Turkish unrest leads to spike in interest for Golden Visa programmes
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The latest analysis from Astons reveals that Turkish online search interest in Golden Visa programmes has increased by almost 40% as the nation’s political and social unrest causes more wealthy Turkish residents to consider moving themselves and their financial investments to a more stable nation.
Türkiye is enduring a period of political and social unrest due to mass protests against President Erdogan, with thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators gathering in the streets of Istanbul to show support for the city’s jailed mayor.
As a result, Turkish investment into Greece is booming and, last year, Greece saw $548m invested via Turkish investors, a ten-fold increase since 2022.
A large proportion of this investment is being done via the real estate market as it opens the door to securing a Greek Golden Visa and, last year, Turkish nationals accounted for 15% of all Greek Golden Visa applications.
The latest analysis by Astons has shown that this demand for Greek Golden Visas from Turkish nationals has continued in 2025.
Astons analysed Turkish Google Trends data from* to see how the search interest of Golden Visa programmes has changed since the unrest began.
The data reveals that over the past year (March 2024 – March 2025) Turkish interest in the search term ‘Golden Visa’ has increased by 46%.
Furthermore, comparing the average search interest for ‘Golden Visa’ over the past three months (Jan-March 25) to the previous three months (Oct-Dec 24) shows an increase of 39% coinciding with the build-up and break-out of Turkish unrest.
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. It’s something we have seen before, most recently in the US where Trump’s second election victory led to many Americans looking to find solace elsewhere in the world, not only to sidestep any social unrest that may occur, but also to diversify their financial investments to avoid being totally reliant on the American economy while it’s governed by an unpredictable President.
Türkiye is the most recent example, with the nation’s wealthy citizens considering a move away from the troubled nation. In fact, recent data from the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye has revealed 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
Unsurprisingly, we are seeing much of this interest go towards Türkiye’s neighbouring nation of Greece.
In fact, as one of the most popular agencies in Greece, Astons has seen a huge surge in interest in Greek Golden Visas from Turkish residents since last summer, long before the current unrest began. This growth has also been confirmed by Greek developers who report that Turkish buyers are actively purchasing real estate through the Golden Visa program.
The Greek Golden Visa programme is one of Europe’s most popular thanks to its relatively inexpensive investment requirements, the promise of EU residency and, therefore, freedom of movement, a stable socio-political environment and a thriving economy packed full of potential for businesses and investors alike. However, the word is that Greece plans to end its Golden Visa programme soon, which means 2025 might present the final opportunity to take advantage of its attractive offering.”
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