Retire in Greece: Visa, Healthcare and the 7% Flat Tax
Published on: August 22, 2026
Last verified: 22 August 2026. Greek income thresholds, permit conditions and tax regime procedures are amended regularly, and the 2026 procedural changes to the pensioner regime are still being implemented through tax authority decisions.
Quick answer: Retiring in Greece is three separate applications, not one. Non-EU retirees need the Financially Independent Person permit, which asks for €3,500 a month of passive income, forbids all work including remote work, and is issued for three years. Healthcare follows a different track: EU and UK state pensioners use an S1 and the public system, while FIP holders must carry private insurance. The tax election is a third thing again: Article 5B gives a foreign pensioner a flat 7 per cent on all foreign-source income for fifteen years, and Law 5313/2026 moved the application window and the payment date without touching the rate.
Greece's offer to foreign retirees is the longest-running flat-rate regime in Europe: 7 per cent on foreign income for fifteen years. It is a real advantage, and it is the reason Greece competes with Portugal, Italy and Cyprus for retirement search traffic.
It is also an election with conditions, decided by a different authority from the one that decides whether you may live in Greece at all, and it does nothing for your healthcare. Retiring in Greece is three separate applications: a residence permit, a health arrangement and a tax election. This guide takes them in that order, then covers buying a home and choosing a region. Position as of August 2026, including the procedural changes to the 7 per cent regime enacted in June 2026.
1. Immigration
EU and EEA citizens
No visa is needed. After three months you register with the local authorities and obtain a registration certificate, then organise tax and health registration.
Non-EU citizens: the Financially Independent Person permit
British, American, Canadian, Australian and other non-EU retirees use the Financially Independent Person route, universally called the FIP. It is a national type D visa issued by the Greek consulate for your country of residence, converted into a residence permit after arrival.
| Element | Position |
|---|---|
| Income test | Stable passive income of at least €3,500 a month (€42,000 a year) for the main applicant, raised from €2,000 in 2023. Practitioners report the addition of roughly 20 per cent for a spouse and 15 per cent per dependent child. Some consulates accept a qualifying bank deposit as an alternative to monthly income |
| What counts | Pensions, dividends, interest, rental income from abroad and other passive sources. Employment and self-employment income do not |
| Work | Not permitted, including remote work for a foreign employer. Remote workers use the digital nomad visa, which carries different tax consequences |
| Health cover | Private insurance valid in Greece is required, at least for the first year |
| Accommodation | A lease or title deed in Greece |
| Validity | The residence permit is issued for three years and is renewable while the conditions continue to be met |
| Fees | A permit fee of €1,000 plus a small card fee, on top of the consular visa fee |
| Timing | Visa processing at the consulate, then several months for the residence card after biometrics. Practitioners commonly quote six to eight months for the first card |
The FIP expects you to live in Greece. Long absences jeopardise renewal, and the permit is the foundation for permanent residence after five years and naturalisation after seven, both of which require substantial actual presence and, for citizenship, Greek language at B1.
The Golden Visa alternative
Non-EU retirees who prefer to buy a home can use the investor residence permit, which has no minimum stay requirement. Since the 2024 reforms the thresholds are €800,000 in Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands with more than 3,100 inhabitants, €400,000 elsewhere, and €250,000 for the conversion of a commercial building to residential use or the restoration of a listed building. Under the two higher tiers the property must be a single unit of at least 120 square metres, and Golden Visa properties cannot be let short-term. See our tier-by-tier guide to the Greek Golden Visa. Note that the investor permit does not build toward citizenship unless you actually live in Greece.
2. Healthcare
Greece has a public national health system (ESY) funded through the social insurance body EFKA and the purchasing organisation EOPYY. Quality is uneven: Athens and Thessaloniki have large public and private hospitals, Crete, Patras, Ioannina and Larissa have university hospitals, and most islands rely on health centres with air evacuation for anything serious.
| Who you are | How healthcare works |
|---|---|
| EU or UK state pensioner | Obtain an S1 form from your home country's pension authority and register it with EFKA. Your home country funds your care and you use the public system like a Greek pensioner |
| Non-EU retiree on a FIP permit | Private insurance is a condition of the permit. Public hospitals treat emergencies regardless of status, but you are not a contributor to the public system and should not plan on it for routine care |
| Anyone | You need an AMKA social security number for most interactions with the health system, and an AFM tax number for almost everything else |
Many retirees, EU and non-EU alike, keep private cover for speed and for access to the private hospitals in Athens and Thessaloniki. Premiums rise with age and most insurers restrict new applicants above a certain age, so arrange cover before you move rather than after.
