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ShelfCompanies24 has been forming Greek companies for international founders since 1995. Our Athens team handles every step of company formation in Greece on one agreed service contract, from picking the right legal form through ΓΕΜΗ registration, ΑΑΔΕ tax registration, UBO filing and your first Greek bank account. Most clients are trading inside 2 to 4 weeks via the digital ΓΕΜΗ portal, or in 5 to 10 working days via a ready-made έτοιμη IKE.
Our service covers ΓΕΜΗ filings, UBO register, virtual έδρα.
IKE + έδρα + Greek banking + λογιστής under one roof.
Standard formation 2 to 4 weeks. Greek-speaking case manager.
eIDAS-qualified e-signature, Greek consulate, or delegate to our Athens lawyer via πληρεξούσιο.
We draft the καταστατικό, file ΓΕΜΗ, register ΑΦΜ/ΦΠΑ, file UBO.
Introduced in 2012, the IKE is the modern Greek private-limited form and now the dominant choice. Governed by Law 4072/2012.
The traditional Greek LLC form, retained but largely superseded by IKE.
Joint-stock form for listed entities and capital-raising structures.
| Form | Min. capital | Formation time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| IKE | €1 | 2 to 4 weeks | Default, modern SMEs, holdings |
| EPE | €4,500 | 3 to 5 weeks | Traditional SMEs (less common since 2012) |
| AE | €25,000 | 5 to 10 weeks | Listed groups, regulated |
| Υποκατάστημα | Parent-dependent | 4 to 8 weeks | Foreign multinational presence |
| Έτοιμη IKE | €1+ (paid) | 5 to 10 days | Need immediate trading |
Setting up a company in Greece is a sequence of filings through ΓΕΜΗ rather than a single appointment, and for foreign founders most of the elapsed time sits in the ΑΦΜ applications. In outline: confirm the legal form and the KAD activity codes, obtain an ΑΦΜ for each foreign member and διαχειριστής, draft the καταστατικό, register through the ΓΕΜΗ one-stop-shop, complete the ΑΑΔΕ registrations including ΦΠΑ where you need it, file the beneficial owners in the UBO register, and open the bank account. The seven steps below show what each stage involves.
Confirm legal form (IKE typically), member structure, business activity (with KAD codes, Greece’s NACE-aligned classification), έδρα, capital, banking preferences.
All non-Greek founders need ΑΦΜ before formation. Issued via Greek consulates or ΑΑΔΕ; we handle remotely.
The articles of association are drafted by our Athens lawyer, bilingual Greek-English.
Greek company formation runs through the General Commercial Registry (ΓΕΜΗ). For IKE, registration is via the GEMI online portal at businessportal.gr. For EPE and AE, formal notarial procedures apply. A GEMI filing fee applies to the IKE and is set by the registry.
The company receives an ΑΦΜ from ΑΑΔΕ. Within 30 days the company also files for:
Beneficial owners filed in the Greek UBO register at GEMI within 60 days.
Open operating account. Greek banks: National Bank of Greece, Eurobank, Alpha Bank, Piraeus Bank, Attica Bank.
| Scenario | Typical duration |
|---|---|
| IKE via GEMI online | 2 to 4 weeks |
| EPE | 3 to 5 weeks |
| AE | 5 to 10 weeks |
| Υποκατάστημα | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Έτοιμη IKE, transfer | 5 to 10 working days |
Nothing in Greek company law reserves an IKE for residents. Members and the διαχειριστής can be of any nationality and need no Greek or EU residency, only an ΑΦΜ. That number is the first thing we apply for, through a Greek consulate or through the ΑΑΔΕ with our Athens lawyer acting as your representative. Whether you are in the United States, the United Kingdom or India, the signing route is then identical: an eIDAS qualified electronic signature, a Greek consulate, or a πληρεξούσιο delegating signature to our Athens lawyer. Because IKE shares transfer without a notarial deed, the whole file can stay remote. Settle the tax residency question early, since a Greek company managed entirely from abroad can be argued to be resident where its decisions are actually taken.
