Greek Non-Dom: The €100,000-a-Year Flat Tax Regime for Wealthy Residents

The Greece Non-Dom scheme is a special tax-incentive programme passed by the Greek Parliament in 2019 and in effect since 2020 under Article 5A of the Income Tax Code (Law 4646/2019). The scheme allows high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) who move their tax residence to Greece to pay a flat tax of €100,000 per year on all foreign-source income, regardless of the amount actually earned.

For someone with €1,000,000 a year in foreign income, the effective tax rate is only 10% — far below the standard progressive rate of 9-44% that applies to ordinary Greek tax residents.

This article analyses the Greece Non-Dom scheme in detail, covering the eligibility conditions, scope, the 15-year term, how to add family members, inheritance-tax benefits, and the application process. All information is based on the Greek Income Tax Code (Article 5A), the updating Law 5222/2025, and the implementing circulars of the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) of Greece.

To understand the overall tax context, readers should first refer to the country profile Greece, and the overview article taxes in Greece, and the article on Greece Golden Visa — the residence-by-investment programme that is often paired with Non-Dom.

The nature of the Greece Non-Dom scheme and its policy goals

The term “Non-Dom” (short for Non-Domiciled) comes from the legal distinction between “tax residence” and “domicile”. A Non-Dom is someone who moves their tax residence to Greece while keeping their “domicile” in another country — and for tax purposes benefits from a special regime on foreign-source income.

The policy goal of the Greece Non-Dom scheme is to attract international HNWIs to relocate and invest in Greece. Greece built this model on the experience of Italy (its flat-tax programme since 2017) and the United Kingdom (its traditional Non-Dom regime, which ended in 2025). Unlike a traditional progressive tax system, Non-Dom gives certainty over tax cost — helping HNWIs plan their finances long-term.

Greece’s standard progressive tax system for 2026 is divided into 5 brackets:

Income level	Tax rate
€0 – €10,000	9%
€10,001 – €20,000	22%
€20,001 – €30,000	28%
€30,001 – €40,000	36%
Over EUR 40,000	44%

The 44% rate kicks in from a relatively low threshold of €40,000 by European standards — the main reason Non-Dom is so attractive to HNWIs. Someone earning €500,000 a year would pay around €210,000 in progressive tax as an ordinary tax resident, but only €100,000 under the Non-Dom regime — a saving of more than 50%.

Eligibility conditions

The Non-Dom scheme has three main conditions, which apply cumulatively. Missing any one of them will result in the application being refused.

The first condition is not having been a Greek tax resident for 7 of the 8 years before moving. Specifically, the applicant must not have been a Greek tax resident for at least 7 of the 8 years before the application date. This rule is meant to stop Greeks emigrating briefly and returning to claim the benefit.

The second condition is a minimum investment of €500,000 in Greece. The investment can be in real estate, a Greek business, transferable securities, or shares in a legal entity based in Greece. It can be held in the applicant’s own name, in the name of a relative (spouse, parent, child or sibling), or through a legal entity in which the applicant holds a majority stake. The investment must be completed within 3 years of the application date.

Investors who already hold a Golden Visa at the €250,000-€800,000 level can add a further investment to reach the €500,000 Non-Dom threshold. The two programmes complement each other well: the Golden Visa grants residence status, while Non-Dom grants preferential tax status.

The third condition is actually moving one’s tax residence to Greece. Under Greek law, an individual is treated as a tax resident if they live in Greece for more than 183 days a year, have their main home in Greece, or have their family permanently living in Greece. This is where it differs from an ordinary Golden Visa — Non-Dom requires genuine residence, not merely holding a card.

The 183-days-a-year rule is a significant practical barrier for Vietnamese investors with a job and family in Vietnam. Non-Dom is not suited to someone who only wants a Schengen Plan B — it is a commitment to actually move one’s life to Greece.

Scope and duration of the tax benefit

The flat tax of €100,000 a year covers all foreign-source income — including dividends, interest, capital gains, income from foreign business, income from renting out foreign property, and salary from foreign employment. Non-Dom participants do not need to itemise these income items on their Greek tax return — they simply need to pay the full €100,000 each year.

However, Greek-source income is still subject to the standard progressive tax. If a Non-Dom has income from a business in Greece, from renting out property in Greece, or from working for a Greek company, that income is taxed at the standard 9-44% rate applied to ordinary tax residents.

One important difference from Italy: Italy has raised its flat tax three times — from an initial €100,000 to €200,000 in 2024, and to €300,000 from January 2026. Greece has kept its rate at €100,000 since launching the scheme in 2020, making it now three times cheaper than Italy. This is a significant competitive advantage with international HNWIs.

The maximum benefit period is 15 consecutive years. The applicant may opt out early at any point within the 15 years — once they do, foreign-source income becomes subject to standard progressive tax from the following tax year. After the 15-year term expires, there is no renewal mechanism — the individual must then comply with the standard tax regime on all worldwide income.

If, in any year, the participant fails to pay the full €100,000 on time, the Non-Dom regime is revoked. The individual immediately moves to the standard tax regime on all worldwide income, retroactive to that tax year. This is a serious risk — tax lawyers typically recommend setting up an automatic payment order for the annual tax.

Extension to family members

The Greece Non-Dom scheme allows the benefit to be extended to family members for a supplementary fee of €20,000 per person per year. “Family member” is defined as a spouse, a child under 18, and a legally cohabiting partner registered under Greek law.

