practical tips emigrating to Crete
From deregistration in the Netherlands to residence permits, healthcare and insurance.
Do you want to change course and move to Crete, just like we did? On this page you will find everything we experienced during our emigration. We share practical tips and our personal experiences to help you realize your dream. Do you not want to emigrate yet, but do you want to buy a house or rent it temporarily? Then take a look at our other page.
the time has finally come
preparing to emigrate to Crete
An important tip before you move: the Greek government wants to see legalized documents for certain matters, documents with an Apostille. It is useful to have a clear idea of which documents these are before your move, so that you can arrange them with the court in the Netherlands.
We are not experts in the field of Greek taxes, Greek legislation, real estate in Greece, Greek insurance etc. Also realize that your situation is different from ours. That is why our advice is to always be informed by the authorities in your own country and in Greece.
moving my company to Greece
When we started looking into whether we could continue our businesses from Crete, we had a lot of contact with 2 people from the Tax Authorities and a foreign expert from the Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands. These 3 people have given us a lot of useful information, but we also had to put a lot of effort into it. So don’t just settle for a standard reply email from a company and just keep asking questions.
What we have experienced is that the authorities basically want to help you,
but they point at each other, so it is not really clear what to do. For example, the tax authorities say that they only deal with taxes and do not decide whether or not you can keep your company in the Netherlands. This is determined by the Chamber of Commerce, which in turn views it slightly differently.
When we emigrated to Crete, our companies were still registered in the Netherlands. It soon became clear that, despite the treaty for the avoidance of double taxation in the EU, it was wiser to end both companies in the Netherlands and for Monique to establish her company in Greece.
Special tax regime
Frequent consultation was required between our Greek and Dutch accountants during the annual tax return. Our Dutch accountant was not sufficiently informed about Greek tax legislation (logical) and our Greek accountant Michalis warned us several times that the Greek tax authorities might impose fines.
The problem was that given the permanent residence on Crete, the income was actually generated in Greece, while the company was based
in the Netherlands. In such situations, the Greek tax authorities believe that the company should be established in Greece and the Greek tax authorities have the right to levy income tax first.
For peace of mind and to avoid problems, we have decided to follow the advice of the Greek accountant Michalis. This also had an important financial advantage for us. Monique’s company qualified for a special scheme in Greece whereby she only has to pay tax on 50% of her profit for 7 years.
Michalis Mathioudis
Greek accountant
Examples Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber of Commerce website lists some examples of situations in which you may or may not keep your business in the Netherlands. See https://www.kvk.nl/veilig-zakendoen/zzpen-vanuit-het-buitenland-5-voordeelen/
In our own country
Deregister when emigrating
Shortly before we emigrated, we made an appointment with our municipality to deregister. This is mandatory when you emigrate. Unsubscribing only takes a few minutes, but not without consequences. The Municipality automatically informs the Tax Authorities, insurance companies, the Chamber of Commerce (if you have a company), the pension fund and a few other authorities.
To determine whether we could keep our health insurance in the Netherlands, we then had to have a so-called WLZ (Long-term Care Act) investigation carried out by the SVB (Social Insurance Bank). Their decision is binding. They assess, among other things, where you will live, what your ties are with the Netherlands after emigration and whether you work in the Netherlands while living abroad. In our case, we could not keep health insurance in the Netherlands, which was already clear because we were going abroad permanently and would also carry out our work there.
For example, if you have a company in the Netherlands where you are still active, the SVB may decide that your health insurance in the Netherlands should continue. So keep this in mind!
Request proof of deregistration
When deregistering, ask the municipality for international proof of deregistration. You may need this proof to register outside the Netherlands. The rules differ per country.
Renew passport and driver's license
Before you emigrate, check the validity of your passport and driver’s license. It is much easier and faster to renew this before you emigrate. Your passport is registered everywhere in Greece (bank, tax authorities, etc.) and it will take a lot of effort to have your new passport changed at the Greek authorities. Once you live in Crete, you must make an appointment at the Dutch embassy in Athens to renew your passport.
Finally!
moving to Crete
We moved to Crete in October 2022. In the months before the move, we sold a lot of stuff and took it to thrift stores. The items that came with us were picked up at our doorstep in the Netherlands by Minoan Logistics and delivered to our doorstep in Crete a week and a half later.
If you are transporting items internationally, the carrier must have a list of the items they are transporting. Partly for this reason, we had given each item that went into the truck a unique number. This number corresponded to the number on an Excel list that stated what it was (or what was in that box) and also which room this box had to go to. This way, when the truck was emptied in Crete, we could immediately tell whether the box had to go to the bedroom, living room or kitchen. The people at Minoan helped us enormously with this.
Moving list
There is a lot to consider when moving abroad. We had made a list of things that we all had to arrange, privately and professionally. You must deregister with the Municipality, cancel insurance, contact the tax authorities, bank, doctor, dentist, pharmacy, cancel subscriptions, return items, legalize documents, arrange a postal address in the Netherlands, arrange vaccinations for the dog and find out what the impact of emigration is on our sole proprietorships in the Netherlands.
