Do I have to live in Greece to keep my Golden Visa?

The investor residence permit imposes no minimum physical-presence requirement, which is one of its main attractions — you can hold and renew the five-year permit while living elsewhere, as long as you keep the qualifying investment. However, this flexibility has consequences if you later want more. Converting to EU long-term resident status (the nearest thing to permanent residence) requires five years of actual continuous residence in Greece, and Greek citizenship has its own separate, longer residence and language requirements. So the Golden Visa is excellent for mobility and EU access, but is not by itself a fast route to a passport.