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In Greece, every employee on a fixed-term or a permanent contract is entitled to annual paid leave from the beginning of their employment. This leave is to be granted by the employer on a pro-rata basis, depending on how long the employer has employed the employee. The proportion is calculated based on 20 working days’ leave for a 5-working-day week or 24 working days’ leave for a 6-working-day week, corresponding to 12 months’ continuous employment.

The employer must grant the employee the correct proportion of the above regular leave by the end of the first calendar year in which the employee was hired. During the second calendar year, the employee is entitled to take regular paid annual leave in portions, according to the length of service. During leave, the employee is entitled to their normal pay and benefits. Leave is increased by 1 working day for each year of employment, beyond the first year, up to 26 working days or up to 22 days if the employee operates on a 5-working-day week basis.

During the third and subsequent calendar years, the employee is entitled to take all their annual leave at any time during the year. From October 2025, employees are allowed to split their annual leave under exceptional circumstances by requesting their employer. At least 1 part of the leave must include at least 6 working days in a 6-day workweek and 5 working days in a 5-day workweek or, in the case of minors, 12 working days. The employee's request, as well as the employer's decision, must be kept in the enterprise records for 5 years, in electronic or printed form.

Employers must electronically submit to the labor monitoring system, ERGANI II, the granting of the leave in inventory, within the next calendar month following the month of its granting.

Greece's labor law grants employees monthly, long-term sick leave for a maximum of 6 months, as follows:

• 1 month for employees who have worked for up to 4 years
• 3 months for employees who have worked for more than 4 years, but less than 10 years
• 4 months for employees who have worked for more than 10 years, but less than 15 years
• 6 months for employees who have worked for more than 15 years

In addition to this, employees are also entitled to short-term, unpaid sick leave for up to 15 days per year. A medical certificate is required for an employee to take more than 2 continuous leave days.

The sickness benefit is 50% of the salary of the employees. The employer must pay at least half of the wages for the first 3 days of sick leave. The Social Security Institute of Greece is responsible for paying the rest of the benefits.

According to Greek labor law, the duration of maternity leave is set at 17 weeks for private-sector employees. Of this 17-week period, 8 weeks must be granted to the worker before confinement and 9 weeks after confinement. If the worker gives birth prematurely, the remaining maternity leave is to be granted after confinement, so that the maternity leave amounts to a total of 17 weeks. This leave is also extended to same-sex partners. Effective October 2025, adoptive and foster mothers for a child up to the age of 8 years are also entitled to postnatal maternity leave. If an employee fostering a child makes use of the leave provided for herein and subsequently adopts the child, she is not entitled to the leave again.

During maternity leave, employees are paid 100% of their earnings by the state social insurance fund, up to a cap set by the social insurance fund. To receive full maternity benefits, the mother must have worked 200 working days during the previous 2 years. After the basic maternity leave, mothers are entitled to another special leave of 6 months, during which time the state will provide a benefit equal to the statutory minimum wage.

Greek labor law grants male employees a paid paternity leave of 14 days upon their child's birth. This leave is granted in whole or in part according to the employee's request as follows: either a) the employee receives 2 days leave before the expected date of delivery, in order to meet the needs associated with pregnancy and childbirth, in which case in this case, the remaining 12 days are granted, in whole or in part, directly due to the birth of the child, within 30 days from the date of birth, or b) all the days of leave after the date of birth are granted. Every working father is entitled to leave without conditions, regardless of his marital status. Paternity leave is also extended to same-sex spouses, as well as adoptive parents who adopt a child under 8 years of age.

Minimum Wage

Effective April 1, 2026, the minimum wage in Greece is EUR 920 (euros) per month for white-collar workers and EUR 41.09 per day for blue-collar workers.

The law states that salary must be paid regularly, determined by individual employment contracts.

Overtime, Holiday & Vacation Pay

Greek law distinguishes clearly between additional work and overtime. Work done beyond 40 hours a week is considered additional work. Work done beyond 45 hours a week is considered overtime. For those employees who are subject to a 6-day work week, overtime employment is considered work in excess of 48 hours per week. Additional work is paid at a 20% premium. Employees who perform overtime work are entitled to a premium of 40% of their hourly wages for each hour of legally permitted overtime.

