AFM for expats living in Greece

Why expats in Greece need an AFM early

If you are relocating to Greece — for work, retirement, remote employment or family — the AFM (Αριθμός Φορολογικού Μητρώου) is one of the first things you will be asked for, and often before you expect it. Issued by AADE, it is the tax number that Greek life runs on: signing a rental contract, connecting utilities, opening a bank account, registering with the tax system, and being paid or invoicing all assume you already hold one. Expats frequently discover they need the AFM to complete a step they thought came first, such as renting the apartment they need in order to establish residence. Getting it early removes that chicken-and-egg friction. ELLYTIC acts as an Independent Concierge, preparing and submitting the file without giving legal or tax advice.

How an expat obtains the AFM

You can apply once you are in Greece, but many expats set the AFM up before or during the move so it is ready when the first contract lands. Where you are still abroad, the registration is handled by an authorised representative under a limited power of attorney covering just this task, with a short video call to confirm your identity and copies of your passport and proof of address. ELLYTIC assembles and submits the file to AADE and returns your official confirmation, typically within three business days of a complete file. The AFM itself is only a tax-register entry — it does not grant residence or a visa, which are separate processes you handle through the relevant immigration channel.

The documents and translations expats should expect

The core document set for an expat is a valid passport and a proof of address, plus — depending on your situation — civil-status documents such as a marriage certificate. Any of these that originate outside Greece are accepted by Greek authorities only as certified translations into Greek. ELLYTIC's translations are produced by sworn translators with a qualified electronic signature (QES) and are accepted by every Greek authority with no further stamp, delivered in one business day. If a foreign public document needs an apostille — the Σφραγίδα της Χάγης — before translation, we flag it up front so your move is not held up at the counter.

Expat-specific pitfalls to avoid

Two problems recur for expats. First, leaving the AFM until a contract is already on the table, which turns a routine registration into an urgent scramble. Second, name inconsistency across documents — a passport, a marriage certificate and a proof of address that spell the same name three different ways will stall a file, because AADE reviews it as a whole. Expats also sometimes assume the AFM confers residence; it does not, and treating the two as one process leads to missed immigration steps. Setting the AFM up cleanly and early keeps the rest of the relocation moving.

Which ELLYTIC service fits your situation

If you only need the tax number itself, the Starter Bundle covers the AFM registration end to end. If you also want a Greek bank account opened and your onboarding coordinated, the Full Service Bundle adds banking to the same file. When the task is purely document-driven — a certificate, a court decision or a power of attorney — you can order certified translations on their own. Each path leads to a clear, fixed-scope service you can compare and start whenever you are ready.

Frequently asked questions