The single most important healthcare decision is geographic. A retiree with a chronic condition on a small Cycladic island is hours from a full hospital in winter. The regional table below treats hospital access as the first filter.
3. Tax
Becoming Greek tax resident
You are generally Greek tax resident if you spend more than 183 days in Greece in a year, or if your centre of vital interests is there. Holding a residence permit does not by itself make you tax resident, and neither does owning a house. Once resident, worldwide income is in scope unless a special regime applies.
The 7 per cent regime for foreign pensioners
Article 5B of the Greek Income Tax Code lets a foreign pensioner who transfers tax residence to Greece pay a flat 7 per cent on all foreign-source income for up to fifteen tax years. The conditions:
- You receive a pension from abroad, from a state, social security body, occupational scheme or private provider, documented by the payer.
- You were not Greek tax resident in five of the six years before the transfer.
- You are moving from a country that has an administrative cooperation agreement in tax matters with Greece. This is broader than a double tax treaty, and the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and all EU states qualify.
- You apply to the tax authority (AADE) and are approved.
What the 7 per cent covers is wider than the word "pension" suggests: foreign dividends, interest, rental income from property abroad and foreign capital gains are all inside the flat rate. Greek-source income, including rent from a Greek property, is taxed under the ordinary rules. The 7 per cent is paid in a single annual instalment and exhausts the Greek liability on the income it covers; a credit for foreign tax paid on the same income is generally not available against it, which matters for Americans in particular.
What changed in June 2026
Law 5313/2026 amended the mechanics of Article 5B without touching the rate or the fifteen-year term:
- The fixed statutory application deadline of 31 March was removed. The filing window is now set by decision of the AADE governor, so confirm the current window before you rely on a late-year application.
- The annual payment moved from the end of July to the last working day of December.
- The 60-day statutory review period for applications was removed.
One caution the amendment does not change: becoming Greek tax resident requires actually living in Greece. A late application does not help if your day count for the year still makes you resident somewhere else.
Treaties still apply
| Source country | Interaction with the 7 per cent regime |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | The UK-Greece treaty reserves UK government service pensions (civil service, armed forces, police, most public sector schemes) to the UK. The State Pension and private pensions are generally taxable in Greece for a Greek resident, so the 7 per cent applies to them. Claim relief from UK withholding through HMRC |
| United States | US citizens remain taxable by the US on worldwide income. Social security and government pensions are allocated by the treaty; private pensions follow the residence rule. Model the combined US and Greek outcome before relying on the 7 per cent headline |
| Others | Government pensions are commonly reserved to the paying state; check the pension article of your own treaty |
Property and other taxes
| Tax | Position |
|---|---|
| ENFIA (annual property tax) | Charged per square metre at rates from about €2 to just over €16 depending on zone, age and floor, plus a supplementary tax where an owner's total Greek property value exceeds €400,000. A mid-market apartment typically pays a few hundred euros a year |
| Transfer tax on resale property | 3.09 per cent of the higher of the price and the objective (tax) value |
| VAT on new builds | 24 per cent in principle, but the suspension of VAT on new-build sales has been extended through 31 December 2026, at the developer's election, in which case the 3.09 per cent transfer tax applies instead. Confirm which regime the specific development has chosen |
| Rental income from Greek property | Progressive bands of 15, 35 and 45 per cent |
| Inheritance tax | Low for spouses and children, with an allowance, rising for more distant heirs |
4. Buying the home
- Obtain an AFM tax number and open a Greek bank account.
- Engage an independent lawyer and a civil engineer before signing anything. The engineer checks building legality, including unauthorised additions that must be settled before a sale can complete, and for land, the forestry maps and planning status.
- Non-EU nationals need a permit to buy in designated border areas, which include much of northern Greece and several islands near Turkey. It is usually granted but adds time.
- Completion is before a notary, with the deed registered at the cadastre.
- Budget roughly 8 to 10 per cent on top of the price for transfer tax, notary, lawyer, registration and agent commission.
