# Greece: taxes, residence and cost of living

Source: https://domicile.wiki/places/greece/ (domicile.wiki, researched 2026-10-16). Data licence CC BY-SA 4.0. Research, not tax or legal advice.

## At a glance

For an EU-citizen family of five living off a EUR 30M portfolio (the guide's default reader).

- Score for a wealthy family: 75 / 100
- Can EU citizens live here?: free: register as an EU citizen
- Can US citizens live here?: income of €42,000 a year · Financially Independent Person (FIP) permit
- Other passports: income of €42,000 a year · Financially Independent Person (FIP) permit
- Tax on a €30M portfolio: €115,350 a year
- Wealth tax: none
- Children inherit: taxed
- After 60 years: €190,948,000 of €30,000,000 (with no tax at all: €286,928,000)
- Living costs, family of five: €228,695 a year
- EU member: yes
- Currency: EUR
- Capital: Athens

## Tax on investments, inheritance and wealth

Ordinary residents pay 5% on dividends (final), 15% on gains from unlisted shares and from listed shares where they hold 0.5% or more, and nothing on listed shares below 0.5% or EU/EEA UCITS funds. Real estate CGT is suspended until 31 Dec 2026. Inheritance to children: first EUR 150,000 per child free, then 1% / 5% / 10%; lifetime parental gifts free up to a one-time EUR 800,000, then 10%. No wealth tax (ENFIA property tax only). New residents can instead pay a flat EUR 100,000 a year on all foreign income (Art. 5A Income Tax Code), plus EUR 20,000 per included family member, for up to 15 years, against a EUR 500,000 Greek investment.

- **Ordinary tax residence**: Worldwide taxation with separate schedular rates for investment income: 5% dividends, 15% interest, 15% capital gains on securities (with exemptions).
- **Art. 5A alternative taxation of foreign income (EUR 100,000 flat)**: Flat EUR 100,000 a year covering all foreign-source income (including foreign dividends and gains), regardless of amount, plus EUR 20,000 a year for each relative to whom the regime is extended (Art. 5A(2) Law 4172/2013). Foreign income need not be declared; foreign tax paid is not credited. Greek-source income taxed normally. Up to 15 tax years, not extendable (Art. 5A(4)). Movable property located abroad is exempt from Greek inheritance and gift tax, whether received or given by the beneficiary (Art. 5A(8)). Note: the brief called this Art. 5C; in the Income Tax Code the EUR 100,000 regime is Art. 5A, 5B is the 7% pensioner regime and 5C the 50% relief for workers.

## Income tax

Resident income tax on employment, business and pension income: 9% to EUR 10,000, 20% to 20,000, 26% to 30,000, 34% to 40,000, 39% to 60,000 and 44% above (scale as listed by PwC after Law 5246/2025, in force from 1 January 2026). Employees pay 13.37% EFKA contributions up to a monthly ceiling of EUR 7,761.94; the self-employed pay fixed monthly amounts by insurance category.

## How to get residence

EU citizens only register. Non-EU citizens (US and others) can buy property from EUR 250,000 to EUR 800,000 depending on type and area for a 5-year Golden Visa, invest EUR 250,000 in a start-up, or qualify as financially independent (EUR 42,000 a year, 183 days of presence) or as digital nomads (EUR 42,000 a year of remote income).

- **EU free movement (registration certificate)** (Free movement; EU citizens; open): EU citizens may live in Greece and register after 3 months.
- **Golden Visa: real estate** (Investor residence; US citizens, other passports; open): A 5-year renewable permit for buying one property of at least 120 m2: EUR 800,000 in Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and large islands, EUR 400,000 elsewhere.
- **Golden Visa: financial and business investments** (Investor residence; US citizens, other passports; open): Alternatives to property: EUR 350,000 in a Greek mutual fund up to EUR 800,000 in listed securities, with a EUR 500,000 deposit, bonds or company shares in between.
- **Start-up investor residence permit** (Investor residence; US citizens, other passports; open): EUR 250,000 into a start-up registered in the Elevate Greece national registry, with a cap on your stake.
- **Financially Independent Person (FIP) permit** (Passive income / retirement; US citizens, other passports; open): For retirees and others living on stable income from abroad of at least EUR 3,500 a month; no work in Greece.
- **Digital nomad visa and residence permit** (Digital nomad; US citizens, other passports; open): For remote workers earning EUR 3,500 a month from non-Greek clients or employers.
- **Work permits (employment, seasonal, highly qualified)** (Work; US citizens, other passports; open): Non-EU workers need an employer, a work visa and a residence permit; the EU Blue Card covers highly qualified staff.

