AFM, AMKA and the βεβαίωση: the Greek order that ends at the police

Whoever looks at Greece from Spain or Italy expects the same pattern: municipality, registration, certificate. That isn't right here. The paper that arranges your stay beyond three months comes from the Ελληνική Αστυνομία — the police. And that isn't the only thing that differs.

The certificate: where, when, and what it costs

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 order before it, and why it can't 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 live in Greece, AADE asks for a tax representative with a Greek address — a declaration with a certified signature suffices. In the same appointment, request 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.

The AMKA trap for pensioners

The ordinary route for the AMKA runs through a KEP — the citizens' service centre — or through an office of e-EFKA, and it is free. That is right for whoever is going to work in Greece.

If you come with an S1 form from the CAK, something else applies. Then you don't need an ordinary AMKA but an EU-AMKA: the variant for people who are insured via a European form. You don't arrange that at the KEP but via e-EFKA. If you walk into the KEP with your S1, in the best case you get sent back — and in the worst case you get an ordinary AMKA that doesn't match your insurance status, after which you still get stuck at the pharmacy or the hospital.

So ask explicitly for the EU-AMKA, bring your S1, and go to e-EFKA. 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.