Opening a Greek bank account

@geraniumgift very correct - I did manage to open up local bank accounts with the help of a friend but it is all a matters like this overly complicated in greece - if you have to open bank accounts find someone reliable that can help!!!

@geraniumgift You did not have to obtain a Golden Visa or Financially independent visa because you are Dutch.  I believe those who say that generally are people for whom the Greek regulations require it in order to obtain permanent residency through Golden Visa or investment or other visa.  Also- is it a vacation residence or are you a tax resident?  I wonder if you have to have one of you are a tax resident?

tell me about your health care.  If you are a tax resident living their full time, did you have to go through bureaucracy to move from a European Blue card (I think that is what it is called but not sure) to a Greek health care card to access all public health hospitals?  (As opposed to using the private system with your blue card). 

Do you have an AMKA?

A Greek bank account is useful for paying property taxes. The way it is set up you can only pay property taxes through a Greek bank. The Tax Authority has promised that they will open up the process to foreign banks however I have not heard if that has happened yet. Does anyone have any news on this subject as I haven't heard the latest?

@greghomatas That's what I also heard.  I thought that I had to have a Greek bank account to get an AFN -- is this true?

Actually, you need to go to the exterior tax office if you are a foreigner to apply for an AFM. Then once you have all the documents required by the bank including an AFM, you apply to a Greek bank for an account.

@greghomatas Super helpful. Thanks a ton.

Hello again,

As a Dutch national I am an EU citizen. From this point I would like to explain again my opinion and personal experience.

During the "years" of building my home in Greece I had to open an IKA file and be registered in the tax office in order to receive a tax number [ΑΦΜ]. From the beginning I was required to open a bank account here in Greece. The real estate agent, the architect told me that I must do that for IKA...Everybody told me that I must open a Greek bank account.

:-)) I happily listened to my own sense and due to that did not open the said account.

The tax number is needed once you hold a property in Greece and it  does not matter if you live all year round or on vacation.Concerning IKA - here you must pay from a Greek bank account or cash money. I gave the last one to my lawyer and she went to the IKA office and paid.

Keep Simple, Avoid Complication.

Living permanently in Greece - moving from my home land to an EU country, Greece requires two important things:

i. Taxpayer Identification Number [TIN] - from now on you do your tax declaration in Greece

ii. Health insurance - by a simple online step in my homeland I received S1 form. This form is necessary to obtain your health insurance in Greece, you get an AMKA number.  Here too I asked my lawyer to arrange it. You do that in the city hall.

TIP: it is recommended to set up complementary healthcare with a private agent. In this way you are 100% covered with the hope never to use it!

@geraniumgift I am in the process of buying land to build a house in Crete.  A friend,  who is in the exact same situation as I am, hired an accountant  in Crete. The accountant  told him that the tax office in Crete can fine him if he does not have a local bank account. They want to be able to trace where the money you are paying come from.  Is that right? Do I need an accountant there? i live in the UK but I have an EU passport if that makes any difference. I was hoping to open HSBC expats bank account in Euros in the UK and not to have  to hire an accountant at least until the property is built. If I decide to let it out later, then to hire an accountant. is that possible?

Also, how do you pay bills for your Greek property from abroad? Can you do

that online? Thanks.

@waynegreyvenstein

I'm not surprised by the accountant's remark. If you are planning to invest locally to build a house, it is possible that the tax authorities will try to impose the payment of your contactors to be made from a greek bank account.

If you are planning to buy land or property in Greece, you will have to pay taxes that are almost impossible to pay from a non-Greek bank account (such as registration tax, which must be paid within 24 hours). A third party can pay them for you, but there may be risks for them if the amounts are high. For the rest, the ENFIA housing or property tax can now be paid by SEPA payment in the EUROZONE. Unfortunately for you, the UK isn't one of them.  https://taxnet.gr/en/usefull-topics-en/ … 3-methods/

Electricity bills: you can pay them by SEPA payment from any IBAN account. The supplier DEI offers to send bills by e-mail (and it works). The only downside: bank charges on international/SEPA transfers to Greece could be an issue (to be checked). If you go to their premisses, you'll be able to pay with a foreign bank debit card. Online payment from their web portal is only possible thru greek bank accounts/cards.

As for water, it all depends on the local water company. Some can send bills by e-mail, others cannot. In my case, I have access to their web portal, and they are supposed to send me the bills by e-mail... but they haven't sent me anything for 5 months! To this day, I can't pay them from a non-Greek bank account. But I'm not worried. I pop in from time to time to pay at the counter, where they accept all European debit cards. In my case, paying all the year's bills at once is no problem (as long as they don't exceed 350 Eur).

Hope it helps...

Thank you. Very helpful!

Hello,

Everything is easy when you know how.

Things may be easier today, but here are the papers I was asked for two years ago:

1- Motivation (House pre-sales agreement for me).

2- ID.

3- AFM number (full 3-page official and stamped document) + TIN of my country of residence.

4- Tax residency statement (in English).

5- Proof of residence:  Certificate of address from my municipality + utility bill (water/cas/power) showing my exact address, as shown on the certificate of address.

6- Proof of income: 3 lats payslip + annual payslip statement (and/or tax return)

7- Mobile phone bill clearly showing my name, adress and mobile number.

8- Employment certificate issued by my employer specifying my exact job title and start date (as shown on my payslip).

9- A document specifying my father's first name and my mother's full name  (AFM form or birth certificate).

10- Viber installed on my smartphone (with the number I gave to the bank).

Cash: 50 Eur where enough.

Card: I received it at my home address by DHL (not in greece).

rgds,

T.

Looking into aade.gr it seems to be possible to pay the property taxes with any bank card, online banks included.