Greece’s Tax Incentive Programs for New Residents in 2026

Greece’s first regime targets affluent individuals seeking to relocate by offering a simplified tax structure for their overseas earnings.

KEY COMPONENTS

This regime operates through a fixed annual payment rather than traditional income tax calculations. Participants pay €100,000 per year, which covers all taxation obligations on earnings generated outside Greece, regardless of total income levels or diversity of sources. This arrangement eliminates the need to report foreign earnings to Greek authorities.

The annual payment follows a specific schedule: subsequent years require payment by the final business day of July, while the initial year’s payment must be completed within one month of programme acceptance.

The regime lasts for a maximum of fifteen years from initial enrolment.

The programme includes provisions for family inclusion. Participants can extend coverage to close relatives — spouse, parents, and children (children receive automatic coverage) – for an additional €20,000 per person annually. Following the amendments introduced by Law 5222/2025, family members can now be added at any stage during the regime’s duration, not only at the time of the initial application. Where relatives are added later, the beneficial provisions apply from the first tax year in which the extension is approved, for the remaining period until the completion of fifteen years from the date of the initial applicant’s enrolment.

A significant advantage involves estate planning: assets held internationally remain outside Greek inheritance and gift tax jurisdiction. Law 5222/2025 extended this exemption to cover not only foreign movable assets received by participants (by inheritance or gift) but also foreign movable assets transferred by participants to others. This extension applies retroactively to inheritances from 1 January 2020 onward.

Domestically-sourced earnings remain subject to standard Greek taxation, and no credits apply for foreign taxes paid on income covered under this regime. Participants receive formal Greek tax residency status, recognised under international tax treaties.

Non-payment of the lump sum tax results in reverting to standard worldwide income taxation rules.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Qualifying demands meeting two primary criteria:

First, applicants must demonstrate they held tax residence outside Greece for at least seven of the eight years preceding their relocation.

Second, within three years of enrolment, applicants must deploy at least €500,000 in qualified investments. These can be made personally, through family members as legally defined, or via controlled entities. Acceptable investments include:
Greek property acquisition or development
Equity stakes in unlisted Greek companies (through initial capitalisation, capital increases, or secondary purchases)
– Greek government debt instruments with minimum three-year maturity at purchase, held through Greek financial institutions
– Contributions to Greek-domiciled alternative investment funds under regulatory supervision
– Securities traded on Greek exchanges, including equities, bonds, ETFs, and government instruments
– Shares or corporate bonds of Greek Real Estate Investment Companies (REICs)

This investment requirement is waived for holders of specific investment-related residence permits, including the Golden Visa. Given the significant overlap between Golden Visa applicants and Article 5A candidates in practice, this waiver is worth noting at the outset.

Following completion of the investment, participants must maintain it for the duration of their enrolment and submit annual documentation to the tax office (by 31 May each year) evidencing continued maintenance.
While no minimum physical presence requirement exists in legislation, applicants should demonstrate genuine intention to centre their lives in Greece through maintaining a primary residence. Meeting standard residency tests – either the centre-of-vital-interests criterion or the 183-day presence threshold – helps prevent challenges from prior jurisdictions.

ENROLLMENT PROCESS

Applications must reach the relevant tax authority by 31 March of the intended tax year, accompanied by banking documentation confirming the transfer of investment funds to a Greek account. This is a hard deadline – there is no extension mechanism and no late filing option. Applications filed after 31 March are automatically deferred to the following tax year, meaning a missed deadline delays enrolment by a full twelve months.

Family extension requests may accompany the initial application or, following the Law 5222/2025 amendment, be submitted at a later stage. Authorities issue determinations within sixty days, during which applicants must provide all supporting documentation.

Applicants must disclose their previous tax residence jurisdiction. Greek authorities will notify that jurisdiction of the residence transfer, subject to reciprocal information-sharing agreements.