AFM, AMKA and the βεβαίωση: the Greek order that ends at the police
Greece doesn't ask for a residence permit, but it does ask for a registration certificate — and unlike in Spain or Italy, that comes from the police, not the municipality. The chain before it is strict in order: AFM, a home with a registered contract, certificate, AMKA. Whoever reverses it stands at the counter every time without the paper they ask for.
5 min read
Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.
No, as a Dutch citizen you don't need a residence permit in Greece. You do need a registration certificate after three months. You get it not from the municipality, but from the Ελληνική Αστυνομία, the police, for € 0.50.
Whoever looks at Greece from Spain or Italy expects the pattern municipality, registration, certificate. That isn't right here. And it isn't the only thing that differs. The chain before it is strict in order: first the AFM, your Greek tax number, then a registered rental contract.
Where do you get the certificate, when, and what does it cost?
The βεβαίωση εγγραφής (registration certificate) follows from Presidential Decree 106/2007. Articles 7 and 8 govern the right of residence beyond three months and the issuing of the certificate. The competent offices are the Immigration Departments for whoever lives in Attica or Thessaloniki, and elsewhere the security departments and police stations that handle aliens' affairs. There is now also an electronic application via the police portal.
Three things worth knowing:
- The obligation arises after three months. Knocking on the door earlier is pointless; the right to stay without formalities lasts exactly that long.
- It costs € 0.50. One Hellenic Police stamp duty, electronic or on paper. This is the cheapest residence paper of all destinations on this site.
- It is valid indefinitely. No renewals, no repeat appointments. Arrange it once and done.
Bring: a copy of your passport or identity card, three colour photos of 4×4 cm, proof of your home address, proof of sufficient means of subsistence, and proof of full health cover. The EU rules add that a member state may not ask for more documents, that the certificate must be issued immediately, and that it may not cost more than what its own citizens pay for an identity card.
| What | Time limit or amount |
|---|---|
| Applying for the registration certificate | after 3 months of residence |
| Fee for the certificate | € 0.50 |
| Validity | indefinite |
| Photos | 3 colour photos of 4×4 cm |
| AFM via myAADElive | video appointment, also from the Netherlands |
| AMKA via KEP or e-EFKA | free |
| EU-AMKA with an S1 form | free, via KEP or e-EFKA, with your S1 |
| CAK route behind the S1 | expected from 1 November 2026 only for statutory benefits |
Which order comes before it, and why can't it be reversed?
Two of those five documents you can't pull out of your suitcase. They come from a chain you have to walk in this order.
1. The AFM. The tax number (ΑΦΜ) is the key to the country: without an AFM you don't sign a rental contract, don't open a bank account and don't get a utility connection. It used to mean a visit to a tax office. since myAADElive it can be done by video appointment, and so from the Netherlands. Arrange it during your preparation.
If you don't yet have a postal address in Greece, AADE, the Greek tax authority, lists among the documents a declaration appointing a tax representative, with a certified signature. By law it is no longer compulsory: since the Code of Tax Procedure of 2024 (art. 8) a non-resident may appoint one. Ask in the appointment whether it can be done without. Request there too the κλειδάριθμος: the access code with which you later activate TaxisNet and gov.gr.
2. The home, and its declaration. Here sits the silent trap. A Greek rental contract only becomes a usable piece of evidence once the landlord has declared it electronically with AADE. That is their duty, not yours. But it is your problem at the police counter: an undeclared contract doesn't count there as proof of your home address. Ask explicitly for the proof of that declaration and don't accept "we'll do that later".
3. The certificate. See above: after three months, with the five documents.
4. The AMKA. Your social security number, compulsory since 2009, needed for every doctor, every prescription and every employment contract.
What changes about the AMKA if you come with an S1?
You get the AMKA at a KEP, the citizens' service centre, or at an office of e-EFKA, the Greek social security institution. It is free. You go in person, and it takes fifteen minutes to half an hour. An AMKA is first issued as inactive; it becomes active with proof of your home address and your registration certificate.
If you come with an S1 form from the CAK, you bring it as an extra document. That is what the Greek rules say for an EU citizen's AMKA, and it applies at a KEP and at e-EFKA. EOPYY, the Greek public health insurer, expects you to have an EU-AMKA then: that is what the AMKA is called for people insured via a European form. So say at the counter that you come with an S1. How to have your S1 registered with EOPYY is a question for e-EFKA; EOPYY refers you there (tm.asfikan@efka.gov.gr). Whoever receives a pension from the Netherlands is moreover on the list of countries for which you keep the right to healthcare both in Greece and in the pension country.
Note: the CAK route behind that S1 is expected to remain open from 1 November 2026 only for statutory benefits such as AOW (the Dutch state pension) or WIA. With only early retirement pension your route changes.
What still comes after that?
With your AFM and the κλειδάριθμος you activate TaxisNet. That is more than a tax login: those same codes are your identity on gov.gr, where you sign declarations, request extracts and make appointments. Almost every counter you still need after this runs through here.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 of 5 of the journey: the same steps, but applied to your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines monitored. See the whole journey to Greece.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- Mitos — registration certificate for economically inactive EU citizens — en.mitos.gov.gr
- Mitos — registration certificate for EU citizens who are employed or self-employed — en.mitos.gov.gr
- Hellenic Police — electronic application for the registration certificate — portal.astynomia.gr
- gov.gr — issuing an AFM to a natural person — gov.gr
- AADE — myAADElive, the video appointment for AFM and access code — aade.gr
- Code of Tax Procedure (ν. 5104/2024), art. 8 — the tax representative is a choice — taxheaven.gr
- Ministry of Labour — the social security number AMKA — ypergasias.gov.gr
- EOPYY — moving to Greece as an EU citizen, and the EU-AMKA — eu-healthcare.eopyy.gov.gr
- Mitos — activating the AMKA for an EU citizen, at e-EFKA or a KEP, with the S1 as an extra document — mitos.gov.gr
- Ministry of Labour — circular Φ80320/25192 (2024) on issuing and activating the AMKA — diavgeia.gov.gr
- Your Europe — registering after the first three months, issued immediately and no dearer than an identity card — europa.eu
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