Greece Digital Nomad Visa: Requirements, Income and How to Apply

At a glance

Minimum income	€3,500 a month from remote work
First permit	A national visa for up to 12 months
Renewable?	Yes, by switching to a 2-year residence permit, renewable
Leads to permanent residency?	Partly: the EU long-term permit is possible after 5 years
Special tax regime	50% exemption exists, but generally not for remote employees of foreign companies
Freelancers and business owners?	Yes, with clients outside Greece only

Who can apply

Greece’s digital nomad visa is for non-EU citizens who work remotely for employers or clients based outside Greece. It covers:

• Employees of a company registered outside Greece
• Freelancers and self-employed people whose clients are outside Greece

The rule that defines this visa is simple and strict: no economic activity connected to Greece. You can’t work for a Greek employer, take on Greek clients or set up a business presence in Greece. Spain allows up to 20% of your work to come from local clients; Greece allows none. Immigration lawyers say the declaration you sign confirming this is treated as a real compliance obligation. Even occasional work for Greek clients can lead to refusal, non-renewal or withdrawal of your permit.

Business owners can apply as self-employed, as long as their clients are outside Greece. Applying as an employee of your own foreign company is a different question that Greece hasn’t addressed publicly. This set-up isn’t accepted everywhere, and how you structure it has tax and legal consequences in more than one country. Get professional advice on structuring and tax before you rely on it for a visa application.

You’ll also need private health insurance valid in Greece for your whole stay, a criminal record certificate from your country of residence, and a valid passport. Consulates set their own checklists, so follow the one published by the consulate you apply to.

Minimum income requirement

You need income of at least €3,500 a month from your remote work. Greece’s embassy states the figure but doesn’t say whether it’s before or after tax. Guides disagree, so confirm the basis with your consulate before you rely on it, and aim to clear €3,500 after tax to be safe.

The income has to come from active work: a salary, client fees or project income. Greece has a separate permit for people living off savings, pensions or investments, which uses the same €3,500 figure. Lawyers stress the two aren’t interchangeable, and a digital nomad can’t switch to relying on passive income while keeping this status.

You prove your income with employment contracts, client agreements, invoices, payslips, bank statements or tax returns. They should show regular income from work done for entities outside Greece.

Not earning €3,500 a month yet? That’s where most people reading this page are. The Portable Income Launchpad is a six-week program for experienced professionals turning their expertise into remote income that meets a visa threshold like this one.

Bringing your family

Your spouse and dependent children under 18 can come with you. Their status depends on yours, and they don’t get the right to work in Greece.

The income requirement rises with each family member. Guides consistently give these figures:

• Spouse or partner: add 20%, so €4,200 a month in total
• Each child: add 15%, so €525 a month per child

A couple with one child needs about €4,725 a month. Every family member needs their own health insurance, plus documents proving the relationship, apostilled and translated. Some consulates process the family together with the main applicant; in other cases the main applicant arrives first, so ask yours which route applies.

How long it lasts and renewal

There are two stages:

1. The digital nomad visa (type D) lets you live in Greece for up to 12 months. It can’t be renewed.
2. The residence permit. Before your visa expires, you apply in Greece for a 2-year residence permit, renewable for further 2-year periods while you keep meeting the conditions. Lawyers note that granting it is at the authorities’ discretion, and the same rules apply: no Greek employer, clients or business presence.

Tax: special regimes and when you become tax resident

You become a Greek tax resident if you spend more than 183 days in Greece in any 12-month period, or if your main home and life are there. Once you’re resident, Greece taxes your worldwide income at progressive rates from 9% to 44%. Most people on this visa become tax residents in their first year.

You’ll often see Greece’s digital nomad visa sold with a 50% income tax break for seven years. That incentive is real (Article 5C of the Greek Income Tax Code), but it was designed for people who take up work in Greece, and it fits digital nomads badly:

• If you’re an employee of a foreign company with no Greek presence, you don’t qualify. The law requires employees to work for a Greek company or a Greek branch of a foreign company.
• If you register in Greece as a sole trader, it’s unsettled. Some advisers argue that income from foreign clients for work done in Greece qualifies; others disagree, and no ruling has settled it.

The other conditions are that you haven’t been a Greek tax resident in five of the previous six years, and that you commit to staying for at least two years. If the tax break matters to your decision, treat it as unconfirmed until a Greek tax adviser has looked at your situation.

Social security depends on how you work. Employees may be able to stay in their home country’s system if there’s an agreement with Greece; freelancers may need to register with Greece’s system.

This is general information, not tax advice. Talk to a Greek tax adviser who works with your home country before you move.

Does it lead to permanent residency or citizenship?

