Hire in Greece
Hellenic Republic — 10.4 million population, $22,440 GDP per capita. Everything you need to know about employment law, tax, compliance and hiring in Greece.
Capital
Athens
Currency
Euro (EUR)
Languages
Greek
Time zones
UTC+2 (EET) / UTC+3 (EEST)
Hiring overview
- Typical time to hire
- 2-3 weeks for contractor, 3-6 weeks for full-time
- Entity requirement
- Greek EPE (limited liability), IKE (private company), or SA. Registration at GEMI.
- EOR available
- Yes — from $399/employee/month through a Corpshore entity
- Contractor of record
- Yes — from $39/worker/month
Employment law
- Standard workweek
- 40 hours (option for 6-day/48-hour week introduced by 2024 labour reform)
- Maximum weekly hours
- 48 hours
- Minimum annual leave
- 20-25 working days depending on tenure
- Public holidays
- 12 per year
- Maternity leave
- 17 weeks (8 before + 9 after), paid through IKA social security
- Paternity leave
- 14 working days, fully paid
- Notice period
- 0-4 months depending on tenure. White-collar employees have longer notice than blue-collar.
- Severance
- White-collar: 1-12 months depending on tenure. Blue-collar: under collective agreements. 2024 reform unified some provisions.
- Probation
- 12 months (during which dismissal requires no severance)
- Overtime rules
- 20-80% premium depending on whether overtime is legal (authorised) or illegal (unauthorised). Sunday: 75% premium.
Tax overview
- Income tax range
- 9% to 44%
- Corporate tax
- 22%
- Social contributions
- Employer: ~22%. Employee: ~14%.
- VAT / GST
- 24% (standard); 13% reduced; 6% super-reduced
- Tax year
- Calendar year
- Treaty network
- Over 55 tax treaties
Compliance landscape
- Worker classification
- Presumption of employment under labour law. Service contracts (symvasi ergou) for genuine projects. EFKA (social security) determines classification.
- Data protection
- GDPR + Law 4624/2019. Hellenic Data Protection Authority (HDPA) enforces.
- Right to work
- EU nationals: free movement. Non-EU: work and residence permit required. Digital nomad visa available since 2021.
- Non-compete
- Enforceable if limited in duration (max 2 years) and compensated. Courts assess proportionality.
- Collective bargaining
- National General Collective Agreement sets baseline. Sector and enterprise agreements common. Union density ~20%.
Payment rails
SEPA for transfers. IRIS (instant payments) available domestically. Cash use remains higher than EU average but declining.
Key considerations for hiring
- 2024 labour reform introduced opt-in 6-day workweek and expanded digital work monitoring
- Greece offers a 50% income tax reduction for workers relocating from abroad (for 7 years)
- Digital nomad visa and tax incentives have attracted remote workers to Athens and Greek islands
- Strong maritime sector drives demand for shipping, logistics, and finance professionals
Business and cultural context: Greece
Business culture
Relationship-driven, hospitable, and expressive. Personal connections matter significantly. Lunch is a long meal. Business meetings can be informal.
Key industries
Talent pool strengths
Historical context
Greece controls the world's largest commercial shipping fleet by tonnage. Greek shipowners operate approximately 21% of global shipping capacity. This maritime dominance creates a sophisticated financial and logistics talent pool concentrated in Piraeus and Athens.
Ready to hire in Greece?
Use our EOR service from $399/month and we handle employment law, payroll, tax and compliance in Greece for you.