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Greek banks are supervised by the Bank of Greece, and the four significant ones, National Bank of Greece, Piraeus Bank, Eurobank and Alpha Bank, are supervised directly by the European Central Bank. Deposits are protected by the Hellenic Deposit and Investment Guarantee Fund (TEKE), which covers deposits of natural or legal persons, companies included, up to EUR 100,000 per depositor and per credit institution, whatever the number of accounts, the currency or the branch, and pays within seven working days. Excluded are deposits of credit and financial institutions, investment firms, insurers, investment undertakings, pension funds and public authorities; electronic money and prepaid card balances are not deposits at all. Participation is compulsory for every Greek bank, while Greek branches of banks from other EU countries fall under their home country’s scheme.
A Greek company and each of its partners and administrators need a Greek tax number, the AFM. The tax authority, AADE, lets a tax resident abroad apply for the number and an authentication key only electronically through myAADE, either personally or through a legal representative, a tax representative or an authorised third party; the competent tax office follows the tax representative’s postal code, and identification takes place at that office or by video call through myAADElive. National Bank of Greece’s online business onboarding then asks for the company’s own TIN and GEMI number and for the TIN of every natural person involved, so, on that route at least, the account follows registration rather than preceding it.
| Bank | Route | What its own pages say |
|---|---|---|
| National Bank of Greece | Online for the legal representative of an IKE, OE, EE, AE or EPE | Starts with the representative signing in to NBG Internet Banking with personal codes; asks for the company’s TIN and GEMI number, each person’s TIN, ID card number, date of birth and participation, and the current articles |
| Piraeus Bank | Business sight account at a branch | Offered to businesses with commercial activity in Greece or abroad, in euro or main foreign currencies such as USD, GBP, CHF and AED; its app onboarding for small businesses and professionals needs an ID card, Taxisnet credentials and up-to-date details in the National Contact Register |
| Eurobank | Mobile onboarding for individuals | Its International Customers hub serves foreign investors and opens accounts online for people who live and work in, and hold an ID or passport from, a country participating in PRADO; company accounts are not described there |
The common thread is Greek credentials. Each remote route presupposes NBG’s own internet banking codes, Taxisnet access or residence in a PRADO country, so a foreign owner without them should expect the first contact to happen at a branch.
A Greek IBAN has 27 characters: GR, two check digits, a three-digit bank code, a four-digit branch code and a sixteen-character account number. Greece is in SEPA, and Piraeus Bank, for one, also runs business sight accounts in major foreign currencies.
Should a ready-made Greek IKE come with an account, the account remains the company’s after the partners change; it is the bank that has to re-examine who now owns, administers and signs for the IKE, and it may then keep the account, request more or close it, so its survival cannot be promised or excluded beforehand. A new IKE needs its GEMI number and AFM before NBG’s onboarding can even start. We can deliver a ready-made IKE or register a new one, get the bank paperwork ready with you, and make an introduction when a suitable bank is one where we keep a working contact, with the decision left to the bank. The guide to shelf companies with bank accounts and the Greece page go further.
The law allows a Greek IKE to be owned and run entirely from abroad, but the banks’ remote routes assume Greek credentials: NBG starts from existing internet banking codes, Piraeus’s app needs an ID card and Taxisnet access, and Eurobank’s mobile onboarding is for individuals in PRADO countries. Expect the first opening to take place at a branch, with an AFM ready for everyone the bank must identify.
Yes, in practice. The company and each partner and administrator need a Greek tax number anyway, and National Bank of Greece asks for the TIN of every natural person involved as well as the company’s own. A tax resident abroad applies online through myAADE, usually through a tax representative, and is identified at the tax office or by video call through myAADElive.
Not on the routes the banks publish. National Bank of Greece asks for the company’s TIN and GEMI number, which exist only after registration, and Piraeus’s app onboarding needs the business commencement certificate. A ready-made IKE already has both numbers, so the bank application can start as soon as the transfer is recorded.
Yes. TEKE covers deposits of legal persons such as companies up to EUR 100,000 per depositor and per credit institution, in any currency, and pays within seven working days. Deposits of financial institutions, insurers, investment undertakings, pension funds and public authorities are excluded, and money held as electronic money is not a deposit. Branches of banks from other EU countries are covered by their home scheme instead.