Greece Will Pay You €10,000 to Move North: Who Qualifies
Greece wants people to move back to its northern borderlands, and it is now willing to pay them to do it. Starting Wednesday, October 14, an online platform will accept applications for a €10,000 relocation grant for anyone who settles permanently in one of ten regional units across Macedonia and Epirus, Social Cohesion and Family Minister Domna Michailidou announced. The scheme first ran in Evros and is now being widened, with looser rules that matter a great deal to Greeks living abroad, as Kathimerini reported.
The new areas are the regional units of Kilkis, Florina, Kastoria, Drama, Pella, Grevena, Kozani, Serres, Ioannina and Thesprotia. In Ioannina, seven of the eight municipalities are included, and in Thesprotia the grant covers the municipalities of Souli and Filiates, according to the Greek edition of Kathimerini. Many of these places, from the lakeside mansions of Kastoria to the villages around Florina and the stone towns of Epirus, lost much of their population to emigration in the 20th century, which is exactly why so many diaspora families still have roots, and often a house, there.
What changed in the expanded program
The biggest change is that applicants no longer have to prove they have a job in the area. That requirement was dropped under Law 5322/2026, Insider reported, which opens the door to remote workers, retirees and people who are between jobs. Instead, you must actually move your main residence there and either own or rent a home. The move can be to a town or city, not just a small village, and households of any size can apply.
The money comes in two equal payments. The first €5,000 is paid as an advance once your application is approved, to help with moving costs. The second €5,000 arrives after you have lived in the area permanently for one year. Your new municipality is expected to check that you really live there, and families with children under 18 will need to show the kids are enrolled at a local school, according to E-Radio.
Who can apply, and the catch for Greeks outside Europe
Eligibility now explicitly includes Greek citizens who live in other European Union countries, as well as graduates of university departments in these regions (who finished after January 1, 2025) who choose to stay, Euro2day reported. Coverage so far mentions applicants living in Greece or abroad, but the announcements single out the EU. If you live in the United States, Canada or Australia, do not assume you are covered until the official call and joint ministerial decision (KYA) are published on the platform. The exact rules will be in that text.
If you are a Greek American who has always dreamed of moving to Greece full time, this is also a reminder that holding Greek citizenship is often what makes a move like this simple. A Greek passport gives you the right to live and work anywhere in the EU (see our explainer on EU freedom of movement with a Greek passport), and our citizenship checker shows in a few minutes whether you qualify through a parent or grandparent.
How to prove you have moved
To get paid, every adult in the household needs an official tax record showing their main residence is in the new municipality, plus proof of housing. Insider lists three ways to show it:
a notarial deed for a home bought on or after January 1, 2025, inside the eligible area;
a residential lease of at least three years, declared to the tax authority (AADE), starting on or after January 1, 2025; or
a home declared as your main residence that you own outright, own a share of, or hold as usufruct, or that a relative up to the second degree (such as a parent, child, grandparent or sibling) has given you to use.
That third option is the one many diaspora families should read twice. If you inherited your grandparents' house in a village near Kozani or Kastoria, or own a share of it with cousins, it may count. The problem is that many of these homes were never formally passed down. The inheritance was not accepted, the property was never declared on the E9 form, or it is still missing from the land registry. Before you can declare an inherited house as your main residence, the paperwork has to be in order. Our guides on inheriting Greek property without flying to Greece and cadastral registration after inheritance explain the steps.
Practical checklist before October 14
Get a Greek tax number (AFM) and Taxisnet access if you do not have them yet. Our guide to the AFM covers how.
Sort out any inherited property: accept the inheritance, file the declarations and register it with the cadastre. See our Greek property inheritance guide for 2026.
Compare the cost of living. Rents in these regions are far below Athens; our pages on the cost of living in Ioannina, whether Serres is expensive and whether Drama is good for families are a good start.
Think about taxes. Moving your main residence to Greece usually makes you a Greek tax resident, with filing duties on worldwide income. Read our article on Greek tax filing deadlines for citizens abroad and talk to an advisor before you move.
Watch for the official call. Applications are expected on the ministry's online platform from October 14; check the final eligibility rules, deadlines and documents there before applying.
Be realistic, too. Ten thousand euros helps with a move, but it is not a reason on its own to uproot a family. Spend time in the area first, ideally in winter, and read our honest list of the challenges of living in Greece alongside the reasons people love it. Places like Ioannina, Serres and Drama offer universities, hospitals and a lower cost of living, but job markets are small, which is why the scheme now suits remote workers and retirees best (see our guide on how to retire in Greece).
How GetGreece can help
GetGreece helps Greeks abroad handle the paperwork remotely, by power of attorney. We can get your AFM and act as your tax representative, settle and register an inherited family home so it can be used as a main residence, help you buy or sell property in Greece, and move your Greek citizenship application forward. For stories from people who made the move back, listen to the Greece Chats Podcast.
Sources: Kathimerini English Edition, Kathimerini, Insider.gr, Euro2day, E-Radio and Greek City Times. Photo: TijsB, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. This article is general information, not legal or tax advice.
