Anyone living abroad can transfer their tax residence to Greece and obtain favourable treatment on foreign income in three ways: by investing at least €500,000 in the country, by receiving a foreign pension, or by earning employment or business income. This article examines the investment route.
Conditions
To qualify after investing at least half a million euros, the applicant must:
- Not have been a Greek tax resident in seven of the eight years before the transfer.
- Invest at least €500,000 (personally, through a spouse, direct ascendant or descendant, or via a company in which they hold the majority) in Greek real estate, businesses, securities or shares.
- Complete the investment within three years of submitting the application.
By paying the fixed tax, the individual exhausts their Greek tax liability on all foreign-source income.
Tax benefit
Foreign income is taxed at a flat annual rate of €100,000, regardless of the amount earned abroad. An additional €20,000 is payable for each dependent relative. Donation, inheritance and parental benefit rules do not apply to this regime.
Failure to pay the €100,000 (and any €20,000) or to complete the €500,000 investment ends the special status, after which the individual is taxed on worldwide income.
The regime lasts for a maximum of 15 tax years from the year of application, with no extension beyond that period.
Payment and other rules
The tax is due in a single instalment by the last working day of December and cannot be offset against other Greek tax liabilities or foreign tax paid on the same income.
From 1 January 2020, individuals under the regime are exempt from Greek inheritance or donation tax on movable property located abroad.
Application process
The individual submits an application to the tax authority together with proof that the minimum investment has been transferred to a Greek bank account, and states their previous country of tax residence. Those who transferred residence in the previous tax year may still apply.
The Greek tax authority notifies the other state (subject to reciprocity). The individual may revoke the regime in any year, after which normal taxation rules apply from that year onward.
Income arising in Greece remains taxable under ordinary Greek rules.
Orestis Seimenis is an author and business tax adviser.
19 October 2026
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