# Greece

 Country code: GR · Currency: EUR · Language: Greek

**Pros**
- Strategic Mediterranean location and rapidly improving digital infrastructure for global trade and remote operations.
- Recent corporate tax rate reductions and attractive incentives for foreign investors and digital nomads.
- Exceptional lifestyle quality with Mediterranean climate and high levels of personal safety and security.

**Cons**
- Excessive social security contributions and complex bureaucratic requirements for daily business management.
- Persistent corruption and slow judicial processes regarding contract enforcement and property rights protection.
- Significant state interventionism and high public debt levels with negative impact on long-term fiscal predictability.

Long story short: Set up your tax residency in Greece and the state hands you a straight 50% cut on your income tax for seven years, a real deal made to lure foreign entrepreneurs.

The catch: paperwork here is a full-contact sport, the banking system still carries scars from the 2015 crisis, and corruption lingers more in town halls than in your day-to-day business.

Besides that: in Athens' upscale neighborhoods like Kolonaki or Glyfada, you're safe, the food is excellent, and the scenery is stunning.

## Will your income be taxed?

Long story short: YES, A LOT.
They'll shear you for up to **44%** at the top marginal rate in **Greece**, and the taxman has *long arms*: linger a bit too long, park your economic interests here, and the net closes.

Steep rate, wide catchment: the classic combo of states that don't let go of their cash cows. Don't expect a plane ticket to fix it.

**01.1 Income tax**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Personal income tax | 9 → 44% | progressive · 6 brackets |

| Bracket (USD) | Rate |
| --- | --- |
| 0 – 11,586 | 9% |
| 11,586 – 23,172 | 20% |
| 23,172 – 34,757 | 26% |
| 34,757 – 46,343 | 34% |
| 46,343 – 69,515 | 39% |
| 69,515 + | 44% |

**01.2 Tax residence test**

_A single active rule is enough to make you tax-resident._

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 183-day rule | exists here |  |
| Economic interest | exists here |  |
| Family centre | exists here |  |
| Habitual abode | exists here |  |
| Extended-stay test | does not exist here |  |

## Will your wealth be taxed?

Long story short: YES, BUT LIGHTLY.
Capital gains in **Greece** get a light **15%** haircut, with no annual wealth levy.

But *inheritance* takes its own bite when assets pass down. Cheap to hold, pricier to hand over.

**02.1 Investment income**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Capital gains | 15% | flat |
| Dividend tax | 5% | flat |
| Interest income | 15% | flat |

**02.2 Wealth & estate**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wealth tax | NONE | no annual wealth tax · no real-estate wealth tax · no net-worth assessment |
| Inheritance system | APPLIES | heir-based · 5 heir classes |

| Heir | Top rate | Allowance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Spouse | 10% | EUR 150,000 |
| Children | 10% | EUR 150,000 |
| Siblings | 20% | EUR 30,000 |
| Other relatives | 20% | EUR 30,000 |
| Non-relatives | 40% | EUR 6,000 |

**02.3 Crypto**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Crypto · tax regime | UNREGULATED | Fallback rate: 15% · Greece currently lacks specific crypto legislation, creating a legal vacuum. Tax authorities (AADE) generally apply a 15% capital gains tax by analogy to 'titles' (Law 4172/2013). A formal regulatory framework is expected in 2025. Professional trading is taxed as business income on a progressive scale (9%-44%). Swaps are technically taxable disposals under general principles. |
| Crypto-to-crypto | TAXABLE | each swap counts as a disposal — gains realised at every trade |
| FATF travel rule | SIGNED | committed but not yet enforced |

## Easy to run a company there?

Long story short: NO.
Corporate tax in **Greece** is **22%**, but the rate isn't what hurts. *Misuse of corporate assets is a criminal offense*; the textbook case is the French *abus de biens sociaux*: spend your own company's money on yourself and you can end up prosecuted, even as sole shareholder, because the company is a separate legal person and your consent means nothing.

And the *registries are public*: your name as shareholder, free to browse.

For an owner-operator, those two together weigh far more than the rate, and unlike the rate they don't negotiate. Run it clean and you're fine; run it casually and you'll get burned.

