Moving to Greece: A First-Steps Guide for Expats

Greece went through something close to an economic collapse in the last decade, and the recovery has changed how the country approaches foreign residents. Where once it was somewhere you holidayed, it now actively courts people who will move their tax residence there - with specific regimes for pensioners, for relocating employees, and a residence route for remote workers.

The scenery does not need my help. What needs saying is that the administrative culture remains demanding, that the island life which draws people is a different proposition in February, and that the incentives on offer are specific enough to need professional advice rather than enthusiasm.

The right to stay

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens may live and work in Greece, registering their residence and obtaining a certificate.

Non-EU nationals need a national visa before travelling and then a residence permit. The routes that draw the most interest are the financially independent person route for those with sufficient passive income who will not work in Greece, the digital nomad residence permit for people working remotely for foreign employers or clients, the golden visa investment route linked to property purchase, employment routes, study and family reunification.

The golden visa in particular has been repeatedly adjusted - investment thresholds have been raised and differentiated by region as a response to housing pressure - so any figure you read may be out of date. Take it from the official source. The Greece visa section covers the structure, and the remote-work picture generally is in digital nomad visas in 2026.

AFM, AMKA and the paperwork

Two numbers to obtain early.

The AFM is your tax registration number, issued by the tax office, and it is required for a bank account, a lease, utilities, buying anything significant and every interaction with the state.

The AMKA is your social security number, used for healthcare and employment.

You will also want access to the state’s digital services platform, which has improved dramatically in recent years - Greece’s e-government has gone from notoriously bad to genuinely functional in a short time, and a great deal that once required queueing can now be done online.

The queueing has not disappeared entirely. Bring more documents than the list requires and expect the process to take longer than described - the approach in dealing with bureaucracy abroad is well suited to Greece.

Healthcare

The public system covers residents with a social security number, and standards vary. Athens and Thessaloniki have good hospitals; provision on smaller islands and in rural areas is thinner, and waiting times in the public system can be long.

Private healthcare is widely used and comparatively affordable in the major cities, and private insurance is a normal expense for those who can manage it. Non-EU residence categories generally require evidence of cover.

The island question matters medically. On a small island, serious medical events may require transfer to Athens or Crete, and in bad weather that can mean delay. It is worth thinking about honestly if you or a family member has an ongoing condition. Details in the Greece healthcare section.

Money and tax

Greece taxes residents on worldwide income with a progressive scale, plus a solidarity element in some circumstances and social contributions for those employed.

The incentive regimes are the interesting part. Greece has introduced arrangements aimed at foreign pensioners transferring their tax residence, at employees and self-employed people relocating their tax residence to Greece, and at high-net-worth individuals. Each has conditions - about prior non-residence, about duration, about what income is covered - and each has been amended since introduction.

I am deliberately not quoting rates or durations, because this is exactly the area where a stale number causes real harm. Speak to a Greek accountant about your specific situation before making the move on the strength of a regime. The structure is in the Greece tax section, and the underlying residence logic in tax residency explained.

One further practical matter: Greece has a history of complex property taxation and of documentation requirements around property transactions. If buying is part of the plan, budget for a Greek lawyer of your own - see buying property as a foreigner.

Where to live, and the island reality

Athens is a large, sprawling, genuinely interesting city with a real year-round economy, good food, an improving cultural scene and much lower costs than western European capitals. Summer heat is severe.

Thessaloniki is smaller, has a large student population and is often described as the more liveable of the two.

Crete is big enough to have a year-round economy, hospitals, universities and reliable transport, which makes it the most practical island for permanent living. Rhodes and Corfu similarly have substantial year-round populations.

Smaller islands are the romantic image and the hardest reality. In winter much closes, ferries reduce and are weather-dependent, medical provision is limited, and the population can shrink dramatically. Some people love exactly this. Many discover in their second February that they do not. Visit out of season before committing - the general argument in choosing where to live in a new city applies with particular force here.

Rents in Athens and on popular islands have risen substantially, partly driven by short-term letting, so the very cheap Greece of ten years ago is no longer the whole story.

Language and settling in

Greek uses its own alphabet, which is the first hurdle and a surmountable one - learn it before arriving and the country becomes navigable immediately. The language itself is demanding but not exotic in structure for a European learner.

English is widely spoken in Athens, in tourism and among younger people, less so in administration and in rural areas.

Greek social life is generous, loud and family-centred, and hospitality towards foreigners is genuine. Life runs late, the pace of business is unhurried in a way that delights some and infuriates others, and August is functionally a national holiday.

What catches people out

Choosing a small island on the strength of a summer visit. Relying on a tax regime whose terms have changed. Underestimating Athens summer heat when choosing a flat without air conditioning. And expecting the administrative culture to match the improved digital services - it is catching up, unevenly.

For the Mediterranean comparison, moving to Italy is the closest sibling in texture and administration, moving to Cyprus offers a Greek-speaking alternative with different tax arrangements, and moving to Bulgaria is the cheaper neighbour to the north. Across the Aegean, moving to Turkey is the non-EU option people often weigh alongside Greece, with a very different residence system and a cost picture driven by currency movement.

Regional detail, current permit routes and cost breakdowns are in the Greece country guide and the cost of living section. For current experiences with the residence process and the incentive regimes, the visa and immigration forum is where people compare notes.