Effective October 2025, overtime is limited to a daily maximum of 4 hours per day and an annual maximum of 150 hours per year. Employees have the right to refuse to work overtime.

In the case of work performed during Sundays and the days established by law as non-working holidays, the daily wage must be at least 175% of the normal daily wage.

Employees are to be paid their normal wages when they take annual leave.

Notice Period

According to Greek labor law, the first 12 months of an indefinite employment agreement, counted from the date on which the agreement comes into force, are considered to be a probationary period. During this period, either party may terminate the employment relationship without notice and without severance pay, unless otherwise agreed by the parties.

After the first 12 months, the employer must give the following notice period before the termination of the employment contract:

• 1 month's notice period to employees paid monthly, with 1 year to 2 years of service
• 2 months' notice period to those with 2 to 5 years of service
• 3 months' notice period to those with 5 to 10 years of service
• 4 months' notice period to those with more than 10 years of service

An employer who gives an employee written notice according to the above pays only half of the statutory severance pay due to the dismissed employee.

A notice period is not required for fixed-term contracts.

Employers are required to formally report every type of employment termination to the national digital system ERGANI II within 4 working days. The notification must be submitted electronically using the official termination form specified by the Ministry of Labor.

Severance Benefits

According to Greek labor law, an employer can terminate an indefinite employment agreement of more than 12 months by giving the employee prior written notice. Specific notice periods between 1 and 4 months are required, depending on the employee's length of service with the employer (see the "Notice of Dismissal" section for more information). In the case of indefinite employment agreements terminated by the employer, the severance pay is calculated depending on the length of service with the employer. For employees who complete 17 years in service with the same employer, additional compensation is paid that increases by 1 monthly salary for each additional year of service up to 12 monthly salaries, provided the monthly salary does not exceed EUR 2,000.

In case of dismissal (for any reason, including redundancies) of a blue-collar worker, severance pay varies according to the length of service, from 5 days to 165 days' wages, regardless of whether the employer complies with the statutory notice period.

Pension

The legal retirement age in Greece is:

• 62 years for a full pension with at least 40 years (12,000 days) of insurance
• 62 years for reduced pension with 15 years (4,500 days)
• 67 years old for a full pension with at least 15 years (4,500 days) of insurance

The monthly pension is a sum of the national pension and the contributory pension. The state budget finances the national pension, while the contributory pension corresponds to the payment of insurance contributions and is calculated based on pensionable earnings, insurance period, and replacement rate.

The full amount of the national pension is EUR 446.87 (euros) (when at least 20 years of insurance and 40 years of permanent and legal residence in Greece have been completed before applying for a retirement pension), reduced in proportion to the years of contribution and residence.

A contributory pension is calculated based on pensionable earnings, the insurance period from 2002 onwards, and annual replacement rates (ranging from 0.5% to 2.55%). The maximum total pension is EUR 5,362.44 per month.

Dependents/Survivors Benefits

Greece's social security insurance scheme covers benefits for survivors of a deceased insured person, including the insured individual's widow, widower, or children. The following conditions must be met to be eligible for this pension:

• The insured person must have had at least 1,500 insurance days, of which 300 occurred during the last 5 years before their death; or
• The insured person must have completed the insurance days, which would entitle them to a disability pension or
• The insured person must have been entitled to an old-age pension.

A surviving spouse or registered cohabiting partner is entitled to 70% of the deceased’s pension for the first 3 years following the death. After this initial period, the same 70% rate continues only if the beneficiary is not working and does not receive another pension. If, however, the surviving spouse or partner works or receives any pension, the survivor’s pension is reduced after the first three years to 50% of the full death pension.

Children are entitled to receive a pension until they reach the age of 24, provided they are unmarried. The pension for the children is 25% of the pension the deceased parent was entitled to. If both parents have died, the child is entitled to 50% of the pension.

Invalidity Benefits

Greece's Social Security Institute provides disability benefits to insured employees. Disability is certified if the insured person can no longer earn more than 50% of the average earnings of a worker in their profession.

When the disability is caused by an occupational accident, the guaranteed minimum amount of double the national pension applies.

