According to analysis from Astons, search interest for golden visas in Türkiye have increased by 46% off the back of political unrest in the country.
Currently, Türkiye is seeing huge swaths of political and social unrest against President Erdogan, with thousands of protestors taking to the streets in support of Istanbul’s mayor, who is currently in jail.
This political unrest has led to many wealthy Turks not only investing in neighbouring countries like Greece, but actively looking to move there.
Turkish Interest in Greece
Greece is a neighbouring country to Türkiye, and as a growing economy, it’s no surprise that Turks want a piece of the action.
In fact, statistics show that Turkish investors have invested $548m in Greece last year, a ten-fold increase since 2022.
As it turns out, a huge portion of this investment is in real estate, which is one of the routes of investment for the Greek golden visa. In fact, Turkish nationals accounted for 15% of all Greek golden visa applications last year, showing huge demand to move there.
Astons Business Development Director and Head of Astons Cyprus Office, Denis Kravchenko, commented:
“Political and social unrest is one of the biggest driving factors for growing interest in Golden Visa programmes. Unsurprisingly, we are seeing much of this interest go towards Türkiye’s neighbouring nation of Greece.”
Astons analysis of Google trends confirms this trend, with golden visa searches in Türkiye increasing 39% in the first three months of 2025 alone.
What Is The Greek Golden Visa?
The Greek golden visa allows high net worth individuals to move to Greece in exchange for an investment.
When it comes to real estate, the investment threshold starts at €250,000, making it highly achievable for foreign investors.
Other options include €500,000 in government bonds, €350,000 in Greek investment funds or €800,000 in Greek shares.
One of the reasons that Greece’s golden visa is so popular – not just for Turks but worldwide – is that it has a relatively affordable entry point and you can invest the money in a property, rather than stocks and shares.
For comparison, the minimum amount in the UAE is AED 2,000,000 (£500,000), Monaco is €500,000 and Portugal is €500,000 as a fund investment.
Not only that, but the Greek golden visa also comes with EU rights to travel and a relatively stable political environment – something a lot of Turks are looking for.
However, there are rumours that Greece might be phasing out its golden visa this year, so it’s no surprise many people are racing to lock it in.
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Investors Continue To Look Abroad
But it’s not just in Türkiye that investors have their eye on foreign investments. The US also saw some of its citizens looking to diversify their investments after Trump came into office – causing them to look into assets abroad.
In fact, according to Henley & Partners, for Americans, the top five most popular golden visa programmes last year were in Portugal, Antigua and Barbuda, Malta, Spain and Greece.
When it comes to Türkiye, the country’s Central Bank reported that Turkish buyers spent $144 million on overseas properties in January 2025 alone, and much of this is being attributed to a growing interest in golden visa programmes.
Are Golden Visa Programmes The Future?
Whilst it does seem like these programmes are gaining in popularity, the reality is that many golden visa programmes are actually being shut down or significantly changed.
This is mostly because of concerns about geopolitical tensions and questions about using them for money laundering. Some examples of golden visa programmes that have been shut down include:
- Spain (ended April 3 2025)
- UK (ended 2022)
- Cyprus (ended November 2020)
- The Netherlands (ended Jan 2024)
- Australia (ended Jan 2024)
- Ireland (ended 2023)
Golden Visas In An Age Of Political Uncertainty
As areas of the world become more politically unstable, it’s no surprise that wealthy individuals are looking to invest (and live) elsewhere.
As Türkiye continues to face uncertainty, it will be interesting to see how its citizens plan to use golden visas as a method of living and investing abroad.
