Greece sits 192nd out of 217 in our world ranking, with a FiScore of 3.7 out of 10. Its ordinary scale reaches 44%, and that rank reflects it.
It has, however, built two inbound regimes that make it worth a serious look for two very specific profiles.
7% on foreign income, for retirees
This is the one that matters to the most people, and it is unusually simple.
A retiree who moves to Greece can elect to pay 7% on all foreign-source income, pensions included, for fifteen years. Not 7% on the pension and ordinary rates on the rest: 7% on the lot.
Two conditions:
- you were not a Greek tax resident for five of the last six years;
- you come from a country that has a tax treaty with Greece.
Fifteen years at 7% on everything foreign is one of the most generous retirement regimes in Europe, and it is far less discussed in English than Portugal's was.
EUR 100,000 a year, for large estates
The second regime is a flat charge: EUR 100,000 a year covering all foreign income whatever its size, for fifteen years, against an investment of at least EUR 500,000 in Greece.
Like every flat charge, it only pays above a certain income, and that level is where the arithmetic has to be done rather than assumed. It does not enter our FiScore for exactly that reason: converting a fixed amount into a rate would require us to assume an income on your behalf.
What Greece costs everyone else
| Taxable income | Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to EUR 10,000 | 9% |
| EUR 10,000 to 20,000 | 20% |
| EUR 20,000 to 30,000 | 26% |
| EUR 30,000 to 40,000 | 34% |
| EUR 40,000 to 60,000 | 39% |
| Above EUR 60,000 | 44% |
Law 5246/2025 introduced lighter scales according to the number of children and for people under thirty, so a young worker or a large family pay appreciably less than this table suggests.
Corporate tax is 22%, down from 29% in 2018 and now in the lower half of the European Union. Dividends carry a 5% withholding, one of the lowest in Europe. VAT is 24%, among the highest, with reduced rates and a special regime for certain islands.
If you are American
The US-Greece treaty is old, and citizenship-based taxation applies as everywhere. The 7% regime is attractive precisely because it is low, and low is exactly what generates too little foreign tax credit to offset a US bill on the same pension.
An American retiree can still come out ahead on quality of life and cost of living, but the tax saving is much smaller than the 7% headline suggests. Model it before deciding.
The drawbacks
The 7% regime requires a treaty country, which quietly excludes a number of applicants.
Greece taxes property, through ENFIA, and the regimes do not touch it.
Administration is slow, and getting into either regime is a paperwork exercise measured in months.
Both regimes run fifteen years and then stop. The ordinary scale reaching 44% is what waits at the end, and fifteen years passes.
So, who is Greece for?
- A retiree with a foreign pension, from a treaty country: this is the best case in Europe today for that profile, and it is under-discussed.
- A large estate willing to invest EUR 500,000 locally: the flat charge works above a certain income.
- A working-age professional: the regimes do not target you, and the ordinary scale is heavy.
- Anyone counting on it beyond fifteen years: plan the end from the start.
The full table of Greek rates is on our Greece page, and the comparison tool puts it next to anywhere else. Before deciding anything, read how to actually leave.
Sources
Scale and corporate rates verified in August 2026 against PwC Tax Summaries; the conditions of both inbound regimes against Greek practice. An error reported to us gets fixed.
This page informs, it does not advise. Before deciding anything, talk to a professional who will look at your situation, as our terms of use set out.