Situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, Greece is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. It shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the northeast. Greece stretches over a land area of 132,049 square kilometers. The country is also bordered to the east by the Aegean Sea, to the south by the Mediterranean Sea, and the west by the Ionian Sea. Greece’s main industries are tourism, shipping, industrial products, food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, metal products, mining, and petroleum.
For global companies looking to hire in Greece, understanding local employment practices, payroll rules, and compliance requirements under Greek employment law is essential.
*Please note that the official currency is the currency of remuneration when employed through WorkMotion in Greece.
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Situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, Greece is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. It shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the northeast. Greece stretches over a land area of 132,049 square kilometers. The country is also bordered to the east by the Aegean Sea, to the south by the Mediterranean Sea, and the west by the Ionian Sea. Greece’s main industries are tourism, shipping, industrial products, food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, metal products, mining, and petroleum.
For global companies looking to hire in Greece, understanding local employment practices, payroll rules, and compliance requirements under Greek employment law is essential.
*Please note that the official currency is the currency of remuneration when employed through WorkMotion in Greece.
The national holidays mentioned below are valid for the year 2026 and are critical for hiring in Greece planning:
The national holidays mentioned below are valid for the year 2026 and apply to all employees hired under Greek employment law, including those onboarded via EOR services in Greece or Greece EOR services.
These dates form part of the mandatory statutory holidays in Greece and must be observed when you hire employees in Greece or hire contractors in Greece through an EOR.
| January 1 | New Year's Day | |
| January 6 | Epiphany | |
| February 23 | Pure Monday (Monday of Lent) | Movable |
| March 25 | Independence Day | |
| April 10 | Good Friday | Movable |
| April 12 | Easter Sunday | Movable |
| April 13 | Easter Monday | Movable |
| May 1 | Labour Day | |
| May 31 | Orthodox Whit Sunday | Movable |
| June 1 | Orthodox Whit Monday | Movable |
| August 15 | Assumption Day | |
| October 28 | Ochi Day (National Day) | |
| December 25 | Christmas Day | |
| December 26 | Boxing Day |
The approximate time for sharing the contract with an employee in Greece is 3 business days assuming no special requests or changes to our standard employment contract. Any such requests or changes would need to undergo internal or external review, directly leading to a time delay.
NOTE: This number is subject to change and is only an estimate of the Contract Sharing Time. The estimated Contract Sharing Time begins from the moment that WorkMotion has received all required information from both the client and the employee.
This streamlined process supports fast onboarding for companies choosing EOR in Greece to hire in Greece compliantly.
The great majority of individuals who are employed in the public and private sector and render dependent personal services are principally, directly, and compulsorily insured in the National Social Security Fund (e-EFKA) for old-age pension, maternity benefits, healthcare, unemployment benefits, and benefits for accidents at work and occupational diseases. Apart from the main contribution, e-EFKA compulsorily collects contributions for other minor funds created for the employee’s benefit (Unemployment Benefits Funds, etc.).
These statutory obligations are fully managed when companies rely on EOR services Greece to hire and manage talent.
| Benefits | Employer Contributions (Full-time employees) | Employer Contributions (Part-time employees) |
| Pension Fund | 13.33% | 13.33% |
| Supplementary insurance | 3% | 3% |
| Health Insurance | 4.05% | 4.05% |
| Other Funds | 1.41% | 1.89% |
| Total | 21.79% | 22.27% |
These statutory benefits are automatically administered when businesses use Employer of Record Greece or EOR Greece solutions.
In Greece, the first 12 months of an indefinite employment contract are considered a probationary period.
For the first 12 months, an open-ended employment contract can be terminated without notice or severance pay.
Thereafter, the employer is entitled to decide whether the employee will be dismissed with or without notice. If termination is carried out by the employer without notice, the employee will be entitled to full indemnity compensation.
Should the employer choose to terminate the employment contract with a notice period, the following notice period in Greece guidelines must be followed:
| Tenure | Notice Period |
| 0 to 12 months (Probation) | No notice required |
| 12 months to 2 years | 1 month |
| 2 to 5 years | 2 months |
| 5 to 10 years | 3 months |
| More than 10 years | 4 months |
In Greece, the first 12 months of an indefinite employment contract are considered a probationary period.
For the first 12 months, an open-ended employment contract can be terminated without notice or severance pay.
Thereafter, the employer is entitled to decide whether the employee will be dismissed with or without notice. If termination is carried out by the employer without notice, the employee will be entitled to full indemnity compensation.
Should the employer choose to terminate the employment contract with a notice period, the following notice period in Greece guidelines must be followed:
| Tenure | Notice Period |
| 0 to 12 months (Probation) | No notice required |
| 12 months to 2 years | 1 month |
| 2 to 5 years | 2 months |
| 5 to 10 years | 3 months |
| More than 10 years | 4 months |
The great majority of individuals who are employed in the public and private sector and render dependent personal services are principally, directly, and compulsorily insured in the National Social Security Fund (e-EFKA) for old-age pension, maternity benefits, healthcare, unemployment benefits, and benefits for accidents at work and occupational diseases. Apart from the main contribution, e-EFKA compulsorily collects contributions for other minor funds created for the employee’s benefit (Unemployment Benefits Funds, etc.).