Citizenship: 7 years of lawful residence, Greek language (B1 or higher) and civics tests; shorter paths (3 years) for some categories such as EU citizens and spouses of Greek citizens. A search result described an EU long-term residence permit becoming a precondition after 7 years, with transitional rules, but its date could not be confirmed (open question). The Golden Visa does not shorten the 7 years.

## Inheritance law and trusts

Children, parents and the spouse are guaranteed half of their intestate share. A foreign resident can choose the law of their nationality (EU Succession Regulation art. 22). Greece has no trust law; foundations exist, but family use is unclear.

## Daily life (0-100, higher is better)

- Safety and personal security: 74
- Political and institutional stability: 57
- Corruption and government integrity: 52
- Legal system and property rights: 59
- Healthcare quality and access: 81
- Education quality: 41
- Human development and quality of life: 82
- Infrastructure and connectivity: 82
- Cost of living and housing: 74
- Business opportunities and economy: 67
- Cultural fit and lifestyle: 60

## Research notes

### Greece — family-office tax dossier

Last reviewed: 2026-10-16
Tax year: 2026
Reviewer: research agent (Claude), unreviewed by a tax adviser

#### Summary

Ordinary residents pay:

- 5% on dividends.
- 0% on gains from listed shares where they hold less than 0.5% of the company, and on EU/EEA UCITS funds.
- 15% on gains from unlisted shares and from holdings of 0.5% or more.
- Nothing on real estate gains: the tax is suspended until 31 Dec 2026.
- No wealth tax. ENFIA, the real estate tax, applies to Greek property.

Inheritance to each child: the first EUR 150,000 is free, then 1% / 5% / 10%. Lifetime parental grants are free up
to a one-time EUR 800,000 per child, then taxed at 10%.

Alternative: the Art. 5A flat tax of EUR 100,000 a year on all foreign income, plus EUR 20,000 per family member,
for up to 15 years, against a EUR 500,000 investment in Greece. This regime is only weakly sourced (see open
questions).

#### Residence and eligibility

- Tax residence: more than 183 days of physical presence in any 12-month period, or the centre of vital interests in
  Greece (PwC; AADE circular).
- EU citizens move freely.
- Non-EU citizens can use the Golden Visa (thresholds not verified) or the start-up investor permit (EUR 250,000,
  from 2025).

#### Capital gains

Art. 42 Law 4172/2013, as summarised by PwC:

- Listed shares with a holding below 0.5%: exempt.
- Unlisted shares, or listed shares with a holding of 0.5% or more: 15%.
- EU/EEA UCITS: exempt.
- A 0.1% sales tax applies to Greek-listed shares.
- Real estate gains tax is suspended until 31 Dec 2026 (Art. 90 Law 5162/2024).

JSON: listed securities 0 (assumes the exemption covers foreign-listed shares; unverified), private business 0.15,
real estate 0 for 2026. Non-UCITS ETFs and bonds are unverified.

#### Dividends

- Flat 5%, final for Greek dividends.
- Foreign dividends are taxed at 5% with a credit for foreign tax, capped at the Greek tax. The credit needs
  apostilled documents.
- JSON: 0.05 for domestic and foreign dividends. Outbound withholding tax is 5%.

#### Inheritance and gifts to children

Law 2961/2001 as amended by Law 5219/2025 (PwC).

