Registration, banking and utilities in Athens

The AFM and the TAXISnet login

The tax number is the master key, and the TAXISnet credentials issued with it are what the banks and the state's own digital services use to recognise you. Treat the login as the deliverable rather than the number on its own. It is issued by the tax office (DOY) covering your address, on your passport and proof of address, and someone not yet resident can get one through an accountant or a tax representative with a power of attorney. Document lists vary a little between offices, so ask yours before you turn up.

• Ask for the TAXISnet credentials at the same time as the number; they arrive by email and are activated online.
• Many people have an accountant do the AFM, the TAXISnet activation and the first tax return as a package.

The bank account

Greek banks offer digital onboarding, but National Bank of Greece's app route accepts only a Greek identity document written in Latin characters or a valid Greek passport, which pushes most new arrivals to a branch appointment instead. Logging in through the eGov-KYC service with TAXIS credentials lets the bank pull your data directly and skips most of the uploads. Otherwise expect to be asked for tax documentation, proof of occupation, and a utility bill less than three months old if your address differs from the tax record.

• Tax documentation means a recent tax statement covering two years, or a VAT registration certificate if you do not file returns.
• Proof of occupation means an employer certificate or payslip, a student ID, a pension slip, or business registration.

The residence permit

Third-country nationals apply electronically at portal.immigration.gov.gr, with the ministry's other migration services at applications.migration.gov.gr. The governing law is the Migration Code, Law 5038/2023, and it sets out the categories: dependent employment, the EU Blue Card, intra-corporate transfer, digital nomads, family reunification, studies, research, and the investor permit for real estate. Most routes now start with a national D visa from a Greek consulate rather than an application from inside Greece. Fees are paid by e-paravolo and depend on the category, so take the current figure from the ministry and have every document scanned before you open the form.

• Digital nomads: at least €3,500 a month net from work outside Greece, more with a spouse or children, and a €1,000 fee for the two-year permit.
• Golden Visa: €800,000 for a single property of at least 120 m² in Attica, Thessaloniki and the most popular islands, €400,000 elsewhere, €250,000 only for conversions and listed restorations. Golden Visa property may not be let short-term.
• Ministry of Migration and Asylum call centre: +30 213 212 8400. Its offices are at Thivon Avenue 196-198, Agios Ioannis Rentis, not in central Athens.

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens

There is no permit. Anyone staying longer than three months must appear in person, once the three months are up, at the police aliens department for their area — in Attica, the regional aliens directorate — for a registration certificate (vevaiosi engrafis). Bring your passport or ID card, proof of address, and proof of what you are doing here: an employment contract or business registration, a university enrolment, or proof of resources and health insurance if you are not working. The fee is nominal and the certificate is usually issued the same day, with no expiry while the conditions hold.

• After five years of continuous residence you can apply for a document certifying permanent residence.
• UK citizens who arrived after 2020 follow the third-country route, not this one.

Utilities and the rest of the admin

Electricity is split in two: DEDDIE owns the network and makes the physical connection, and you contract separately with a supplier of your choosing. New low-voltage connections are applied for through the myDEDDIE platform at my.deddie.gr and the helpline is 800 400 4000. Water is EYDAP, which charges a fixed fee for a new connection, part paid in advance with the application and the balance on completion, with a different scale for special connections. In a flat that is already connected you only transfer the account into your name, with your AFM, ID and the lease declaration, so take the current amounts from an EYDAP customer service centre rather than from any figure quoted second-hand.

• The Municipality of Athens runs nine KEP citizen service centres for municipal documents and payments, with appointments at rantevou.cityofathens.gr, a 24-hour city line on 1595 and a switchboard on 210 528 7800.
• Exchanging a foreign driving licence is a regional transport matter rather than a ministry one, and whether yours converts without a test depends on the country that issued it. Ask at a KEP which office covers your address and what the current fee is, rather than working from a list found online.

In order

1. 1Get the AFM and TAXISnet credentials, after confirming the current document list with the tax office.
2. 2Open a Greek bank account, using eGov-KYC with the TAXIS login if the bank offers it.
3. 3Sign the lease and take the filing reference from the landlord.
4. 4Check the permit fee for your category with the ministry, then file the application electronically with every document already scanned. EU citizens: register with the police aliens department once you pass three months.
5. 5Apply for the electricity connection through myDEDDIE and choose a supplier.
6. 6Apply to EYDAP for water if the connection is not already live.
7. 7Register for an AMKA, without which the health system cannot see you.
8. 8Exchange your driving licence at the Transport and Communications service of your Regional Unit if you will drive.