Property Residency in 2026: What Still Works

Property-linked residence has become far less uniform. Portugal has removed real estate from its Golden Visa, while Greece now requires €400,000–€800,000 for standard property and reserves its €250,000 route for special assets. Cyprus can grant permanent residence from €300,000 plus VAT, the UAE offers 10-year Golden Residency from AED2 million in property, and Turkey still offers short-term residence through qualifying homes worth at least $200,000. Georgia stands apart: since March 2026, property worth more than $150,000 can support a renewable residence permit, while the law does not restrict the route to apartments or require the asset to be used as the owner’s home.

Greece preserves a narrow €250,000 Golden Visa route

In September 2026, Greece's Mitos registry updated the procedures for investor residence based on special categories of property. Qualifying listed buildings requiring restoration or reconstruction can support a five-year residence permit from €250,000. Selling the qualifying asset during the permit period can result in revocation.

A separate €250,000 route applies to a single qualifying property converted from non-residential to residential use. The usual 120-square-metre floor-space rule does not apply, but the change must have been completed after 5 April 2024 and before the application. Additional conditions govern former industrial buildings. This is not a general €250,000 pathway for an ordinary Athens apartment.

Standard property purchases require €800,000 in Attica, the Thessaloniki regional unit, Mykonos, Santorini and islands with populations above 3,100. Most other locations have a €400,000 minimum. These standard routes generally require one property with at least 120 square metres of primary floor space.

Since 2024, Greek law has prohibited short-term letting of qualifying Golden Visa property in the sharing economy as well as subletting. Breaches can result in the revocation of the investor's residence permit and a separate €50,000 administrative fine. Direct long-term letting remains possible when programme terms are met. A long lease to an intermediary does not make subsequent prohibited subletting lawful.

On 15 October 2026, Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris also warned that permits would be revoked when connected arrangements conceal a lower effective purchase price. He cited a €250,000 property where the investor was promised €100,000 back through a linked rental arrangement. He separately targeted short-term lettings conducted through subleases. The warning was not accompanied by statistics on mass permit withdrawals, a newly enacted enforcement statute or an announced audit timetable.

Property-based residence should therefore be assessed against the continuing requirements of investment eligibility, related payment agreements and allowed rental use. A property can meet the stated purchase threshold while its operating model still exposes the investor's residence status to risk.

Portugal kept ARI but removed real estate

Portugal’s ARI investment residence programme remains open, but property no longer qualifies. Current routes include job creation, €500,000 for research, €250,000 for culture and heritage, and qualifying €500,000 fund or corporate investments. AIMA documents explicitly state that the investment cannot be directed, directly or indirectly, into real estate.

Property and migration have therefore become separate investment decisions. International Investment has examined this shift in its broader analysis of European Golden Visa policy risk.

Why Golden Visas are losing real estate

Cyprus offers permanent residence from €300,000

Cyprus still links property to permanent residence. The residential route requires at least €300,000 plus VAT in a first-sale house or apartment from a developer. Applicants must also show secured annual income of at least €50,000, increased for a spouse and dependent children.

Other property categories, including hotels, offices and retail, can also qualify from €300,000 and may include resale assets. The residence right itself is unlimited, although the card must be replaced every 10 years. Spending two consecutive years outside Cyprus can cause the right to lapse.

UAE property still supports 10-year residency

The UAE continues to place property at the centre of its Golden Residency programme. One or more properties with a combined value of at least AED2 million can qualify an investor for a 10-year residence permit. Approved local-bank financing and eligible off-plan purchases are allowed.

Unlike Turkey’s property-residence route, the federal criteria do not require the investor to occupy the qualifying property personally, leaving greater flexibility for rental strategies subject to local emirate rules.

Turkey requires a $200,000 home

Turkey’s short-term property residence permit is available to foreign owners, but the qualifying asset must be residential and must be used as the applicant’s home.

The official e-residence documentation requires a value of at least $200,000 equivalent in Turkish lira at acquisition. It also states that the residence cannot be used for rent or similar income-generating purposes.

The route should not be confused with citizenship by investment, which has a separate $400,000 property threshold.

Georgia starts above $150,000

Georgia raised its property-residence threshold from $100,000 to more than $150,000 equivalent in Georgian lari from March 1, 2026. The rule applies to real estate other than agricultural land, with value confirmed by an accredited certified appraiser. Spouses and children can also qualify.

