Greece · Tax regime
Alternative Taxation for Foreign Investors (Article 5A, Law 4172/2013)
The flat tax covers EUR 100,000 per year on all foreign-source income, for up to 15 tax years, plus EUR 20,000 per year for each included family member. Law 5222/2025 extended the inheritance and gift tax exemption on foreign assets to heirs and donees.
At EUR 100,000, Greece is now decisively cheaper than Italy, which tripled its fee to EUR 300,000 on 1 January 2026. Greece's family add-on is also lower, at EUR 20,000 against Italy's EUR 50,000. For a family of four, the annual gap comes to EUR 160,000 versus EUR 450,000. Greece has said nothing about matching Italy's increase. That makes 2026 an unusually clear arbitrage for anyone who is indifferent between Athens and Milan.
Qualifying routes
This is a flat annual tax on all foreign income, regardless of the amount. It is payable by the last working day of July.
No further investment is required per member.
The facts
- Minimum
- €100k
- Total landed cost
- EUR 100,000 per year for the principal applicant, plus EUR 20,000 per family member, for up to 15 years. On top of this, a EUR 500,000 qualifying investment in Greece must be made within three years of the application. This investment requirement is already met for applicants who hold a Golden Visa.
- Route type
- Tax regime, not a visa
- Timeline
- 2–6 months (Application must be made to the Greek tax authority by 31 March of the relevant tax year.)
- Physical presence
- Greek tax residence is required. That means 183 days in Greece, or having your centre of vital interests there.
- Family
- Spouse or cohabiting partnerDependent childrenDependent ascendants
- Permanent residency
- Not applicable. This is a tax regime layered on top of an immigration status, not a route to residency in itself.
- Citizenship
- Not applicable directly, though years of genuine residence under Article 5A do count toward the seven-year naturalisation requirement.
- Language test
- Not applicable for the regime itself.
- Dual citizenship
- Permitted
- Requirements
- not a Greek tax resident for at least 7 of the 8 years preceding the transfertransfer of tax residence to GreeceInvest at least EUR 500,000 in Greek real estate, businesses, bonds or shares within three years. This is waived for existing Golden Visa holders.Apply by 31 March of the relevant tax year.Pay EUR 100,000 in one instalment by the last working day of July.
- You must actually become a Greek tax resident. This is a relocation regime, not a paper election.
- The EUR 500,000 Greek investment, whether in real estate, bonds or shares in Greek companies, must be completed within three years of application. If you fail to complete it, the status unwinds.
- Greek-source income sits fully outside the flat tax and is taxed at ordinary rates up to 44%. Structure the Greek-facing income before you arrive.
- The regime is a floor. EUR 100,000 is due even in a year with negligible foreign income, so it only makes sense above roughly EUR 250–300k of foreign income, depending on composition.
- Seven-of-the-last-eight-years non-residence is a hard eligibility gate. Returning Greeks and recent residents are excluded.
- Foreign tax credits are generally unavailable against the flat tax, so foreign withholding is a real leakage. Some counterparty states and treaty partners also scrutinise lump-sum regimes for treaty benefit purposes.
- 15 years is a cliff, not a taper. Model the exit before the entry.