Greece's New Short-Term Rental Rules: What US Owners Need to Know

Every short-term rental now needs an AMA number

Any stay under 60 days counts as a short-term rental under Greek law, and every one now requires an AMA (Αριθμός Μητρώου Ακινήτου), a property registration number issued by AADE, Greece's independent tax authority, through the TaxisNet platform. It's a one-time registration tied to the property rather than a per-booking permit, but it applies regardless of how many weeks per year the property is actually let, so occasional or seasonal hosting is not exempt.

Safety and insurance standards since October 2025

Law 5170/2025 took effect on 1 October 2025 and introduced mandatory quality and safety standards for every short-term rental nationwide. Requirements include natural light and ventilation in rented rooms, civil liability insurance with a Greek insurer, certified fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, and emergency lighting that still works during a power cut. Only spaces that qualify as main living areas under Greek building rules, such as bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens and studies, may be listed at all.

Fines and enforcement don't stop at the border

Non-compliance carries fines starting at 5,000 euros and rising to 20,000 euros for repeat violations. Joint inspection teams from the Ministry of Tourism and AADE check both the physical safety standards and the tax reporting side together, and a foreign owner's address outside Greece is not a shield: enforcement runs through the property itself and, where required, a registered Greek tax representative.

Where new registrations are frozen or restricted

A moratorium on new AMA registrations has applied since January 2025 in three central Athens municipal districts, including Plaka, Monastiraki and Koukaki, and has since been extended through the end of 2026, alongside parts of central Thessaloniki. Existing registered properties and the rest of Athens are unaffected. Authorities have also signaled interest in extending similar restrictions to other high-pressure tourist areas, including islands such as Santorini and Paros, though the exact scope and timing for any given location should be confirmed directly rather than assumed from national headlines.

A new tax bracket, but rental income is still taxed in Greece

Separately from the registration and safety rules, Law 5246/2025 took effect on 1 January 2026 and added a new intermediate bracket to Greece's rental income tax schedule, smoothing what had been a sharp jump between the lowest and middle brackets for landlords whose annual rental income fell in between. The underlying principle hasn't changed: Greek-source rental income is taxed in Greece regardless of the owner's country of residence, the same principle that applies to ENFIA, Greece's annual property tax. A Greek rental income tax filing is a separate obligation from any FBAR or FATCA reporting a US owner may owe on the account the rental income is deposited into.

What this means if rental income is part of your plan

Treat registration, the safety upgrade, and insurance as upfront costs to budget before assuming any rental income, not a formality to handle after purchase. Ask early whether your target neighborhood or island is inside an existing freeze or a candidate for one, since that can change the calculation on whether a property can generate rental income at all. If a lender or specialist is assessing affordability with rental income included, expect them to want evidence that the property can be legally registered and compliant, not just a market rent estimate.

Questions US buyers ask

Continue your Greek property research

• ENFIA Explained, Plus FBAR and FATCA for US Owners
• Additional Costs When Buying Property in Greece
• Greece's Golden Visa: What US Property Buyers Should Know