Greece digital nomad visa 2026: requirements, tax & how to apply

Overview

Greece runs a genuine digital nomad scheme, introduced by Law 4825/2021 and now folded into the national Immigration Code (Law 5038/2023). It comes in two stages: a 12-month national (Type D) visa you obtain from a Greek consulate abroad, and, if you want to stay longer, a two-year digital nomad residence permit you apply for inside Greece before the visa expires. Both are for third-country (non-EU/EEA) nationals who work remotely for employers, clients or their own business located outside Greece.

The scheme is administered by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum for the residence permit and by Greek consular authorities (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) for the visa. As of early 2026, in-country first applications were phased out, so most applicants now start at a consulate in their country of residence. Always confirm the current position on the official portals linked below, as thresholds and procedures change.

Who it's for

• Non-EU/EEA remote employees working for a company based outside Greece
• Freelancers and self-employed people serving clients outside Greece
• Business owners running a company registered outside Greece
• People who can prove stable income and want a Schengen base in the EU

Income requirement (the number that matters)

The minimum is €3,500 in net monthly income — that is, after tax in the country where the work is performed. This was raised from the original €2,500 threshold. It scales up when family joins you: +20% for a spouse or partner and +15% for each dependent child.

• Single applicant: €3,500/month net
• With a spouse/partner: €4,200/month net (€3,500 + 20%)
• With spouse and one child: roughly €4,725/month net (add 15% of €3,500 per child)

You prove it with bank statements and an employment contract, service agreements or company documents. From 2026, consulates have asked for six consecutive months of statements rather than three, so build a clean paper trail before applying.

Tax treatment — does it make you a tax resident?

This is the part remote workers most often get wrong. Holding the visa does not automatically make you a Greek tax resident, but spending more than 183 days in Greece in a 12-month period does. Once you are tax resident, Greece taxes your worldwide income on progressive rates from 9% up to a top rate of 44%. Center-of-life factors (your main home, family, economic ties) can establish residency even below 183 days.

There is a well-known incentive, but it is separate from the visa: Greece's 50% income-tax reduction under Article 5C of Law 4172/2013. People who transfer their tax residence to Greece and meet the conditions can have half their Greek employment or business income exempted for up to seven years. It is not automatic for nomad-visa holders — it requires a separate application to the tax authority (AADE), a local tax number (AFM), and normally that you were not Greek tax resident in the prior years and commit to staying. Treat it as a planning opportunity to confirm with an adviser, not a given.

Duration & renewal

The national visa is valid for up to 12 months. If you want to stay beyond that, you apply — from within Greece, before the visa expires — for a digital nomad residence permit valid for two years, which is renewable for further two-year periods as long as you still meet the income and other conditions. Note that time spent as a digital nomad does not usually count toward permanent residence or citizenship in the same way as ordinary residence permits, so it is a lifestyle/base route rather than a fast track to a passport.

Family

You can bring your spouse or registered partner and dependent children under the family provisions. Their permits are tied to yours and run for the same period. The cost is the higher income threshold (above) plus per-person permit fees. Family members generally cannot work in Greece on these dependent permits.

How to apply

1. Confirm you meet the €3,500/month net threshold (plus family uplifts) and that all your income comes from outside Greece.
2. Gather documents: passport, proof of remote work (employment contract, client agreements or company papers), six months of bank statements, private health insurance covering Greece, a clean criminal-record certificate, and a declaration of intent to work remotely from Greece.
3. Apostille and officially translate documents into Greek where required.
4. Book an appointment at the Greek consulate or embassy in your country of residence and submit the Type D national visa application with the €75 fee.
5. Once the visa is issued, travel to Greece and settle in (a lease or accommodation proof is needed for the permit stage).
6. If staying beyond 12 months, apply online through the Ministry of Migration and Asylum for the two-year digital nomad residence permit before the visa expires, paying the €1,000 fee.
7. Give biometrics, receive an interim certificate that lets you stay while the file is processed, and collect the residence card once approved.
8. Renew before expiry, keeping evidence that you still meet the income requirement.

Cost & timeline

Budget extra for apostilles, certified translations, private health insurance and any legal help. Fees and document lists change frequently — confirm the current requirements on the official portals below before you commit.

How Expectat helps you get there

You do not just want a visa — you want a base that works and a tax outcome you chose on purpose. The gap most people fall into is qualifying for the permit but accidentally becoming a full-rate Greek tax resident, or missing the Article 5C 50% relief because nobody filed for it in time.

• We map your situation and your numbers — days in Greece, where your income lands, and whether tax residency helps or hurts you before you move.
• We model whether the Article 5C 50% regime applies to you and what you'd need to qualify, so the relief is claimed on purpose rather than missed.
• We execute on the ground with vetted local partners — lawyers, tax advisers and the consular and permit paperwork — so the filings are done right the first time.

Book a strategy call and we'll plan the move around the outcome you actually want.