Greece · Tax regime
Alternative Taxation for Foreign Investors (Article 5A, Law 4172/2013)
EUR 100,000 per year on all foreign-source income for up to 15 tax years, plus EUR 20,000 per included family member. Law 5222/2025 extended the inheritance and gift tax exemption on foreign assets to heirs and donees.
At EUR 100,000 Greece is now decisively cheaper than Italy, which tripled to EUR 300,000 on 1 January 2026 — and Greece's family add-on is EUR 20,000 against Italy's EUR 50,000. For a family of four the annual gap is EUR 160,000 versus EUR 450,000. Greece has said nothing about matching Italy's increase, which makes 2026 an unusually clear arbitrage for anyone indifferent between Athens and Milan.
Qualifying routes
flat annual tax on all foreign income regardless of quantum; payable by the last working day of July
no further investment required per member
The facts
- Qualifying figure
- €100k
- Total landed cost
- EUR 100,000 per year for the principal plus EUR 20,000 per family member, for up to 15 years, plus a EUR 500,000 qualifying investment in Greece to be made within three years of the application — unless the applicant already holds a Golden Visa, in which case the investment requirement is met.
- Timeline
- 2–6 months — application to the Greek tax authority by 31 March of the relevant tax year
- Physical presence
- Greek tax residence required — 183 days, or centre of vital interests in Greece
- Family
- spouse or cohabiting partnerdependent childrendependent ascendants
- Permanent residency
- n/a — a tax regime layered on top of an immigration status
- Citizenship
- n/a, though years of genuine residence under Article 5A do count toward the seven-year naturalisation requirement
- Language test
- n/a for the regime itself
- Dual citizenship
- Permitted
- Requirements
- not a Greek tax resident for at least 7 of the 8 years preceding the transfertransfer of tax residence to Greeceinvestment of at least EUR 500,000 in Greek real estate, businesses, bonds or shares within three years — waived for existing Golden Visa holdersapplication by 31 March of the relevant tax yearEUR 100,000 paid in one instalment by the last working day of July
- You must actually become Greek tax resident. This is a relocation regime, not a paper election.
- The EUR 500,000 Greek investment must be completed within three years of application — real estate, bonds or shares in Greek companies. Failure unwinds the status.
- Greek-source income is fully outside the flat tax and is taxed at ordinary rates up to 44%. Structure the Greek-facing income before arriving.
- The regime is a floor: EUR 100,000 is due even in a year with negligible foreign income, so it only makes sense above roughly EUR 250–300k of foreign income depending on composition.
- Seven-of-the-last-eight-years non-residence is a hard eligibility gate — returning Greeks and recent residents are excluded.
- Foreign tax credits are generally unavailable against the flat tax, so foreign withholding is a real leakage; and some counterparty states and treaty partners scrutinise lump-sum regimes for treaty benefit purposes.
- 15 years is a cliff, not a taper. Model the exit before the entry.