Back to Feed
Long Read

Athens Business Starter: Taxes, Tears, and a Desperate Love for Raki

@Eva Soler2/7/2026blog

so i landed in athens last may with a backpack stuffed with chargers and a half-baked plan to turn my freelance graphic design side-hustle into a legit business. the heat hit me like a wall of bricks-dry, scorching, and totally unapologetic. they say athens gets 300 days of sunshine a year; i’d say it’s more like the sun decides to roast you 24/7. but the islands-crete, mykonos, santorini-are just a short ferry ride from piraeus, which is cool if you ever need a break from the endless paperwork.

i chose athens because the cost of living was supposed to be super cheap, the wifi fast, and the whole 'ancient history meets street art' vibe seemed like a creative goldmine. turns out the wifi is mostly fast unless you’re in a basement in omonia or during a city-wide power outage (which happens more often than you’d think). the cheap part? well, you can survive on €30 a day if you eat souvlaki and sleep in a shared flat, but comfort costs extra. i’m paying €420 a month for a tiny studio in exarcheia-great neighborhood for thrift stores and anarchist murals, not so great if you need reliable hot water. the building’s stairs are basically a cliff and the landlord swears the boiler works 'when the gods permit.' but hey, i’m living the dream, right? the current july weather is a dry 38°c, the city shimmering like a mirage, and the acropolis glows gold at sunset. you learn to schedule all your admin stuff before 10am or after 8pm, because the afternoon heat makes even opening a laptop feel like a workout.

first thing on the to-do list: get an afm, the greek tax identification number. you need it for everything-opening a bank account, signing a lease, invoicing. so i dragged myself to the heliaia (tax office) near syntagma at 7am, only to find a line that wrapped around the block. a guy from dublin was there with a stack of forms in greek, looking like he was about to faint. after three hours of sweating, i got my number. pro tip: bring water, snacks, and a greek-speaking friend or just pay a local fixer €30-50 to do the queue for you. they’ll sort the forms-most of them are in greek, and even the english versions are… let's say 'creatively' translated.

next decision: sole proprietorship (monoproswpiki epitheorisi) or an eee (limited liability company). for a one-person remote gig, sole prop is the path of least resistance. you register at the chamber of commerce (ebea), pay around €100-300 in fees, and you’re officially a business. but the tax man? oh boy. greece taxes individuals on a progressive scale: 9% on income up to €10,000, 22% up to €20,000, 28% up to €30,000, 36% up to €40,000, and 44% on anything above. plus there’s a solidarity levy: 2.2% on income over €12,000 and 3.5% over €30,000. and if that’s not enough, you also pay social security contributions (efka) around 27% of your net profit, with a minimum base that’s currently about €690 per month-so even if you earn nothing, you’ll owe that unless you get an exemption. yeah, it adds up. someone making €30k could easily see half their income going to taxes and contributions. but there’s a loophole if you qualify for the digital nomad visa.

greece introduced a digital nomad visa in 2022, allowing remote workers to stay up to 12 months (renewable). the catch: you must earn at least €3,500 per month (or €42k annually), have health insurance, and a clean criminal record. the big win: if you transfer your tax residency to greece, you can opt into the 'non-dom' regime that offers a flat 7% tax on foreign-sourced income for up to seven years. that means you pay only 7% on the money you earn from clients outside greece. you still pay vat and social contributions on greek-sourced income, but most nomads keep their income foreign. it’s a game-changer-i talked to an accountant who said it saved a british client about €12k a year. but you have to apply within the first year of residency and file the appropriate paperwork with aade. the process includes submitting proof of income, a rental contract or property deed, and an affidavit. an accountant will charge €200-300 per month, but they know how to navigate the system and keep you out of trouble. trust me, it’s worth every euro.

then there’s vat. if your annual turnover from services exceeds €15,000, you must register for vat and charge 24% on your invoices. you then file monthly vat returns (even if zero) and quarterly lists of goods/services supplied. the penalties for late filing are steep-€100 plus interest from day one. i set up a simple quickbooks online account to automate the calculations, but i still spend one sunday a month wrestling with numbers. if you’re below the threshold, you can stay as a ‘taxable person’ without vat, but you lose the ability to reclaim vat on expenses.

registering the business itself is a separate trip to the chamber of commerce. you’ll need your afm, proof of address (a utility bill or rental agreement), and a description of your business activity (they use a code list; for graphic design it’s something like 74.10). after submitting, they issue a gemi number (general electronic commercial registry) and you’re in the system. then you must register with the social security organization (efka) for your contributions. if you’re under the digital nomad flat tax, you still have to pay efka but at a reduced rate? i’m not sure; my accountant handled that. oh, and if you ever want to hire, you need to set up payroll and pay additional contributions-not relevant now, but good to know.

now, some hard numbers that i wish someone had told me over a beer. average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in central athens ranges from €450 to €700, depending on the neighborhood. exarcheia is on the lower end but has a reputation for protests and occasional clashes; psiri and kerameikos are trendy but pricier. safety: athens is generally safe for tourists, but pickpocketing is rampant in syntagma square, monastiraki, and on the metro (especially line 1 between piraeus and the city center). keep your phone in your front pocket, don’t flash cash, and beware of the ‘friendly’ guy offering to help with tickets-he’ll pick your wallet. the job market for locals is rough: unemployment hovers around 15% overall, with youth over 30%. but for remote workers, it’s a sweet spot-cheap living, robust coworking scene, and a thriving expat community. as for weather, right now (july) it’s a dry 38°c, the pavement sizzling, and the acropolis glows like a golden beacon at sunset. you learn to schedule everything for the early morning or late evening. and the islands-crete, Rhodes, the cyclades-are just a short ferry ride from piraeus, perfect for a weekend escape after you’ve filed your quarterly vat return.


> just don’t do it. the taxes will eat you alive. i tried to go solo and ended up owing more than i made. - a tattooed barista in a psychedelic cafe in metaxourgeio.

> hire a greek accountant. they cost but they know how to hide you from the tax man. or just get the digital nomad visa and take the 7% deal. that’s the cheat code. - my neighbor, a retired ship captain, over rakia.

> they audit you randomly. keep every receipt, even the €0.50 koulouri from the bakery. they’ll ask for it later. - a british expat who got audited three times in two years.

check out these resources: tripadvisor's athens coworking roundup is surprisingly thorough (Athens Coworking Spaces on TripAdvisor). yelp's best cheap eats near syntagma will save your wallet when you need to impress a client on a budget (York: Best Cheap Eats in Athens). the r/greece subreddit is a mixed bag-some helpful locals, lots of venting about politics (r/Greece). and the digital nomad athens facebook group has up-to-date gossip on visa changes and coworking deals (Digital Nomads Athens).

the digital nomad visa also requires you to have private health insurance covering covid and emergencies, or you can enroll in the national greek health system (eopyyy) once you become a resident, which costs about €50-100 a month. i went with the private plan because the public system’s wait times are legendary.

anyway, after months of paperwork, i finally got my gemi number, my vat id, and i sent my first invoice to a client in berlin. the feeling was equal parts pride and terror-knowing that aade is watching you. but that's the athens life: chaotic, full of ancient stones and modern bureaucracy, and always a lesson in patience. bring your charger, your raki, and a good accountant. you’ll need them all.

You might also be interested in:

About the author: Eva Soler

Lover of good books, bad puns, and deep conversations.

Loading discussion...