Greece Reduces Golden Visa Backlog as Processing Times Improve in 2025

Greece has made its first clear progress in easing its Golden Visa backlog, marking a shift in a program that has struggled to keep pace with demand for over a year.

As of April 2025, the number of pending applications dropped to 52,399, down from 52,821 in March. The decline may be modest, but it signals that recent policy adjustments are beginning to take effect.

The improvement follows the government’s move to decentralize processing, shifting responsibilities from Athens to regional offices across the country.

This structural change has already had a noticeable impact: some applications are now being processed in under 90 days, a significant improvement from the average of 18 months reported in 2024.

In April, the shift was visible across most categories:

• Initial and renewal applications for main applicants decreased
• Renewal applications for family members also declined
• The only increase came from initial applications filed for family members

While the backlog remains substantial, these early shifts suggest that the system is beginning to stabilize and may be slowly catching up with demand.