Not by statute, if you are forming an IKE. Registration runs through the ΓΕΜΗ one-stop-shop and, unlike the EPE and the AE, an IKE needs no notarial deed either to be formed or to transfer its shares. In practice a Greek lawyer earns their place in three spots: drafting a bilingual καταστατικό that says what you actually intend rather than what a template says, holding the πληρεξούσιο that lets the file complete while you stay at home, and representing you before the ΑΑΔΕ for the ΑΦΜ. Our Athens lawyer covers all three inside the formation, and a λογιστής, the certified accountant Greek companies file through, is engaged alongside.
IKE via GEMI: 2 to 4 weeks. Έτοιμη IKE transfer: 5 to 10 working days.
€1 since 2012.
The IKE was specifically designed to compete with the UK Ltd, German UG and similar simplified-LLC forms. It offers €1 minimum capital, no notarial requirement for share transfers, simpler governance, and flexible share-class structures. For modern SMEs and foreign investors, IKE displaced EPE within years of its 2012 introduction.
Registration is filed with ΓΕΜΗ, the General Commercial Registry, through its online one-stop-shop. For an IKE you need a καταστατικό, an έδρα in Greece, the activity described in KAD codes, the capital, at least one member and one διαχειριστής, and an ΑΦΜ for each foreign principal. ΓΕΜΗ registers the company and it receives its own ΑΦΜ from ΑΑΔΕ. EPE and AE registrations follow the same path but add notarial procedures.
The company is only the first of five steps. You register the IKE with ΓΕΜΗ, complete the ΑΑΔΕ registrations including ΦΠΑ where your turnover or your intra-Community trade requires it, file the beneficial owners in the UBO register, engage a λογιστής, since Greek companies file through a certified accountant, and open the corporate bank account. If you will employ anyone, EFKA registration is added. Neither members nor διαχειριστής need Greek or EU residency, only an ΑΦΜ.
22% CIT. ΦΠΑ 24% standard.
Yes. The ΑΦΜ application goes through a Greek consulate or through our Athens lawyer acting before the ΑΑΔΕ, the καταστατικό can be signed with an eIDAS qualified electronic signature, and the ΓΕΜΗ filing is electronic. Where a wet signature is unavoidable you sign at a Greek consulate or grant a πληρεξούσιο to our lawyer. Running the company from abroad afterwards is normal too, subject to the Greek tax residence rules on where management sits.
ΑΑΔΕ ΦΠΑ registration, UBO filing, bank account opening, λογιστής engagement. Most clients operational within 3 to 4 weeks.
Ready to register your Greek IKE? Contact our Greek desk.
Greece is one of several jurisdictions where ShelfCompanies24 maintains pre-formed entities and active formation services. Why pick Greece for your IKE specifically? EU + maritime/shipping tonnage tax regime is the headline reason, but it pays to understand the trade-offs against the alternatives. Below are concrete differentiators that matter when you are weighing a structure decision against the actual operating profile of your business.
Cross-border corporate structuring in 2026 is governed by a tighter web of rules than in any previous decade. Three forces shape every decision:
For Greece specifically: 22% CIT; IKE minimum; GEMI commercial portal; tonnage-tax regime for shipping fleets.
Issues we routinely see when prospects come to us after attempting the process directly with local providers in Greece:
Yes. A name change is filed with the GEMI via a directors’ resolution and a routine filing, typically clears in 48 hours. We include up to one name change as standard for both shelf-company purchase and new formation.
Yes on the EU side. A Greek IKE that is tax resident in Greece can use the Parent-Subsidiary Directive and the Interest and Royalties Directive for qualifying payments within the Union. The bilateral network is solid rather than vast: Greece has roughly 60 comprehensive double taxation treaties in force, covering the EU, the United Kingdom, the United States, China and the Gulf. Relief requires a certificate of tax residence and the claim forms the Greek tax authority prescribes.
Client information is held under contractual non-disclosure plus the professional-secrecy obligations applicable to corporate-service providers in our home jurisdiction. We do not share client identity or transaction details with third parties beyond what is statutorily required (KYC reporting, beneficial-owner-register filings, AML/CTF reporting where triggered). Our internal access to client files is logged and access-restricted by need-to-know.
Material tax changes (rate moves, new minimum-tax regimes, treaty amendments) get communicated to active clients with our analysis of impact. Where the change is structural, for example the OECD Pillar Two implementation in Greece or a domestic tax-base reform, we proactively flag clients whose structures may need restructuring and set out the remedial options. The client is not left to discover material regulatory change from their accountant or from media reports.