These statutory obligations are fully managed when companies rely on EOR services Greece to hire and manage talent.
| Benefits | Employer Contributions (Full-time employees) | Employer Contributions (Part-time employees) |
| Pension Fund | 13.33% | 13.33% |
| Supplementary insurance | 3% | 3% |
| Health Insurance | 4.05% | 4.05% |
| Other Funds | 1.41% | 1.89% |
| Total | 21.79% | 22.27% |
These statutory benefits are automatically administered when businesses use Employer of Record Greece or EOR Greece solutions.
As an employer of record, WorkMotion serves as the legal employer in Greece, handling every step from contract generation to monthly payroll processing.
WorkMotion generates a locally compliant employment contract in Greek, aligned with the Greek Civil Code and the requirements laid out in Law 4808/2021 and Law 5239/2025.
The contract covers all mandatory terms:
Written contracts are the standard in Greece, and WorkMotion ensures every document reflects current labor law before the employee signs.
Before your new hire can start work, the employment relationship must be declared through Greece’s ERGANI II digital platform – the Ministry of Labour’s unified system for monitoring all employment relationships in the country.
WorkMotion submits the hiring declaration (the “Employment Start” document) to ERGANI II before the employee’s first day, as required by law.
Any subsequent changes to employment terms – pay increases, working hour adjustments, contract amendments – are also reported through ERGANI II within the statutory deadlines.
WorkMotion registers the employee with e-EFKA, Greece’s unified social security institution, covering pension (e-EFKA primary), supplementary pension (ETEAEP), healthcare (EOPYY), and unemployment insurance (DYPA).
Employer social security contributions in Greece run approximately 21.79% of gross salary.
WorkMotion calculates, withholds, and remits both employer and employee contributions each month, and files the mandatory Analytical Periodic Declaration (APD) with EFKA by the end of each month.
Greece requires 14 monthly salary payments per year, not 12.
WorkMotion administers the three mandatory bonus payments:
WorkMotion enrols employees in statutory annual leave (a minimum of 20 working days for a five-day week, increasing with tenure), sick leave, and maternity and paternity leave entitlements under Greek law.
WorkMotion runs monthly payroll in euros, applying Greece’s progressive income tax rates and the correct social security contribution rates for each employee.
Income tax is withheld at source and remitted to the Hellenic Tax Authority (AADE) by the 15th of the following month. Payslips are issued to employees each cycle.
WorkMotion monitors the ERGANI II and EFKA systems for any regulatory updates that affect payroll calculations.
Greek labour laws are always evolving.
For example, in October 2025, Law 5239/2025 introduced huge changes to overtime limits, digital resignation procedures, parental leave extensions, and the Digital Work Card system.
WorkMotion’s legal and compliance team tracks these changes and updates employment terms, payroll configurations, and reporting processes accordingly.
For most companies hiring one to a few employees in Greece, the comparison between EOR and entity setup is straightforward.
However, it’s worth seeing the numbers side by side.
| WorkMotion EOR | Setting Up a Greece Entity | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup cost | No entity setup cost | Typically €5,000–€20,000+ in legal, notarial, and registration fees |
| Time to first hire | Days from signed contract | Typically 6–12 weeks for full entity registration and EFKA/ERGANI setup |
| Ongoing legal exposure | WorkMotion holds employer liability under Greek law | Your entity is directly liable for all labor law compliance, payroll accuracy, and regulatory filings |
| Ongoing admin burden | WorkMotion manages ERGANI II declarations, EFKA contributions, payroll, and tax filings | Your team manages all monthly ERGANI II and EFKA submissions, payroll, tax remittances, and labor inspectorate obligations |
| Exit flexibility | Scale down or exit without entity dissolution | Closing a Greek entity involves formal dissolution procedures, employee termination obligations, and regulatory deregistration |
EOR fits companies that need to hire in Greece quickly, want to test the market before committing to a permanent structure, or are hiring a small number of employees and don’t want the overhead of a local entity.
If you’re planning to build a large, permanent team in Greece and want full operational control over employment terms and benefits design, entity setup is worth evaluating — and WorkMotion’s Direct Hiring solution can support that transition when you’re ready.
Greece has a well-developed labour law framework that has been actively updated in recent years.
Companies that approach hiring in Greece like a simpler market tend to encounter the same compliance gaps.
Greece requires three mandatory bonus payments per year — Christmas, Easter, and vacation bonuses — totalling two additional months of gross salary annually.
Foreign employers who budget based on 12 monthly salaries underestimate total employment cost by roughly 16.7%. WorkMotion calculates and administers all three bonus payments on the correct statutory schedule, so your finance team has an accurate cost picture from day one.
Check out our employment cost calculator to get an idea of how much hiring in Greece will cost you.
Every new hire must be declared through the ERGANI II platform before the employee starts work — not after. Missing this deadline triggers fines from the Hellenic Labour Inspectorate.
