In depth · Taxation
Greece: 7% for life for foreign retirees, a 2026 guide
Greece offers foreign retirees a flat-rate tax on all their foreign-source income, for a long period and on accessible entry conditions. This report details the regime, what it covers, what it does not, and the two other Greek schemes with which it is confused.
By Editorial team · on August 28, 2026
The regime for foreign retirees
The scheme is aimed at a person receiving a foreign-source pension who transfers their tax residency to Greece. It replaces ordinary taxation with a flat rate of 7%1 on all their foreign-source income.
The base is broad: pensions, dividends, interest, rents received outside Greece, foreign-source capital gains. It is this scope, and not just the rate, that makes the regime attractive — most competing schemes cover only pensions.
The duration is 15 years2, making it one of the longest regimes in Europe. The tax is paid in a single payment each year.
There are two entry conditions. Not having been a Greek tax resident for five of the six years preceding the transfer. And coming from a state that has concluded an administrative cooperation agreement on tax matters with Greece — which is the case for France.
The regime requires a formal application, filed within the prescribed deadlines with the Greek tax authorities. It does not apply automatically simply by moving there: this is the leading cause of failed applications.
What the flat rate does not cover
Greek-source income remains taxed under the ordinary scale. A retiree who let a property in Greece, or carried on an activity there, would fall under the ordinary rules for that part.
The Greek scale for salaries and pensions starts at 9%3 on its first bracket. The top marginal rate of the scale applicable until 2025 stood at 44%4.
Greek-source dividends bear a withholding of 5%5, and capital gains on the disposal of capital are taxed at 15%6.
Tax must also be distinguished from social security contributions and health cover, which follow their own rules. A French retiree receiving a French pension keeps rights whose interaction with the Greek system must be checked separately.
We do not publish the Greek tax brackets in euros or the details of the reform of the scale that came into force in 2026: we have not been able to verify them in an up-to-date official source. They should be established with the Greek tax authorities.
The two other Greek regimes
The regime for high-net-worth individuals is separate and is not aimed at retirees. It is based on an annual flat-rate tax of €100,0007 on foreign-source income, conditional on an investment in Greece of €500,0008.
The regime for workers relocating from abroad, a third scheme, exempts 50%9 of employment income for 7 years10. It targets employees and self-employed people who transfer their activity to Greece.
These three regimes cannot be combined. The choice is made according to the nature of the income: pension, wealth or activity. Confusing the duration of the first with that of the others is the most common mistake, and it leads to wrong projections over fifteen years.
Residency by real estate investment is a fourth scheme, of a different nature: it grants a residence permit, not a tax regime. The thresholds have been raised to €800,00011 in Attica, Thessaloniki and the most populous islands, compared with from €400,00012 elsewhere.
What to do, and what remains to be checked
- Check the Greek non-residence condition for the years preceding the transfer.
- File the application within the prescribed deadlines: the regime does not apply automatically.
- Distinguish, within your income, what is foreign-source and what is Greek-source.
- Keep an eye on the more than 183 days13 threshold: it is what establishes Greek tax residency.
- Handle the departure from France according to its own criteria and under the France–Greece tax treaty, which determines the treatment of public-sector pensions.
The last point deserves particular attention for a French retiree. Pensions paid in respect of public employment are, in most treaties, subject to a rule distinct from that for private pensions, and may remain taxable in France. The Greek regime then has no effect on them.
Finally, the cost of living in Greece is moderate compared with French levels, but energy and housing in sought-after areas come close to them. The public health system is uneven and private cover is the norm among foreign residents.
We do not publish a reference monthly budget for Greece: we have not found an official Greek series measuring a basket of expenditure comparable to that of an expatriate.
Frequently asked questions
Does the 7% also apply to foreign dividends and rents?
Yes: the flat rate covers all foreign-source income, not just pensions.
Do I need to invest to benefit from the retiree regime?
No: the 7%1 regime requires no investment, only the transfer of residence and the prior non-residence condition.
Can the Golden Visa and the 7% regime be combined?
Yes, they follow two distinct logics (residency by investment on the one hand, a tax regime on the other) and can be combined.
Please note
Sources and verification dates
- 1.
Greece, regime for foreign retirees: flat rate on foreign-source income : 7%
« Annual flat tax rate of 7% on total foreign source income. »
enterprisegreece.grVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
- 2.
Greece, regime for foreign retirees: period of application : 15 years
« Duration of regime's applicability • Fifteen (15) tax years. »
enterprisegreece.grVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
- 3.
