Investimento — autorização de residência de investidor em startup ("Tipo B.6", art. 44 L.5162/2024)

GR-INV-05 é a rota de autorização de residência para investidores iniciantes da Grécia, designada 'Tipo B.6', criada pelo artigo 44 da Lei 5162/2024 (ΦΕΚ Α' 198/2024). A partir de 2026, concede uma autorização de residência para uma contribuição de capital de pelo menos € 250.000 a uma start-up grega registada na Elevate Greece S.A. É apenas para residência - a Grécia não opera cidadania por investimento - e o investidor atinge a nacionalidade apenas através do processo normal de naturalização de 7 anos.

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Typical qualifying profiles (as of 2026) include a non-EU venture investor taking a ≤33% growth-capital stake in an Elevate-Greece-listed innovative company, or a founder-adjacent angel funding a Greek deep-tech start-up while committing to create at least two jobs. It is designed for MINORITY investors: someone seeking a controlling (>33%) stake is excluded. Mere 'investment executives' (ΣΤΕΛΕΧΟΣ ΕΠΕΝΔΥΣΗΣ) do not get the naturalisation privilege that attaches to the INVESTOR permit.

There is no language or civics test for the Type B.6 residence permit itself — it is a migration permit, not a naturalisation. A language/history-culture requirement, including the ΠΕΓΠ written exam (mandatory for αλλογενείς from 01.04.2021), arises only if and when the holder later applies for ordinary naturalisation under Art 5A of the Nationality Code. As of 2026.

Practical tips (as of 2026): confirm the target company is currently listed on Elevate Greece before committing capital; keep equity at or below 33% and document the 5-year lock in the shareholders' agreement; build a defensible 2-job creation plan with year-1 payroll evidence; if citizenship is the goal, plan to actually live in Greece because the permit alone never matures into nationality — only 7 years of genuine residence plus the Art 5 conditions do; and do not rely on Golden-Visa real-estate guides or JMD 214926/2025 for B.6 specifics.

The Type B.6 permit is issued for 1 year initially and renewed for up to 2 years each time (1+2+2…) while the investment, equity-cap, job and shareholding conditions are maintained — a different cadence from the 5-year real-estate Golden Visa. The job-maintenance and share-lock horizon is 5 years. Naturalisation, if pursued, requires 7 continuous years of genuine lawful residence before filing, plus multi-year administrative processing. As of 2026.

The governing EU-law authority is CJEU C-181/23 Commission v Malta (Grand Chamber, 29 Apr 2025, ECLI:EU:C:2025:283), which held transactional citizenship-by-investment breaches Art 20 TFEU and Art 4(3) TEU, while expressly distinguishing RBI/'golden visa' residence permits, which it did NOT prohibit. Type B.6 is an RBI residence permit, so the judgment leaves it intact but confirms Greece cannot convert it into a CBI. If a B.6 holder later naturalises, the 2026 income-criterion case-law (ΣτΕ Δ' 715/2026 & 717/2026) is relevant.

The residence permit is issued through the Ministry of Migration & Asylum / the relevant Decentralised Administration migration directorate (the same migration-administration channel as other investor permits). Elevate Greece S.A. is the gatekeeper for the National Start-up Registry. If the holder later pursues naturalisation, that is handled by the Ministry of Interior's regional citizenship directorate (Περιφερειακή Διεύθυνση Ιθαγένειας). All statements current as of 2026.

Common pitfalls: treating Type B.6 as a Golden-Visa sub-tier (it is a distinct Art 44 L.5162/2024 category — V-CORR 6); assuming €250k buys citizenship (Greece has no CBI; only a 7-year residence-to-naturalisation long game exists); relying on JMD 214926/2025 for B.6 rules (that is the Golden-Visa real-estate decision); investing through an 'investment executive' permit and expecting the naturalisation privilege (excluded — only the INVESTOR permit counts); and investing >33% equity or in a non-Elevate-Greece company (disqualifying). As of 2026.