Partly. Greece’s rules allow non-EU residents to apply for the EU long-term residence permit after 5 years of continuous legal residence, and digital nomad time can build toward that. Because the 2-year permit is granted at the authorities’ discretion, check that your route still qualifies when you renew.

For citizenship, Greece’s general rule is seven years of legal residence, plus a Greek language and civics exam. Not every type of residence permit counts toward citizenship, so check with a Greek immigration lawyer how your time on this permit will be treated before you plan around it.

How to apply

From your home country

Since 5 February 2026, you have to apply at a Greek consulate before you travel.

1. Contact the Greek consulate that covers your country of residence and get its own document checklist.
2. Gather your documents: the national visa form and photos, your passport, proof of remote work and income, health insurance, proof of accommodation, a criminal record certificate and a signed declaration that you won’t work for Greek employers or clients. Expect to need apostilles and Greek translations.
3. Submit your application. Greek law allows digital nomad applications to be made in person, by email or by registered post, though consulates may have their own procedures.
4. Pay the visa fee, around €75, plus any service fees your consulate charges.
5. Wait for a decision. The consulate has a legal deadline of 10 days, but one to three months from start to finish is common, and some consulates keep your passport in the meantime.
6. Travel to Greece, get your Greek tax number (AFM), and apply for the 2-year residence permit before your visa runs out. The permit costs €1,000, plus €150 for each family member.

From inside Greece

No longer possible. Until February 2026, many people entered Greece as tourists and applied for the residence permit from inside the country. Law 5275/2026 closed that route, so you now need the consular visa first.

Restrictions and common reasons for refusal

The main restriction is the one above: no Greek employer, no Greek clients and no business presence in Greece, for you or your family. Your family members can’t work in Greece either.

The problems that most often cause trouble are:

• Any sign of work for Greek clients or employers, including occasional projects
• Income that comes from savings or investments rather than active work
• A document set that doesn’t match your consulate’s own checklist
• Health insurance that doesn’t clearly cover Greece for your whole stay
• Missing apostilles or translations
• Arriving as a tourist and expecting to apply in Greece, which is no longer possible

Is this visa right for you?

Greece’s digital nomad visa suits remote employees and freelancers who earn comfortably above €3,500 a month, have no ties to the Greek market, and want a long-term base in southern Europe. The 2-year residence permit after the first year gives you more stability than countries that make you renew annually.

It suits you less if you’re counting on the 50% tax break as an employee of a foreign company, since you won’t qualify. It also suits you less if you’d like to take on local clients: Spain allows up to 20% of your work from Spanish clients, while Greece allows none. Freelancers wanting a lower income bar should compare Spain (about €2,849 a month) and Italy (about €2,066 a month), and anyone keen to apply from inside the country should look at Spain.

FAQ

How much income do I need for Greece’s digital nomad visa? €3,500 a month from remote work, plus 20% for a spouse and 15% for each child. Greece hasn’t published whether that’s before or after tax, so confirm with your consulate.

Can I apply from inside Greece? Not any more. Since 5 February 2026, you must get the digital nomad visa from a Greek consulate before you travel.

Can I work for Greek clients? No. The visa bars any economic activity connected to Greece, including Greek clients, a Greek employer or a business presence in Greece.

Do digital nomads get Greece’s 50% tax break? Not automatically. Employees of foreign companies with no Greek presence don’t qualify. For freelancers registered in Greece, it’s unsettled, so get advice from a Greek tax adviser.

How long can I stay? Up to 12 months on the visa, then 2 years at a time on a renewable residence permit, as long as you keep meeting the conditions.

Can a US citizen move to Greece permanently on this visa? Over time, possibly. After five years of legal residence you can apply for the EU long-term residence permit. For citizenship, Greece’s general rule is seven years, but check how time on this permit counts.

If you don’t qualify: alternatives and similar visas

If your income comes from savings, pensions or investments, Greece’s financially independent person permit uses the same €3,500 monthly figure without the remote-work condition. Greece also runs a golden visa for property investors.

To compare other digital nomad visas, see our digital nomad visas page, or start with:

• Spain’s digital nomad visa, with a lower threshold and some room for local clients
• Italy’s digital nomad visa, with the lowest threshold of the major EU options
• Croatia’s digital nomad visa, another Mediterranean option with no local income tax on foreign earnings while you hold it

Sources

• Greek Embassy in London: Greece welcomes digital nomads (official)
• Amoiridis Law: Article 68 of Law 5038/2023 as applied today (law firm guide)
• Siopi Law: what changes for digital nomads under Law 5275/2026 (law firm guide)
• PwC Greece: the new immigration law 5275/2026 (professional services firm)
• Remote Work Europe: Greece’s 50% tax break and the digital nomad visa (specialist guide)

Educational information, not legal, immigration or tax advice. Rules change, so check the official sources before you apply.