Greece will open its application platform on Oct. 14 for expanded relocation grants of €10,000 to people who move permanently to remote border regions, Social Cohesion and Family Minister Domna Michailidou announced Wednesday.
Half the money will be paid up front, Mrs. Michailidou told SKAI television. Participants can live in Greece or abroad.
The program, which began as a pilot in Evros, is expanding to Kilkis, Florina, Kastoria, Drama, Pella, Grevena, Kozani, Serres, Ioannina and Thesprotia.
Rules have been loosened after feedback from local communities.
Applicants no longer must prove they work in the area, only that they own or rent a home there, and they may move to a town rather than just a village.
Within the next 10 days, applicants for the "Renovate" program can begin filing documents and claim half the subsidy in advance.
About 94,000 eligibility certificates have been issued, roughly 80,000 for owner-occupied homes and 14,000 for vacant properties.
The subsidy can reach 95% of eligible costs and up to €36,000 per home, provided the work includes a modest energy upgrade.
Mrs. Michailidou also described the new "My Home III" program, which will help about 20,000 more people buy a first home.
It covers ages 25 to 55, homes worth up to €300,000 and loans up to €230,000.
For couples, the income cap is €35,000, plus €7,000 per child, and larger families may buy bigger homes.
The program follows "My Home II," which helped more than 14,100 people buy a home, with an average beneficiary age of 38. Surveys so far show prices of homes bought under the earlier programs rose in line with the wider market, she said.