Greece's digital nomad visa
EUR 3,500 a month, plus 20 per cent for a partner and 15 per cent per child. The steps, the 50 per cent tax break, and what the two-year permit changes.
Photo · Wendy Wei · Pexels
EUR 3,500 a month after tax, and then the part most guides leave out: add 20 per cent for a partner and 15 per cent per child.
A couple with one child needs roughly EUR 4,725 a month. That arithmetic is what actually decides a family application and it is almost never printed.
Euro. Convert any figure on this page into your own currency at today's published rate.
Open the currency converter →The numbers
| Household | Monthly requirement |
|---|---|
| Single applicant | EUR 3,500 |
| Couple | EUR 4,200 |
| Couple with one child | EUR 4,725 |
| Couple with two children | EUR 5,250 |
The consulate verifies how the add-ons apply to your specific file, so treat those as the shape rather than a guarantee, and confirm your own case with the Greek consulate you will actually apply through, because practice differs between them.
Who it is for
- Non-EU and non-EEA nationals working remotely for employers or clients
outside Greece. You may not work for a Greek employer.
- Employees, freelancers and business owners all qualify on the same income
test.
- Family members can be included, at the uplift above.
What you need
- Proof of income at the threshold, usually three to six months of bank
statements plus contracts.
- A declaration that you will not provide services to Greek employers or
clients.
- An employment contract or client contracts showing the work is outside
Greece.
- Health insurance covering the stay.
- A criminal record certificate, apostilled.
- Proof of accommodation in Greece.
Start the criminal record certificate first. It is the slowest document in every European scheme and it usually needs an apostille on top.
The two-step shape, which catches people
This is the thing to understand before you book anything.
Step one: the visa. Applied for at a Greek consulate in your country of residence, before you travel. Issued for twelve months.
Step two: the residence permit. Applied for from inside Greece once you have arrived, and it is issued for two years and is renewable.
You cannot do the whole thing on arrival. People turn up expecting to file at a police station, as you can in some countries, and there is no such route here.
Short tourist stays only. Checked 21 Aug 2026; rules change without notice and the government page is the source of truth.
Check your own passport →The tax position
Greece taxes you once you are a Greek tax resident, which distinguishes it from Croatia's exemption. The offset is a genuine one.
Greece offers a 50 per cent exemption on qualifying income for new tax residents, for seven years. That is a substantial relief and it is the reason the scheme competes despite not being tax-free.
The eligibility conditions are specific and turn on where you were tax resident before and on transferring your residence, and they are not something to assume from a travel guide.
We are not tax advisors and this is not tax advice. An hour with an accountant who knows both jurisdictions is the cheapest part of this.
Where to actually live
Athens, for almost everyone. It is the only place in Greece with year-round life, reliable fast internet, real coworking and an airport with connections everywhere. Koukaki, Pangrati and Kypseli are the neighbourhoods people settle in, and our Athens areas guide has the rest.
Thessaloniki is the genuine second option: cheaper, a student city, an excellent food scene, and a real winter.
The islands are a summer proposition. This is the honest part. Most island economies close substantially from November, ferry frequencies drop, and the internet on the smaller islands is variable. A summer on Naxos is wonderful and a winter on Naxos is a different decision entirely. Our islands guide has the seasons.
What Greece is genuinely good at
The time zone, which overlaps a full European working day and gives you an afternoon overlap with the American east coast.
The cost, which is well below western Europe for a Mediterranean country in the EU and the Schengen area.
The weather, which our Greek calendar sets out, and the fact that September has the warmest sea of the entire year.
And the Schengen access, which is the structural argument: a Greek residence permit is a base inside the zone rather than a 90-day clock.
Checked 21 Aug 2026.
Everything we check for Greece →If you do not qualify
Croatia at EUR 3,622.50 is slightly higher and exempts you from local income tax, which our Croatian guide covers.
Portugal and Spain are the two larger schemes: Portugal and Spain.
Or Georgia, which asks for no threshold at all and gives many nationalities a full year, covered in our Tbilisi guide.
Before you book
The 2027 nomad visa roundup compares the field on income, tax and length.
The Greek calendar decides the season and Athens in three days is the visitor version.
The nomad hub collects the rest and the Greece country page has the practical layer.
Income thresholds, the family uplifts and the tax relief checked September 2026 against current scheme guidance and Greece's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Consulate practice varies and the family add-ons are assessed per file. Nothing here is immigration or tax advice. Here is how we research and re-check guides.