Our Athens and islands guides cover neighbourhoods, prices and the short-term rental rules that have tightened in central Athens.
5. Where to live
| Region | Suits | Watch | Golden Visa tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athens Riviera (Glyfada, Voula, Vouliagmeni) | Best healthcare in the country, international airport, year-round life, sea | Highest prices outside the islands; traffic | €800,000 |
| Peloponnese (Nafplio, Messinia, Mani) | Value, scenery, mainland road access, Kalamata airport | Hospital access thins in the Mani | €400,000 |
| Crete (Chania, Rethymno) | Largest island, two international airports, university hospital, long season | Counts as a high-demand island for visa purposes | €800,000 |
| Corfu and the Ionian (Lefkada, Kefalonia) | Green, mild, established British community on Corfu; Lefkada is road-connected | Winter flights drop sharply | Mostly €800,000 |
| Halkidiki and Thessaloniki | Northern Greece, Thessaloniki's hospitals, lower prices | Colder winters; border-area permit for some zones | €800,000 in Thessaloniki, €400,000 in most of Halkidiki |
| Cyclades (Paros, Naxos, Syros) | Iconic, strong summer | Seasonal, thin healthcare, ferries in winter | €800,000 on the larger islands |
| Pelion and inland mainland | Mountains and sea, low prices, Volos hospital | Remote; less English | €400,000 |
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Greece retirement visa?
Not by that name. Non-EU retirees use the Financially Independent Person permit, which requires around €3,500 a month of passive income and excludes work. The Golden Visa is the property-based alternative.
How much income do I need to retire in Greece?
At least €3,500 a month of passive income for the main applicant, more with family members, plus private health insurance and accommodation.
Who qualifies for the 7 per cent flat tax?
Foreign pensioners who transfer tax residence to Greece, were not Greek tax resident in five of the previous six years, and come from a country with a tax cooperation agreement with Greece. It runs for up to fifteen years and covers all foreign-source income, not only the pension.
When do I apply for the 7 per cent?
Historically between 1 January and 31 March of the year in question. Legislation in June 2026 removed the fixed statutory deadline and left the window to the tax authority; confirm the current filing period with a Greek accountant.
Does the 7 per cent apply to my UK government pension?
No. UK government service pensions remain taxable in the UK under the treaty. The State Pension and private pensions are generally covered.
Can I use Greek public healthcare?
EU and UK state pensioners can, through the S1 form. Non-EU retirees on the FIP permit must hold private insurance and should not plan on the public system for routine care.
Does the Golden Visa count toward citizenship?
Only if you actually live in Greece. Naturalisation requires seven years of real residence, language and integration tests.
Keep reading on JanusHermes
The permit decides whether you can live in Greece, the S1 or the insurance policy decides how you get treated, and the Article 5B election decides what you pay. Get them in that order and the 7 per cent headline becomes a plan rather than a slogan. JanusHermes lists property from local agencies in 11 languages, with the local agency's own contact details on every listing.
On Greece, see the country guide for foreign buyers, the Golden Visa tier system, the Athens neighbourhood guide, the Cyclades and Crete, Corfu and Rhodes. On the retirement decision, compare retiring in Italy, Cyprus and Portugal, and read minimum stay requirements compared.
This article is general information about the rules in force at the time of writing and is not legal, tax, immigration or financial advice. Greek income thresholds, permit conditions, tax regime procedures and property tax values are amended regularly, and the 2026 procedural changes to the pensioner regime are still being implemented through tax authority decisions. Confirm current requirements with the Greek consulate for your jurisdiction and take advice from a Greek lawyer and accountant, and from a tax adviser in your home country, before relocating or buying.
Primary sources: The Greek Financially Independent Person national visa and residence permit conditions, including the income floor raised in 2023 and the three-year permit term; the investor residence permit thresholds as reformed in 2024; Article 5B of the Greek Income Tax Code establishing the 7 per cent flat rate for foreign pensioners and its fifteen-year term; Law 5313/2026 amending the application deadline, review period and payment date under Article 5B; ENFIA rates and the supplementary tax threshold; the 3.09 per cent transfer tax and the extension of the new-build VAT suspension through 31 December 2026; the UK-Greece and US-Greece double taxation conventions; EFKA and EOPYY rules on S1 registration and AMKA.