A IKE is a separate legal entity Greek-tax-resident with its own corporate tax filings and beneficial-owner record. A branch is an extension of a foreign parent, the foreign parent is the legal entity, the Greece branch books local-source income but the parent’s overall tax liability cascades. Most foreign owners pick an IKE for liability ring-fencing and clean tax accounting; branches are sometimes preferred where the parent has specific group-relief or treaty considerations that depend on common legal personality.
Engaging us for your Greek new IKE formation covers the following deliverables under one service:
The deliverable scope is identical regardless of whether you are based in the EU, the US, the UK, the Middle East, or APAC, we operate the same service globally for Greek corporate setup. Optional add-ons (virtual office, accounting retainer, payroll, sector licences, transfer-pricing documentation) are scoped separately, so the incorporation or transfer work stays exactly as agreed.
Different jurisdictions are stronger for different commercial activities. Greece consistently performs well for international operators in:
None of these are exclusive, a Greek IKE can engage in any lawful commercial activity, but choosing a jurisdiction where the activity has a deep operating ecosystem (talent pool, regulatory familiarity, banking and supplier networks) materially shortens the time from incorporation to first revenue. Tell us your activity profile and we will confirm whether Greece is the right fit before we begin.
A Greek IKE sits within the EU treaty framework, automatic access to the EU Parent-Subsidiary Directive (zero withholding on intra-EU dividends meeting the holding test), the Interest and Royalties Directive, and Greece’s bilateral double-tax treaties with non-EU partners. The treaty network is shaped by the OECD Multilateral Instrument since 2017, which embedded a Principal Purpose Test (PPT) into existing treaties to deny benefits where a structure was set up primarily for tax advantage rather than genuine commercial purpose.
Common Greek IKE patterns we see: EU-wide trading hub with VAT one-stop-shop, IP holding with treaty-protected royalty flows, regional headquarters serving CEE/Western EU subsidiaries, and licensing-and-distribution structures using EU passport rights. Each pattern has its own substance and transfer-pricing implications which your consultant will map before structuring.
The 2026 corporate-law and tax landscape in Greece: 22% headline corporate tax. 22% CIT; IKE minimum; GEMI commercial portal; tonnage-tax regime for shipping fleets.
Beyond the headline number, three regulatory currents shape every Greek structuring decision in 2026: OECD Pillar Two and the local Qualified Domestic Minimum Top-up Tax (QDMTT) for groups above €750 million consolidated revenue; the EU’s progressive AML/CTF tightening (AMLD6 and AMLR transitioning into the Anti-Money-Laundering Authority’s direct supervision); and the GEMI’s ongoing migration toward digital-only filing and real-time beneficial-owner reconciliation. Smaller entities below the Pillar Two threshold continue under the regular Greek tax regime, but reporting obligations to the GEMI apply to every entity regardless of size.
We track these regulatory currents continuously and flag anything material to active clients within working days of the change being announced. You do not need to monitor Greece regulatory news yourself, that is part of what we provide for the annual retainer.
Three deadline buckets: GEMI confirmation/return (typically annual, on the company’s accounting reference date), corporate tax return (filed via the Greece tax authority following the financial year-end, usually 6-12 months after period close), and VAT/sales-tax returns (monthly or quarterly cadence depending on turnover, where applicable). Beneficial-owner-register updates are event-triggered (filing required when ownership changes) rather than calendar-based.
Penalty consequences vary by jurisdiction but typically follow a pattern: small late-filing fee for short delays, larger automatic penalty for sustained non-filing, and ultimately strike-off from the GEMI for prolonged non-compliance. Strike-off voids the company and may require court application to restore. Our retainer service handles the full filing calendar so this never happens to a client on our books.
Three layers determine the after-tax dividend: Greece corporate tax already paid at the IKE level on profits (22%); Greece withholding tax on outbound dividends, which is the variable that depends on where the recipient sits, zero under the EU Parent-Subsidiary Directive for qualifying EU/EEA corporate holders meeting the minimum holding test, reduced rates under bilateral treaties for non-EU recipients, default Greek statutory rate where no treaty applies; and recipient-country tax on the dividend in the parent’s hands (often subject to participation exemption at the recipient level). Your consultant maps this end-to-end in the initial scoping so the after-tax economics are clear before incorporation.