Greece Financially Independent Person (FIP) Visa: The 2026 Guide

Greece's FIP permit lets you live here on a pension, rental income or savings, without working. It is simple on paper — and most refusals come from the same few gaps in the file.

The financially independent person (FIP) permit is Greece's route for people from outside the EU who want to live here without working, on income that comes from elsewhere: a pension, rent, dividends or savings. In the Migration Code it is the residence permit for persons with sufficient resources, type Ι.8 (article 163 §8).

Who it is for

• Retirees with a pension from abroad.
• People living on rental income, dividends, investments or savings.
• Their spouse or partner and children, who can come with them.

How much income you need

• At least €3,500 a month, set by Joint Ministerial Decision 225679/2024.
• +20% for a spouse or partner and +15% for each child. A couple with one child needs at least €4,725 a month.
• You can prove it with a foreign pension certificate, bank statements or other lawful funds of your own. The account does not have to be Greek.
• Regular income such as a pension or rent is assessed month by month. Other sources, such as savings, are assessed over a year — for one person, at least €42,000 a year.

How it works, step by step

1. Prepare the file where you live: passport, proof of income, private health insurance that covers you in Greece, proof of accommodation (a lease or title deed) and a criminal record certificate. Foreign public documents usually need an apostille and a certified translation.
2. Apply for a national (type D) visa at the Greek consulate responsible for where you live.
3. Move and settle in. Get a tax number (AFM) and register your address.
4. Apply for the Ι.8 residence permit before the visa expires. The permit is valid for three years and is renewed for three years at a time, as long as you still meet the conditions.
5. After five years of legal residence you can apply for long-term resident status, if you meet its integration conditions.

Family members

Your spouse or partner and children can come with you and receive their own permits, which expire together with yours. The resources can be shown for each person or together for the whole family. Family members on this route cannot work in Greece either.

Tax: decide before you move

Living in Greece for more than 183 days a year generally makes you Greek tax resident. Pensioners who were not Greek tax residents in five of the previous six years, and who move from a country that has a tax cooperation agreement with Greece, can opt for a flat 7% tax on foreign income for up to 15 years (article 5Β of the Income Tax Code). Get tax advice for your case before you apply.

Common mistakes

• Income that cannot be shown as regular, or a pension certificate without the monthly amount.
• Health insurance that excludes Greece or has very low limits.
• No signed lease when the consulate asks for an address.
• Planning to do a little work locally. Any work in Greece needs a different permit.
• Letting the visa expire before applying for the residence permit.