What we have experienced is that you have to have a lot of patience, have to figure out a lot of things, often have to wait on the phone for a long time and, especially if you have your own business, you are often sent from pillar to post by the authorities.
Download our moving list with points for preparation here!
Request multiple quotes
We have requested quotes from 5 different international moving companies to move our belongings to Crete. It will not surprise you that there was a difference of more than €4,000 between the most expensive quote and the cheapest. Some moving companies charge all kinds of extra costs for things that others offer for free. Also pay attention to whether and how your belongings are insured during transport.
Always contact experts
Our advice is to start figuring things out in time. Don’t just rely on things you read on Facebook. However well-intentioned, you are aware that your situation may be different from that of others.
Therefore, always contact the relevant authorities yourself (health care provider, tax authorities, bank, Chamber of Commerce, Social Insurance Bank, Employee Insurance Agency of the Netherlands – UWV). They know your specific situation and can best advise you what to do.
Get rid of things or move with them?
Depending on the carrier, you can easily pay around €300 for every cubic meter of stuff you take with you. Items that take up a relatively large amount of space in the truck but are not very expensive are better off getting rid of and buying new in Crete.
Check your DigiD or request a new one
If you no longer live in the Netherlands and still contact the Dutch government, you will often need a DigiD to log in to their websites. Therefore, before leaving abroad, check whether your DigiD still works and if you do not have it, request it in time before you leave.
Minoan logistics
International transport company
residency permit card
Apply for a residence permit in Crete
About 2 months after we emigrated to Crete, we registered in Greece. You can register at the local police station in the “alien affairs” department (really).
We had asked a Greek lawyer about the procedure and had all the requested documents with us. Once we arrived at the police station in the right department, we dutifully sat down in a crowded hallway with people waiting.
Finally a man came up to us from an office and asked us what we wanted. Even though we already had all the correct documents with us, we had to make an appointment for the following week, again with the papers. Including: passports, passport photos, proof of health insurance, rental or ownership contract for a home, proof of (balance on) a Greek bank account and proof of income.
The following week we were ready again at the “alien affairs” department with all the requested papers. After waiting about 15 minutes, the same man came up to us and asked us for the papers, which he took into his office.
When he came out again, he asked us one by one to stand in front of a wall and he took a picture of us himself. It almost felt like you were a criminal who had to have a police photo taken, but hey, everything was for a good cause, we thought. And yes, shortly afterwards he came to us again with the residence permit! We had to sign a few more signatures and immediately afterwards we received our residence permit, without having to pay anything. Patience is a virtue in Greece.
No need for a lawyer
Arranging a residence permit in Crete is not difficult. At least not when we applied for this in 2022. Three things are important:
1. Go to a police station in the place where you will live and inquire about the procedure and documents required for a Residency Permit Card.
2. Stay friendly and calm. Wait your turn and treat the police with respect. This is really the fastest way to get your residence permit.
3. If you do not dare to arrange your residence permit yourself, request several quotes from lawyers. That is very normal in Greece. A lawyer charged us €1,000 for this and we ended up doing it ourselves and it cost us nothing at all except for petrol.
health care, your home and other
Insurance on Crete
You have public health insurance and private health insurance. You ‘get’ public health insurance AMKA if you are employed in Greece or have your own company in Greece. It is a health insurance from the State and provides basic care that even the Greeks say does not reimburse anything or does not amount to much. You can arrange AMKA at EFKA. To do this, you must make an appointment at an EFKA office and ensure that you have the required documents (often officially translated into Greek) with you. Be prepared for long waiting times and an inefficient process when you visit EFKA. Even if you have made an appointment. As a self-employed person you pay approximately €160 per month in EFKA contributions.
AMKA public insurance
Because Monique registered her company in Greece, she was required to register with the EFKA to arrange AMKA insurance. Our Greek accountant was very helpful. He made the appointment for us at the EFKA and indicated which documents we needed to take with us. Like true Dutch people, we arrived on time and took a seat in the waiting area. There were 4 counters, but despite the waiting area becoming increasingly full, there was only 1 lady available to help people. A second lady sat looking rather grumpily at her papers and a third lady walked around like a kind of guard.
While waiting we noticed that people came in and that they walked to the only available counter without waiting and then said all sorts of things to the lady and were therefore helped sooner. Since we did not yet speak the language well, we understood little of it and felt at a disadvantage. In our best Greek and half English, we tried to throw a ball at counter 2 (the one with the grumpy lady) to see if we were doing the right thing in waiting, since we had an appointment. We were curtly directed back to the seats, we just had to wait.
When it was finally our turn (it turned out to be a kind of appointment, because our name was called) the lady was quite friendly. Especially after we put our best foot forward and showed off our learned Greek here and there. Now it also became clear why people had previously “crashed in” without waiting: we were sent away to make extra copies of certain documents. We were then allowed to join immediately if we had done so. Richard was then sent to a higher floor with a document to get an initial from another employee. Monique was allowed to remain standing and still had to sign countless signatures. Finally, after more than 3 hours at the EFKA, we got the AMKA we needed.
