---
title: Opening a Bank Account in Greece
country: greece
service: "bank-account-opening"
category: finance
difficulty: moderate
estimated_time: "One branch appointment once documents are in order, or a same-session online flow at banks that offer digital onboarding"
cost_range: "Account fees vary by bank — read each bank's fee information document"
last_verified: 2026-06-03
canonical: https://publicservices.guide/greece/bank-account-opening/
status: current
confidence: low
tags:
  - banking
  - finance
  - "first-month"
  - afm
  - "eu-rights"
sources:
  - https://en.mitos.gov.gr/index.php/Category:Foreigners
  - https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/financial-products-and-services/bank-accounts-eu/index_en.htm
  - https://finance.ec.europa.eu/consumer-finance-and-payments/retail-financial-services/access-bank-accounts_en
  - https://www.nbg.gr/en/individuals/daily-transactions/digital-banking/customer-onboarding
---

# Opening a Bank Account in Greece

**Country:** 🇬🇷 Greece  
**Last verified:** 2026-06-03  
**Estimated time:** One branch appointment once documents are in order, or a same-session online flow at banks that offer digital onboarding  
**Cost:** Account fees vary by bank — read each bank's fee information document

## Required documents

- **Greek tax registration number (ΑΦΜ)** *(ΑΦΜ)*
  - Where to get: Issued by the tax administration (AADE) through a local tax office (ΔΟΥ); free of charge
  - Required: Yes — obtain before approaching a bank
  - _Note:_ The ΑΦΜ (Αριθμός Φορολογικού Μητρώου) is the practical gate. Banks need it to open and report on the account. Obtain it at the *ΔΟΥ* first.
- **Identity document**
  - Accepted: Greek ID in Latin characters, valid Greek passport, or a passport / travel document and ID card for non-Greek and non-EU foreigners
  - Required: Original plus a photocopy
  - _Note:_ Banks offering online onboarding verify identity by video call and accept a Greek ID (Latin characters) or a valid Greek passport — which presupposes you already hold Greek-issued documents.
- **Tax and address documentation**
  - Examples: A recent tax statement or tax return certificate; a recent utility bill where your address differs from your tax documentation
  - Required: As requested by the bank during onboarding
  - _Note:_ If you cannot yet prove a Greek address, a Greek rental contract or utility bill is typically provided once a lease is secured.
- **Proof of occupation or income**
  - By status: Employees: employer certificate or recent payroll slip. Pensioners: latest pension slip. Sole proprietors: business registration documents. Students: student pass or proof of employment. Other statuses: a solemn declaration with no document required.
  - Required: Appropriate to your status
  - _Note:_ The financial-profile evidence the bank collects depends on your occupation.

## Costs

- **Tax registration number (ΑΦΜ) attribution:** 0 EUR — Free of charge at your nearest tax office.

## Steps

### 1. Obtain Your Tax Registration Number First *(ΑΦΜ)*

- Apply for the ΑΦΜ at the local tax office (ΔΟΥ), or through the non-residents registration route where you do not live in Greece
- Appoint a tax representative in Greece by power of attorney or an authenticated solemn declaration where required
- Where you intend to use the digital tax portal (myAADE / TaxisNet), a *κλειδάριθμος* (activation key) is issued as part of the digital-credential step

> **Tip:** Attribution of the ΑΦΜ is free of charge. Bring an identity document and a photocopy; non-Greek and non-EU foreigners bring a passport, travel document or ID card.

> **If this fails:** Foreign civil-status documents such as marriage or birth certificates generally need a Greek translation and apostille for the tax-number step. Prepare these before your appointment to avoid a return visit.

### 2. Choose a Bank and Account Type

- Compare the everyday-account range across the large Greek retail banks and any other licensed bank
- Account types for individuals typically include current accounts, savings accounts, student accounts and salary accounts
- Read each bank's fee information document for the costs that apply to the account you want

> **Tip:** Fees are not published uniformly across banks, so compare each bank's own current fee schedule rather than relying on third-party summaries.

### 3. Decide Between Online and In-Branch Opening

- Some banks offer a digital onboarding flow where you open the account without visiting a branch
- Digital onboarding presupposes Greek-issued identity documents for the video-identification step
- A foreigner without a Greek residence permit will, in practice, need to open in person at a branch

> **If this fails:** If the online flow rejects your documents at the video-identification step, switch to an in-branch appointment, where identification and document signing happen at the counter.

### 4. Gather the Supporting Documents

- Assemble your identity document and ΑΦΜ
- Add the tax and address documentation the bank requests — a recent tax statement or tax return certificate, plus a utility bill where your address differs
- Add proof of occupation or income appropriate to your status

> **Tip:** If you cannot yet prove a Greek address, provide a Greek rental contract or utility bill once your lease is secured.

### 5. Complete Identification

- For a digital flow, identity is confirmed through a short video call with a bank representative
- Prepare a quiet area, good lighting and a strong internet connection, with no glasses or face-covering items, and have your Greek ID (Latin characters) or valid Greek passport ready
- For in-branch opening, identification and document signing take place at the counter

### 6. Sign, Activate, and Know Your Rights if Refused

- For a digital flow, the sequence concludes with password creation and digital signing
- For a basic payment account, the bank must hand you a fee information document before you sign the contract
- If you are turned away from a standard account and you are legally resident in the EU, you can invoke the statutory right to a basic payment account

> **Tip:** An EU institutional source is explicit on the access right: banks cannot refuse your application for a basic payment account just because you don't live in the country where the bank is established.