- Category A, children:
  - EUR 150,000 tax-free.
  - 1% on the next EUR 150,000.
  - 5% on the next EUR 300,000.
  - 10% above EUR 600,000.
- JSON: exemption 150,000; brackets 0.01 from 0, 0.05 from 150,000, 0.10 from 450,000 of the taxable amount
  (marginal).
- Parental grants or gifts of any asset: a one-time EUR 800,000 allowance, then 10%. Cash gifts to Category A
  are 10%.
- Foreign immovable property is never taxed. Foreign movable property is taxed if the deceased was a Greek national
  or resident; this comes from general knowledge and is unverified.
- Art. 5A beneficiaries: movable property abroad is exempt (Art. 5A(8) Law 4172/2013; see Special regimes).
- Succession Law 5303/2026 (deaths from 16 Sep 2026) is civil law, not tax. It allows inheritance contracts, and it
  turns the forced share into a monetary claim.
- Surviving spouse: Category A like children (EUR 150,000 free, then 1% / 5% / 10%, about 9.9% effective on EUR 35 million); under Art. 5A foreign movables are exempt.

#### Wealth tax

- None.
- ENFIA is charged on Greek real estate: a main tax per property, plus a supplementary tax where the total exceeds
  EUR 500,000 (rates not verified).
- From 2027 a Local Development Fee is collected through energy bills (Law 5314/2026).

#### Special regimes

- **Art. 5A of Law 4172/2013**, added by Law 4646/2019. The brief called it "5C", but 5C is the 50% relief for
  workers and 5B the 7% regime for pensioners. Statute text read on Taxheaven (consolidated) on 2026-10-15.
  - Art. 5A(2): EUR 100,000 a year on all foreign-source income, whatever its amount. The regime can be extended to
    relatives (art. 2(f)) for EUR 20,000 each. A family of five pays EUR 180,000 a year if all four are included. JSON: the
    reference couple pays EUR 100,000 + EUR 20,000 (`spouse_supplement`) = EUR 120,000; the children need not be included, because the
    beneficiary's foreign movables passing to third parties are exempt (art. 5A(8)). Amounts are not indexed. The EUR 500,000
    investment can be met by the family's Greek home.
    Paid in one instalment by the last working day of December; foreign tax paid is not credited.
  - Art. 5A(4): starts with the first tax year applied for and ends after 15 tax years; cannot be extended.
  - Art. 5A(1): not Greek tax resident in 7 of the 8 years before the transfer; investment of at least EUR 500,000
    in Greek real estate, businesses, securities or shares, completed within 3 years; waived for Greek investor
    residence permit (golden visa) holders.
  - Art. 5A(5): non-payment ends the regime; an uncompleted investment revokes it from the start.
  - Art. 5A(8): the lump sum exhausts all tax on foreign-source income. The beneficiary is exempt from inheritance
    and gift tax on movable property abroad that he receives, and his movable property abroad passing to third
    parties (children) by death or gift is also exempt; applies to deaths from 1 Jan 2020. Foreign real estate is
    outside Greek inheritance tax anyway, so a foreign portfolio passes to the children free of Greek tax.
  - Art. 5A(2) adds that inheritance, gift and parental-grant tax provisions "do not apply" for relatives to whom the
    regime is extended; scope unclear.
  - JSON: capital_gains and dividends 0 on foreign income (high, verified); inheritance `exempt_with_conditions`,
    standard brackets for Greek-situs assets only (high, verified).
  - Application deadline reported as 31 March; not checked.

#### Company taxation (kept separate from personal tax)

Corporate income tax 22% (not re-verified in this research). Dividend withholding tax 5%.

#### Cost of living notes

- Athens: northern suburbs (Filothei-Psychiko, Kifisia) and southern coast (Glyfada, Vouliagmeni).
- Prime rent: EUR 6,000 a month = median asking rent of 119 detached houses, maisonettes and villas with 4+ bedrooms on
  xe.gr on 2026-10-15 in Glyfada and Filothei-Psychiko (interquartile range EUR 3,900-9,500). Kifisia/Ekali pages were
  blocked by a captcha and are not in the sample.
- School: ACS Athens, High School 2026-27, EUR 16,348 total tuition and fees (tuition EUR 14,680); IB Diploma fee
  EUR 1,400 extra over two years.
- Purchase price, health insurance and housekeeper costs are not sourced.

#### Open questions

- Art. 5A was verified against the statute text (Taxheaven consolidation). Still open: AADE's own guidance, the
  annual application deadline, and the scope of the Art. 5A(2) sentence on relatives' inheritance/gift tax.
- Does the 0.5% listed-share exemption cover foreign exchanges?
- How are gains on non-UCITS ETFs and bonds taxed?
- What are the ENFIA supplementary rates?
- Will the real estate CGT suspension be extended?
- What are the current Golden Visa thresholds?
- Corporate tax rate and treaty count.

