Greece Company Formation Cost (2025–2026): What You’ll Pay to Register, Launch, and Run a Company

Thinking of setting up a company in Greece? Good news: incorporation is fast and mostly online thanks to the e-One-Stop Service (e-OSS) and GEMI (the General Commercial Registry). Below is a cost-first guide that shows typical state fees, notary/legal costs, minimum capital by entity, and early payroll/tax overheads, with links to authoritative sources.

The short version (ballpark)

• Cheapest route: IKE (Private Capital Company) via e-OSS with model articles—state/registry fees from ~€18–€60; no notary if you use the model statute and have no in-kind contributions. Legal help is optional but common.
• For larger ventures: AE (Société Anonyme) needs €25,000 minimum share capital and often a notarial deed(depending on how you incorporate). Expect notary + advisory costs, so your up-front bill is higher than an IKE.
• Ongoing payroll/tax: CIT is 22%; social-security employer ~21.79% / employee ~13.37% (headline 2025 figures). These affect your run-rate more than one-off formation fees.

One-off setup costs (by task)

1) State & registry fees (e-OSS / GEMI / Chamber)

• e-OSS (online IKE setup): Government procedure pages and investor guides show online constitution fees from ~€18; some private guides quote €18–€60 depending on route and extras.
• GEMI / Chamber (ACCI) entries: Law-firm schedules list small fixed charges (e.g., €10 GEMI, €10 Chamberto register) plus an annual Chamber subscription (often €80–€150, depending on chamber/size). Treat these as nominal add-ons.
• AFM (Greek Tax ID) issuance: No material fee; your lawyer/accountant may charge for representation. Greece’s own portal details digital business setup and automatic cross-registrations (AFM/EFKA) through e-YMS.

Typical subtotal (paper-light IKE): €30–€200 in state/registry/chamber fees.

2) Notary (when do you need one?)

• IKE: No notary if you use the model articles via e-OSS and no in-kind contributions. You do need a notary if you customize articles or contribute assets that legally require a notarial transfer.
• AE: Can be formed by notarial deed or private document, but in practice many AE formations use a notary, especially with bespoke articles or asset contributions.

Market ranges: Notary quoting varies by pages/complexity; private guides show €500–€2,000 as a typical spectrum for a straightforward company deed in Greece.

3) Legal & advisory

• Formation packs (optional): draft/negotiation of articles, shareholder terms, KAD code mapping, bank KYC, and e-OSS filing. Firms usually quote fixed fees; public ranges cluster around €1,000–€3,000+ depending on complexity (multi-shareholder, cross-border POAs, in-kind capital, etc.). (Representative law-firm pages and global set-up briefs.)

Minimum share capital (by legal form)

Form	Min. capital	Notes
IKE (Private Capital Company)	€1	Flexible: contributions can be cash, kind, or services/guarantee; no notary with model statute; best for startups/SMEs.
AE (Société Anonyme)	€25,000	Set by Law 4548/2018; capital usually paid in at formation; more formal governance; common for scale and listings.

“Hidden” taxes at formation (what to budget)

• Capital duty / capital concentration duty: Greece has modernised transaction taxes. The legacy stamp duty was abolished and replaced by Digital Transaction Duty (DTD) for specific non-VAT transactions; Law 5162/2024and later reforms expanded tax-neutral corporate transformations and eased old duties in many cases. Always confirm whether your capital increase or transformation still attracts any residual 0.2% capital duty in your fact pattern (banks, SAs, increases).
• Share capital increases in AE: Some micro levies (e.g., 0.1% in favour of the competition committee) still appear in PwC’s “Other taxes” page—so check the live rule before large capital actions.

Running costs you’ll meet right after formation

1) Corporate income tax and filings

• CIT rate: 22% for most companies (banks on a special regime higher).
• Accounting standards: Most SMEs use Greek Accounting Standards (Law 4308/2014); listed groups use IFRS. IFRS is allowed for others that opt-in with audit.
• Audit thresholds: Audit generally kicks in if you exceed two of three: assets €4m, turnover €8m, 50 employees(illustrative market guide; check current size-criteria updates).