**03.1 Rates**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Corporate tax | 22% | flat · +7% Credit institutions that have elected to participate in the deferred tax assets (DTAs) regime under Art. 27A of the Income Tax Code (ITC) are subject to a CIT rate of 29% (22% + 7% surtax) |
| VAT standard rate | 24% | 3 distinct tiers in force |

| VAT family | Category | Rate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Food & drink | food | 13% |
| Food & drink | non-alcoholic | 13% |
| Food & drink | alcohol | 24% |
| Print media | books | 6% |
| Print media | ebooks | 6% |
| Print media | newspapers | 6% |
| Culture | cultural events | 6% |
| Culture | cinema | 6% |
| Culture | theatre | 6% |
| Transport | public transit | 13% |
| Transport | rail | 13% |
| Transport | air | 13% |
| Hospitality | hotels | 13% |
| Hospitality | restaurants | 13% |
| Hospitality | takeaway | 13% |
| Health | pharma | 6% |
| Health | medical dev. | 6% |
| Energy | electricity | 6% |
| Energy | natural gas | 6% |
| Energy | district heat. | 6% |
| Digital & telecom | digital | 24% |
| Digital & telecom | telecom | 24% |
| Digital & telecom | broadcast | 24% |
| Agriculture | animal feed | 6% |

**03.2 Regime & registry**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| IP Box · Patent Box | NONE | no IP regime · IP income taxed under standard corporate rules |
| Misuse of corporate assets | CRIMINAL | criminal liability · Greek Penal Code, Articles 375 (Embezzlement) and 390 (Breach of Trust) · Greece strictly adheres to the principle of the 'Autonomy of the Legal Entity' (Αυτοτέλεια του Νομικού Προσώπου). Under this principle, the company's assets are legally distinct from the shareholder's personal property. Consequently, a sole shareholder-director who misappropriates company funds for personal use can be prosecuted for Embezzlement (Art. 375) or Breach of Trust (Art. 390), as the company is considered a separate victim. While 2019 reforms (Law 4619/2019) made the prosecution of Breach of Trust in private entities dependent on a formal complaint by the victim, the act remains a criminal offense, and high-value Embezzlement (>€120,000) is prosecuted ex officio. |
| Shareholders privacy | PUBLIC | General Commercial Registry (G.E.MI.) |
| Directors privacy | PUBLIC | General Commercial Registry (G.E.MI.) |

**03.3 Incorporation cost**

_In this country, the most standard company form is called Ιδιωτική Κεφαλαιουχική Εταιρεία (I.K.E.) (Private Capital Company (P.C.)). The costs below are for incorporating a company in its simplest form, for reference only._

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| State Registration Fee (e-YMS) | USD 21 |  |
| GEMI and Chamber of Commerce Registration | USD 81 |  |
| Professional Incorporation Service (Lawyer/Accountant) | USD 695 |  |
| Founder Tax ID (AFM) Procurement for Foreigners | USD 290 |  |
| Total | USD 1,087 |  |

## A good fit for a holding?

Long story short: YES.
**Greece** pairs a *moderate* treaty network (**44** signed) with a *full participation exemption* (**100%** on qualifying dividends and gains).

A perfectly honest holding base: not the NL/LU/SG first division on treaty count, but the pipes don't leak.

**04.1 Substance & exemptions**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Territorial · individuals | WORLDWIDE | worldwide income taxation regardless of source |
| Territorial · corporates | WORLDWIDE | worldwide corporate taxation |
| Participation exemption | 100% | 10% holding · 24 months min |
| CFC rules | APPLY | Greek tax residents must include in their taxable income the undistributed earnings of a foreign entity or permanent establishment if they hold over 50% of the voting rights, equity, or profit entitlement, and the foreign entity is subject to low taxation or derives significant passive income. |

**04.2 Withholding tax · non-resident**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| WHT · dividends | 5% | non-resident outbound |
| WHT · interest | 15% | non-resident outbound |
| WHT · royalties | 20% | non-resident outbound |
| Tax-haven WHT | 5% | penalty rate · blacklisted destinations |

**04.3 Treaty network**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Treaties signed | 44 | active |
| Treaties pending | — | in negotiation |

## Easy to come and go?

Long story short: SOME.
**Greece** taxes your worldwide income while you're resident, but at least the exit is free: *no exit tax* on the way out.

Leaving costs you paperwork, not money; your unrealised gains walk out the door with you, untouched.

**05.1 Exit & dual nationality**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Exit tax | NONE | no triggers active · residence change tax-free · no deemed-disposal mechanism |
| Dual citizenship | ALLOWED | naturalised citizens may keep their existing nationality |

**05.2 Citizenship paths**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Residence | 12 years | available path to naturalisation |
| Marriage | 3 years | available path to naturalisation |
| Birth | jus soli | available path to naturalisation |
| Descent | 1 gen | available path to naturalisation |
| Investment | — | not available |

## Is your money watched?

Long story short: YES, CLOSELY.
**Greece** signed *every exchange framework that matters* and runs a *public corporate registry*. Whatever you do here (earn, hold, structure) is reported, searchable, or both.

Your money is watched from every angle; if discretion is part of your plan, this isn't your jurisdiction.

**Multilateral reporting frameworks — 4/9 active · 3 pending**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CRS | None | — |
| CARF | Signed | 2024 |
| FATCA | In force | 2014 |
| MLI | In force | 2021 |
| BEPS | Signed | — |
| MAAC | In force | 2013 |
| GLOBAL FORUM | Signed | — |
| EOIR | In force | — |
| CRYPTO TRAVEL RULE | None | — |

## Is it blacklisted?

Long story short: NO.
**Greece** is *clean on every major blacklist* (FATF, EU, France, Spain, Portugal, Brazil) and sits *inside* the FATF club.

Wiring money to or from here raises zero eyebrows: no flags, no extra questions, no compliance officer waking up. Reputationally, a non-event.

**Blacklist exposure — Clear everywhere**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| EMBARGO | Clear | un / us / eu sanctions |
| FATF | Clear | grey / black list |
| EU | Clear | non-cooperative list |
| FRANCE | Clear | ETNC list |
| SPAIN | Clear | tax-haven list |
| PORTUGAL | Clear | favourable regimes |
| BRAZIL | Clear | low-tax list |

## Do you feel free there?

Long story short: PARTLY.
**Greece** is an EU member, which puts it on the *digital euro* conveyor belt: a programmable, traceable CBDC built to run on the same rails as the currency itself.

Under *MiCA*, crypto is regulated rather than banned, but the direction of travel for money in the bloc is *state-controlled rails* by default.

Press freedom may sit high (RSF rank **\#89**); financial freedom is caught in a ratchet, and ratchets only turn one way.

**08.1 Press freedom**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Press freedom · RSF index | 89/180 | score 55 · ↓ 1 rank year-on-year |

Central bank digital currency

    Program Status Cross-border Sources     Digital Euro

A digital euro could support the Eurosystem's objectives by providing citizens with access to a safe form of money in the fast-changing digital world.

European Central Bank

   RESEARCH   —   [announce →](https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/intro/news/html/ecb.mipnews250409.en.html "Announcement")    Wholesale Digital Euro

Main motivations are to (i) consolidate and further develop the ongoing work of Eurosystem central banks in this area, and (ii) gain insight into how different solutions could facilitate interaction between TARGET real-time gross settlement (RTGS) services and DLT platforms.

European Central Bank

   PILOT   —   —    Stella

It explores the opportunity for using DLT to improve financial market infrastructure to support payment and securities settlement.

European Central Bank

   RESEARCH   —   [announce →](https://www.boj.or.jp/en/announcements/release_2020/data/rel201009e1.pdf%0D%0Ahttps://www.boj.or.jp/en/announcements/release_2020/data/rel200212a1.pdf%0D%0Ahttps://www.tbstat.com/wp/uploads/2020/08/KPMG-CBDC-Report.FINAL_.v.1.02.pdf "Announcement")

 programs 3

## Connected to the world?

Long story short: EXCELLENT.
**Greece** is wired straight into the global money grid: **9/11** of the services we track work here.

*Stripe* onboards you, so you can charge cards from a laptop the day you land. Wise, Revolut, PayPal: pick your rails, they all run. One footnote for your comfort, not your business: *Amazon* doesn't deliver here, so plan on local e-commerce for the doorstep part of life.

**Accept payments — 5/6 available**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Stripe | Available | card payments |
| PayPal | Available | wallet payments |
| Adyen | Available | enterprise psp |
| Mollie | Available | eu payments |
| GoCardless | Not available | direct debit |
| Paddle | Available | merchant of record |

**Bank and move money — 3/3 available**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wise | Available | multi-currency |
| Revolut | Available | personal banking |
| Revolut Business | Available | business banking |

**Buy and sell on Amazon — 1/2 available**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Amazon | Not available | consumer delivery |
| Amazon Seller | Available | marketplace selling |

  SEE ALSO## Other jurisdictions worth comparing

Picked by similarity of strategic profile to Greece. No editorial ranking — neighbours in the same scoring space.

  PROFILE-ADJACENT Same shape, comparable overall friction.

 [   Slovakia SK  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/sk) [   Croatia HR  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/hr) [   Czechia CZ  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/cz)

  NOTABLY MORE FAVORABLE Same family of strategies, higher total score.

 [   Romania RO  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/ro) [   Hungary HU  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/hu) [   Luxembourg LU  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/lu)

  NOTABLY LESS FAVORABLE Same family of strategies, lower total score.

 [   Italy IT  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/it) [   New Zealand NZ  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/nz) [   Denmark DK  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/dk)