Your tax residency determines which country has the right to tax your worldwide income.
In other words, it shows where you are officially considered a “resident” for tax purposes.
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🔹 Simply put:
• If your tax residency is in Greece, you are taxed in Greece for all your income, whether it’s earned here or abroad.
• If you transfer your tax residency abroad, Greece will tax you only for income you earn within Greece, not for what you make in another country.
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🔹 How it’s decided:
The Tax Authority looks at several factors, such as:
Where you spend most of the year (more than 183 days).
Where your economic interests are (your job, business, or property).
Where your personal and family ties are (home, spouse, children).
📍 Example:
If you live and work in Greece, and your family and property are here, your tax residency remains in Greece, even if you travel or work abroad part of the year.
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🔹 Real-life example:
A Greek citizen who works and lives in Germany for over six months a year, rents a house there, and has all his daily life set up in Germany can transfer his tax residency to Germany.
➡️ In that case, Greece will no longer tax his German income — only any income earned within Greece (for example, from renting out a property).
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🔹 Why this matters:
Being registered under the wrong tax residency can mean:
• Double taxation (paying taxes in two countries), or
• Unreported income issues, if your earnings should have been declared elsewhere.
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💬 In essence:
Tax residency isn’t about where you have an address — it’s about where your life truly takes place.
Where you live, work, and have your financial and personal center — that’s where your tax home is.
Author: Christine J. Kapela