#### Sources

- PwC, Greece income determination: https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/greece/individual/income-determination
- PwC, Greece other taxes: https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/greece/individual/other-taxes
- PwC, Greece significant developments: https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/greece/individual/significant-developments
- PwC, Greece foreign tax relief and tax treaties: https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/greece/individual/foreign-tax-relief-and-tax-treaties
- PwC, Greece residence: https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/greece/individual/residence
- PwC, Greece other issues: https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/greece/individual/other-issues
- private.law wiki, Greece non-dom regimes: https://wiki.private.law/en/greece-non-dom
- Taxheaven, Law 4172/2013 Article 5A (consolidated text): https://www.taxheaven.gr/law/4172/2013/arthro/5%CE%91
- xe.gr, residential rentals in Glyfada, 4+ bedrooms: https://www.xe.gr/property/results?transaction_name=rent&item_type=re_residence&geo_place_ids%5B%5D=ChIJr3Ztlyi-oRQR6El5e7CyRpM&minimum_bedrooms=4
- ACS Athens, Tuition and Fees 2026-2027: https://www.acs.gr/admissions_financial_tuition_fees/

#### Change log
- 2026-10-15: initial research.
- 2026-10-15 (data-quality pass): verified Art. 5A against the statute (amounts, 15 years, conditions, Art. 5A(8) inheritance/gift exemption for foreign movables); raised its capital_gains, dividends and inheritance to high/verified; added prime rent (EUR 6,000) and ACS Athens fee (EUR 16,348).
- 2026-10-15: inheritance scope set to local assets only for art5a_lump_sum in the structured data (Art. 5A(8) exempts movable property abroad; foreign real estate is outside Greek inheritance tax anyway); previously the scoring applied the rates to the worldwide estate, which overstated the tax.
- 2026-10-15: family rent re-checked against the upper-middle-class standard: kept.
- 2026-10-16: added surviving-spouse treatment.
- 2026-10-16: added the EUR 20,000 spouse supplement to the art5a_lump_sum regime (reference couple EUR 120,000) so the recipe projection can use it; notes say the children are not included and the Greek home meets the EUR 500,000 investment. Source: Law 4172/2013 art. 5A(1),(2) on Taxheaven, read 2026-10-16. Dividend (art. 40, 5%), capital gains (art. 42, 43: 0.5% test, 15%), foreign tax credit cap (art. 9) and the inheritance scale (PwC) re-read for the recipe checks; no figure changed.


## Residence and succession sources

- [Golden Visa Greece 2026: guide to the new investment thresholds](https://rewize.com/en/blog/golden-visa/golden-visa-greece-guide-2026) — Rewize
- [Greece FIP vs Golden Visa](https://immigrantinvest.com/blog/greece-fip-vs-golden-visa/) — Immigrant Invest
- [Your Europe: Residence rights in another EU country](https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/residence/residence-rights/index_en.htm) — European Union
- [A guide to the changes to the Greek golden visa](https://webiis08.mondaq.com/uk/investment-immigration/1432288/a-guide-to-the-changes-to-the-greek-golden-visa) — Mondaq
- [Greece Now Offers EUR 250K Startup Visa](https://www.imidaily.com/program-updates/greece-now-offers-e250k-startup-visa-with-burdensome-ownership-restriction/) — Investment Migration Insider
- [Greece digital nomad visa 2026](https://remoteworkeurope.eu/insights/greece-digital-nomad-visa-2026/) — Remote Work Europe
- [European e-Justice: Succession, Greece](https://e-justice.europa.eu/166/EN/succession?GREECE&member=1) — European e-Justice Portal
- [Regulation (EU) No 650/2012 on succession](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2012/650/oj) — European Union
- [HCCH status table: Convention of 1 July 1985 on the Law Applicable to Trusts and on their Recognition](https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=59) — Hague Conference on Private International Law
- [Philea: Legal Environment for Philanthropy in Europe, Greece](https://philea.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Greece-Philea-2024-Legal-Environment-for-Philanthropy-in-Europe.pdf) — Philea