Research by Astons, the international experts on real estate, reveals that online searches for information about Greek golden visas have increased by 75% in a single month.
Astons has analysed global Google search trends around the topic of citizenship and residency by investment and found that searches for ‘Citizenship by investment’ increased by 16.8% between March and April 2023; ‘Investment Visa’ grew by 9.1%; and ‘Residency by Investment’ increased by 7.7%.
Golden visas are, by and large, the reserve of high net wealth individuals (HNWIs), given the large sums of investment required to gain visas or citizenship to another country, and it seems HNWIs are currently most interested in gaining access to the mediterranean nation of Greece.
Internet searches for ‘Greece Golden Visa’ shot up by 75.2% in the past month alone. This latest surge in popularity comes after previous research from Astons found that applications for Greek golden visas from high net-worth U.S citizens grew by 740% in 2021.
Greece’s soaring popularity is, of course, largely due to the lifestyle, weather, and landscapes on offer in the Mediterranean, as well as the fact that it’s one of the more affordable golden visa destinations, requiring a minimum investment of just 250,000 Euros.
However, one additional factor behind the increased popularity of late is no doubt the imminent increase in the minimum investment threshold, which is due to increase to 500,000 Euros in some of the nation’s more popular areas such as Thessaloniki and the capital Athens.
Search interest in ‘Spain Golden Visa’ has also seen a surge in popularity, with search popularity increasing by 37% in a single month.
However, interest for Portuguese golden visa, which will soon close its doors to investors, has fallen by -18.7%, while search interest has also dipped for the golden visa programs in Cyprus (-24.5%), Turkey (-30.8%), and Malta (-59.2%).
Immigration Expert for Astons USA, Alena Lesina said, “Greece offers all of the geographical and lifestyle features that hold strong appeal amongst those looking to secure alternative residency via investment, not to mention the fact that it also offers one of the most affordable investment thresholds of all European nations.
However, this popularity has surged in recent times, driven by interest from the United States, in particular, and due to the fact that Portugal has chosen to call time on its Golden Visa offering.
It’s clear that while the likes of Cyprus and Turkey offer many of the same draws as Greece, it is the Greek Golden Visa that is now becoming the primary focus for the world’s high-net-worth individuals when looking for alternative residency via investment.”
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