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​Biosecurity measures and travel restrictions are in place to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, affecting the operation of public and private organisations in the European Union and around the world.

Varnavas Law Firm makes every reasonable effort to provide accurate advice.

However, please note that any advice or information on travelling, timeframes, required...

Every Investor in the Greek real estate market, who has concluded a real estate purchase must proceed with a property registration process according to Greek law. At this stage, as a property owner, an investor will be asked to pay a certain amount, as follows:

A) A percentage of approximately 0,475% of the property value (when registering with a Land Registry).

B) A...

The Greek Minister of Tourism, Minister Harry Theocharis stated in the Greek parliament on April 6th, “We will open on May 14, and we will open safely". Greece has operated better than any other country in Europe in its response to the pandemic and to boost the tourism sector, yet maintain the general safety of the population. The government has implemented five lines of...

In a visit to the Libyan capital, on the 6th of April 2021, the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, met with the Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh.

The Prime Minister has sealed the reopening of the Greek Embassy in Tripoli and recommenced of Greek-Libyan relations. The Greek Embassy has suspended its mission in the country since 31.07.2014.

Mitsotakis...

A year ago, humanity embarked on an unknown journey. In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the COVID-19 pandemic. Increasingly, we looked inwards for the safety of our loved ones and the stability of our communities.

The toll of the pandemic reached our economies and lifestyles, where the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimated that the majority of...

The first step of every property transaction in Greece is the submission of the relevant tax declaration before the signing of the contracts. From now on, this process can be concluded totally online.

The online "myProperty" platform for the submission of property transaction documents has already opened and its usage will be mandatory from June 1, 2021.

The process...

Brexit has brought about significant changes to the lives of UK citizens. Possibly the most notable change is that they no longer can enjoy the freedom of movement, which applies to EU citizens, meaning, British citizens cannot live nor work in an EU Member State.

The good news is that in the last years, Greece has been running a fast-track...

The Greek Ministry of Immigration finally adopted, in December 2020, an Opinion issued by the Greek State Legal Council, stating that minors can invest and be considered as the main applicants for the purposes of the Golden Visa Process. Namely, it is now possible for minors to purchase real estate or open a term-deposit bank account in Greece and apply for a Golden Visa as a main...

Today is a big day for the Greek Golden Visa. Following an amendment of the Golden Visa Law, enacted on the 23/12/2020, for the first time an investor can apply for a Golden Visa completely remotely, without having to visit Greece. At the same time, it is possible to receive by courier services the "blue certificate", which is equal to a temporary residence permit.

This...

According to the Ministry of Finance, this year’s notifications for the payment of the Annual Property tax will be available to all property owners through their personal online Tax Platform (TAXISnet) on Friday the 25th of September.

As specified by the Greek Law 4223/2013, anyone, that has...

Following the actor Tom Hanks and his wife, actress and producer Rita Wilson, who received the honorary Greek citizenship last year, another prominent figure in the literary field, received this honorary distinction a few days ago. The British writer Victoria Hislop was officially granted the honorary Greek citizenship directly from the...

Back in the summer of 2013, the Greek Government has officially launched the residence-by-investment program which is broadly known as the Greek Golden Visa. During the first six years of the program’s operation, there was just one investment option available and that was the purchase of property or properties with a minimum...

Our Partner Alexander Varnavas has recently shared his thoughts about the Greek Golden Visa during the times of the pandemic with the Japanese Nikkei Asian Review.

Please read the full article here: https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Asia-Insight/Silk-Road-Redux-Greece-courts-China-money-in-crisis-revival-bid

The anticipated bill that invites foreign retirees to become tax residents of Greece by paying a very low annual tax at a rate of only 7% for the total income earned abroad, has been voted by the Greek Parliament a few days ago.

According to the bill 4714/2020, any natural person who is entitled to a pension from a foreign country...

It is a fact that Europe has recently readopted stricter travelling measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 and Greece has also complied with Europe’s guidelines. That makes it difficult, if not impossible,...

The Greek Ministry of Finance plans to submit a new tax bill to the Parliament which will give a very strong tax incentive to foreign retirees to settle permanently in Greece and furthermore transfer here their tax residence.

According to the recent information, the provision that...

Since last April, the IMC (Investment Migration Council) has introduced a series of streaming webinars known as the “Crossing Borders programme”, hosting professionals related to the Immigration Industry for all of the community members to be keep in touch and stay informed about key issues during the challenging...

Bank of Greece sets the ground for remote opening of bank accounts

Following the recent government announcements that aimed at facilitating Golden Visa's procedures for investors, now comes the latest Government Gazette that clarifies the prospect of opening bank accounts remotely.

In a world that is changing rapidly and requires a redesign of all services so that they can...

In the press release published today June 18, 2020, on the official site of The Ministry of Finance, has announced the extension of the deadline for submitting tax returns for individuals and legal entities until July 29, 2020, instead of June 30, 2020, as it was initially defined.

The extension was deemed...