Greece is considered as an amazing place to live and work and is fast becoming a favorite base for expats. The Greek landscape, combined with the climate, the lower, compared to other countries, prices of houses /rents, and the approachability of the Greeks are features that make Greece attractive not only for holidays and tourism but also as a place of residence and work.
The government actively provides financial support to many sectors and attracts foreign investment.
Free movement of employees/workers within the European Union (EU) is a recent applied scheme in Greece the last years. However, due to different circumstances, bureaucracy and lack of single tax and social security policy around EU, the rates of mobility in Greece are started low but this volume increased in 2023 and seems that will remain stable for a couple of years.
Greece’s prospect is to find alternative ways for welcoming higher-level rate of Expats in country.
- Special Tax Regimes: for attracting high net worth individuals (employees & self-employed) and foreign pensioners. Alternative taxation applies for such cases if they transfer voluntarily their tax residency in Greece. The scope of these regimes is to bring tax reliefs to individuals and entrepreneurs and to increase government revenue.
- Posted workers for providing services: Greece has adopted the provisions of Directive 96/71/EC of the European Parliament and posted workers/employees are able to provide their services for a specific period (short or recently decided long term secondment).
Working from Home (WFH)- Remotely in Greece: This scheme is quite new for Greek businesses and COVID-19 had a big impact on this. However, it seems like a trend that will remain active due to the fact that new legislations have been introduced in Greece for regulating employers’ duties and employees’ rights the past years. WFH/ remotely between EU countries is still an unclear point in terms of how long someone can work remotely without declaring that in related labor/ tax authorities.
Company without legal entity in Greece: Under this scheme, a legal entity can move personnel in Greece and is obliged to pay WHT on payroll and social contributions without registering a Permanent Establishment in Greece. The type of services and the power of signature / representation of the employees are crucial elements and might raise P.E. issue.
Digital Nomad Visa: The Greek government voted and published special legislation scheme from the Digital Nomad Visa in the summer of 2021 and allows remote workers / employees and online entrepreneurs to live and work in Greece for up to twenty-four (24) months. The Greek Digital Nomad Visa is available to all non-EU citizens, who meet the specific (legal and financial) required criteria.
Greek state is aiming to establish Greece as a hot spot in the global map of business and to attract individuals to work more often within the country and companies to set up entities. This means a measurable increase in revenue for the country.
Expats should take into consideration the below points:
- Pre arrival procedures
- Tax year of origin and host country
- Tax residency
- Due dates and extensions in host country
Expats should be aware of their tax obligations during their stay in Greece. Each case / individual should be examined separately in order to avoid double taxation (if possible) based on tax agreements between countries, declare tax residency or any change of it, submit/ file tax returns if it is necessary based on their status.