The disability percentage affects only the national portion of the disability pension. A person receives the full national disability pension if their disability rating is 80% or higher. For lower disability levels, the national pension is reduced:

• By 50% for disability ratings between 50% and 66.99%
• By 25% for ratings between 67% and 79.99%.

Effective January 1, 2026, the minimum amount of disability pension is EUR 893.75 per month.

Personal Income Tax

Greece's tax law defines a taxable person as an individual with a permanent or principal residence in Greece or one who has stayed in Greece for 183 days in a 12-month period. The tax year is the same as the calendar year. Personal income tax is levied on income received by natural persons. The rates of employment income tax vary between 9% and 44%. The highest marginal income tax rate applied to employment income is 45%, applied to those with income exceeding EUR 60,000 (Euros). Effective January 1, 2026, tax rates are reduced for those with children.

Income from dividends is taxed at a flat rate of 5%, income from interest is taxed at 15%, and income from royalties is taxed at 20%. Income from real estate is taxed at a progressive scale from 15% to 45%.

Visas

The following types of visas are available in Greece:

• Uniform Schengen Visa (Type C) – Short-stay (up to 90 days)
  • Issued for tourism, business, family visits, conferences, etc.
  • May be single-, double-, or multiple-entry
  • Application must be made at the Schengen country of the main destination
• Airport Transit Visa (Type A)
  • Required for nationals of certain countries crossing the international transit area of a Greek airport
• Transit Visa (Type C)
  • For travelers who need to enter Greece briefly to go to a non-Schengen country (land or sea transit)
• National Visa (Type D) – Long-stay (over 90 days)
  • Issued for employment, study, research, family reunification, investment, digital nomads, seasonal work, etc.
  • Leads to a residence permit after arrival in Greece

Nationals from visa-exempt countries will need to apply for an ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) before visiting Greece, starting late 2026. It remains valid for up to 3 years. Permanent residents in Greece or another Schengen country do not require an ETIAS before entering. A fee of EUR 20 must be paid.

Work Permits

Foreign nationals who wish to work in Greece must obtain a residence permit and a work visa. The foreign national must submit the employment contract showing that their remuneration is equal to Greece's minimum wage. The residence permit is issued for 3 years at a time. It can be renewed for 2 or 3 years if the following conditions are met:

• Fulfillment of tax obligations
• Existence of a health booklet in force by the relevant insurance institution
• Minimum wage insurance

Greece grants an EU Blue Card for highly qualified employment under Category E.1. The applicant must have a valid employment contract or binding job offer for highly skilled work with a minimum duration (typically at least 6 months) and meet a salary threshold (generally at least 1.5 times the average gross annual salary in Greece, subject to updates). The Blue Card is typically issued for up to 3 years, provides enhanced mobility within the EU, and allows family reunification.

Effective February 6, 2026, Greece has implemented a single permit system for residence and work authorization for certain categories under Law 5275/2026. Third-country nationals who wish to apply for a single permit for employment purposes must have a national long-stay visa (Type D). Those who entered Greece using a tourist visa type cannot apply for the single permit. After entering Greece, eligible persons can submit a single application for a Residence+Work permit. If approved, the permit is issued with 1 to 3 years validity.

The legal minimum working age in Greece is 15 years. The wages of employees below 18 years cannot be lower than the minimum wage for unskilled workers in the country. In cases where persons between 15 and 18 years of age are employed under apprenticeship contracts, they can be paid 75% of the minimum wage. Medical certification is required so that the employment chosen by the minors does not endanger their health or their physical or mental development. Certification is done by health services after medical examinations. Medical examinations are conducted every 12 months till they reach the age of 18 years.

Minors below the age of 16 years or minors who are still at school cannot be employed for more than 6 hours per day or 30 hours a week. Minors below 18 years of age cannot be employed during night hours from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM. Persons between the ages of 16 and 17 cannot work for more than eight hours per day or 40 hours per week. Persons below 18 years of age cannot be employed in hazardous work or work that harms their physical, mental, or moral health.

Annual paid leave should be granted in the summer during the school vacation period. Half of that leave may be granted during other periods of the year at the minor’s request.