Build a Life In…

Moving as an EU / EEA citizen

Building a life in Greece as an EU / EEA citizen

Islands within reach, residence by investment or patience. Here is what that means for you specifically, from the front door to the tax return to the passport, seen through your EU status rather than in the abstract.

Researched from public sources, dated below. Not legal or tax advice.

The verdict

Free movement. No visa, and no clock.

As an EU / EEA citizen you can live and work in Greece without a visa, and the 90-in-180 Schengen limit does not apply to you. There is no entry hurdle to clear. What still applies: once you spend roughly 183 days a year in Greece, it can treat you as tax resident, whatever your passport says. Your right to be there is settled; where you are taxed is the real question.

How we stand behind this

Effective
2026
Last verified
2026-07-23
Source
Global Citizen Solutions: Taxes in Greece 2026
Confidence
Medium confidence

This block carries its source and dates above. Rules change constantly; the verification record is how you judge whether to rely on it, or take it to a professional.

The 15-second snapshot

You can visit
Yes, 90 days in Schengen 180
You can stay long term
Yes, 4 routes
Remote-work routes
1 route
Bring dependants
Yes
Open a local bank account
Possible, tax number first
Likely tax resident after
183 days
Citizenship pathway
Moderate, 7 years

The sourced facts

Checked Jul 2026
  • Entry2026 · High confidence

    Schengen 90 days in any 180 for non-EU visitors; long-stay route is the Greece Digital Nomad Visa, paired with a 50% income-tax exemption for relocating professionals

    Get Golden Visa: Greece Digital Nomad Visa 2026
  • Tax residence2026 · High confidence

    Resident if present more than 183 cumulative days in a 12-month period (residency then applies retroactively from day one), OR if Greece is the centre of vital interests Special regimes: 7% flat tax on foreign pensions (Art. 5B); EUR 100,000/year lump sum for HNWIs (Art. 5A); 50% exemption on Greek employment/self-employment income for up to 7 years for inbound professionals (Art. 5C).

    Global Citizen Solutions: Taxes in Greece 2026
  • Citizenship2026 · Medium confidence

    7 years lawful residence to apply for naturalisation 7-year figure consistent across sources; also requires a citizenship exam (Panhellenic test) on language, history and civics. Secondary sourcing, so medium confidence.

    Immigrant Invest / Greek naturalisation overview
  • Income tax2026-01-01 · High confidence

    Progressive income tax 9% to a 44% top rate (top rate on income over EUR 40,000); mid-brackets cut by 2 points from Jan 2026 under Law 5246/2025

    TaxRavens: Greece Personal Income Tax 2026 (rates 9-44%)

Researched from public sources on the dates shown. Rules change; this is a planning layer, not legal or tax advice, and not a substitute for a professional before you act.

  1. Enter

    Getting in

    Entry is a non-event for you. Your EU / EEA passport is free movement in Greece: no visa, no stamp, no 90/180 clock. You can arrive and stay.

    Your entry
    Free movement, no visa
    Schengen clock
    Does not apply to you

  2. Stay

    Visitor to resident

    Because you have free movement, the long-stay-visa question mostly falls away, you register as a resident rather than apply for permission. For the record, other movers here find that yes, 4 routes.

    Long-term routes
    Yes, 4 routes
    Bring dependants
    Yes

  3. Earn

    Remote income & your company

    1 remote-work route make foreign or remote income relatively unremarkable in Greece. Running your own company from here is the sharper question: running your foreign company from Greece can make key decisions happen there, so Greece may treat the company as tax-resident (place of effective management) or as having a permanent establishment. That can pull corporate profit into Greece's net. This is the review that pays for itself. Your full, profile-specific company analysis is in the world designer.

    Remote-work routes
    1
    Company / PE
    Permanent-establishment / management risk

  4. Keep

    Tax residence

    Here is the line the category forgets: your visa lets you stay, it does not decide who taxes you, and that is true no matter which passport you hold. In Greece, tax residence typically turns on roughly 183 days a year. As an EU / EEA citizen you may also still have filing ties back home, worth settling before you move.

    Tax-residence threshold
    ~183 days
    As a resident
    Up to ~44%, with a 50% break for new residents

  5. Belong

    Residence to citizenship

    For an EU / EEA citizen, citizenship in Greece is a route of patience: roughly 7 years of qualifying residence, each year usually needing about 183 days present. Whether you can keep your EU citizenship alongside it is a separate question worth checking early.

    Citizenship route
    ~7 years
    Qualifying presence
    ~183 days / year

  6. Live

    Banking, cost & family

    The practical scaffolding once the stamps are sorted. Opening a local bank account in Greece is possible, tax number first. Bringing family: yes.

    Local banking
    Possible, tax number first
    Bring dependants
    Yes

Weighing Greece against another

Other destinations for EU / EEA citizens

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