Proving FIP Income in Greece: Pensions, Rent, Dividends and Savings

To prove income for Greece's financially independent person route, show where your resources come from, that they belong to you, and how they can support your stay without unauthorised work. A pension award, rental contract or investment statement is a starting point. The useful application connects that entitlement to actual payments and explains whether the money is recurring income or available capital.

The current published resources decision sets a EUR3,500 monthly baseline for the principal applicant, with family increases. It also recognises different methods of assessing resources. This guide explains how to assemble the financial evidence; it does not treat a bank balance or spreadsheet total as guaranteed eligibility.

Start with the correct resources calculation

Decision 225679/2024, Article 1, specifies EUR3,500 monthly for the relevant sufficient-resources category, increased by 20% for a spouse and 15% for each child. The decision refers to net income or capital and requires evidence of lawful origin. The outdated EUR2,000 figure should not be used for a new financial assessment.

For a principal applicant accompanied by a spouse, that calculation produces EUR4,200 monthly. Adding one child produces EUR4,725. These are illustrations of the published formula, not confirmation that a particular relationship qualifies or that the authority will accept every proposed source.

The decision allows monthly assessment where periodic income is demonstrated, and annual assessment for other sources, including bank deposits. Do not turn that distinction into an invented rule that everybody must deposit the same three-year lump sum. Establish the relevant assessment period and evidential approach with the receiving authority before moving substantial money.

Keep living costs separate from this legal benchmark. Passing a resources test does not demonstrate that the household can afford its chosen rent, insurance, travel and contingencies.

Connect pension entitlement to money received

A pension file should explain the payer, beneficiary, commencement date, payment frequency and amount. A recent award or entitlement letter establishes the underlying right; bank statements show whether payment actually arrives. Where the award is expressed before tax or deductions, include the statement explaining those deductions rather than presenting the gross figure as spendable income.

Separate state pensions, occupational pensions and withdrawals from investment-based retirement accounts. A guaranteed periodic pension is not the same financial product as an account from which you can choose to withdraw capital. Describe each accurately, including whether payments cease at a fixed date or depend on investment performance.

Record currency and payment frequency exactly. A four-weekly payment is not a calendar-month payment. An annual increase announced by a provider should be supported by its notice, not estimated from last year's inflation.

For a couple, show which pension belongs to which person. Ask how a spouse's resources may be considered for the proposed application structure. Combining balances on a household worksheet does not establish that the principal applicant has unrestricted access to them.

If a pension has not started, distinguish the confirmed future entitlement from payments already received. Identify the commencement date and the resources available before then. An estimate downloaded from a retirement calculator is not equivalent to an award confirming an actual payment obligation.

Show rent after explaining ownership and deductions

For rental income, build a chain from the property to the applicant and then to the receipts. Useful material includes ownership evidence, the current tenancy agreement, rent statements, managing-agent reports and corresponding bank credits. A tax return can corroborate the history, but may describe an earlier year or combine several properties.

Explain material deductions. The tenant's headline rent may differ from the amount available after management charges, financing costs, repairs or taxes. A transparent schedule shows gross receipts, identifiable outgoings and the amount being relied upon, leaving the legal treatment of individual deductions for assessment.

Account for vacancies and arrears honestly. If a tenancy recently ended, attach the termination information and describe the actual position. An advertised asking rent or a prospective agent's forecast is not an established payment stream.

Also distinguish passive ownership from operating a business. Managing serviced accommodation, supplying substantial guest services or actively running a property company may raise different immigration questions. Calling all receipts rent does not resolve whether the activity you will perform from Greece is permitted.

Infographic text

1. Pensions: Link entitlement statements to actual payments.
2. Rental income: Explain ownership, receipts and relevant deductions.
3. Investments: Distinguish dividends from the value of the portfolio.
4. Savings and totals: Keep capital separate and reconcile the evidence.

Distinguish dividends from portfolio value

An investment account has at least three different figures: market value, income distributed and gains or losses on disposals. Keep them separate. A portfolio worth EUR500,000 does not itself prove EUR3,500 of monthly income, and a strong year of market growth does not establish future distributions.

For dividends, identify the security or company, your ownership, the distribution decision or broker statement, withholding deductions and the payment received. Quarterly or annual distributions can be explained through a dated schedule. Do not imply that dividing one exceptional dividend by twelve makes it permanently recurring.

Private-company dividends need particular care. Supply evidence that the distribution was lawfully declared and paid, and explain your role in the business. Money retained in a company is not necessarily personal money available for living expenses.

If your income depends on continuing to direct operations, deliver services or manage staff from Greece, disclose that work. A dividend label cannot establish that the underlying arrangement is compatible with passive FIP residence. Investment ownership and active management need separate legal analysis.

