Greece relocation guide 2026

01The country in 30 seconds

Greece means sea, islands, a warm winter by European standards, and one of the clearest remote-work visas in the EU. Life is cheaper than in Portugal or Spain, and Athens is a big city with an airport that has cheap flights all over Europe.

Russians have no visa-free entry: a short trip needs a Schengen visa, and living here needs a national D digital nomad visa and then a residence permit. The threshold is €3,500/month after tax. There is no ban for Russian citizens.

• Russians now get almost only single-entry Schengen visas — they are not a way to live here
• The nomad visa is only filed at a Greek consulate abroad; since 6 February 2026 you can no longer enter on a Schengen visa and apply for the permit inside Greece
• With a Greek residence permit you can travel in Schengen 90 days in 180, and days in Greece itself don't count toward that limit
• Mir cards and Russian Visa/Mastercard don't work here

Facts checked as of November 2026. Rules change fast, especially EU visa policy toward Russians. Before you apply or buy tickets, check the Greek embassy website and talk to an adviser.

02Who it's for

Greece fits you if:

• You work remotely for a foreign company or clients and earn €3,500+/month after tax
• You want a legal EU residence permit and freedom to travel in Europe, not border runs
• You're ready to collect apostilled, translated documents and wait a few months
• You love the sea, islands, food and a slow pace of life
• You can live with bureaucracy and paper queues

Not for you if:

• Your income is below the threshold or you can't prove it officially
• You need to move and get status within a couple of weeks
• You want a fast path to an EU passport — the nomad permit is a poor fit for that
• You need a guarantee that a bank will open (and keep) an account for a Russian citizen

What to explore in and around Greece:

• Crete — mountains, the Samaria Gorge, Chania and Rethymno; you can live here all year
• The Cyclades (Santorini, Naxos, Milos) and the Dodecanese (Rhodes) — ferries from Piraeus and Rafina
• Meteora, Delphi, the Peloponnese (Nafplio, Monemvasia), Corfu and the Ionian islands
• Thessaloniki and Halkidiki in the north
• Turkey is close: ferries from Lesbos, Kos and Rhodes to the Turkish coast, and Russians need no visa there
• Cheap flights from Athens all over Europe, to Cyprus and to the Balkans

03Entry & visa

Greece is in Schengen, so Russians need a visa. There is no visa-free entry.

Short trip — Schengen C visa. In Russia you apply through GVCW visa centers; the decision is made by the consular section of the embassy in Moscow and the consulates general in St Petersburg and Novorossiysk. The consular fee is €90, plus the visa center service fee (about 3,000 rubles).

Since November 2025 the EU has almost stopped giving Russians multiple-entry visas: now you usually get a single-entry visa for one trip. According to the Russian tour operators' association ATOR, in early 2026 multiple-entry visas dropped by 90% compared to a year earlier, including at Greek consulates. Still, Greece remains one of the countries that issue visas to Russians at all.

Long stay — national D visa (including for digital nomads). You apply at the Greek consular section in the country where you live. If you live in Russia, that means Moscow (or the consulates general). Details are in the residence section.

The new EES system now runs at Schengen borders: fingerprints and a photo instead of passport stamps. Russians don't need ETIAS — they already need a visa.

There are no direct flights from Russia. People fly with a connection: most often via Istanbul (Aeroflot, Turkish Airlines), and also via Belgrade (Air Serbia) or Tbilisi. On average the trip takes about 11 hours, less with a good connection.

04Residency & legalization

The main option for a remote worker is the digital nomad visa and residence permit. The program has run since 2021, and permits are being issued now.

Requirements:

• You work remotely for an employer or clients outside Greece. You may not work for Greek companies — you sign a statement about this
• Income of €3,500/month after tax. With a spouse — €4,200, plus 15% (€525) for each child
• Health insurance valid in Greece for the whole stay
• A contract with your employer or clients, and recent bank statements
• A criminal record certificate — consulates often ask for it; Russian documents need an apostille and a Greek translation

How it works:

1. National D digital nomad visa. You apply at a Greek consulate in the country where you live — before you travel. The fee is about €75 plus a service fee. By law the consulate answers within 10 days; in practice it takes 1-3 months. The visa is valid for up to 12 months.
2. A 2-year residence permit (category I.8). You apply in Greece while your D visa is still valid, at the Aliens and Migration Directorate of the Decentralised Administration where you live. The fee is €1,000 plus €16 for the plastic card.

The big 2026 change. Law 5275/2026 took effect on 6 February 2026. It removed the route "enter on a Schengen visa or visa-free, then apply for the nomad permit inside Greece." Now there is only one order: D visa at a consulate first, then the permit in Greece. The €3,500 threshold did not change.

Renewal. The permit is renewed as long as you still meet the conditions. For how long — sources disagree: some lawyers say 2-year renewals, others say that the general rule for category I.8 is 3-year renewals. Since 2026 you must file for renewal within the 2 months before the permit expires; you can be up to 3 months late, but with a fine.