Greece: rate of the first bracket of the salaries and pensions scale (from 2026) : 9%
« For tax years 2026 onwards, taxable income from employment and pension is taxed according to the following scale — Income (€) / Tax Rate : 0 – 10.000 : 9% ; 10.001 – 20.000 : 20% ; 20.001 – 30.000 : 26% ; 30.001 – 40.000 : 34% ; 40.000,01 – 60.000 : 39% ; > 60.000 : 44% [taux réduits selon le nombre d'enfants à charge]. — Ministry of Economy and Finance, « Tax Guide – Income Taxation » (Law 4172/2013, Income Tax Code). »
minfin.gov.grVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
- 4.
Greece: top marginal rate of the scale applicable until 2025 : 44%
« For tax years up to and including 2025 […] : 0 – 10.000 : 9% ; 10.001 – 20.000 : 22% ; 20.001 – 30.000 : 28% ; 30.001 – 40.000 : 36% ; 40.001 – : 44%. For tax years 2026 onwards […] : 0 – 10.000 : 9% ; 10.001 – 20.000 : 20% ; 20.001 – 30.000 : 26% ; 30.001 – 40.000 : 34% ; 40.000,01 – 60.000 : 39% ; > 60.000 : 44%. — Ministry of Economy and Finance, « Tax Guide – Income Taxation ». »
- 5.
Greece: withholding tax on dividends : 5%
« Dividends are subject to a withholding tax of five percent (5%). […] If the distribution of dividends is subject to withholding tax, the withholding tax exhausts the tax liability only for individuals and for the specific type of income of the taxpayer. »
minfin.gov.grVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
- 6.
Greece: tax rate on capital gains from disposals : 15%
« Income from capital transfer gains is taxed at a rate of fifteen percent (15%). »
minfin.gov.grVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
- 7.
Greece, regime for high-net-worth individuals: annual flat tax on foreign income : €100,000
« 1.2 Special tax regimes at a glance — HIGH NET WORTH INDIVIDUAL (HNWI) REGIME : Not a Greek tax resident for the seven (7) out of eight (8) years preceding the transfer to Greece. […] Minimum investment of EUR 500 000 within a period of three (3) years. […] Preferential alternative taxation : A lump sum tax of EUR 100 000 on an annual basis (extinguishing tax liability on global foreign source income). Plus a lump sum tax of EUR 20 000 on an annual basis, in case a relative (spouse, children, parents) utilizes respective provisions. Duration of regime's applicability : Fifteen (15) tax years. — Enterprise Greece, « Brief Tax Guide Greece 2026 » (art. 5A du Code des impôts sur le revenu). »
enterprisegreece.grVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
- 8.
Greece, regime for high-net-worth individuals: investment required in Greece : €500,000
« HIGH NET WORTH INDIVIDUAL (HNWI) REGIME : […] Can prove that they or their relatives or a legal entity in which they hold the majority of the shares, invests in real estate or moveable assets or shares of legal entities based in Greece. Minimum investment of EUR 500 000 within a period of three (3) years. — Enterprise Greece, « Brief Tax Guide Greece 2026 » (art. 5A). »
enterprisegreece.grVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
- 9.
Greece, workers relocating from abroad: share of employment income exempt from tax : 50%
« Eligible to income tax exemption on 50% of employment income earned in Greece during any tax year. »
enterprisegreece.grVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
- 10.
Greece, workers relocating from abroad: duration of the partial exemption : 7 years
« ATTRACTING FOREIGN INDIVIDUALS TO WORK IN GREECE : […] Eligible to income tax exemption on 50% of employment income earned in Greece during any tax year. […] Duration of regime's applicability : Seven (7) tax years. — Enterprise Greece, « Brief Tax Guide Greece 2026 » (art. 5C). »
enterprisegreece.grVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
- 11.
Greece, Golden Visa: real estate investment threshold in Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and populous islands : €800,000
« αυξάνεται το όριο ελάχιστης επένδυσης σε ακίνητα... από 500.000€ σε 800.000€ »
stegasi.gov.grVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
- 12.
Greece, Golden Visa: real estate investment threshold in the rest of the country : €400,000
« αύξηση από 250.000€ σε 400.000€ »
stegasi.gov.grVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source
- 13.
Greece: annual presence above which tax residency is acquired : 183 days
« An individual is considered Greek tax resident if she/he maintains permanent or main residence or usual abode or center of vital interests in Greece […]. Furthermore, subject to the above provisions, any individual who is present in Greece for a period exceeding 183 days, cumulatively during any twelve (12) month period, is considered to be a Greek tax resident as of her/his first day of arrival in Greece. However, respective provisions are not applicable in case of individuals who are present in Greece only for tourism, medical, medicinal or equivalent personal purposes on condition that their presence does not exceed the 365 days threshold. — Enterprise Greece (agence publique d'investissement, ministère des Affaires étrangères), « Brief Tax Guide Greece 2026 » (Code des impôts sur le revenu, loi 4172/2013, art. 4). »
enterprisegreece.grVerified on Nov 2, 2026Verified source