The Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum (MIA) is the central body responsible for the whole of Greece’s migration and asylum policy, including the Golden Visa programme. Every investment residence permit application from a Vietnamese investor is filed, assessed and approved through this body’s system or its local subordinate units.
This article analyses the role, organisational structure and application-processing procedure at the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum, and clarifies how the devolved system operates between the central and regional levels. All information is based on Law 5038/2023 (the new Migration Code), the amendments in Law 5162/2024, and the current regulations published on the official site of migration.gov.gr for 2026.
To understand the overall context, readers should first refer to the country profile Greece together with the overview article on Greece Golden Visa. This article focuses on the institutional and jurisdictional aspects.
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Overview of the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum
In legal terms, the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum is a standalone ministry within the Greek government, on a par with other ministries such as the Ministry of Finance or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Its rendering into Vietnamese as “Sở” is common within the migration advisory community to reflect its specialist function; the most accurate translation is “Bộ Di Trú và Tị Nạn” (Ministry of Migration and Asylum).
The Ministry was first established in November 2016 as the “Ministry of Migration Policy” under Presidential Decree 123/2016. Between 2019 and 2020, it was merged into the Ministry of Citizen Protection, before being re-established in February 2020 under its current name and structure by Presidential Decree 18/2020.
The Ministry’s remit is broad, covering four main areas. The first is managing foreign nationals legally resident in Greece, including Golden Visa investors. The second is processing asylum and international protection applications. The third is managing irregular arrivals and reception centres. The fourth is coordinating social integration policy for foreign nationals.
As of June 2025, the incumbent Minister is Thanos Plevris. He is the one who announced the significant 2026 reforms to the Golden Visa programme, including a change to how the 5-year permit validity is calculated. The Deputy Minister for Social Integration is Sevi Voloudaki, in office since March 2025.
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The Ministry’s organisational structure
The Ministry is organised on a three-tier model: the Minister and senior office, specialist Directorates-General at the central level, and implementing units at the local level. This devolved model has direct relevance for Vietnamese investors, since Golden Visa applications are processed at the local level once policy oversight has been applied at the central level.
At the central level, there are three major Directorates-General. The General Secretariat of Migration Policy is responsible for developing policy, drafting legislation, and overseeing implementation. This unit directly manages Golden Visa-related matters, from setting investment thresholds to renewal conditions.
The General Secretariat for Reception of Asylum Seekers is responsible for operating reception centres and has no direct link to the Golden Visa. The Asylum Service is an independent subordinate body specialising in reviewing applications for international protection.
At the local level, Golden Visa applications are actually processed by one of seven Decentralized Administrations. For example, an application from an investor buying property in Athens is filed with the Decentralized Administration of Attica; an application in Thessaloniki goes through the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia-Thrace. Each administration has a Dedicated Golden Visa Unit, set up from 2024 to speed up the processing of investment applications.
| Authority | Area of jurisdiction | Head office |
|---|---|---|
| Decentralized Administration of Attica | Athens and surrounding area | Athens |
| Decentralized Administration of Macedonia-Thrace | Thessaloniki and northern Greece | Thessaloniki |
| Decentralized Administration of the Aegean | The Aegean islands | Mytilini |
| Decentralized Administration of Crete | Crete | Heraklion |
| Decentralized Administration of the Peloponnese | The Peloponnese peninsula | Tripoli |
| Decentralized Administration of Epirus-Western Macedonia | North-western Greece | Ioannina |
| Decentralized Administration of Thessaly-Central Greece | Central Greece | Larissa |
The Ministry’s role in the Golden Visa programme
In the Golden Visa programme, the Ministry plays four strategic roles, each with a direct effect on the investor’s experience.
The first role is developing and updating the legal framework. All investment conditions, document lists, processing times and government fees are issued by the Ministry through ministerial decisions and implementing circulars. The most recent change is Law 5162/2024 — which set the €800,000 threshold for Zone A and €400,000 for Zone B, effective from 31 August 2024.
The second role is receiving and assessing applications. Under the 2025-2026 digital reform, most applications are now filed through the Ministry’s electronic service portal instead of on paper as before. This portal lets a lawyer acting for an investor submit all documents, track progress and receive results online. According to data published by Minister Plevris at the end of 2025, the new system has cut processing time from 12-14 months to 4-6 months.
The third role is issuing and managing the physical residence permit card. Once the application is approved and biometrics are completed, the Ministry works with the central card-printing authority to issue the card. The Ministry also maintains a public “Ready Residence Permits” list on its official site, letting investors check their card status using their application number and name.