While your permit is being processed, you get a paper proving you applied (often called the "blue certificate"). It makes your stay in Greece legal. But traveling around Schengen with only this paper is risky — there is no clear official answer. The card itself can take several months, especially in Attica.

Can Russians actually get it? On paper — yes. In February 2022 Greece suspended some permits for Russians, but the nomad visa was unfrozen in April 2022. There is no ban for Russian citizens now. The problems are practical:

• You have to prove income with bank statements. If it lands in a sanctioned Russian bank, the consulate and later a Greek bank may not like it. Better to show payments into an account in a third country in advance
• If you don't live in Russia but, for example, in Serbia or Georgia with a residence permit, apply at the Greek consulate there
• There is little public data on processing times for Russia. Plan a couple of months for the D visa

Other options:

• Financially independent person (FIP) permit. Also €3,500/month, but the income must be passive: rent, dividends, pension. You may not work in Greece, and this route is not meant for remote workers. The permit is for 3 years, and at renewal they check that you lived in Greece at least 183 days a year. Same order: D visa first, then the permit
• Golden visa through property. Initial applications from Russians have been suspended since 2022, and we found no confirmation that they reopened. Don't count on it
• Schengen C visa — 90 days in 180 at most, not for living

What the permit gives you for travel:

• With a D visa and with a Greek residence card you can visit all Schengen countries for up to 90 days in any 180 without a separate visa. Days in Greece itself don't count toward this limit. The permit does not let you live or work in another Schengen country
• Since 2025 Bulgaria and Romania are full Schengen members — no visa there either
• Turkey, Serbia and Montenegro let Russians in visa-free anyway: Turkey — up to 60 days per entry (no more than 90 in 180), Serbia and Montenegro — up to 30 days
• Albania and North Macedonia require a visa from Russians, but usually let in holders of Schengen residence permits and multiple-entry Schengen visas without one. Conditions differ, check before you go

05Work & taxes

Working remotely for a foreign company or clients on the nomad permit is legal — that's the point of the program. Working for a Greek employer or Greek clients is not allowed, and it can get your renewal refused or your permit revoked.

You become a Greek tax resident if you spend more than 183 days in Greece in any 12-month period, or if your center of vital interests is here. Then Greece taxes your worldwide income. Rates are progressive, from 9% to 44%. The scale was lowered in 2026, but sources disagree on the exact brackets — check on the AADE tax authority website.

While you're not a tax resident, foreign income is usually not taxed in Greece. But if you live here all year on a permit, you will almost certainly become a resident.

About the "50% off for 7 years" break (Article 5C). It is often advertised to nomads, but it is narrower than it looks:

• You must not have been a Greek tax resident in 5 of the last 6 years, and must move from an EU/EEA country or a country with a tax agreement with Greece
• The break is for work at a Greek company (or its Greek branch) or for your own business in Greece
• If you're an employee of a foreign company with no presence in Greece, lawyers say you don't qualify
• For freelancers with foreign clients the question is disputed, with no ruling yet

In August 2023 Russia partly suspended its tax treaties with 38 "unfriendly" countries. How this affects your setup with Greece — ask an adviser.

For anything in Greece you need an AFM tax number (ΑΦΜ): without it you can't rent officially, open a bank account or connect utilities. You get it at the tax office (ΔΟΥ) or through an accountant with a power of attorney.

06Banks, cards & money

Mir cards don't work in Greece. Russian Visa and Mastercard don't work abroad either.

Since 29 January 2026 the EU officially lists Russia as a high-risk country for money laundering. It's not a ban, but banks now check every Russia-linked transaction much harder. According to The Moscow Times, European banks reject transfers from Russia, refuse accounts and close them — sometimes even for people with an EU residence permit.

What works:

• Cash in euros for the first weeks
• A card from a bank in a third country (Georgia, Armenia, UAE, Kazakhstan, etc.) — but not every such card is accepted everywhere
• An account at a Greek bank. You need an AFM, an address and, in practice, a residence permit. Without one, banks are reluctant to open accounts for Russians

Under EU sanctions, Russian citizens without an EU residence permit may not hold more than €100,000 in EU bank accounts. With a permit this limit no longer applies.

07Renting a place

Rent in Athens has gone up in recent years, but it's still lower than in Lisbon or Barcelona. Rough numbers for 2026:

• A one-bedroom in central Athens — about €600-1,000/month
• A studio or one-bedroom farther from the center — cheaper, from €450-500
• Thessaloniki and Chania are usually cheaper than Athens

Athens areas popular with expats: Pangrati, Koukaki, Kypseli, Kolonaki (expensive), and by the sea — Glyfada and Palaio Faliro.

For long-term rentals check spitogatos.gr and xe.gr. For your first month book Airbnb or Booking, and look for a flat once you're there.

The deposit is usually 1-2 months. An official lease needs an AFM — it is registered with the tax office, and you'll need it for your residence permit.

