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. Issuing procedures and document lists move, and no current official page could be read for this guide, so confirm what your local tax office wants before you turn up.

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, published in Government Gazette A' 81 of 1 April 2023, and it sets out the categories: dependent employment as type 'E' permits, the EU Blue Card, intra-corporate transfer, digital nomads under Article 68, family reunification, studies under Article 106, research under Article 110, and the permanent investor permit for real estate under Article 100. The fee depends on the category and no current figure could be confirmed for this guide, so take it from the ministry's call centre and have every document scanned before you open the form.

• Ministry of Migration and Asylum call centre: +30 213 212 8400.
• Its offices are at Thivon Avenue 196-198, Agios Ioannis Rentis, Nikaia, not in central Athens.
• EU and EEA citizens register by a different route, and the registration certificate procedure could not be verified here, so ask the Hellenic Police directly.

Utilities in your own name

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. Its website was offline throughout the checking of this guide, so take the current amounts and the application address from an EYDAP customer service centre rather than from any figure quoted second-hand.

The rest of the admin

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.
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.