Opening a Greek bank account in Athens

In Australia you open an account in an app over a coffee. In Athens, plan for a branch appointment, a folder of paperwork and a Greek tax number before anything else.

The short version

Greek banks generally want your passport, AFM (tax number), proof of a Greek address and proof of income. Some also ask for documents from Australia [1].
If you're legally resident in an EU country, you have a right to a basic payment account with a card and online banking [2].
Greeks pay each other with IRIS, an instant transfer using a mobile number. Since January 2026 the limit for personal transfers is €1,000 a day and €5,000 a month [3][4].
Greece pushes you away from cash. Residents are expected to spend 30% of their income electronically or pay a 22% tax on the shortfall [5].
Keep at least one Australian account open, but tell your bank you're now a non-resident.

Why you need a Greek account at all

You can live on an Australian card for a holiday. Not for a life. A Greek account is how your landlord expects rent, how your employer pays salary, how EFKA collects freelancers' contributions and how utilities set up direct debits. It also gives you access to IRIS, which half of Athens uses to split a taverna bill.

A Greek IBAN (starting GR) matters more than it should. Under EU rules, a business paying you within the euro area shouldn't refuse an IBAN from another EU country. In practice some employers, landlords and government systems in Greece still work most smoothly with a local account.

The documents Greek banks ask for

Requirements differ between banks and even between branches, and they depend on your residence status. This is the typical list [1]:

Document	Notes
Passport	Australian or Greek/EU; bring the one you used for your residence status
AFM (Greek tax number)	Non-negotiable. Get it first
Proof of Greek address	A lease registered on TAXISnet or a recent utility bill in your name
Proof of income	Payslip, employment contract or freelance registration
Residence permit or EU registration	For non-EU nationals, your permit or the receipt for your application
Proof of your address back home	An official document showing your permanent home address, in English [1]
Last year's income or tax document	From your tax office or employer; your ATO notice of assessment usually works [1]
Mobile phone number	A Greek number, for SMS codes and IRIS

The University of Thessaloniki's welcome guide for international researchers lists the home-country items, and warns that requirements change, so check with your bank first [1]. Banks also ask where you're tax resident and for your tax numbers, under global tax reporting rules. Have your Australian TFN handy as well as your AFM.

Bring originals and photocopies. Some banks may ask for official translations of non-Greek documents, so ask at the time you book.

The order of operations

Greek admin has a chicken-and-egg problem: you often need an account to get a lease, and a lease to get an account. Most people solve it like this:

Get your AFM before or straight after you arrive. It can be done remotely. Our guide to AFM, AMKA and gov.gr explains how.
Sign and register your lease on TAXISnet. That registration is good proof of address. See renting in Athens.
Get a Greek SIM. Banks send codes to it.
Book an appointment. Most banks open accounts for foreigners in person at a branch. City-centre branches around Syntagma and Omonia are busy; a suburban branch in Pangrati, Halandri or Glyfada may see you sooner.
Collect your card and set up e-banking in the branch, so a staff member can help with the Greek-language screens.
Turn on IRIS in the bank's app.

If one branch says no, try another branch or another bank. Policies are applied unevenly.

Greek banks vs EU app banks

The four big Greek banks are National Bank of Greece, Eurobank, Piraeus Bank and Alpha Bank. Smaller players include Optima bank and Viva.com, both IRIS members [3].

App-based banks licensed elsewhere in the EU are also an option. They're quicker to open and English-first, but they may give you a non-Greek IBAN and may not offer IRIS.

Option	Good for	Watch out for
Big Greek bank	Salary, rent, Greek direct debits, IRIS, mortgages	Branch visit, paperwork, Greek-language forms
EU app bank	A euro account from week one, travel, multi-currency	May not have a GR IBAN or IRIS; check before you rely on it
Your Australian bank	Super, Australian property, Centrelink payments	International transfer fees and exchange rate margins

Many Australians in Athens end up with all three: an app bank on arrival, a Greek bank once they have a lease, and an Australian account kept open for super and anything back home.

Your right to a basic account

EU rules give people legally resident in an EU country the right to open a basic payment account. It covers deposits, withdrawals, payments, a payment card and online banking where available. A bank can refuse on anti-money-laundering grounds, and a reasonable fee may apply [2]. If a bank says no without a clear reason, ask specifically for a basic payment account.

IRIS and how Athens pays

IRIS is Greece's instant payment service. You register your mobile number in your banking app, and friends can send you money with just that number. Transfers arrive in seconds [3]. Alpha Bank, National Bank of Greece, Eurobank, Piraeus Bank, Optima bank and Viva.com are among the participants [3].

The limits for people paying each other doubled from 15 January 2026: €1,000 a day, with a new €5,000 monthly cap. Paying a self-employed person through IRIS is also capped at €1,000 a day [4]. Many tradies, cleaners and small shops accept IRIS, so ask before reaching for cash.

IRIS joined EuroPA, a cross-border instant payment network, and was expected to be ready for cross-border person-to-person transfers in the first half of 2026 [4]. Ask your bank whether it's switched on.

Cash: why Greece wants you to use cards

Greece has worked hard to cut cash use since the debt crisis. Capital controls from that era have long gone, so ignore old forum posts about withdrawal limits.

Two rules matter now:

A €500 limit on cash payments to businesses. The cap has been in place for years. Larger purchases from a business must be paid by card or bank transfer [6].
The 30% rule. Tax residents must cover 30% of their annual income with electronic payments, counted up to €20,000. Fall short and you pay a 22% tax on the gap [5].

What counts towards the 30%: groceries, clothing, household goods, repairs, utility bills, common charges for your building, school fees, medical visits and insurance premiums. Rent, loan repayments, taxes, property, cars and investments don't count [5]. Payments have to be made by card, e-banking or another digital method [5], which is one more reason to get a Greek account early.

Moving money from Australia

Getting your savings into euros is the first test of your new account.

Compare the total cost. Australian banks charge a transfer fee and build a margin into the exchange rate. Specialist transfer services often charge less. Compare the euro amount that lands, not the fee alone. Our guide to sending money home explains how to compare providers.
Keep records. Greek banks may ask where a large deposit came from. A sale contract, a super statement or a bank statement from Australia saves a long conversation.
Tell your Australian bank you're a non-resident. They'll apply non-resident withholding tax to interest instead of resident rates, and it keeps your records straight with the ATO. See keeping Australian accounts while abroad.
Australian pensions. If you get an Australian Age Pension in Greece under the social security agreement, it can be paid into a nominated Greek bank account every four weeks, in euros [7].

Want to know which branch opens accounts without drama? Join Cooee Greece, our Facebook group for Australians in Greece, at /join/. Members swap branch tips all the time.

Opening a Greek bank account: what Athens banks ask Australians for