The permit can be renewed in one-year periods while the qualifying ownership remains in place. Crucially for investors, the legislation does not restrict the route to residential property or require owner occupation. That means commercial and hospitality assets can potentially qualify if they are independently registered real estate and meet the valuation threshold.

Property worth more than $300,000 can support a five-year investment residence permit. If the qualifying property is retained for five years, the holder can then apply for indefinite residence.

International Investment has a detailed guide to the 2026 reform and transition from the previous $100,000 threshold.

Georgia residence permit by real estate 2026

Georgia’s advantage goes beyond the residence threshold

Georgia’s lower entry price is only part of the case. Buyers are not required to purchase new stock from a developer, meet a minimum floor area or use the property as their own home.

That matters in Batumi, where apartment supply has expanded rapidly. Galt & Taggart estimated around 18,000–20,000 short-term rental apartments at the end of 2024 and expects 35,000–40,000 by 2029. Branded hotel supply is much smaller: 2,966 rooms in 2024, 3,764 in 2026 and about 4,079 in the current 2029 pipeline.

The relevant shortage is therefore not “hotels” in general but high-quality branded hospitality stock. The apartment market faces the opposite issue. International Investment reported nearly 13,000 unsold apartments in Batumi development projects during 2026, increasing competition among residential investors.

Batumi housing market and oversupply risks

Its earlier market analysis also showed how investment activity has been shifting from standard apartments toward hotel assets as residential yields come under pressure.

Batumi real estate: housing slows, hotels rise

Tourism continues to support that segment. Georgia recorded 5.52 million international tourist visits and around $4.69 billion in international travel revenue in 2025. In H1 2026, visits from the EU and UK reached a record 249,201, up 23.4%, while revenue from those markets rose 21.2% to $335.7 million.

Wyndham Grand Batumi Gonio as a hospitality investment

One example in this segment is Wyndham Grand Batumi Gonio, a hospitality development in Gonio near Batumi. The project uses the Wyndham Grand brand and names Aimbridge Hospitality as the operator. International Investment describes 494 units across hotel rooms, penthouses, townhouses and villas, with completion planned for 2027.

For residence purposes, the legal structure matters more than the marketing return. A fully owned hotel unit could potentially satisfy Georgia’s property-residence test if it is independently registered, owned by the applicant and professionally valued above $150,000. Purchase in a particular development does not automatically create a residence right.

The developer markets a 10% guaranteed annual return under contract. International Investment has analysed how that contractual model is structured, while the project’s actual investment performance will still depend on delivery, operator results and the developer’s ability to meet its obligations.

Wyndham Grand Batumi Gonio guaranteed income model

That distinction is important. Immigration eligibility comes from Georgian law and the value of the owned asset. Investment returns come from the economics and contractual structure of the individual property.

Property residence now means different products

Greece still provides a classic five-year property-linked investor permit, but its standard threshold has moved much higher and the €250,000 option is now specialised. Cyprus requires more capital and income but provides permanent status. The UAE offers a long 10-year residence period at a significantly higher entry point.

Turkey is cheaper than those programmes but restricts the qualifying home’s use. Portugal no longer connects property and Golden Visa at all.

Georgia sits in a different position. The capital threshold is comparatively low, the law covers a broad range of non-agricultural real estate, and investors can choose an income-producing asset rather than a property reserved for their own residence. A higher-value purchase can also provide a route from five-year investment residence to indefinite status.

As International Investment experts report, this flexibility is the strongest part of the Georgian model. The advantage is not simply that residence is available from a lower property value. It is that the immigration requirement does not necessarily force the investor into an asset with poor economics. In Batumi, where apartments face heavy supply growth, branded hospitality real estate offers a different exposure to tourism demand.

FAQ: property residency in 2026

Can €250,000 still qualify for Greece's Golden Visa?

Yes, for limited property categories, including qualifying listed buildings and eligible commercial-to-residential conversions. Standard residential property requires €400,000 or €800,000 depending on location.

Can a Golden Visa property be rented short-term or sublet?

No. The law prohibits short-term sharing-economy rentals and subletting of qualifying property. Violations can result in permit revocation and a €50,000 fine. Direct long-term renting remains possible subject to programme conditions.

Has Greece already revoked Golden Visas on a large scale?

As of 19 October 2026, the minister had issued a public warning about disguised price rebates and prohibited rental use. The reporting did not provide a count of mass revocations or a schedule for new inspections.