Workforce Mobility & Immigration in Greece

Work permit and residence permit coordination for non-EU founders and employees, including Golden Visa-adjacent business structures where relevant.

Greece Reviewed September 2026

Currency

EUR

EU/EEA/Swiss nationals

No visa or work permit required

Main non-EU route

EU Blue Card and standard work/residence permits are the main routes for non-EU hires

Registration deadline

Typically within 1–2 weeks of arrival

Housing — single employee

~€550–800/month (1-bed, central)

Housing — family of four

~€1,100–1,600/month (3-bed)

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Moving workforce into Greece

Greece applies a standard 22% corporate income tax rate, with most companies — AE, IKE, EPE — taxed identically regardless of legal form. The IKE, Greece's most commonly used structure for SMEs, can be formed with just €1 in minimum share capital and, when using the standard model statute through the e-YMS one-stop platform, requires no notary at all — making it one of the more accessible entity formations in the EU.

Discuss your Greece relocation plan

Freedom of movement, and the route for everyone else

Nationals of EU and EEA member states, and Switzerland, have full freedom of movement into Greece: no visa and no work permit are required, though address and tax registration is still expected shortly after arrival.

For third-country nationals, EU Blue Card and standard work/residence permits are the main routes for non-EU hires

Confirm the right route for a hire

What sits with the company

Once the right to work is confirmed, payroll registration follows — see our Payroll & Workforce Management in Greece guide for the employer registration steps that come next.

Set up a relocation process

What it costs to house a relocating employee

Figures below are indicative for Athens, Greece's primary market for relocating employees — a company relocating multiple staff should budget by destination city, not a single national number.

Item	Single employee	Family of four
Typical apartment	1-bedroom	3-bedroom
Rent (Athens)	~€550–800/month (1-bed, central)	~€1,100–1,600/month (3-bed)
Security deposit	Typically 1–2 months' rent, by negotiation	Typically 1–2 months' rent, by negotiation

Get a city-specific relocation estimate

Frequently asked questions

How does the Greek social security contribution cap work?

Combined employer and employee EFKA contributions total 35.16% of gross salary, but only up to a monthly ceiling of €7,761.94 for 2026. Once an employee's monthly salary exceeds this amount, no further social security contributions are due on the excess, materially reducing the relative employer cost for higher-salary roles.

How can an IKE be formed without a notary?

When using the standard model statute (rather than a bespoke deed with custom shareholder terms) through Greece's e-YMS online one-stop platform, an IKE can be incorporated without notarial involvement, reducing both cost and timeline. A notary becomes necessary only for non-standard governance structures or in-kind capital contributions.

Why is Greece's dividend tax so low?

Greece taxes dividends at a flat 5%, the lowest rate in the EU, as part of a broader strategy to attract investment and encourage profit repatriation. This applies after the standard 22% corporate income tax has already been paid at the company level.

What is the difference between an IKE and an AE?

An IKE requires just €1 in minimum capital and suits the vast majority of SME and foreign-owned subsidiary formations. An AE requires €25,000 and a more formal governance structure, typically used for larger companies or those seeking to raise capital publicly.

Talk to a Greece mobility expert

The social security contribution cap is frequently overlooked by companies modelling Greek employment cost on uncapped European assumptions. For senior roles with salaries materially above the monthly ceiling, Greek employer cost flattens in a way that doesn't occur in markets without an equivalent cap — a structural advantage worth factoring into regional hiring comparisons.

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