. Use them to frame questions about the identity documents, representation and submission steps applicable to you.
Prepare separate instructions for AFM registration, banking, the notary, application submission and biometrics. For each, ask who acts, what authority they need, whether personal attendance is required and which original documents must be available. Obtain the proposed representative's authority in writing, including its limits and duration. Do not arrange the purchase around an assumed single visit.
Create a document matrix for every family member
Give each person a separate row, including the principal applicant. Avoid treating a relationship label or age as confirmation of coverage.
| Person's name | Relationship to applicant | Proposed application category | Documents and validity | Translation questions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record each person separately | Record the relationship and supporting evidence | Ask which category, if any, applies | List identity and relationship records; check expiry, issue-date requirements and any further evidence requested | Ask which documents need translation or authentication, in what form and by whom |
Ask how changed names, different spellings, missing records or an upcoming change in circumstances affect that person's file. Assign responsibility for obtaining each document and checking it against the proposed category. Keep unresolved eligibility questions visible rather than combining the family into an apparently complete file.
Record application status before planning travel
Keep a status sheet stating exactly what was filed, the filing reference, issuing body, document received, expiry and stated conditions. Ask the representative to distinguish submission evidence from any subsequent decision or residence document.
Before booking, obtain confirmation for each traveller about lawful stay, departure, re-entry to Greece and travel to another country. Identify the actual document and journey in the question. Do not infer immediate or unlimited travel rights from the informal label “Blue Paper.” Separately confirm biometric attendance and any authority needed for document collection.
Test unresolved evidence against your purchase decision
Consider an explicitly hypothetical buyer offered a converted apartment. The brochure describes residential accommodation, but the engineer's material supplied so far concerns proposed changes. The draft purchase document also describes the premises differently from the sales plan.
The buyer could record both gaps, request completed-use evidence and a reconciled property description, and ask counsel what remains necessary before purchase and application. This scenario illustrates a document request and decision process; it does not predict eligibility or an application outcome.
Define ownership obligations and your next request
Before committing, ask how intended occupation, rental activity, renewal planning or disposal should be assessed for this property and application. Request a property-specific tax brief and a written description of any proposed management service: tasks, exclusions, reporting, fees and responsibility for compliance questions.
If Alanya is also on your shortlist, use the separate Turkish title-check guide, How to Check a Turkish Tapu Before Buying in Alanya and Alanya purchase decision roadmap, Buying Property in Alanya: What to Check Before You Commit to organize checks for an actual Turkish property. Their jurisdiction-specific guidance does not establish Greek requirements.
For your next Ogenus enquiry, ask for the proposed service contacts and a property-specific document list. Request each contact's role, engagement scope and responsibilities before deciding whom to instruct.