Digital nomads see their community growing in Greece

It looks like Greece has finally entered the digital nomad map. According to Nomad List, it is estimated that in September of this year alone there were about 2,000 people working remotely in Athens alone.

The majority of workers who have registered a professional address in Greece in the last two years mainly come from countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Canada, the USA and China.

In fact, this figure may be much higher if you consider that several European remote workers, who do not need to register, have chosen Greece as their place of residence while working for a company or organization located abroad.

Digital nomad or digital nomads – people who only need a laptop, a smartphone and stable high-speed Internet for professional activities. They can easily move around the world without interrupting their work.

Greece is a country that attracts digital nomads for many reasons: good quality, inexpensive cost and safety of life, excellent climatic conditions, picturesque flora and beach holidays all year round, friendliness of the local population, excellent national cuisine, European standard of living, introduction of fifth generation mobile technology (5G), satisfactory performance of government agencies issuing residence permits. Everything you need to get started is here. The Greek islands are now chosen not only by foreign retirees, but also by young professionals who become part of the local society, economy and strengthen the Greek brand abroad.

So, the Hellenic Republic has introduced a new category of residence permits from September 2021 digital nomad for third-country nationals – professionals, private entrepreneurs or employees who work remotely using digital information and communication technologies (ICT) and tools with employers or clients outside Greece.

Digital nomads digital nomads, as mentioned above, work either as employees or as self-employed (individual entrepreneurs). Tentatively, they can work remotely in the following areas:

• Media Marketing
• Copywriting
• Web design
• Translations
• Entrepreneurship on the Internet
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Virtual assistance
• E-commerce
• Graphic design
• Programming
• Sports betting
• Commercial Arbitration
• Search Engine Advertising (SEA)
• Blogger
• Language teaching
• Consulting, etc.

The main obligation of a digital nomad in Greece is not to seek employment or engage in business activities in the country, and not to enter into employment relationships with Greek employers. Digital nomad must prove that the source of his labor income is outside the country. It is acceptable to have contracts with several clients or employers.

• The Digital nomad must not have been a Greek tax resident in the past.
• The digital nomad must provide services remotely from Greece in the context of an employment relationship or as part of self-employment.

Other conditions that applicants for a residence permit in Greece must have are: digital nomad – this is a stable level of income to cover your living expenses while in the country, without burdening the national social security system. The amount of sufficient resources is set at three and a half thousand (3500) euros per month and is confirmed by:

1. an employment contract or a service contract, or confirmation of the employment relationship in the case of employment outside Greece,
2. bank account statement. The above amount increases by 20% for a spouse or cohabitant and by 15% for each child.

There are two ways to obtain a residence permit digital nomad in Greece:

1. After obtaining a national visa type D, which is issued to the interested party by the competent Greek consular authority.
2. Upon entry into Greece by the person concerned without the requirement of obtaining a type D visa, i.e. on a visa for another purpose, for example, for tourism (tourist visa type C) or in accordance with the visa-free regime (90 days).

The interested person has the opportunity, during the validity period of this visa, to submit an application for a residence permit to the service of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum digital nomad. In this case, in addition to the supporting documents mentioned above, applicants also provide a rental agreement for an apartment/house or a purchase and sale agreement for real estate in Greece.

The validity of the residence permit is two years, and each time there is the possibility of extension for two years, subject to compliance with the legal prerequisites, in particular, for this you need to live in Greece permanently, for at least half of the duration of the residence permit (from 6 months a year), and maintain set minimum income.

Benefits of a residence permit digital nomad:

• Significantly longer period of residence in Europe compared to a tourist visa.
• Significantly lower costs than obtaining an investor residence permit golden visa.

Often a residence permit digital nomad compared to golden visa golden visa, calling it a simplified version of the latter. And this is an undeniable advantage in terms of material costs. Holder digital nomad gets access to many social services, can open a bank account in Greece and Europe, and has many other advantages.

Highly professional digital nomads are gradually becoming the main resource for many countries that prefer the development of human capital to subsoil development. Consequently, competition for the attention of digital nomads between individual states will quickly increase. If you really want to become a digital nomad and get a residence permit digital nomad, regardless of country of citizenship and tax residence, law firm Svetlana Kasatkina-Kusku, specializing in migration law in Greece, will provide legal support and make your dream come true much faster. We are ready to provide assistance in the following areas:

• Preparation of all necessary documents for applying for a residence permit for you and your family.
• Mandatory translation of any complexity into Greek of documents required by the ministry.
• Obtaining a tax number (TIN).
• Applying for a residence permit digital nomad to the Ministry of Migration and Asylum of Greece, and constant monitoring of your folder until you receive a residence permit.
• Opening a bank account.
• Transaction support for the purchase of real estate/consultation in drawing up a real estate lease agreement.
• Legal advice on the entire spectrum of migration law in Greece.

We continue to be with you to clarify any situations in which lawyer Svetlana Kasatkina-Kusku will personally answer all your questions. Contact us today in a way convenient for you:

website: www.kasatkinalaw.com

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