2) Payroll overhead (if you hire)

• Employer social security (~2025): ~21.79%; employee ~13.37% (caps apply). These are the biggest early cash-flow items after net pay.

3) VAT registration & compliance

• Standard VAT 19%? (No-Greece is 24% standard; 13%/6% reduced apply.) However, incorporation itself isn’t about VAT cost; it’s your operating returns that matter. Use AADE systems (myAADE / myBusinessSupport) for registrations and filings.

Example budgets (indicative)

Lean IKE (model articles, 1–2 founders, no in-kind):

• e-OSS/GEMI/Chamber fees: €30–€200. 
• Notary: €0 (none required in this scenario).
• Legal/advisory: €1,000–€2,000 (optional, but helps with KAD, AFM, bank KYC).
• Total cash out (excl. share capital): ~€1,030–€2,200.

AE (custom statute + notary):

• Notary fees: €800–€2,000 (range).
• Registry/Chamber/misc.: €100–€300.
• Legal/advisory: €2,000–€5,000+ (more shareholders, BoD rules, bank KYC). 
• Share capital: €25,000 (paid-in per law).
• Total cash out (incl. capital commitment): €27,900–€32,300+ (of which €25,000 is your own capital).

Why ranges? Notary pages and law-firm quotes vary by length of deed, translations, apostilles, POAs, and in-kind transfers.

Step-by-step: keeping costs down

1. Pick IKE unless you truly need AE features. IKE offers €1 minimum capital and no notary with the model statute—this is the sharpest way to minimise formation spend.
2. Use the model statute in e-OSS. It’s designed for speed and fee minimisation; only switch to a bespoke deed if you need complex shareholder terms or in-kind capital.
3. Budget for payroll from day one. Employer 21.79% plus gross pay drives your monthly burn more than the one-time fees.
4. Know the tax baseline. CIT 22%; check whether you want to opt into IFRS (which requires audit).
5. Watch the “new” transaction taxes. Greece abolished stamp duty and introduced Digital Transaction Duty (DTD) for specific acts, and updated tax-neutral rules for corporate transformations-useful for later restructurings without extra duty.

FAQs

Is a notary always required?
No. IKE via e-OSS with model articles needs no notary. AE can be formed by notarial deed or private instrument, but notarial formation is common. In-kind contributions and bespoke articles tend to require a notary.

What is the absolute minimum I can spend to form a company?
If you choose IKE, use the model statute, and do filings yourself, your state fees can be under €60. Most foreign founders still hire a lawyer or service firm for KAD, AFM, bank KYC, and translations – so expect €1–3k in professional costs.

What about capital taxes when I inject funds?
Greece has reworked transaction taxes (stamp duty out, DTD in for certain cases) and expanded tax-neutral transformations under Law 5162/2024. For plain cash capitalisation, check if any 0.2% capital duty still applies to your specific entity/action; for transformations, many duties are now exempt/neutral.

What’s the corporate income tax rate?
22% for most companies; see the Ministry/Big-4 summaries for bank-specific rules.

What payroll rates should I plan for 2026?
Plan near the 2025 baselines (~21.79% employer / 13.37% employee) and check the late-2025/early-2026 circulars for any tweaks.

Bottom line

If cost is the priority, form an IKE via e-OSS, stick to the model statute, and keep state fees to tens of euros; then budget €1–3k for professional help if you want a turn-key file, KAD codes, AFM, and a bank account. If you need AE governance and €25k capital, plan for notary + legal and a higher up-front spend. Either way, your monthly run-ratewill be driven more by payroll contributions and CIT compliance than by the one-off incorporation fee.

For lawyer-vetted checklists, entity comparisons, and a plug-and-play budget template, visit Soneverse and explore our law guide.