## FAQ

### Do I need an ΑΦΜ before opening a bank account in Greece?

In practice, yes. The ΑΦΜ (Tax Registration Number) is mandatory for any foreigner with a Greek tax nexus and is the practical precondition banks rely on, because they report account balances and deposit interest to the tax administration. It is issued by the tax administration (AADE) through a local tax office (ΔΟΥ) free of charge. Obtain it before you approach a bank.

### Can a non-resident or someone without a Greek residence permit open an account?

Yes. An ΑΦΜ can be issued without a residence permit, and an EU legal resident holds a statutory right to a basic payment account that a bank cannot refuse simply because you do not live in the country where the bank is established. Without a Greek residence permit, expect to apply in person at a branch rather than through a purely online flow, since the video-identification step at banks offering digital onboarding presupposes Greek-issued identity documents.

### Can I open the account online?

Some banks offer digital onboarding. Where available, the online flow runs through several same-session steps — personal details, tax and address documentation, financial profile, password creation, a short video-call identification, and digital signing. The video step requires a Greek ID in Latin characters or a valid Greek passport. Applicants without Greek-issued identity documents generally need an in-branch appointment instead.

### Is the account free?

The ΑΦΜ is free. For the account itself, the cost varies by bank. A basic payment account may carry a reasonable annual fee, and the exact figure is set out in the bank's fee information document, which must be provided before you sign. Do not rely on third-party expat summaries for fee figures — read each bank's own current fee schedule.

### What if a bank refuses to open a basic payment account?

A bank may lawfully refuse where you do not comply with EU rules on money laundering and terrorist financing, and in some EU countries where you already hold a similar account with another bank in the same country. Outside those grounds, an EU-legally-resident applicant turned away from a standard account can invoke the statutory right to a basic payment account under EU Directive 2014/92/EU.

### Who supervises Greek banks?

The Bank of Greece (Τράπεζα της Ελλάδος) is the national prudential supervisor of Greek credit and payment institutions. The basic-payment-account right itself derives from EU Directive 2014/92/EU rather than from a single bank's terms.

## Sources

- [National Registry of Administrative Public Services (mitos.gov.gr)](https://en.mitos.gov.gr/index.php/Category:Foreigners) — accessed 2026-06-03 — _T1_ — The attribution of the ΑΦΜ and registration in the tax register is mandatory for every person, domestic or foreign, who will be liable to pay or withhold tax under article 3 of the Code of Tax Procedure, Law 4174/2013, or to submit any declaration within the scope of the Code. An applicant can apply for the ΑΦΜ free of charge by visiting their nearest tax office. The ΑΦΜ is issued by the tax administration (AADE) through a local tax office (ΔΟΥ); foreigners can be issued an ΑΦΜ without a Greek residence permit, appointing a tax representative where required. No procedure specifically addressing bank-account or basic-payment-account registration appears in the Foreigners category, because banking is a private-sector transaction.
- [Your Europe — European Commission](https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/financial-products-and-services/bank-accounts-eu/index_en.htm) — accessed 2026-06-03 — _T1_ — A consumer legally resident in an EU country is entitled to open a basic payment account, and banks cannot refuse the application just because the applicant does not live in the country where the bank is established. The right may be refused where the applicant does not comply with EU money-laundering and terrorist-financing rules, and in some EU countries where the applicant already holds a similar account with another bank in the same country. The bank may charge a reasonable annual fee, and must give the applicant a fee information document showing the most important services and any related fees before the contract is signed.
- [European Commission — Access to bank accounts](https://finance.ec.europa.eu/consumer-finance-and-payments/retail-financial-services/access-bank-accounts_en) — accessed 2026-06-03 — _T1_ — The right to a basic payment account derives from EU Directive 2014/92/EU (the Payment Accounts Directive) and applies to people in the EU regardless of their place of residence or financial situation. The fee information document must be given to the client before they sign a contract to open an account. The exact basic-account fee is left to each Member State and bank and must be read from the bank's own fee information document rather than assumed.
- [National Bank of Greece — digital customer onboarding](https://www.nbg.gr/en/individuals/daily-transactions/digital-banking/customer-onboarding) — accessed 2026-06-03 — _T2_ — A bank offering digital onboarding completes identification through a short video call with a representative, requiring a quiet area, good lighting, a strong internet connection, and no glasses or face-covering items, and accepting a Greek ID (Latin characters) or a valid Greek passport. The onboarding collects tax and address documentation (a recent tax statement or tax return certificate, plus a utility bill where the address differs) and financial-profile evidence appropriate to the applicant's status — employer certificate or payroll slip for employees, latest pension slip for pensioners, business registration documents for sole proprietors, student pass or proof of employment for students, and a solemn declaration for other statuses. The online flow lets an applicant open accounts without visiting a branch, but the video step presupposes Greek-issued identity documents.

---

Verification pending — see the canonical page for the latest trust state.
Canonical: https://publicservices.guide/greece/bank-account-opening/