Specifically, a family of four (two spouses plus two children) joining Non-Dom would pay a total of €100,000 + €20,000 × 3 = €160,000 a year. This is a flat tax on all four people’s combined foreign-source income. Compared with the progressive system applied to each person separately (where each could pay up to €200,000 on €500,000 of income), the saving is very substantial.

An important benefit was added through Law 5222/2025: family members included in the Non-Dom regime are exempt from inheritance and gift tax on assets of foreign origin. Previously, the inheritance tax exemption applied only to the main applicant; Law 5222/2025 extends it to all family members, including heirs and beneficiaries of gifts. This is a significant benefit for intergenerational wealth transfer planning.

For families with several children, members can be added to or removed from the regime each year as needed. For example, once a child turns 18 they can register for Non-Dom status in their own right (if they meet the conditions) rather than remaining a dependant of their parents.

Additional benefits of the Non-Dom regime

Beyond the preferential tax rate on foreign income, the Non-Dom regime offers four further significant benefits.

The first benefit is no obligation to declare foreign income. Non-Dom participants need only declare income of Greek origin; foreign income need not be declared at all. This carries significant value for financial privacy, particularly for HNWIs with complex investment structures across multiple countries.

The second benefit is exemption from inheritance and gift tax on foreign assets. Ordinary Greek tax residents can face inheritance tax of up to 40% on assets inherited from someone outside their close bloodline. Non-Dom participants are fully exempt on foreign assets.

The third benefit is exemption from Controlled Foreign Companies (CFC) taxation. Ordinary Greek tax residents are taxed on the retained profits of foreign companies they control — this rule does not apply to Non-Dom participants. This is a significant benefit for owners of multinational businesses.

The fourth benefit is access to the Double Taxation Treaties (DTTs) Greece has signed. Vietnam signed a DTT with Greece in 2010 — tax already paid in Vietnam by a Vietnamese national may be credited against their Greek tax liability under the double-taxation-relief principle. However, the Non-Dom regime has its own rules on applying DTTs — a specialist tax lawyer should be consulted for a case-specific analysis.

Application process and timeline

The process of joining the Greek Non-Dom regime follows four steps, all carried out on the investor’s behalf by a specialist tax lawyer under a power of attorney.

The first step is filing an application to transfer tax residency together with the application for Non-Dom status. The filing deadline is fixed at 31 March of each tax year. The application is submitted through AADE’s electronic portal, together with evidence that the applicant was not a Greek tax resident in 7 of the previous 8 years (tax certificates from the countries of prior residence).

The second step is submitting evidence of the investment within 60 days of the initial application. This includes the property title certificate, securities purchase agreement, or business investment agreement. If the investment has not yet been completed at the time of application, a commitment to complete it within 3 years must be submitted.

The third step is receiving the approval decision from AADE. Review typically takes 30-60 working days. Once approved, the applicant officially becomes a Non-Dom from that tax year.

The final step is paying the €100,000 flat tax (plus the family-member surcharge, if applicable) by the last working day of July. Payment is made in a single instalment — there is no instalment scheme. Once paid, that tax year is complete; the applicant’s only remaining obligation is to declare and pay tax on any income of Greek origin.

For the following year and beyond, there is no need to reapply — the Non-Dom regime applies automatically until the 15-year period ends or the participant terminates it early. The only ongoing obligation is to pay the flat tax in full each year before the 31 July deadline.

Comparing the Greece Non-Dom scheme with other programmes in the EU

Greece is one of four EU countries with a Non-Dom regime that appeals to international HNWIs. The four regimes differ in tax rate, conditions and duration:

Country	Flat tax	Investment requirement	Validity
Greece	€100,000/year	€500.000 EURO	15 years
Italy	€300,000/year	Not mandatory	15 years
Cyprus	Based on residence (not fixed)	Not mandatory	Unlimited
Malta	€15,000 minimum	Mandatory rent/purchase of a home	Continuous

Greece holds the most competitive position on flat tax when compared with Italy. However, Italy does not require a minimum €500,000 investment — an important difference for HNWIs who want flexibility over their capital. Cyprus has a favourable tax regime but no fixed flat tax; Malta has a low minimum but uses an entirely different remittance mechanism.

For Vietnamese investors who already hold a Greek Golden Visa, choosing Greek Non-Dom status is a natural step: top up the investment to €500,000, meet the 183-day-per-year residence requirement, and they can join. For investors who have not yet decided on a country of residence, a careful comparison with Italy is needed — that regime is more expensive but more flexible on investment.

Summary and next steps

Greek Non-Dom status is one of the most attractive tax regimes in the EU for international HNWIs in 2026, especially after Italy raised its flat tax to €300,000 and the UK ended its traditional non-dom regime. A flat tax of €100,000 per year on the whole of foreign income, together with exemption from inheritance tax on foreign assets, delivers substantial benefits for individuals earning above €300,000 per year or holding complex multi-country assets.

However, Greek Non-Dom status is not right for every investor. The genuine 183-day-per-year residence requirement means committing to move one’s life to Greece, not merely holding a fallback plan. For Vietnamese investors who are only looking for a Schengen Plan B, a standalone Golden Visa is the more suitable choice — it carries no minimum residence requirement and costs far less.

The next recommended read is taxes in Greece to understand the overall tax system that applies to Greek residents, then refer to the article on Greek property transfer tax — the tax cost incurred when investing in property that satisfies the €500,000 Non-Dom condition. For investors considering the long-term path, the article on the route to Greek citizenship after the Golden Visa clarifies the path from tax residence to full Greek citizenship.