US interest in Greek Golden Visa has surged by 50% after Trump’s election
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The Trump effect and the imminent ending of Spain’s Golden Visa scheme continue to boost American interest in Greece’s five-year residence card program based mainly on realty investments, with a new report by leading international property experts Astons pointing to the fact Americans are diverting their attention to Greek Golden Visas.
The trend that started immediately after Donald Trump’s election in November continues strong in the US and a new analysis from Astons has shown there has been a surge in search interest for Spanish Golden Visas following the recent announcement that the country’s program is coming to an end in early April. However, Americans are already looking to Greece as their next destination of choice for alternative residency.
The London-based company has analyzed Google search trends data from the US for various Golden Visa-related search terms to see how interest in those terms has changed over the past few months (October – December 2024).
The data reveals that US Google search interest for the term “Residency by Investment” has climbed by 24.9% over the past month. With the April 3 deadline for applications in Spain fast approaching, search interest in ‘Spain Golden Visa’ has increased by 21.6%. Nevertheless, search interest for ‘Greece Golden Visa’ has seen an even greater increase, of 50.4%, in just two months.
“With Spain announcing the end to its Golden Visa the clock is now ticking and there’s been a surge in interest from US citizens who are looking for a Plan B destination in Europe, with this demand expected to remain until April 3 when the Spanish Golden Visa scheme closes,” points out Alena Lesina, a citizenship, residence permit, and real estate investment expert at Astons.
“However, it’s clear that Americans are already diverting their attention to Greece which is rapidly becoming the most in-demand Golden Visa destination in Europe,” she notes.
Astons notes that there’s plenty of reasons to look to Greece over Spain: “Greece is one of the most welcoming of Golden Visa nations, and its program is undoubtedly going to benefit from increased interest after Spain closes its door. This makes it a particularly attractive place to invest early and ahead of the curve, because as demand for Greek property increases, so too will values, delivering great benefit to existing investors,” Lesina says.
Astons particularly points at Greece’s Golden Visa requirements, saying they are much more affordable than Spain’s, with a minimum required investment of just 250,000 euros. It argues that applications are often processed in as little as three months, after which residency can be granted for the whole family for five years. Once the five years is up, residents are given the opportunity to renew.
The report adds that like Spain, there is no requirement to reside within the country and become a tax paying resident in order to secure residency and the Greek Golden Visa can be extended as long as the investors maintain their property investment.
Of course there is also the lifestyle element that Astons mentions: “The lifestyle benefits of Greece are envied around the world. Stunning weather with beautiful beaches and landscapes combine with a great education system, good policing, political stability, a liberal society, a strong economy and a property market packed with opportunities for investors.”Unmute
