Greece Company Formation & Entity Choice

Common entity types and minimum capital

The most common Greek business vehicles are the Private Company (IKE), the Limited Liability Company (EPE), and the Societe Anonyme (AE). The IKE is the dominant choice for SMEs due to its EUR 1 minimum capital.

• Private Company (IKE — Ιδιωτική Κεφαλαιουχική Εταιρεία) — Most popular SME form; minimum capital EUR 1; limited liability; flexible governance (Law 4072/2012 (IKE))
• IKE minimum share capital — EUR 1 EUR (Law 4072/2012 (IKE))
• Limited Liability Company (EPE — Εταιρεία Περιορισμένης Ευθύνης) — Limited liability company; minimum capital EUR 4,500 (no statutory minimum mandated, but commonly cited) ((approx — EPE no longer has a fixed statutory minimum; confirm)) (Law 3190/1955 (EPE))
• Societe Anonyme (AE — Ανώνυμη Εταιρεία) — Public limited company for larger ventures; minimum share capital EUR 25,000, fully paid at incorporation (Law 4548/2018 (AE))
• AE minimum share capital — EUR 25,000 (fully paid up at incorporation) EUR (Law 4548/2018 (AE))

Incorporation steps, timeline and cost

Companies are registered electronically through GEMI (General Commercial Registry) or the gov.gr One-Stop Shop. A simple IKE/EPE can use a private document; an AE may use a notarial deed for a custom statute.

• Registration body — GEMI (General Commercial Registry — Γενικό Εμπορικό Μητρώο), via the One-Stop Shop / gov.gr (Law 4919/2022 (GEMI / one-stop shop))
• Founder tax number (AFM) — Every founder needs a Greek TIN (AFM); EU citizens may apply via myAADElive, non-EU founders in person at the DOY or via a tax representative (AADE TIN registration procedure)
• Formation document — IKE and EPE: a private document suffices; AE: notarial deed no longer mandatory but used for customised statutes (Law 4919/2022 (one-stop shop); Law 4548/2018 (AE))
• Incorporation timeline — A standard IKE formed digitally takes roughly 1–4 weeks; end-to-end (with AFM, bank account, non-EU visas) can extend to 2–3 months ((approx — varies by case)) (GEMI one-stop shop process)
• Incorporation cost — GEMI / one-stop-shop fees plus professional fees; a basic IKE commonly costs from around EUR 60–600 in official fees (excluding lawyer/accountant fees) EUR ((approx — confirm current GEMI fee schedule)) (GEMI fee schedule)

Core annual compliance

Greek companies must keep statutory accounting records, file annual financial statements and the corporate income tax return, and meet VAT and payroll obligations.

• Annual financial statements — Prepared under Greek Accounting Standards (Law 4308/2014) and published to GEMI (Law 4308/2014 (Greek Accounting Standards); Law 4919/2022 (GEMI))
• Annual corporate income tax return — Filed electronically via AADE by the last working day of the sixth month after year-end (Greek Income Tax Code (Law 4172/2013))
• VAT compliance — Periodic VAT returns (monthly or quarterly per books) plus electronic transmission of data to the myDATA platform (Greek VAT Code (Law 2859/2000); myDATA framework)
• myDATA e-books — Mandatory electronic transmission of accounting data (revenue/expense/classification) to AADE's myDATA platform (AADE myDATA decision (Law 4174/2013 / Tax Procedure Code))
• Payroll filings — Monthly e-EFKA detailed statement (APD) and income tax withholding remittance for employers (Law 4670/2020 (e-EFKA); Greek Income Tax Code (Law 4172/2013))