Starting a business in Greece: foreigner's guide (2026)

Greece imposes no general cap on foreign ownership: both EU and non-EU nationals may hold 100% of an IKE, EPE, or AE. No mandatory Greek resident director is required for capital companies, though a legal representative must be appointed for GEMI purposes.

The IKE (Private Capital Company, governed by Law 4072/2012) is the most widely used vehicle for foreign startups, with a minimum share capital of just €1. The EPE (LLC equivalent) requires €4,500 and the AE (SA/public company) requires €25,000 fully paid up before registration.

Law 4919/2022, transposing EU Directive 2019/1151, established a fully digital One-Stop-Shop (e-YMS) for company formation. IKE incorporation via the GEMI portal (businessportal.gr) auto-triggers GEMI registration, AFM issuance, and EFKA social-insurance enrolment; government fees range from €10–€18 for an online IKE.

All founders must hold a Greek tax identification number (AFM) from AADE before company registration. EU nationals may apply remotely via the AADE myAADElive telephone-appointment platform; non-EU nationals outside Greece must grant a notarised power of attorney to a Greek representative who applies at the local tax office — adding up to 2–4 weeks for non-EU founders.

The GEMI registration step for an IKE can be completed in 1–2 business days online, but the full formation cycle — AFM acquisition, GEMI registration, corporate bank account opening, and EFKA registration — runs 3–6 weeks in practice, driven mainly by banking and AFM processing times.

As an EU member state Greece applies Directive 2019/1151 (digital company-law tools) and Directive 2017/1132, ensuring cross-border recognition. Enterprise Greece, the state investment-promotion agency under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, provides free advisory and facilitation services to foreign investors and manages the Strategic Investments fast-track for larger projects.