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Relocating to Greece Comes with an Unexpected Perk

In The News

23.06.2026

Moving your life to a new country brings enough to think about, including the costs. For those settling permanently in Greece, there is some welcome news on that front. Bringing your household belongings and even your car can come with relief from customs duty, VAT and vehicle registration tax. The Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) has recently set out clearer rules on how this works. It's important to clarify that this relief is not exactly new, but what has changed is a significant detail: a recent AADE circular (reference E.2027/2026) spells out the eligibility, the supporting documents and the procedure, with the aim of handling applications more consistently across customs offices.

What Does It Cover?

The scheme exempts qualifying movers from customs duty, VAT and vehicle registration tax on the goods they bring with them. That includes furniture, electrical appliances, household equipment, personal possessions and a private passenger car. The items need to have genuinely been part of your household at your previous home abroad, owned and used by you before the move.

Who Qualifies?

To be eligible, the AADE rules ask that you:

  • had your main home abroad for at least two years before the move

  • can show your real and permanent centre of life was abroad

  • are settling in Greece on a permanent basis


Note that a tax residence certificate on its own is not enough; the authorities look at the wider picture of where your life was actually based, including your personal and professional ties. One helpful change in the updated rules is that the exemption is now granted to each individual rather than to a household as a whole. Each family member who meets the conditions can qualify in their own right.

Bringing Your Car

The vehicle side carries its own conditions. One car can be brought in per person, and it should have been owned and used by you for at least six months before the move. Older, high-emission cars are excluded. Once in Greece, the car needs to be presented to customs within a set period, with paperwork to complete before it can carry Greek plates.

An Important Point for EU and Non-EU Movers

Where you are moving from changes which parts of the relief matter to you.


Customs duty only applies to goods and cars arriving from outside the EU. That waiver is relevant if you are moving from somewhere like the United States or the United Kingdom. Within the EU, goods and vehicles already cross borders freely, so there is no customs duty to waive in the first place. VAT works in much the same way, and tends to come into play on imports from outside the EU.


The car is a different story: greek vehicle registration tax applies when a car is first registered here, wherever it has come from. So the exemption on that tax can be worth a substantial sum even if you are moving from another EU country and bringing your car with you. In short, the customs and VAT side mainly helps people arriving from outside the EU, while the car registration relief can help permanent movers from inside the EU too.

How the Process Starts

The key document is a relocation certificate, issued in your name by the competent Greek consular authority where you were living. Its date marks the official point of transfer, and it is valid for twelve months, during which your belongings can be cleared. Putting this in order early makes the rest of the process smoother.

Conclusion

There is a lot to look forward to in making Greece your permanent home: long warm summers, the sea never far away, and a daily rhythm that feels less rushed than the one you are leaving behind. The relief on your household belongings and your car simply makes getting there easier, taking some of the weight off the practical side of the move.

Disclaimer: This article is for general information and reflects the position at the time of writing. Tax and customs rules can change and depend on individual circumstances. For advice specific to your situation, please consult a qualified professional.

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