How to send money to Greece in 2026: euros from any country and documents for the amount

In 2026 money is sent to Greece in euros to your own 27-character account, instantly from the euro area. The tax number is issued free, by video call, on the day you apply, and the account is opened with a passport and this number. A golden visa investment from $280,000 (€250,000) is paid from a personal account.

You can send money to Greece now with an ordinary euro transfer to your own account at a Greek bank: from a European Union country an instant transfer arrives in seconds, and from other countries an international transfer takes 1-3 business days. You start with a Greek tax number - the tax office issues it free of charge, by video call, on the day you apply - and open the account with it. Large amounts are most often sent to Greece for a flat and the golden visa, and for the visa the payment goes to the seller only from the investor's personal account.

Euros are converted into dollars at the European Central Bank rate of 7 October 2026 - 1.1177 dollars per euro - rounded up. The transfer routes in the table were checked on 8 October 2026.

The tax number first: free and by video call in a day

A Greek tax number is needed for everything to do with money in the country: an account, a lease, buying a flat, contracts for electricity and internet. The application is filed online, and identity is confirmed by video call with a tax office employee or at a branch. By video call the number is issued on the day you apply, and the state charges nothing for it.

If a video call is inconvenient, the number is obtained through a representative with a power of attorney. This takes a few business days plus time for an apostille and translation of the power of attorney, so a video call is better for a fast start. The number never expires, and the same number is later needed by the notary, the land registry and the migration service.

A transfer to a Greek account: a passport and the tax number

An account for an individual is opened with a passport and a Greek tax number, and the bank will also ask for an address and the purpose of the account. One of the large Greek banks opens accounts by video call for residents of Germany, the UK, the US, Cyprus and Israel; other clients visit a branch. A basic service package costs up to $5 (€0.60-0.80) a month, and the state charges nothing for opening an account. Deposits at one Greek bank are insured up to $120,000 (€100,000) per person under a 2016 law, and deposit interest is taxed at 15%, withheld by the bank itself.

The account is needed not only for buying a home: tenants pay rent to the landlord by transfer, and from 1 July 2027 paying rent through a bank becomes mandatory for all leases. We will suggest the best way to send money to Greece and help with the tax number before the first payment.

Details for a transfer to an individual in Greece

A Greek account number has 27 characters: a two-letter country code, two check digits, three digits for the bank, four for the branch and sixteen characters of the account itself. The sender needs:

1. the recipient's name as it is recorded at the Greek bank;
2. the 27-character account number and the bank's international code;
3. a short, to-the-point payment purpose: rent for the month, deposit under the lease, payment for a flat, family support.

If the recipient is a landlord, the purpose gives the address and the month of rent: then the payment matches the lease the landlord registers with the tax office straight away and serves as your proof of payment.

Within the euro area a transfer to Greece goes without currency exchange, and the sender's bank checks the recipient's name against the account before debiting. From non-EU countries it is more convenient to send euros straight away: the Greek bank credits dollars to a euro account at its own rate on the day of receipt.

The Greek golden visa: payment from your own account and three thresholds

A residence permit for buying a home in Greece gives the right to live in the country, and the programme has a strict payment rule: the money goes to the seller by bank transfer from the investor's personal account. The migration service counts exactly this kind of payment, so the money's route is planned before the contract. Thresholds in 2026:

A golden visa residence permit covers the whole family: the spouse, children under 21 and the parents of both spouses. So it is convenient to gather the money for the purchase in one investor account, even if part of the amount is a gift from parents: the gift first reaches the investor, and only then goes from their account to the seller.

The money first arrives in the investor's Greek account, and on the day of signing at the notary goes to the seller. The contract and the bank confirmation show the same amount, the buyer's name and the account number - this document is later attached to the residence permit application. More on the programme is on the pages Greece residence by investment and residence permit in Greece. Our manager will check the payment route before the contract, so the payment qualifies for the application.

Paying for a flat step by step

1. a tax number and an account at a Greek bank in the investor's name;
2. a transfer of the whole amount to this account together with source of funds documents;
3. payment of the property transfer tax before visiting the notary;
4. signing the contract at the notary and the transfer to the seller on the same day;
5. registration of ownership at the land registry;
6. applying for the residence permit with the bank's payment confirmation.

On top of the flat price: 3.09% tax and the notary

A buyer of a resale home pays a property transfer tax of 3% of the price plus 3% of that tax for the municipality - 3.09% in total. On top come the notary, the lawyer and land registry fees at their tariffs. The tax is paid before signing at the notary, so this money must also be in the Greek account in advance. How to choose a flat and check the seller is in the article how to buy a flat in Greece, and the budget for living is in the article cost of living in Greece.

Documents for the amount of a transfer to Greece

• up to $10,000 - rent, deposit, the first months: a purpose and a matching name are enough, and the Greek bank credits such transfers without questions;
• $10,000-100,000 - the bank will ask you to explain where the money came from: a statement for six months to a year, an income certificate, a car or home sale agreement, and for a deposit on a flat the preliminary agreement;
• over $100,000 - a full source of funds package and the purchase agreement.

The package is covered in the articles proof of source of funds and moving home sale proceeds abroad, and moving your capital as a whole is on the capital relocation page. Tell a specialist about the amount, and they will put the package together for the Greek bank.

New residents of Greece: tax breaks for years ahead

A transfer of your own money is not taxed. For those who move their tax residence to Greece, the country offers three regimes:

• work or your own business in Greece - tax on half of the income for 7 years;
• for pensioners - 7% on foreign income for 15 years;
• a flat tax of $120,000 (€100,000) a year on all foreign income with an investment in Greece from $560,000 (€500,000).

The rates, terms and conditions of each regime are covered on the page taxes in Greece. A person becomes a Greek tax resident after spending more than 183 days in the country in 12 months, and from that moment the regime starts to work. It is better to choose the regime before the move: it decides which income is worth transferring to Greece and in which year.

A Greek account as a base: transfers to Cyprus, Bulgaria and Germany

From an account in Greece money spreads across Europe in euros without exchange: to Cyprus, to Bulgaria and to Germany - by instant transfer or within one business day. To Kazakhstan a transfer from a Greek account goes through an intermediary bank and takes up to three business days, in euros or dollars.

Sending money to neighbouring countries

• How to send money to Cyprus
• How to send money to Bulgaria
• How to send money to Italy
• How to send money to Turkey
• How to send money to Albania
• How to send money to Malta

All directions and the general procedure for moving capital are in the capital relocation section.

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