Greek islands with fewer than 3,100 residents: the €400,000 Golden Visa list (2026)

Short answer: Under Law 5100/2024, the Golden Visa minimum is €800,000 in Attica, the Thessaloniki regional unit, the Mykonos and Santorini (Thira) regional units and on islands with more than 3,100 inhabitants at the latest census, and €400,000 everywhere else. There is no official list. On the 2021 ELSTAT census, counted island by island, well-known islands under the line include Kea, Kythnos, Serifos, Antiparos, Amorgos, Paxos, Symi, Astypalaia and Samothraki; Sifnos and Ithaca are under it on residents but over it on the registered-citizen count. Hydra, Agistri, Ios and Folegandros are smaller too but stay at €800,000, because the law names their wider area. Confirm the tier of any home with a Greek lawyer before you pay a deposit.

Last reviewed October 2026 against Law 5100/2024, Ministry of Migration Circular 1/2026 and the ELSTAT 2021 census tables. General information, not legal advice.

What does the 3,100-resident rule say?

Article 100 of the Migration Code, as rewritten by Law 5100/2024 (Art. 64), sets the amounts for buying a home for the Golden Visa:

• €800,000 in the Attica Region, the Thessaloniki regional unit, the Mykonos and Thira (Santorini) regional units, and on "islands with a population, according to the latest census, of more than 3,100 inhabitants".
• €400,000 in the rest of Greece.
• €250,000 anywhere, but only to convert a non-residential building into a home or to restore a listed building.

In both main tiers the investment must be one property, and a built home needs at least 120 m² of main living space. "More than" matters: an island with exactly 3,100 inhabitants would be in the €400,000 tier.

Which census counts, and is there an official list?

The latest census is the 2021 census by ELSTAT, the Greek statistics authority. It published two official counts, and the law does not say which one applies:

• Permanent population: everyone, of any nationality, who usually lives in the area (10,482,487 for Greece).
• Legal population: Greek citizens registered in the municipality, wherever in Greece they actually live (9,716,889).

Our reading is that the permanent count applies, island by island. The law speaks of islands and the people who live on them, and Greece's State Legal Council read "population of the latest census" as the permanent population in another law. No Ministry text confirms this, though. The Ministry circulars of September 2024 and April 2026 repeat the wording without a list; their only island ruling is that Evia falls in the €800,000 tier. We found no official list of islands as of October 2026.

For most islands both counts give the same answer. Where they do not, the tables below say so.

Greek islands under 3,100 residents: the list

Figures are the ELSTAT 2021 permanent population, with the legal count added where it falls on the other side of 3,100. "Border area" means buyers from outside the EU, Americans included, need a permit first (see below).

Cyclades

*Part of the Naxos and Small Cyclades municipality (20,578 residents). The law says islands, not municipalities, so our reading is per island; ask a lawyer to confirm.

Ionian islands

*Kalamos and Kastos belong to the Lefkada municipality; the three Diapontia islets to Central Corfu.

North and East Aegean, and Skyros

Dodecanese

Other small islands

Gavdos off Crete (142 residents), Elafonisos in Laconia (898), Ammouliani in Chalkidiki (521) and Trizonia in the Gulf of Corinth (169) are also under the line and outside the named areas, so €400,000. None is a border area.

Islands under 3,100 that still need €800,000

The named areas apply whatever an island's size, so these islands are €800,000:

Some lists online put Hydra, Agistri, Folegandros and Sikinos in the €400,000 tier. On the wording of the law they are not. Aegina, Poros, Spetses, Salamina and Kythira are also in the Attica Region, and all have more than 3,100 residents anyway.

Islands too close to call

• Alonissos: 3,138 residents for the municipality and about 3,100 for the main island alone, but 1,886 on the legal count. Treat it as €800,000 until a lawyer confirms otherwise.
• Patmos: 3,283 residents and 3,322 on the legal count. Above the line on both, but only just, so €800,000.
• Skyros: 3,052 residents but 3,810 on the legal count. It is also part of the Evia regional unit, which the Ministry placed in the €800,000 tier without saying whether that includes Skyros.
• Sifnos (2,777 against 3,250) and Ithaca (2,862 against 3,333): under the line on residents, over it on the legal count.

If the tier decides whether a purchase works for you, get your lawyer's written view on that island before you sign anything.

Which popular islands need €800,000?

Every island in a named area, plus every island with more than 3,100 residents in 2021. Among the islands buyers ask us about most:

• Cyclades: Mykonos and Santorini (named areas), Syros (21,124 residents), Naxos (19,597), Paros (14,520), Tinos (8,934), Andros (8,826) and Milos (5,302).
• Ionian: Corfu, Kefalonia, Zakynthos and Lefkada.
• Dodecanese: Rhodes, Kos, Kalymnos, Leros, Karpathos and Patmos.
• North Aegean and Sporades: Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Lemnos, Ikaria, Thasos, Skiathos (5,802) and Skopelos (4,518).
• Crete and Evia, and the Saronic islands and Kythira through the Attica Region.

Border areas: a permit for American buyers

Law 1892/1990 lists border areas where buyers from outside the EU and EFTA, Americans included, need approval from a committee of the regional Decentralised Administration before they buy. The Ministry of Defence member must vote in favour, and a purchase signed without approval is void. Several small islands are in these areas:

• every island of the Dodecanese, including Symi, Astypalaia, Tilos, Nisyros, Kasos, Chalki, Lipsi and Kastellorizo;
• Samothraki, Fournoi, Psara, Oinousses and Agios Efstratios, through their former prefectures;
• Skyros and Santorini, which the law names directly.