Independant insurance agent
We connected with Carmen, a certified, independent, Dutch-speaking insurance agent with over 30 years of professional experience, through Facebook. She has lived in Greece for 20 years. Coincidentally, she used to live in the same place in the Netherlands as where we lived. She has helped us excellently from the start with all our Greek insurances. It is very nice to know someone who speaks the language well and can help you find the most suitable insurance policies that suit you. Carmen is an absolute professional and very friendly and helpful. We can highly recommend her.
Carmen van Laren
Insurance agent
Public or private healthcare?
You are not eligible for the public health insurance AMKA if you do not have a business in Greece or are employed by a Greek company.
If you do not meet this requirement, you can take out private healthcare through an insurance agent or by contacting a local or international insurance company such as Interamerican, CNP or Interasco.
Arrange temporary health insurance
In our situation, our Dutch health insurance expired on the date we emigrated to Crete. Since we were unable to arrange Greek health insurance within 2 weeks, we temporarily took out health insurance through OOM in the Netherlands to bridge this gap. They offer health insurance for people who move abroad or stay there for a few months.
apostille
Legalization of documents
Before we emigrated, we digitized important documents. This includes passports, diplomas, wills, birth certificates, marriage certificates and the like. This has come in handy for many things here on Crete.
Greek authorities sometimes request official stamps on documents or a ‘verified’ signature. You can have the latter done in Crete at a so-called KEP (Citizen Service Centre) office in your new place of residence. You can come in without an appointment
document and your passport and then you will receive the necessary stamp. There are no costs involved. We have been there dozens of times and as soon as we walk in we are recognized.
In other cases, a Greek lawyer will ask you to officially legalize a document. Legalization requires that you take this form to the notary in the Netherlands and/or obtain an apostille (stamp) at the local court. This is necessary to prove the authenticity of a signature to the Greek authorities or government.
Please note: it is of course very easy for the lawyer to ask you to do this, but legalizing a document with an apostille is not always easy to arrange and in some cases not even necessary. Are you aware of that? As long as you have not yet emigrated, it is easier to arrange an apostille. A birth and marriage certificate are examples of documents that are usually multilingual and easily available. These do not need to be legalized by means of an apostille.
Do you need an apostille or not?
The Apostille Convention is a treaty between several countries that provides a simple procedure for using official documents abroad. The Netherlands and Greece are both members of this treaty.
Maybe your lawyer asks to legalize a document with the apostille? Our tip is: do your own research into whether you need an apostille because it is not always necessary and you will save yourself a lot of time and costs. In some cases you can arrange an e-apostille online.
For more information, see:
don’t forget
Greek will
A few months before we emigrated, we updated our will in the Netherlands. Our Dutch notary advised us to also draw up a Greek will for the property in Greece.
In Greece, Greek inheritance law applies, unless you explicitly state in your will that the law of your country of birth applies according to the EU Inheritance Regulation. In theory this is all correct, but in practice you would be wise to draw up a supplementary Greek will for the real estate you own in Greece. There are plenty of stories in circulation where Greek notaries do not automatically follow a will from another country.
In Greece, to draw up a will (“will”) you need a lawyer who is also a sworn translator. He is present at the meeting with the notary to translate and he must also sign. In our case, the Greek will was a personal and handwritten letter with our specific wishes and our signature on it. These were placed in an envelope, stamped and placed in our file. To be sure, we have passed on the file number to the Dutch notary to mention it in our Dutch will. We have also informed our children that there is both a Dutch and a Greek will.
Request various quotes
Request various quotes from notaries and lawyers to help you with this. We had a quote from a lawyer who charged €1,000 + 24% vat and we ultimately settled it for €250. Most notaries (and lawyers) can help you with a sample will. In our case, we each had to draw up our own handwritten will. This will be stored sealed at the notary.
Don’t forget to inform your relatives about the Greek will. We also provided our notary in the Netherlands with the number of the Greek will including details.
recommended:
5 tips when emigrating to Crete
1. Avoid double taxation: use the M-form (Netherlands). Do not forget to complete the M-form with the Dutch Tax Authorities after your emigration. With this you can sometimes get hundreds to thousands of euros back (think of overpaid payroll tax, mortgage interest deduction, etc.).
2. Use Wise or Revolut for financial matters (instead of just a Greek bank) Many Greek banks have high transaction costs, including for internet purchases. Use an international banking app like Wise or Revolut for cheap exchange rates and cross-border payments. Many expats use them every day.
3. Collect paper copies and digital versions of all documents Greek authorities sometimes ask for stamps and original papers. Make digital scans of all documents for your move and create a folder with printed copies of your passport, AFM number, rental contract, permits, and the like. This prevents frustration with every request.
4. Learn a few basic Greek phrases and don’t just say “Kalimera” Even if you are not fluent in Greek, a few words like “Parakaló” (please), “Efcharistó” (thank you), “Signómi” (sorry), “Endáxi” (okay) are greatly appreciated. It opens doors, provides better service and possibly lower prices.
5. Greece has no wealth tax / box 3 tax We only found out later that Greece does not have wealth tax like the Netherlands has (box 3: savings, investments, crypto).