Moving to Athens from Australia: visas and setup

Getting to Athens is a long flight. Staying there is a paperwork question, and the answer depends almost entirely on your passport mix and your age.

The short version

Australians can visit Greece without a visa, but a visit is not a move. The Schengen 90-in-180-day limit applies, now tracked digitally by the EU's Entry/Exit System [2].
Aged 18 to 31? Greece runs a work and holiday visa for Australians: 12 months, 500 shared places, at least €3,000 in funds and a €30 fee [1].
Working remotely for an overseas employer? The digital nomad visa asks for net income of €3,500 a month, plus 20% for a partner and 15% per child [3].
Got a Greek parent? You may already be Greek on paper. Registration, not application, is often the job [8].
Your first piece of Greek admin is the AFM (tax number). It can now be done remotely, including identity checks by video call [5].

Step one: work out which door you're walking through

Most Aussies moving to Athens fall into one of five groups. Find yours before you book anything.

Your situation	Likely route	Key point
Holding a Greek or other EU passport	Free movement	No visa. Register locally once settled
Child of a Greek citizen	Citizenship by registration	Often a matter of records, not eligibility [8]
Aged 18–31 with some uni study	Work and holiday visa	12 months, work secondary to holidaying [1]
Remote worker, foreign employer or clients	Digital nomad visa	€3,500 net a month, no Greek employers [3]
Buying property	Golden Visa	€800,000 minimum in Attica [4]

There are other routes, including Greek employer sponsorship, study visas and a permit for people living on passive income. Those are worth a chat with a Greek immigration lawyer, because the details shift.

The visa routes, one by one

Visiting first

Plenty of Aussies do a recce trip before moving. On an Australian passport you can stay in the Schengen area, which includes Greece, for up to 90 days in any 180. Since 12 October 2025 the EU's Entry/Exit System records non-EU travellers' entries and exits digitally, and ETIAS, a pre-travel authorisation, is due to start in the last quarter of 2026 [2]. Check the official ETIAS site before your flight, as the launch date was still being confirmed at the time of writing.

The work and holiday visa

The Greece–Australia work and holiday arrangement started in July 2019. According to the Greek embassy in Canberra, it's for Australians aged 18 to 31, lasts up to 12 months and has 500 places a year shared across both countries [1]. You'll need:

At least €3,000 in funds.
A tertiary degree or at least two years of undergraduate study.
English at B2 level or higher, with evidence.
A €30 application fee, lodged with the embassy in Canberra or a Greek consulate in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide or Perth.

The fine print matters. You can't work for one employer for more than six months, au pair work is out, and study is capped at four months. You also only get one go [1].

The digital nomad visa

Greece introduced its digital nomad visa under Law 4825/2021. You need to show €3,500 a month in net income from work done for employers or clients outside Greece. Add 20% for a partner and 15% for each child. The visa lasts up to 12 months, and you can then apply for a two-year residence permit that can be renewed. The catch: no working for Greek employers or running a Greek business [3].

The Golden Visa

For buyers, Greece's residence-by-investment programme now needs €800,000 in a single property in high-demand areas, including all of Attica, which takes in Athens. Elsewhere it's €400,000, and €250,000 applies only to specific conversion and listed-building restoration cases. Properties bought for a Golden Visa can't be used as short-term rentals [4].

Step two: the paperwork everything else depends on

Greek life runs on a few numbers. Without them you can't sign a lease, open most bank accounts or connect power.

AFM (tax identification number). The Greek tax authority, AADE, now lets people abroad get an AFM, activate digital access codes and log into myAADE remotely, with identity checks by video call. You can also appoint a tax representative in Greece by power of attorney [5].
TAXISnet access. Once you have your AFM and codes, this is how your lease gets registered and how you'll file tax.
A Greek bank account. Banks will want your passport, AFM, proof of address and often proof of residence status. Requirements differ by bank and by status, so ring ahead.
AMKA (social security number). Needed for public healthcare and formal work. How you get it depends on your status, so ask your employer, lawyer or the local KEP (citizen service centre).
Residence registration. EU citizens register their stay; non-EU visa holders collect their residence permit. Your visa paperwork will tell you which office handles it.

Two Australia-specific bits worth knowing. The Australian Embassy in Athens says Australian driver licences have been recognised in Greece since November 2021, so visitors no longer need an International Driving Permit [6]. And the Australia–Greece social security agreement, in force since 2008, lets periods of residence in Australia and insurance in Greece count towards an age pension in either country. It does not cover healthcare [7].

Step three: picking a base

Athens isn't one city so much as a cluster of municipalities that run into each other. Where you land shapes your daily life more than in most Australian cities.

Koukaki and Makrygianni sit just south of the Acropolis. Walkable, central and popular with newcomers, but busy with tourists.
Pangrati is east of the Panathenaic Stadium: cafés, local tavernas, a neighbourhood feel.
Kolonaki is the polished, pricier end of the centre, near Lycabettus Hill.
Kypseli is dense, lively and changing fast.
Glyfada, Voula and Vouliagmeni on the Athens Riviera are the beach suburbs. The tram runs along the coast, but most residents still drive.
Marousi, Kifisia and Halandri in the northern suburbs are leafier, quieter and close to international schools and office parks.

Do at least a few weeks in a short-term place before signing a lease. Greek residential leases often run for years, and you want to choose your street with your own eyes. Our renting guide covers that in detail.

Your first month: a practical checklist

Get your AFM sorted before you arrive if you can. It saves days.
Bring apostilled originals of birth and marriage certificates. Greek offices like paper, and Australian documents need DFAT's apostille to be accepted.
Buy an anonymous transport card for the metro, tram and buses, then switch to a personalised one once you have your papers.
Sort private health insurance for the gap before you're in the public system. Check whether your visa route requires it.
Learn the alphabet. You don't need fluent Greek for Athens, but reading street signs and menus makes everything easier. Your Greek-Australian relatives will be delighted.
Notify the ATO, your bank and your super fund about your move. The leaving Australia checklist walks through it.
Join Cooee Greece, our Facebook group for Australians in Greece, at /join/. Someone has already fought the bureaucracy you're about to meet.

A word on timing

Summer in Athens is hot, and Greek offices slow down in August when much of the country heads to the islands. If you have a choice, arrive in spring or early autumn. Apartment hunting is easier, the weather is kind, and the people you need to sign things are at their desks.

Leave room for the unexpected too. Greek admin has gone digital fast, but certificates still need to be recent (often less than six months old), names must match across every document, and one missing stamp can cost you a week. Make copies of everything and keep a folder.

Moving to Athens from Australia: visas, paperwork and your first month