The Cyclades other than Santorini, the main Ionian islands, the Saronic islands, Skiathos, Skopelos, Alonissos and Crete are not on the statutory list. Some sources list Corfu's Diapontia islets, so confirm those with your lawyer, and build the approval into your timetable on any border-area island.

What do homes cost on the smaller islands?

Average asking prices in Q2 2026 (Spitogatos, September 2026), and what a home of the 120 m² Golden Visa minimum size would cost at that average (our calculation, not a valuation):

On the €400,000 islands the minimum is rarely what limits you: a 120 m² home on Paxos or Astypalaia at the average asking price already costs more, and on Antiparos it costs more than even the €800,000 minimum. Spitogatos publishes no per-island figure for Sifnos, Serifos, Kea, Kythnos, Amorgos, Ithaca or Symi. For those, the regional averages (Cyclades €4,063 per m², Dodecanese €2,219, Spitogatos Property Index Q2 2026) are only a rough guide, so ask for current comparables. Island prices compared market by market are in our Greek islands property guide.

Will the list change?

Yes, with the next census. "Latest census" will mean the 2031 census once its results are published. Between 2011 and 2021 three islands crossed the line: Ithaca fell from 3,231 to 2,862 residents, while Alonissos rose from 2,750 to 3,138 and Patmos from 3,047 to 3,283. Guides that still use 2011 figures get all three wrong. The texts do not say whether the census in force on the day you buy or on the day you apply decides your tier, so ask your lawyer if new census results are close.

How to check the tier for a specific home

1. Check whether the island is in a named area: the Attica Region (Saronic islands, Kythira), the Mykonos or Thira regional units (Mykonos, Santorini, Ios, Folegandros, Sikinos, Anafi), or Evia. If it is, the minimum is €800,000.
2. Check the island's 2021 resident count in the ELSTAT tables. More than 3,100 means €800,000.
3. If the island is part of a larger municipality or near the line, get your lawyer's written view before the deposit.
4. Check whether the island is a border area and, if you are not an EU citizen, allow time for the permit.
5. Check the home itself: one property, at least 120 m² of main space if built, and a price of at least the tier amount.

Frequently asked questions

Which Greek islands have fewer than 3,100 inhabitants?

On the 2021 census, counted island by island, they include Kea, Kythnos, Serifos, Sifnos, Antiparos, Kimolos, Amorgos and the Small Cyclades; Paxos, Ithaca and Meganisi in the Ionian; Symi, Astypalaia, Tilos, Nisyros, Kasos, Chalki, Lipsi and Kastellorizo in the Dodecanese; and Samothraki, Fournoi, Psara and Oinousses in the north Aegean. Hydra, Agistri, Ios, Folegandros, Sikinos and Anafi are also smaller, but stay in the €800,000 tier because of the area they belong to.

Is there an official list of these islands?

No. The law and the Ministry of Migration circulars give the rule but no list, and the law does not say whether the permanent or the legal census count applies. Every list online, this one included, is a reading of the 2021 census. Confirm the tier for a specific home with a Greek lawyer.

Is Sifnos in the €400,000 Golden Visa tier?

On our reading, yes: Sifnos had 2,777 residents in the 2021 census. Its legal population, which counts registered Greek citizens, was 3,250, and the law does not say which count applies, so confirm with a lawyer before you rely on the lower tier.

Is Hydra €400,000 or €800,000?

€800,000. Hydra has about 2,070 residents, but it belongs to the Attica Region, which the law places in the €800,000 tier whatever an island's size. The same applies to Agistri, Poros, Spetses, Aegina and Kythira.

Are Ios and Folegandros in the €400,000 tier?

No. Both have fewer than 3,100 residents, but they belong to the Thira (Santorini) regional unit, which the law places in the €800,000 tier, together with Sikinos and Anafi.

Can Americans buy property on Symi or Astypalaia?

Yes, with a permit. Every Dodecanese island is a border area under Law 1892/1990, so buyers from outside the EU need approval from a regional committee before the purchase. Both islands have fewer than 3,100 residents, so the Golden Visa minimum there is €400,000.

Next steps

1. Compare island markets in our Greek islands property guide.
2. Read the full rules in our complete Golden Visa guide.
3. See the Golden Visa homes for sale.
4. Tell us the island and your budget. We check the Golden Visa tier and border-area status for each home before any deposit; your Greek lawyer confirms them in writing.

Sources

• Law 5100/2024, Art. 64 (Government Gazette A' 49, 5 April 2024), amending Art. 100 of Law 5038/2023
• Ministry of Migration and Asylum, Circular 9 (25 September 2024) and Circular 1/2026 (21 April 2026)
• ELSTAT, 2021 census: permanent population by municipality, municipal unit and settlement, and legal population
• Law 4772/2021, Art. 3 (census definitions); State Legal Council Opinion 103/2013
• Law 1892/1990, Arts. 24 to 26, as replaced by Law 3978/2011, Art. 114 (border areas)
• Spitogatos, Greek islands asking prices, Q2 2026 (16 September 2026), and the Spitogatos Property Index, Q2 2026

Reviewed by Kirill Samarits, Founder & CEO, BUY GREECE LLC, Chicago and Glyfada, Athens. General information, not legal advice; confirm your case with a licensed Greek lawyer.