Present savings as capital, not invented income

The resources decision expressly mentions bank accounts and annual assessment of sources such as deposits. Savings therefore deserve a properly documented assessment; they should not simply be dismissed because they are not monthly pension payments. Equally, there is no sound basis for promising that any specified balance automatically secures approval.

Show account ownership, available balance, transaction history and restrictions. A fixed-term deposit, pledged account or inaccessible retirement fund may have a headline value that differs from money available to support the stay. Explain withdrawal conditions and any material penalties.

Document substantial incoming transfers. A property sale can be traced through the sale agreement, completion statement and receiving account. An inheritance may need the relevant entitlement and distribution records. Moving money between your own accounts should be labelled as a transfer, not counted as additional income.

Avoid borrowing money temporarily merely to display a higher balance. The file must truthfully explain ownership, obligations and lawful origin. Where capital is intended to fund several years, prepare a depletion forecast as a planning tool, while leaving the authority's required evidential calculation distinct.

Reconcile the documents into one readable schedule

Create one row for each source, with columns for owner, payer, currency, frequency, gross amount, deductions, net amount and supporting document. Use consistent document references so a reviewer can move from the summary to the original evidence without guessing which bank entry belongs to which source.

For foreign currency, retain the original figures and state the conversion date and rate used for your illustrative euro calculation. Ask which conversion evidence the authority expects. Build a sensible planning margin rather than relying on a favourable exchange rate on one particular afternoon.

Reconcile overlapping documents. A dividend shown on a broker statement and the same dividend transferred to your bank are one resource, not two. A pension already included in a tax return must not be added to the tax return's total again.

Confirm translation, authentication and document-age requirements before commissioning work. Preserve original statements and complete pages. Summaries help explain evidence but do not replace required official records. Use secure document exchange because bank statements contain information that is unnecessary for public email threads.

Keep income evidence separate from work and tax permission

The resources decision refers to support without dependent employment or independent economic activity in Greece. Its examples of foreign income do not give a passive FIP applicant permission to perform remote employment from Greece. A foreign employer, foreign bank account or foreign payroll does not answer the immigration question.

Tell the reviewing lawyer what you will actually do each week. Consulting, serving clients, coding, managing a business and drawing an existing pension are materially different activities. A work-compatible route may need consideration before the financial file is finalised.

Immigration resources also do not settle tax residence or the taxation of pensions, rent and dividends. AADE's tax-residence guidance describes residence, personal and economic connections and a separate presence test. A permit or Greek tax number alone does not decide the result.

For route context, use the Greek residence permits guide. An individual financial and activity assessment belongs within the residence permit service, with tax advice coordinated separately.

Test the file with a shortfall example and checklist

Consider a hypothetical couple relying on a EUR2,900 net pension and EUR1,000 of documented monthly rental receipts. Their EUR3,900 total is below the illustrated EUR4,200 spouse-adjusted benchmark. They also hold EUR90,000 in savings. The correct next step is to assess the deposits under the applicable resources rules, not silently describe them as another monthly pension.

The assessment should also consider whether the rental figure is genuinely available, whether both applicants can rely on the resources as proposed, and whether any continuing activity requires work permission. No outcome is implied by these numbers.

• Identify the exact category and accompanying family members before calculating the benchmark.
• Separate recurring receipts, irregular distributions and capital into different totals.
• Trace every material source from legal entitlement to the receiving account.
• Explain deductions, currency conversions, restrictions and exceptional transfers.
• Check that one payment has not been counted through several documents.
• Disclose planned work and obtain a separate tax assessment before moving.

Keep the schedule updated after filing. A later request for evidence should be answerable with current documents and a clear explanation of what changed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the FIP threshold EUR2,000 or EUR3,500?

The published 2024 resources decision sets EUR3,500 monthly for the relevant category, with family increases. Older EUR2,000 references are not a reliable basis for a new application. Check for subsequent amendments and the applicable submission requirements before committing to a financial plan.

Can savings count instead of a pension?

The decision recognises bank accounts and annual assessment for sources such as deposits. Acceptance requires a route-specific review of available capital, lawful origin and supporting evidence. Do not assume that multiplying the monthly benchmark by a chosen number of months creates a guaranteed deposit route.

Must dividends arrive every month?

Not every investment distributes monthly. Explain the actual payment cycle and provide the distribution history and underlying records. Periodicity and availability need to be demonstrated; one exceptional distribution should not be presented as a guaranteed stream continuing throughout the intended stay.

Can I include my overseas salary?

Do not rely on salary evidence without explaining whether you will keep working from Greece. Financial sufficiency and work authorisation are different issues. Passive FIP residence does not become a remote-work permission because the employer and payroll are abroad.

Does an accountant's letter replace bank statements?

A letter can explain calculations, ownership structures or reconciliations, but should not be assumed to replace the underlying evidence required by the authority. The strongest file lets the reviewer verify the explanation against pension records, agreements, investment statements and actual receipts.