What changed on 6 February 2026 for people moving to Greece

1 · Why it matters

A small change in a law that reshapes the order of your move

Greece draws people for plain reasons: the light, the sea, long lunches, a pace that lets a day breathe. Interest from abroad is real. Greece issued first residence permits to 1,045 US citizens, 549 UK citizens and 147 Australian citizens in 2025 (Eurostat, migr_resfirst, dataset updated 22 Oct 2026). In December 2025, International Living ranked Greece first in its 2026 Global Retirement Index, the first time in its 35 years (International Living, as reported by Newsweek).

Against that background, one legal change matters more than most. Since 6 February 2026, a first digital nomad application no longer starts inside Greece. Law 5275/2026, article 13, repealed the in-country route (Government Gazette A' 17, 6 Feb 2026). The national visa now comes from a Greek consulate before you travel.

That changes the order of everything: when you can leave, where your papers are filed, and what you can safely book. An apartment, a flight or a school place arranged around the old sequence can end up in the wrong order.

• Timing: the consular step comes first, so the move date depends on it.
• Travel plans: arriving first and sorting the permit later is no longer the route for a first digital nomad application.
• Paperwork: documents are prepared and filed at the consulate, not at a Greek office after arrival.

2 · The problem

Why so many guides still send people down a road that has closed

Search for the Greek digital nomad visa and several high-ranking provider pages still say to apply in Greece. Our data records this as a direct contradiction with Law 5275/2026, article 13, which says the first application starts at a consulate before travel. The pages are not always wrong about everything else. They are simply out of date on the first step, and the first step is the one that sets the rest.

Other figures drift too. One provider page lists the residence permit fee as 150 EUR (Global Citizen Solutions). Joint Ministerial Decision 95391/2024, article 10, sets it at 1,000 EUR (Gazette B' 1807/2024). Some older guides still give 2,000 EUR a month for the independent-means permit (as noted by Lincoln Global Partners). Joint Ministerial Decision 225679/2024, article 1, sets 3,500 EUR a month (Gazette B' 5223/2024).

The practical risk is simple. People plan around an old sequence, buy tickets, sign a lease or leave a job, and only then find the consulate step was meant to come first. Documents add friction as well: most foreign papers need an Apostille and a certified translation (mitos.gov.gr procedure sheets), and both take time to arrange.

• Check the date on any guide, and whether it mentions Law 5275/2026.
• Treat fee and income figures without a legal citation with caution.
• Look for the article number of the law or decision behind each claim.

3 · The solution

Plan backwards from the consulate, then choose the city

Start with the order of events. Before travel: the national visa at the Greek consulate where you legally reside, Apostilles and certified translations, and private health insurance, which Law 5038/2023, article 68, requires for residence permits of third-country nationals (mitos.gov.gr procedure sheets). After entry, the residence permit file runs through the Migration Code portal and appointments (migration.gov.gr). The permit is issued for two years.

In the first two weeks, the usual sequence is an AFM tax number from AADE, a bank account and a lease in your name. The lease gives the proof of address that banks and most services ask for. In months one to three come the permit file, and the AMKA social security number from e-EFKA, which normally asks for the AFM first. Tax residence usually follows after 183 days in a twelve-month period and is not automatic relief (AADE; Law 4172/2013).

Then think about where. Cities trade off differently. Athens has a typical asking rent of 611 EUR a month for a 50 m² flat (Spitogatos Price Index, 2026-Q3), an international airport and the largest expat community in our data, with 24,806 InterNations members (InterNations, 2026-11-09). Thessaloniki asks 547 EUR for the same size and has a median fixed broadband of 119 Mbps (Ookla Speedtest Global Index, 2026-09). Chania asks 532 EUR, with 3,864 sunshine hours a year (Open-Meteo, ERA5, 2015 to 2024). Nafplio asks 417 EUR but has no airport. Some places are quieter in winter, and some have only a seasonal airport. A consulate-first route makes the airport matter for the arrival date.

Work out your sequence first, then let the place follow. To see which Greek city fits your work, budget and pace, take the free quiz.