In central Athens (the 1st, 2nd and 3rd municipal districts), registering new flats for short-term rental is banned until the end of 2026. This is how the city fights the housing shortage.

On the islands everything is expensive and booked in summer, and a lot is closed in winter. For year-round living, Athens, Thessaloniki and Crete work best.

08SIM card & internet

Three operators: Cosmote (widest coverage), Vodafone and Nova. You buy a SIM in an operator shop with your passport, and it is registered on the spot.

Tourist packs for 30 days cost about €14-20 and give 15-20 GB. Local operators usually sell tourist eSIMs only in their shops. You can buy an eSIM in advance from international services (Airalo and similar), but you have to pay with a non-Russian card.

Mobile data and 5G are good in cities. Home internet: Athens and Thessaloniki have fiber, but not in every building — check before you rent. Speeds are lower on the islands.

Most coworkings are in Athens and Thessaloniki, and there are some on Crete.

09Healthcare & insurance

The nomad visa needs private health insurance valid in Greece. Many consulates want coverage of at least €30,000. The price depends a lot on your age and the coverage — compare offers.

The public system (EOPYY) is for people who pay contributions to the Greek social fund EFKA. A remote worker for a foreign employer usually doesn't pay them, so plan on private clinics and insurance.

In an emergency, public hospitals will help you anyway. For doctor appointments and pharmacies an AMKA number (ΑΜΚΑ) is useful — it is issued to residents.

Private clinics in Athens and Thessaloniki are good, and doctors often speak English. Healthcare on small islands is weak — serious cases are taken to Athens or Crete.

10Transport

Athens: the metro, tram, buses and trolleys use one ticket. A 90-minute ticket costs €1.20, a 24-hour ticket €4.10. Tickets are loaded on the Ath.ena card, and you can also tap a contactless bank card. The airport is not included in the normal ticket — it has its own fare. A monthly pass costs about €27 according to one source — check locally.

Between cities:

• Train Athens — Thessaloniki
• KTEL intercity buses across the mainland
• Ferries from Piraeus, Rafina and Lavrio to the islands
• Domestic flights by Aegean and Sky Express to Crete, Rhodes and other islands

Aegean, Ryanair, Wizz Air, easyJet and other low-cost airlines fly from Athens all over Europe — one of the main reasons to live here.

On Crete and the islands it's hard without a car or scooter. To rent a car you need a valid license (international or a suitable national one) — check with the rental company.

11Safety & important laws

Greece is a calm country overall. The main problem in Athens is pickpockets: on the metro (especially line 1 to Piraeus), around Monastiraki and Omonia. Some blocks around Omonia are better avoided at night.

Exarchia and the center sometimes have protests and strikes, which can stop public transport. Transport strikes happen regularly, so check the news.

Nature:

• Summer brings heat waves and wildfires — follow warnings and 112 alerts
• Greece is in an earthquake zone, and quakes happen regularly

In daily life people are usually neutral toward Russians. Better not to discuss politics with strangers.

12How much money you need per month

total$1,300-2,100 per month for one person in Athens; Thessaloniki and Crete off-season are cheaper, the islands in summer cost more

13Step-by-step moving plan

1. Check that you can prove €3,500+/month after tax with a contract and bank statements — ideally from an account at a non-sanctioned bank
2. Gather documents: passport, contract with your employer or clients, bank statements, criminal record certificate, health insurance; Russian documents need an apostille and a Greek translation
3. Apply for the national D digital nomad visa at a Greek consulate in the country where you live (in Russia — the embassy consular section in Moscow or the consulates general); the fee is about €75
4. Wait for the decision — in practice 1 to 3 months
5. Bring cash in euros and a card from a third-country bank — Russian cards don't work
6. Fly with a connection (Istanbul, Belgrade, Tbilisi, etc.) and stay in an Airbnb or Booking place for the first month
7. Get an AFM (tax number) at the tax office or through an accountant, and buy a local SIM with your passport
8. Rent a flat with an official lease — you need it for the residence permit
9. Before your D visa expires, apply for the 2-year residence permit at the Aliens and Migration Directorate where you live (€1,000 fee + €16 for the card)
10. Try to open a Greek bank account with your AFM and permit, and keep a backup card
11. If you live in Greece more than 183 days a year, sort out your taxes with a local adviser
12. File for renewal within 2 months before your permit expires

14Useful links

• Embassy of Greece in Moscow — visas (Russian)
• Greece Visa Application Center in Russia (GVCW)
• Greek City Times — what changed for digital nomads in 2026
• GreekProps — nomad visa: fees, renewal, taxes
• Remote Work Europe — the 50% tax break and who qualifies
• Decentralised Administration of Attica — residence permit documents
• T—Zh — Albania entry rules for Russians (Russian)
• Wise — Cost of Living in Athens

15Other countries

Every guide follows the same structure, so they're easy to compare. Comparison table: all countries.

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