ALL YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

There have been huge advances in internet speed in Greece in recent years. Fibre-optic technology is standard in many neighbourhoods and the 5G network has reached 97% coverage in Athens and 90% in Thessaloniki, with the speed in some areas passing 1 Gbps. By the end of 2021, more than 60% of Greece is expected to have 5G coverage. The average national download speed for 2020 was 27.01 Mbps, up 34.83% from 2019. (Source: HYPERION developed by the Hellenic Telecommunications and Post Commission (ΕΕΤΤ) in collaboration with the Measurement Lab Partnership)

• If you’re an EU citizen, you should get a European Health Insurance Card in the country in which you are insured before you come to Greece. This will give you access to the Greek national healthcare system (EOPYY), only paying for the medical care that Greek citizens would be required to pay for. The coverage includes emergencies as well as chronic or existing illnesses. Cards are issued by your national health insurance provider. Of course, if you want more comprehensive coverage, you should get private health insurance.
  
• If you’re coming from elsewhere, you’ll need to obtain private health insurance as you won’t be entitled to the benefits of the Greek public healthcare system. Regular travel insurance will give you emergency coverage for a limited period but for longer stays, you will need specialised health coverage, such as Global Health Insurance, which is designed for digital nomads and remote workers and accepted in public hospitals.

You’ll find plenty of temporary accommodation options in Greece, whether you go for the city life of Athens or Thessaloniki or the slower pace of a Greek island or mainland village. As well as hotels, you find popular rental options such as Airbnb and Blueground as well as a growing number of co-living options that attract digital nomad communities, such as Selina (in Athens and Pelion).

Yes, there is a growing number of co-working spaces in Greece, allowing you to easily become part of the digital nomad community. Many co-working spaces in Athens (like the Impact Hub, Found.ation and The Cube) have grown out of the city’s incubator and tech start-up scene and you’ll find other options favoured by remote workers. For more on co-working spaces in Athens and around Greece, see our Digital Nomad Destination Guide.

• Greece has excellent flight connectivity, with major international airport hubs in Athens and Thessaloniki and 15 other regional airports (island and mainland) with seasonal international flights. There are also another 18 airports around the country with domestic flights to Athens and Thessaloniki.
  
• In the 2019 edition of the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index Greece ranked 10th out of 140 countries in terms of the number of operating airlines, with Athens directly connected with scheduled services with 157 destinations (124 international) in 55 countries operated by a total of 66 carriers. Thessaloniki, Chania & Heraklion (in Crete) and Rhodes were the next busiest airports.

Greece has a reputation as a good value-for-money country within Europe. The cost of living for accommodation, transport, eating out and entertainment are well below the European Union average and many outdoor activities can be enjoyed without cost. You can see for yourself by comparing the cost of living with other European countries here.

• You have no tax liability in Greece when working for fewer than 180 days in a calendar year a) as a salaried employee of a company based outside Greece or b) whilst offering services on a self-employed basis to companies based outside Greece.
• If you do live in Greece for 180 days or more of a calendar year, you may need to move your tax residency to Greece (including getting a Greek tax number) and pay local taxes. An extension to this time period was given to foreign tax residents during 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
• If you work for a Greek company at any time during your stay in Greece, you will need to pay local taxes.
• The Greek state has recently introduced a range of benefits and tax incentives to attract foreign professionals to Greece and assume Greek tax residency (Article 5C of law 4172/2013). Such applications take place at specific times during the year. Therefore, you will need to refer to the competent authorities for more information.

Yes, you’ll find plenty of short- and medium-term car rental options in Greece, with all the best-known car rental companies (such as Hertz, Avis and others) operating in the country. You are able to drive with your EU or UK driving licenses in Greece, as well as driving licenses from any of the signatories of the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.

Greece is a safe country, with an outdoors culture and very low levels of violent crime. To put it into perspective, the rate of crimes reported to police in 2017-2019 was 40.1 per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to an EU average of 52.5. We welcomed a record 31 million visitors to Greece in 2019 (that’s around three times the national population) so we’re pretty experienced at making you feel safe and letting you enjoy all the things you love about being in Greece.

• If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, you have the right to enter and move freely within Greece, according to EU law.
  
• For third-party nationals (ie non-EU, EEA & Switzerland), you can apply for a Digital Nomad Visa letting you live and work in Greece hassle-free. It gives you legal residence as a remote worker for up to a year, after which you can apply for a Digital Nomad Residence Permit, if you want to stay longer.
  
  You’ll need to prove that you have sufficient resources for the length of your stay or a salary of at least €3,500 per month after taxes as a dependent employee or a self-employed person working remotely with employers outside Greece. The monthly amount increases by 20% if you’re accompanied by your spouse or a cohabitant and 15% for each child. The Digital Nomad Residence Permit is valid for up to two years (renewable every 2 years for 2 more years).
  
  Note that you won’t have the right to work for a Greek company during this period, either on a permanent or freelance basis.

You can apply for a Digital Nomad Visa at the Greek consular authority in your country of main residence as part of a fast track process. The request can be made by email or registered letter and the consular authority is obliged to respond within 10 days, with the eventual residency permit being issued by the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum.