Greece vs Spain

The common form is an IKE (private company) or the larger AE; registration is via the General Commercial Registry (GEMI), often through a one-stop service. A Greek tax number (AFM) is required.

The usual vehicle is a Sociedad Limitada (SL), formed by a notarial deed and registered in the Mercantile Registry (Registro Mercantil). Founders need a Spanish tax ID (NIF, and an NIE for individuals), and there is a modest minimum share capital.

Greek banking is EU-integrated and increasingly digital. Opening an account usually needs an AFM (tax number), ID and proof of address; the Bank of Greece supervises banks within the ECB framework.

Spanish banking includes large retail banks and online banks. Opening an account usually needs an NIE, ID and proof of address or activity; non-resident accounts are available with more documentation. The Banco de España supervises banks.

Greece courts foreign investment through Enterprise Greece, with EU free movement of capital and no exchange controls. A strategic-investments (fast-track) framework speeds up major projects, and the development law and EU-funded programs offer grants and tax incentives; profits repatriate freely.

Spain welcomes foreign investment through ICEX-Invest in Spain, with EU free movement of capital and no exchange controls. Screening applies to investments by non-EU investors in strategic sectors; incentives include R&D tax credits, regional aid and special regimes (e.g. the Canary Islands and startup law). Profits repatriate freely.

Greece taxes personal income progressively, corporate profits and VAT (FPA), run by the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE). Residents are taxed on worldwide income; special regimes target new residents.

Spain taxes personal income (IRPF), corporate profits and VAT (IVA), administered by the Agencia Tributaria (AEAT). Tax residents (183+ days) are taxed on worldwide income; regions set part of the personal rates.

Non-EU nationals need a work-authorising residence permit; EU citizens work freely. Routes include employed work, the EU Blue Card and a digital-nomad visa. The Ministry of Migration and Asylum handles residence permits.

Non-EU nationals need a work and residence authorisation to work in Spain; EU/EEA and Swiss citizens work freely. Common routes are employed work, the Highly Qualified Professional permit and self-employment, plus a digital-nomad visa for remote workers. Applications run through the immigration authorities and consulates.

Non-EU students accepted by a Greek institution obtain a national (D) visa first and then a student residence permit — two stages, not one. A confirmed place at a recognised institution is required, and applicants show funds, health cover and accommodation. Accommodation is the item most often left out of the plan. The residence permit is renewed while studies continue.

Non-EU students staying longer than 90 days need a Spanish student visa or stay authorisation, based on admission to an accredited institution, proof of sufficient funds and health insurance. You apply through the Spanish consulate covering your residence, with in-country procedures handled by the immigration authorities via the electronic administration portal. EU/EEA/Swiss students need no visa.

Greece is in the Schengen Area, so many nationalities visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Nationals who do need a visa apply for a Schengen short-stay visa at a Greek consulate. Tourist stays do not permit work or long-term residence.

Spain is in the Schengen Area, so short tourist or business visits follow Schengen rules: up to 90 days within any 180-day period across the whole area. Visa-exempt nationals need no visa; everyone else applies for a short-stay (type C) Schengen visa at the Spanish consulate covering their place of residence. A new ETIAS authorisation is being introduced for visa-exempt travellers.

Greece grants the EU long-term residence permit after generally 5 years of continuous legal residence, with income, health-insurance and Greek-language/integration requirements. It gives near-equal rights to nationals; separately, the Golden Visa offers residence through real-estate or other investment.

Spain grants long-term residence (residencia de larga duración) after generally 5 years of continuous legal residence, letting you live and work indefinitely on equal terms with Spaniards. You show continuous residence and a clean record; long-term residence then leads toward Spanish citizenship (often after 10 years).

Greece grants citizenship by naturalization after 7 years of legal residence, requiring Greek-language ability and knowledge of Greek history, geography, institutions and culture (the Panhellenic naturalization exam). Greece permits dual nationality.

Naturalization by residence normally requires 10 years of legal residence, but only 2 years for nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal or people of Sephardic origin (and 1 year in some family cases). You pass the DELE A2 Spanish exam and the CCSE culture/constitution test. Spain requires renouncing your prior nationality except for those dual-nationality countries.

Greek employment sets a national minimum wage, at least 20 working days' paid holiday (rising with service), and dismissal that generally requires notice and severance. Social insurance is via EFKA, and disputes go to the labour inspectorate (SEPE) and the courts.

Spanish employment is governed by the Workers' Statute: a national minimum wage (SMI), 30 calendar days' paid holiday, and dismissal that requires cause and severance (typically 20 or 33 days' pay per year). Most contracts are now permanent after the 2021 reform; sector collective agreements (convenios) apply, and disputes go to the social courts.

Greek trade with non-EU countries clears through the customs service of the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) with an EU EORI number, often via the major port of Piraeus. You classify goods in TARIC to find duty and import VAT (24%). Declarations use the ICISnet system; intra-EU trade needs Intrastat and dual-use exports need a licence.

Spanish trade with non-EU countries clears through the Spanish Tax Agency's Customs (Aduanas) with an EU EORI number. You classify goods in TARIC to find duty and import VAT (21% IVA), which can be deferred to your VAT return. Declarations use the DUA; intra-EU trade needs Intrastat and dual-use exports need a licence.

Greek trademarks are registered with the Hellenic Industrial Property Organisation (OBI) and the Trademarks Directorate. You search the register, file under Nice classes, and after examination it publishes for a three-month opposition period. A Greek trademark lasts 10 years and is renewable; an EU-wide alternative is the EU trademark via EUIPO, and copyright arises automatically.

Spanish trademarks are registered with the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM). You search the register, file under Nice classes, and it publishes in the Official Industrial Property Bulletin for a two-month opposition period. A Spanish trademark lasts 10 years and is renewable; an EU-wide alternative is the EU trademark via EUIPO, and copyright arises automatically.

Greece has a public employment agency, DYPA, but most vacancies circulate through private job boards, recruiters and direct employer hiring, so DYPA is best treated as a registration, benefits and training service rather than the main place to find work. The structural point for non-EU nationals is that Greece does not issue work rights as a standalone document: the right to work rides on a residence permit that allows it, so the permit category you hold decides what employment you may accept. EU and EEA citizens have free access to the labour market.

Spain's public employment service is SEPE, which runs the national job portal and the unemployment system, but it sits alongside regional employment services rather than replacing them — so there are two public layers to search, not one. Non-EU workers generally need a work-and-residence authorisation tied to a job offer, though the entrepreneur and digital-nomad routes exist as alternatives that do not depend on one. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can work freely.

Greece sets a national statutory minimum wage by government decision, revised periodically, and sector agreements sit alongside it. The figure is the legal floor for full-time work, so a part-time arrangement has to be assessed proportionally rather than compared against the headline directly. Registered pay carries both social-security contributions to EFKA and tax withholding, so build any net estimate from those two deductions.

Spain's statutory national minimum wage, the Salario Mínimo Interprofesional, is set by the government and quoted as a monthly figure paid in 14 instalments — not 12. That payment structure is the arithmetic trap: multiplying the monthly SMI by twelve understates the annual figure, so any cross-country comparison has to use the fourteen-payment basis. Pay is gross, with income tax (IRPF) and social-security contributions reducing take-home, and the INE is authoritative for wage data.

Greece's public scholarships for international students are offered mainly through the State Scholarships Foundation (IKY), alongside bilateral programs and individual university awards. Options are more limited than in some countries, so check IKY, your home-country agreements and each Greek university's site, and apply by the deadline.

Spain's main government scholarships for foreigners are the MAEC-AECID scholarships (run by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation under the Foreign Ministry), covering various master's, research and Spanish-language programs, alongside many university awards. Explore options on the AECID and university sites and apply by each deadline.

To study in Greece you apply to the university, then, once admitted, apply for a national (type-D) student visa at the Greek consulate and, after arrival, obtain a student residence permit. A growing number of master’s are in English. Explore the university sites and apply by the deadline.

To study in Spain you apply to the university, then, once admitted, apply for a student visa (visado de estudios) at the Spanish consulate. For stays over six months you obtain a foreigner ID card (TIE) after arrival. Explore options on the university sites and apply by the deadline.

Foreigners can buy property in Greece freely (border-area purchases by non-EU nationals may need permission). You need a Greek tax number (AFM). Renting typically requires a deposit of one to two months. Buying goes through a notary, is registered at the land registry/cadastre, and carries a property-transfer tax (about 3%). Buying above a threshold can also qualify for the Golden Visa.

Spain places no restriction on foreigners buying property; you just need an NIE (foreigner ID number). Renting is governed by the Urban Leases Law (LAU), with a deposit (fianza) usually of one month lodged with a regional body. Buying goes through a notario, is registered at the Land Registry (Registro de la Propiedad), and carries transfer tax (ITP, ~6–10% on resale) or 10% VAT on new homes.

Greece provides public healthcare through the national system (ESY), funded via social-security contributions to EFKA. Access is not automatic on arrival: insured residents reach public healthcare through EFKA registration, and you affiliate through work or another qualifying status. EU visitors can use the European Health Insurance Card for necessary care, and private insurance and clinics supplement the public system rather than replacing it.

Spain's public National Health System covers residents who contribute to social security — through work, self-employment or as a dependant — and it is run by the 17 autonomous communities, so practical details vary by region. People who do not contribute, such as non-lucrative or student visa holders, generally need private insurance. The route many miss: the Convenio Especial lets non-contributing residents join the public system for a monthly fee.

On the private side, Greek insurance is a short list: exactly one line is compulsory — third-party motor insurance, which you need in order to drive — and health, property and life cover are all optional and privately arranged. Private insurers are authorised and supervised by the Bank of Greece, so that is where verification happens rather than at a separate insurance regulator. The public social-insurance side runs separately through EFKA.

Spain's Seguridad Social provides pensions and social insurance, funded by both employer and employee contributions, and it is administered through the Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social — the treasury arm is the body that actually collects. Beyond mandatory health cover, motor third-party liability insurance is compulsory for vehicles. Insurers are supervised by the DGSFP, which is a directorate-general inside the ministry rather than a standalone agency.