Greece Drafts 10% Crypto Tax: What the Rules Would Mean
Greece is drafting a clearer tax rulebook for cryptocurrency. Under a bill the Ministry of National Economy and Finance put to public consultation, individuals would pay a 10% tax on capital gains from transferring crypto-assets, with net gains of up to €500 a year exempt, according to the ministry press release and reporting by OT.gr (in Greek) and CoinDesk.
This is a draft, not law yet. The consultation runs until 22 October 2026 at 10:00 Athens time, and the ministry aims to take the bill to parliament in early November. Rates and details can still change. Here is what the draft would mean for local Greeks, for diaspora Greeks who are (or may become) Greek tax residents, and for anyone watching how Greece treats crypto.
The crypto chapter sits inside a broader bill that mainly covers loan servicers and debtor protection. The ministry says the crypto rules are meant to close a legislative gap and give taxpayers more certainty.
Who would be taxed
The draft targets individuals' capital gains from transferring crypto-assets, taxed at 10%. Tax residency is what usually decides whether Greek tax applies to worldwide gains, so living in Athens, Thessaloniki, or abroad with Greek tax-resident status can matter more than where your exchange account sits. Greeks who live and file taxes only abroad are not automatically in scope for Greek capital-gains tax on their foreign crypto simply because they hold Greek citizenship, but anyone who is a Greek tax resident, or who inherits crypto under Greek inheritance rules, needs to read the fine print carefully once the final law is published.
Companies and professional traders may face different treatment under other rules. This article focuses on the individual rules the ministry highlighted in its announcement.
How the 10% gains tax would work
In broad terms, the gain is the difference between the acquisition price and the transfer price. The draft also sets documentation rules and allows an average acquisition cost when the same asset was bought in several lots, as OT.gr and CryptoWatchDesk summarize from the ministry text.
Rate: 10% on individuals' capital gains from crypto-asset transfers.
Exemption: net gains up to €500 in the same tax year are not taxed.
Crypto-to-crypto exchange does not create a taxable gain under the draft.
Losses above €500 can be carried forward for five years, and offset only against future crypto gains.
That loss rule is important for anyone who has already taken paper losses. You would not use crypto losses to wipe out salary or rental income; they would stay inside the crypto gains box.
Staking, lending, and spending presumptions
Yields from lending, providing liquidity, or staking would be taxed as interest at 10%, not as capital gains. Separately, buying crypto would count as spending on asset acquisition under Greece's presumptive-income rules (τεκμήρια), which compare declared income with spending. That can matter if you have low declared Greek income but large crypto purchases.
The draft also says there would be no Digital Transaction Duty on crypto sales. Crypto given to employees, partners, or shareholders as a benefit in kind would be valued in euros when received.
Inheritance, gifts, and past gains
For inheritance and gift tax, crypto would be treated as intangible movable property located abroad, valued in euros on the day before the tax liability arises. That is relevant for families passing on wallets or exchange balances, including diaspora heirs who already deal with Greek property and bank estates. Our tax representation service and guides on Greek tax filing deadlines for citizens abroad explain how residency and filing duties interact more broadly.
The draft also offers a 12-month voluntary window, starting from the law's publication, to declare gains from earlier transfers without fines or interest, under conditions the bill sets out. That is not a free pass; the conditions matter, and anyone sitting on undeclared past sales should wait for the final text and professional advice.
How Greece's rate compares in the EU
CoinDesk, citing Reuters, notes that a 10% levy would be among the lower rates in the European Union, while Germany, France, and Italy set or plan rates above 25%. Greece has not published revenue forecasts. Estimating the market is hard because many Greek investors use platforms based abroad. Separately, since 1 January 2026 EU crypto-asset service providers have had to collect user data for tax authorities under DAC8, so more transaction trails already exist across the bloc.
For readers who already follow crypto in Greece, our earlier piece on Bitcoin in Greece covers the market context. Citizenship status and the right to live and work in the EU (see Greek citizenship) do not by themselves create Greek crypto tax; tax residency and the final statute do.
What happens next
Comments on the draft can be submitted until 22 October 2026 at 10:00 Athens time. The ministry intends to table the bill and have it voted on in the first week of November, according to its release and secondary reports. Until parliament passes a final law and secondary guidance appears, treat every number above as provisional.
If you are a Greek tax resident with crypto holdings, keep clear records of acquisition costs and transfers. If you are considering a move to Greece, or sorting an inheritance that includes crypto, plan for residency and filing questions now rather than after the law lands.
How GetGreece can help
GetGreece helps Greeks abroad and people with ties to Greece handle tax representation, citizenship, and inheritance paperwork remotely by power of attorney. Learn about our tax representation service, read our guide to Greek tax filing deadlines for citizens abroad, or email info@getgreece.com. This article is general information, not tax or legal advice.
