🇬🇷 Greece

Greece issues employed third-country workers a single *ενιαία άδεια διαμονής και εργασίας* (residence-and-work permit) covering both residence and work under Migration Code Law 5038/2023. The social-security leg runs in parallel: the worker joins the e-EFKA register and self-issues a registration certificate at no cost.

Opening an account at a Greek bank is a private transaction conditioned by public law. You need a Greek tax registration number (*ΑΦΜ*) first, because banks report account balances to the tax administration. EU legal residents also hold a statutory right to a basic payment account under EU law.

Greece offers an εναλλακτική φορολόγηση (alternative taxation) regime for people who receive a pension from abroad and move their tax residence there. Under *Άρθρο 5Β* (Article 5B) of Law 4172/2013, qualifying pensioners pay a flat 7% each year on all foreign income for up to 15 tax years. It is distinct from Article 5A (high-net-worth lump-sum) and Article 5C (employees and self-employed). The regime is administered by the *ΑΑΔΕ* (Independent Authority for Public Revenue).

The *ΑΜΚΑ* (AMKA — Social Security Registration Number) is the single number tying you to the Greek social-security and public-health system. You need it to work, pay contributions, access healthcare, and draw benefits. It is separate from the tax number (AFM), free, and registered in person.

Every residential lease in Greece is recorded with the tax authority through an electronic *Δήλωση Πληροφοριακών Στοιχείων Μίσθωσης Ακίνητης Περιουσίας* (Lease Property-Information Declaration). The landlord or sub-landlord files it free of charge on the *myAADE* portal; the tenant and any co-owners are notified and must accept or reject within 30 days. It covers both written and oral leases and exists purely for tax purposes — distinct from the separate short-term-rental (holiday-let) registry.

An *ΑΦΜ* (AFM — Tax Registration Number) is the root identifier of Greek public-services onboarding. A bank account, a social-security number, and most residence formalities all assume you already hold one. It is issued free by the AADE (Independent Authority for Public Revenue) through the myAADE portal, at a local tax office, or at a Citizen Service Centre. Final identity verification by video call or in person is always required.

This is the ordinary naturalisation route for a non-Greek-origin foreign resident who has lived lawfully in Greece for about seven years. You pass the *ΠΕΓ* knowledge exam, then file a dossier with your Regional Citizenship Directorate. It is a separate procedure from the naturalisation of people of Greek descent.

The Greece *Golden Visa* is an investor residence permit (*Άδεια Μόνιμης Διαμονής Επενδυτή*) for third-country nationals who buy qualifying Greek real estate. It is issued by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, valid five years and renewable while the investment is held, and does not grant a right to work. The minimum qualifying investment depends on the property's location and type and is set by reform legislation.

Greece runs two separate tracks. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens register after three months and receive a *βεβαίωση εγγραφής* (registration certificate) from the Hellenic Police. Everyone else applies for an *άδεια διαμονής* (residence permit) under the Immigration Code through a Decentralised Administration or the Ministry of Migration and Asylum.

Once you live in Greece you are expected to hold a Greek driving licence. How you get one depends entirely on where your foreign licence was issued, and there are three genuinely different routes: an EU/EEA administrative exchange with no test, a no-test conversion for a fixed list of agreement countries, and a full Greek theory-and-practical test for everyone else.