The fourth role is compliance monitoring and handling violations. After the card is issued, the Ministry monitors the maintenance of the investment through a data link with the Greek Tax Authority (AADE) and the Land Registry. If an investor is found to have sold the property without authorisation or to be renting it short-term (Airbnb-style) in violation of the 2024 rules, the Ministry has the authority to revoke the card and require the investor to leave Greece.
Internal Golden Visa application processing at the Ministry
The Ministry’s internal processing procedure comprises five main stages, running in parallel with the investor’s journey.
The first stage is receiving the application. The lawyer acting for the investor submits it through the electronic service portal. The system automatically checks that the documents are complete — if a required item is missing, the application is returned immediately. Within 7-10 working days, if the application is complete, the system automatically issues a temporary residence certificate (the “blue paper”).
The second stage is security and anti-money-laundering screening (Security & AML Screening). The application is forwarded to the security unit of the Ministry of Citizen Protection to be checked against the Schengen Information System (SIS), Interpol and other international watchlists. At the same time, financial data is checked against EU AML standards. This stage usually takes 30-60 days.
The third stage is technical assessment of the investment. The dedicated Golden Visa unit verifies the property’s validity: a minimum area of 120m², the price threshold matching the correct Zone, no legal disputes, and that transfer tax has been paid. For the €250,000 commercial-to-residential conversion route, the building permit and renovation project must also be checked.
The fourth stage is scheduling the biometric appointment. Once the two stages above are satisfied, the system automatically notifies the lawyer to schedule the fingerprinting appointment. Under the 2026 rules, appointments are booked through an online scheduling platform integrated with the service portal.
The final stage is approval and card printing. Once biometrics are complete, the application receives final approval from the Director-General of the Decentralized Administration and moves to card printing. The card is issued within 1-2 months and can be collected in person by the lawyer or the investor.
Digital reform and 2026 changes
2026 marks a period of far-reaching transformation at the Greek Ministry of Migration. The main goal of the reforms is to reduce the application backlog and shorten processing times — which had once stretched to 14 months by the end of 2024.
The most important reform is the shift from a paper-based process to a fully electronic one. According to Minister Plevris’s announcement in early 2026, from January 2026 every new Golden Visa application must be submitted through the electronic portal. Paper applications are now accepted only in special cases separately approved by the Minister.
The second reform is the establishment of a dedicated Golden Visa unit at each Regional Decentralised Administration. These units are entirely separate from the department handling standard applications (work, family, study), which prevents Golden Visa files from queuing alongside other visa types. As a result, the time from submission to approval has fallen from 12–14 months to 3–4 months for a well-prepared application.
The third reform — and the most significant for investors — is the change to how the card’s 5-year validity is calculated. Previously, the 5 years were backdated to the application submission date, so processing time was counted against the card’s term. Under the 2026 reform, a card issued after the law takes effect will count 5 years from the date the physical card is printed, giving the investor the full 5 years of residence.
For Vietnamese investors, this digitisation reform has practical implications. The entire application progress can be tracked from Vietnam through the electronic portal, without needing periodic reports from a lawyer. In addition, from 11 September 2026 — when the Apostille Convention takes effect between Vietnam and Greece — the process of legalising documents from Vietnam is significantly simplified, meaning the electronic submission step is also faster.
Interacting with the Ministry — official channels
The Directorate maintains several communication channels with foreign nationals and legal representatives. The official website migration.gov.gr is the most important source of legal information, with a full English version. The site publishes all laws, decrees, circulars and guidance, updated in real time.
The Directorate’s official Viber community (established in 2023) provides updates for foreign nationals, particularly on working hours, appointments and regulatory changes. This is a supplementary channel — important information should still be verified through the official website.
For Golden Visa investors, the main point of interaction is through the representing lawyer. Investors rarely need to interact directly with Directorate officers, except on the day of biometric enrolment. Practical advice: choose a lawyer experienced with the Regional Decentralised Administration where the property is purchased, since each region has a different internal implementation process.
Summary and next steps
The Greek Directorate of Migration and Asylum is the central coordinator for all migration policy, of which the Golden Visa programme is one of the core mandates. The division of authority between the central level and the seven Regional Decentralised Administrations gives investors access to local services near the property they have invested in, while still benefiting from a unified policy set at ministerial level.
The 2026 reforms — full digitisation, the establishment of dedicated units, and the change to how the 5-year card validity is calculated — are good news for new investors. Combined with the Apostille Convention taking effect from 11 September 2026 between Vietnam and Greece, the Golden Visa journey from Vietnam is shorter and more cost-effective than in previous years.
The next recommended read is the 7-step Greece Golden Visa process to understand how an application moves through the Directorate’s system, then refer to Greece Golden Visa profile to prepare the document checklist. Investors who already hold a card and are due for renewal can refer to the article renewing the 5-year Greek Golden Visa to understand the process of interacting with the Directorate when renewing.
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