Greek AFM From Abroad

Getting a Greek AFM while you are still abroad

You do not have to be in Greece to obtain a Greek AFM (Αριθμός Φορολογικού Μητρώου). The tax number, issued by AADE, is a register entry rather than anything tied to your location, so it can be applied for entirely from your home country. People do this when a Greek transaction lands before they can travel — an inheritance to settle, a property purchase to close, a bank account that has to exist before funds can move. Because the AFM confers no residence and creates no obligation simply by existing, registering from abroad is a clean, low-commitment step that unblocks the rest. ELLYTIC acts as an Independent Concierge, preparing and submitting the file from wherever you are, without giving legal or tax advice.

The remote mechanism, step by step

From abroad, the registration runs through an authorised representative acting under a limited power of attorney that covers only this tax registration. You sign the power of attorney in your country, join a short video identification call so AADE can confirm your identity remotely, and send clear copies of your passport and a proof of address. ELLYTIC assembles the file, submits it to the Greek tax office, and returns your official AFM confirmation — typically within three business days once the file is complete. Nothing about the process requires a Greek address, a trip, or an in-person appearance; the entire chain is designed to work across borders.

Preparing foreign documents for AADE from a distance

Handling the file from abroad makes certified translation central, because everything you provide originates outside Greece and AADE accepts foreign documents only as certified translations into Greek. ELLYTIC's translations are produced by sworn translators with a qualified electronic signature (QES) and are accepted by every Greek authority with no further stamp, delivered in one business day. The item to plan for early is apostille: a foreign public document may need the Σφραγίδα της Χάγης applied in its country of origin before it can be translated. We identify that at the start of the case so the requirement is met while you are still gathering documents, not discovered at submission.

Cross-border pitfalls

Working from abroad concentrates the risk in coordination. The usual stumbles are a power of attorney signed with the wrong scope, a proof of address that does not match the passport name, an expired passport scan, or an apostille left until the file is otherwise ready — which then stalls everything from a distance. Because AADE reviews the whole file at once, any single gap means another round of international post or scanning. Sequencing the documents correctly up front — translate, apostille where needed, keep names consistent — is what keeps a from-abroad AFM on the three-day path.

Which ELLYTIC service fits your situation

If you only need the tax number itself, the Starter Bundle covers the AFM registration end to end — you complete the AADE video identification yourself. If you also want a Greek bank account opened and your onboarding coordinated, the Full Service Bundle adds banking to the same file. When the task is purely document-driven — a certificate, a court decision or a power of attorney — you can order certified translations on their own. Each path leads to a clear, fixed-scope service you can compare and start whenever you are ready.

Frequently asked questions