Greece's FIP visa: €3,500 a month gets you in. Here's the whole process.

The Financially Independent Person permit is the visa most American and Canadian retirees use to move to Greece. You qualify with stable passive income — a pension, Social Security, rents, dividends. The bar rose sharply in January 2025, and it now sits well above Portugal's equivalent. Know that before you fall for a view.

Who the FIP is for

The FIP (Financially Independent Person) residence permit — Article 163 of Law 5038/2023, Greece's immigration code in force since January 2024 — is for people who can support themselves without working in Greece. Qualifying income includes pensions (US Social Security, CPP and OAS count), rental income, dividends, interest, and investment income. It is emphatically not a work visa: FIP holders may not take Greek employment or run a Greek business. Working remotely for foreign clients is the digital nomad visa's territory — same income number, different rules.

If your retirement income clears €4,200/month as a couple, you clear the financial bar. Consulates want durable income — a pension or Social Security award letter beats a brokerage statement.

The income requirement, precisely

A joint ministerial decision raised the threshold from €2,000 to €3,500/month on 1 January 2025, aligning it with the digital nomad visa. It is unchanged for 2026.

*At €1 = $1.14 (1 July 2026). The consulate assesses in euros.

Step by step, from the US or Canada

1. Confirm which Greek consulate covers you. Applications go to the consulate (or its visa contractor) for your state or province. Practice varies by post — read their FIP checklist first.
2. Gather income evidence: award letters, 6–12 months of bank statements, tax returns. Foreign documents need certified Greek translations — budget time for this.
3. Get your criminal record check — FBI (US) or RCMP (Canada) — apostilled, then translated.
4. Buy health insurance covering your stay in Greece, including hospitalisation and repatriation (see the Healthcare hub — FIP holders are not covered by the public system).
5. Apply for the national (type D) visa at the consulate. You cannot convert a tourist stay into a FIP permit from inside Greece.
6. Travel to Greece and file your residence-permit application with the Ministry of Migration & Asylum, with biometrics. You'll hold a receipt (the "blue certificate") while it processes — you're legal in Greece, but travel is restricted.
7. Receive your first residence permit, valid 3 years. Renewal adds 3 more, provided the income still stands and you've spent at least 183 days per year in Greece.

The document checklist

• National visa application form
• Passport valid 3+ months beyond your intended stay
• Passport photos (check your consulate's spec)
• Proof of stable income at the 2026 thresholds (pension/Social Security/CPP/OAS award letters, rental contracts, dividend statements, bank statements)
• Criminal record certificate (FBI or RCMP), apostilled, with certified Greek translation
• Medical certificate (consulates provide the template)
• Health insurance covering the stay, including hospitalisation and repatriation
• Proof of accommodation in Greece (lease or deed strengthens the file)

How long it really takes

Consular appointments in the US and Canada can take weeks to months to book, and D-visa decisions vary by post. Once in Greece, permit decisions routinely take several months, during which the blue certificate keeps you legal. End to end, plan on 4–8 months from first appointment to card in hand — and don't book one-way flights around a best case.

After you arrive: the long game

• Year 0: 3-year residence permit. Get your AFM (tax number), open a bank account, and — if you'll be tax resident — consider the 7% pensioner regime before the March 31 deadline.
• Year 3: renew for 3 years. Renewals check the 183-day presence rule.
• Year 5: EU long-term resident status becomes possible — income and integration conditions apply, including Greek language.
• Year 7: citizenship eligibility — 7 years' continuous lawful residence, the PEGP exam (B1 Greek plus history and civics), €550 application fee. Full guide →

The tax question you should ask before applying

Spend more than 183 days a year in Greece and you become Greek tax resident, taxed on worldwide income at progressive rates of 9% to 44% (2026). But Greece actively courts foreign pensioners: qualify under Article 5B and all your foreign-source income — pension, dividends, capital gains, the lot — is taxed at a flat 7% for 15 years. The application deadline is March 31 of the tax year, and it's use-it-or-lose-it for that year. US citizens still file US returns wherever they live; Canadians face departure tax on emigration. Get cross-border advice before you trigger residency, not after. Read the 7% guide →

FIP vs the alternatives

Working remotely for a US or Canadian employer? That's the digital nomad visa — same €3,500/month, but earned income qualifies. Want residency without living in Greece full-time? The Golden Visa (€400,000–800,000 property, no minimum stay) — but no work rights and, without real residence, no citizenship clock. Compare all three →