How to relocate to Greece in 2026: the step-by-step guide

Mazi Team · Updated 21 October 2026 · 10 min read

Everything in the right order: the visa or permit that fits you, the documents to start collecting now, and what to do in your first weeks: tax number, social security, bank, home and school.

Greek bureaucracy runs on stamps, patience and coffee. Most of the stress of moving here comes from doing things in the wrong order: signing a lease before you have a tax number, booking flights before the visa route is confirmed, or forgetting that every foreign document needs an apostille and a certified translation. This guide gives you the order of operations.

Jump to: your route · documents · your first weeks · taxes · housing · schools · 90-day checklist · FAQ

Step 1: find your route

Your nationality, where your income comes from and whether you will work for a Greek employer decide which route brings you to Greece. Find the line that describes you.

The rules live in the Migration Code, as amended by Law 5275/2026, and most applications go through the online "Migration" system. If two routes seem to fit, or none does, that is exactly what the free intro call is for.

If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen

• You can live and work in Greece freely. No visa.
• After 3 months, register with the Aliens Department of the Hellenic Police for your registration certificate.
• Non-EU family members apply for a family-member residence card.

If you need a visa or residence permit

• Work permit (metaklisi): your Greek employer invites you while you are still abroad. You need a contract of at least 6 months and the role must fit the annual quota. Once approved, you get a national (type D) visa at the Greek consulate, travel, and receive your permit in Greece.
• EU Blue Card: for highly qualified hires with a binding contract at or above the salary threshold. Valid up to 3 years, renewable, and your spouse and children apply at the same time.
• Digital Nomad Visa: €3,500 net a month, plus 20% for a spouse and 15% per child (a couple with one child needs €4,725). Work only for employers or clients outside Greece.
• Financially Independent Person: for retirees and people living on pensions, rent or investments from abroad. At least €3,500 a month, with the same family increases. No work in Greece.
• Golden Visa: a 5-year renewable permit through real estate: €800,000 in Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands of over 3,100 residents, €400,000 in the rest of Greece (both for one property of at least 120 m²), and €250,000 for a commercial-to-residential conversion or a listed building. Golden Visa properties cannot be used for short-term rentals such as Airbnb.
• Family reunification: your spouse or registered partner and minor children can join you once you hold a valid permit, with proof of stable income, health insurance and suitable housing.

Step 2: start collecting documents now

Documents are where most moves lose weeks. Foreign certificates usually need an apostille (the Hague stamp) and a certified Greek translation, and both take longer than people expect.

• Passport valid for at least 12 more months
• Birth and marriage certificates, apostilled
• Criminal record certificate, apostilled (non-EU citizens)
• Degree certificates (for the EU Blue Card)
• Certified Greek translations of every foreign document
• Private health insurance that covers Greece

Step 3: your first weeks in Greece

Once you arrive, do things in this order. Each step needs the one before it.

1. Tax number (AFM). Free, personal and yours for life. Get it at your local tax office (ΔΟΥ) or online through myAADE with identity verification. If you live outside the EU when you apply, you may need a tax representative in Greece, so check when you apply.
2. TAXISnet codes. Activate them right after the AFM. They log you into myAADE, gov.gr, e-prescriptions and many appointment systems.
3. Social security number (AMKA). Needed for payroll, public healthcare and prescriptions. Non-EU citizens usually get it from a local e-EFKA branch; EU citizens can often get it at a KEP citizen centre. Each child needs their own AMKA.
4. Bank account. Every Greek bank asks for your AFM, plus your passport, residence permit or blue receipt, proof of address and proof of income. The first account is usually opened in a branch, often the same day; the card follows in about a week. Set up IRIS for instant payments to a phone number.
5. Greek SIM or eSIM from Cosmote, Vodafone or Nova.
6. Lease and utilities (see housing below).

Health insurance

There are two layers. The public system (EOPYY) covers employees through their social security contributions, using the AMKA. Private insurance is required for most permit applications until public cover starts, and employers often offer it as a group plan. Arrange private cover before you travel.

Renewals

Apply in the 2 months before your permit expires. A late application is still possible up to 3 months after expiry, with a €100 fine for each month of delay. After that, it can no longer be filed. Put the date in your calendar the day you get your card.

Step 4: understand taxes

• You usually become a Greek tax resident after 183 days in Greece within a 12-month period. Tax residents file an annual return (form E1) on myAADE and report their worldwide income.
• The tax year is the calendar year, and the filing window usually runs from March to July. Income tax is progressive, from 9% to 44%.
• The 30% card rule: residents must spend part of their income (30%, up to a cap) by card or electronic payment. Fall short and you pay a 22% surcharge on the gap.
• Most forms are in Greek, so a good accountant (λογιστής) is money well spent.

Step 5: find a home

• Where to look: Spitogatos, XE.gr and Spiti24. Many listings are in Greek. Agents usually charge a fee, often one month's rent.
• Budget: one month's rent in advance plus a deposit of one to two months.
• The lease (μισθωτήριο): residential leases usually run for 3 years by law, even if the contract says less. The landlord registers the lease on myAADE and you accept it with your TAXISnet codes. Your permit file needs this, so get your AFM before you sign.
• Check before you sign: heating, the energy certificate and who pays the shared building costs (κοινόχρηστα).
• Utilities: several electricity suppliers compete, so compare tariffs. Water is EYDAP in Athens and EYATH in Thessaloniki.

Where to live in Athens

Koukaki and Pangrati are central, walkable and popular with young professionals. Kolonaki is upmarket. Chalandri, Kifisia and Marousi in the north are greener and closer to several international schools. Glyfada and Vouliagmeni on the south coast have beaches and a large expat community. In Thessaloniki, rents are lower; Kalamaria, the Centre and Panorama are popular, and the city has had a metro since late 2024.

Need help with the search, viewings and the lease? See housing and settling-in.

Step 6: daycare and schools

• Greek public schools are free, taught in Greek and compulsory from age 4 to 15. Reception classes support children learning Greek.
• International schools in Athens include ACS Athens, St. Catherine's British School, Campion School, Byron College, Deutsche Schule Athen and the Lycée Franco-Hellénique. In Thessaloniki: Pinewood American International School, Anatolia College and Deutsche Schule Thessaloniki.
• Apply 6 to 12 months ahead, and bring the AMKA, vaccination records and apostilled, translated school reports.
• Register for daycare in spring for a September start. Many families qualify for state childcare vouchers.

Your first 90 days, step by step

Before you go

• Confirm your visa or permit route
• Collect, apostille and translate your documents
• Arrange private health insurance that covers Greece
• Get the national (D) visa at the Greek consulate (non-EU)
• Book temporary housing for the first weeks
• Shortlist schools if you have children

Weeks 1 and 2

• Get your AFM and activate your TAXISnet codes
• Get your AMKA
• Open a bank account and set up IRIS
• Get a Greek SIM or eSIM

Month 1

• Sign a lease and accept it on myAADE
• Transfer electricity, water and internet
• Biometrics appointment; keep the blue receipt safe (non-EU)
• Apply for the 50% tax break if you work for a Greek employer
• Register with a personal doctor on gov.gr
• Enrol children in school or daycare

Months 2 and 3

• Check the rules for exchanging your driving licence
• Note your permit renewal date (non-EU)
• Register for your EU registration certificate after 3 months (EU)
• Find an accountant for your first tax return

Frequently asked questions