Any subsequent change to employment terms — a salary increase, a shift in working hours, a contract amendment — also requires a separate ERGANI II submission within statutory timeframes.
Greece has sector-specific Collective Labour Agreements (CLAs) that set minimum pay rates, shift premiums, and other conditions for employees in particular industries.
These apply regardless of whether your company has a union or has signed any agreement directly. Businesses that rely solely on the statutory minimum wage without checking applicable CLAs risk underpaying employees and facing back-pay claims.
Ending an employment relationship in Greece is not a simple notice-and-pay process. For indefinite-term contracts, the employer must complete a digital termination declaration (replacing the former E6 form) in ERGANI II, have it signed by the authorized representative, deliver it to the employee, and submit it to ERGANI II within four working days of the termination date.
Severance pay must be deposited into the employee’s bank account on the termination date itself. Failure to follow this sequence creates legal exposure.
Greece has been rolling out a mandatory Digital Work Card system — an electronic, real-time working-time monitoring mechanism connected to ERGANI II — across sectors.
The system is already mandatory in banking, retail, manufacturing, and other industries, with further sectors being added. Foreign employers who don’t operate a compliant digital time-tracking system in covered sectors face penalties.
WorkMotion monitors the expansion schedule and ensures clients in affected sectors meet their obligations.
Greece’s personal income tax is progressive, starting at 9% for income up to €10,000 annually and rising to 44% for income above €40,000.
Employers must withhold the correct amount each month and remit it to the Hellenic Tax Authority (AADE) by the 15th of the following month.
Errors in withholding — whether under or over — create reconciliation problems and potential penalties. WorkMotion applies the correct tax rates to every payroll cycle and manages all AADE filings.
Germany and the Netherlands face acute shortages of software engineers, product managers, and data specialists. Greece has a growing technology sector and a well-educated, multilingual workforce — with competitive salary levels compared to Western Europe.
German and Dutch SMEs in B2B SaaS, AI, and fintech use WorkMotion’s employer of record in Greece to hire senior technical talent without setting up a Greek subsidiary. The hire is onboarded in days; the company retains full operational control.
UK companies that previously hired freely across the EU now need a compliant employment structure for every European hire.
Greece — with its EU membership, English-speaking professional workforce, and growing tech and professional services sectors — is an increasingly attractive destination for UK scale-ups to hire from.
WorkMotion’s EOR in Greece gives UK companies a legally sound employment structure without requiring them to register a Greek entity or navigate Greek company law independently.
Remote-first companies in e-commerce, green tech, and digital services don’t restrict hiring to a single geography.
When a strong candidate is based in Athens or Thessaloniki, WorkMotion’s Greece EOR removes the compliance barrier.
The employee gets a proper employment relationship — full statutory benefits, compliant contract, payroll in euros — and the company avoids the entity setup that would otherwise make a single remote hire impractical.
You’ve found the right person in Greece. WorkMotion handles what comes next — the ERGANI II declaration, the EFKA registration, the locally compliant contract, the mandatory bonus structure, and monthly payroll in euros.
Because WorkMotion operates through its own entity in Greece, there’s no third-party intermediary between your hire and compliant employment.
Onboarding typically takes days, not the weeks or months that entity setup requires.
Book a demo and speak with a WorkMotion expert about hiring in Greece.
WorkMotion operates through its own entity in Greece, which means there is no intermediary between your hire and a compliant employment relationship.
This matters because direct entity ownership gives WorkMotion full accountability for ERGANI II declarations, EFKA registrations, payroll filings, and labor law compliance — rather than delegating those obligations to a local partner whose compliance posture you can’t independently verify.
Onboarding through WorkMotion’s employer of record in Greece typically takes days from the point of a signed contract — not the six to twelve weeks that registering a Greek entity and completing ERGANI II and EFKA setup would require.
The timeline assumes all required employee information is provided promptly, since the ERGANI II hiring declaration must be submitted before the employee’s first working day.
The total employment cost in Greece includes the gross salary plus employer social security contributions of approximately 21.79%, plus the mandatory 14-salary structure — three statutory bonus payments (Christmas, Easter, and vacation bonuses) that together add the equivalent of two additional months of gross salary per year.
A company budgeting based on 12 monthly salaries will underestimate annual employment cost by roughly 16.7%, which is one of the most common financial planning errors foreign employers make when hiring in Greece for the first time.
Yes – sector-specific Collective Labour Agreements (CLAs) in Greece apply based on the employee’s industry and role, regardless of whether the hiring company has signed any agreement or has union representation.
This means an employee in, for example, the technology or retail sector may be entitled to minimum pay rates and conditions set by the applicable CLA, not just the statutory national minimum wage.
Greece’s Digital Work Card is a mandatory real-time electronic working time monitoring system connected to ERGANI II, currently required across banking, retail, manufacturing, and several other sectors — with further industries being added on a rolling basis.
Companies hiring employees in covered sectors must ensure compliant digital time-tracking is in place; failure to do so triggers penalties from the Hellenic Labor Inspectorate.
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