The wifi in the café on the Chania waterfront is excellent, the afternoon light is better than your office's, and your employer in Frankfurt has just agreed to let you work from anywhere. The first week feels like a holiday. The second week raises the questions: visa, tax, social security. Remote work in Greece has a simple answer if you hold an EU passport, and a precise one if you do not.
Can EU citizens work remotely from Greece?
Yes, without a visa. The right to live in Greece belongs to you as an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen. You stay up to three months with an ID card, and register your residence with the police after that; see residence registration in Greece. You need a tax number (the AFM) and, to use the health system, an AMKA.
The legal work is in three other places: your employment relationship (does your employer allow you to work from abroad?), your tax residence and your social security.
What is the Greek digital nomad visa?
For non-EU citizens, Greece has a dedicated national visa, based on law 4825/2021. According to the EU Immigration Portal (updated 20 May 2025):
- Who: non-EU citizens who are employees, freelancers or self-employed and work remotely for an employer or clients based outside Greece.
- Income: sufficient resources at a fixed level, set at €3,500 a month.
- Documents: a passport, a criminal record certificate, a medical certificate, travel insurance valid for the visa period, a solemn declaration of your intention to reside in Greece and work remotely, proof of your work relationship (an employment contract, contracts with several clients, or details of your own company), and proof of income.
- Fees: a €75 consular fee for national visas in general; the residence permit has an e-fee of €16 for the printed document plus proof that you applied for health and work-accident insurance. Family members pay a €90 consular fee and provide a family status certificate.
- Duration: up to 12 months. The visa cannot be renewed. To stay longer, apply for a residence permit in the "third-country nationals with sufficient living resources" category before the visa expires.
Family members can accompany you. Some websites say tourists already in Greece can no longer apply for the first nomad permit after entering as visitors; we could not confirm that on an official page, so apply before travelling. For British citizens, the visa is one of the main legal routes; see moving to Greece from the UK. Check the ministry's page or your consulate for the up-to-date requirements, since the figures above come from a portal summary and consulate lists vary. Remote work in Greece for non-EU citizens always starts with the visa.
Will you pay tax in Greece on your foreign salary?
If you become a Greek tax resident, you are taxed on your worldwide income. You are resident if your main home, habitual stay or centre of vital interests is in Greece, or if you spend more than 183 days there in any 12-month period. A foreign salary that you receive while living here is therefore declared on your Greek return, subject to any tax treaty with your employer's country. The scale runs from 9% to 44%.
The two special regimes for new residents do not fit the typical remote worker. The 7% regime is for foreign pension recipients, and the 50% exemption of Article 5C requires work for a Greek company or establishment, or self-employment in Greece. If you want them, ask a Greek tax adviser whether your case qualifies. Do not expect the visa or the town you live in to settle your tax position: it follows from where you live and how long you stay, and the tax authority (AADE) or an adviser can confirm it for your case.
Which social security system covers you?
This is where remote workers get caught. Within the EU, you are normally covered by one country's system at a time. An employee working from home in another EU country can end up changing system, depending on how much of the work happens there. A multilateral framework agreement on cross-border telework has existed since 1 July 2023, but we have not been able to confirm whether Greece has signed it. Before you move, ask the social security body of your employer's country which rules apply, and ask whether you need a certificate (the A1 form) to stay on that system. A self-employed person registers with e-EFKA in Greece.
What about your employer?
An employer who lets you work from Greece takes on legal questions: payroll tax, a possible taxable presence in Greece, and labour law. Many employers refuse for these reasons rather than for the work itself. Get the permission in writing before you sign a lease. Ask that the document names Greece as your place of work and gives the dates, and keep a copy with your lease and your registration papers.
Where should a remote worker live?
Anywhere with reliable internet, a decent flight connection and a doctor. Athens and Thessaloniki are the safe choices; large islands such as Crete are good if you accept slower administration. See best places to live in Greece and living on the Greek islands.
What are the common mistakes with remote work in Greece?
- Assuming 183 days is a calendar-year rule. It is any 12 months.
- Overstaying on a tourist basis while you work. Non-EU citizens should use the visa.
- Ignoring social security. Get it in writing.
- Forgetting health cover. The nomad visa requires insurance; EU citizens still need cover once resident. See healthcare in Greece.
- Quoting the €3,500 as a minimum for everyone. It is the figure for the main applicant; family requirements differ.
What is a realistic plan for remote work in Greece?
For an EU citizen: confirm your employer's permission in writing, check your social security position with your employer's country, arrive, get your AFM, sign a lease and register with the police at three months. Decide your tax position before the 183-day mark. For a non-EU citizen: apply for the digital nomad visa at the Greek consulate, with the proof of €3,500 a month and the other documents, and plan the move to the longer permit before the 12 months end.
How does remote work in Greece affect your health cover?
The digital nomad visa requires travel insurance valid for the visa period, and the residence permit requires proof that you applied for health and work-accident insurance. EU citizens working remotely can use the European Health Insurance Card for a temporary stay, but once you live here you will need your own basis of cover: your employer's system, an S1 if applicable, or private insurance. The practical steps are in healthcare in Greece for expats.