Employment and labor laws vary from country to country. This guide is intended to provide the most up to date information available. We will update this guide as needed when changes are made to the laws.
Employment Contracts
Employers are legally required to provide formal written contracts for all employees that include salary/wage, termination terms, job title, etc. The contracts must be written in Greek and use the Euro currency (EUR).
Working Hours
The standard working week in Greece consists of 40 hours a week, typically eight hours a day for a five-day working week. The working week can be increased to 48 hours per week if agreed upon by the employer and the employee.
Overtime
All work above standard weekly working hours is overtime regulated by employment contracts or collective agreements. When an employee is requested to work overtime or work on holidays, the maximum is 48 hours per week inclusive of overtime over four months. There are also different maximum working hours for minors.
Overtime hours exceeding 40 hours per week and one additional hour per working day are paid at 120.00% of the employee’s basic salary rate for daytime hours and 125.00% of the employee’s basic salary for night time work for the first hour and a rate of 140% salary for a further two hours. 150 overtime hours can be worked per year.
Public Holidays
Public holidays that fall on the weekend are usually lost.
For the year 2024:
- Jan 1: Monday – New Year’s Day
- Jan 6: Saturday – Epiphany
- Mar 18: Monday – Clean Monday
- Mar 25: Monday – Greek Independence Day
- May 1: Wednesday – Labor Day / May Day (Tentative)
- May 3: Friday – Orthodox Good Friday
- May 6: Monday – Orthodox Easter Monday
- Jun 24: Monday – Orthodox Holy Spirit Monday
- Aug 15: Thursday – Dormition of the Holy Virgin
- Oct 28: Monday – The Ochi day
- Dec 25: Wednesday – Christmas Day
- Dec 26: Thursday – Synaxis of the Mother of God
Annual Leave (vacation)
During the first calendar year of employment, the employee is entitled to proportionate holiday time. In a five-day employment schedule, the holiday time is calculated at twenty working days of paid holiday for the year of employment, rounding up the result for shorter periods.
In the second calendar year, once twelve months of employment are completed, holiday time increases by one working day. Therefore, by the end of the second calendar year, the employee is entitled to 21 working days of paid holiday in a five-day employment schedule.
In the third calendar year, the employee is entitled to receive the entire holiday time at any time of the year, even on the 1st of January. Once 24 months of employment are completed, the employee is entitled to receive 22 working days of paid holiday in a five-day employment schedule.
For employees who have been working for more than 12 years for any employer or for more than 10 years for the same employer, holiday time is calculated on a basis of 25 working days for a five-day employment. Once 25 years of service are completed, an extra day of paid holiday is added, and the employee is entitled to 26 working days of paid holiday.
Sick Days
Employees who provide a professional medical certificate within 48 hours are entitled to an amount of paid sick leave dependent on the number of years’ service completed.
- Employees who have completed between one and four years of service are entitled to one month paid sick leave.
- Employees who have completed between four and ten years of service are entitled to three months paid sick leave.
- Employees who have completed between ten and fifteen years of service are entitled to four months paid sick leave.
- Employees who have completed more than fifteen years of service are entitled to six months paid sick leave.
- During the first year of employment, half pay is given for the first three days of illness followed by 15 days at full pay.
Maternity and Paternity
Maternity Leave
Pregnant employees are entitled to a maternity leave of 119 calendar days; this benefit is paid on the condition that the employee is not working during the 56 days before the due date and the 63 days following the birth of the child.
The employer pays the first month of the maternity benefit at 100% of the employee’s regular salary rate. From the second month onwards, the employer and e-EFKA pay the benefit at a rate of 50.00% each of the regular salary rate (corresponding to the insurance contribution class of the insured person), plus payment of child benefit for each child. There is also a Supplementary maternity allowance payable from the second month of an amount equal to the difference (if there is any) between the salary rate paid by the employer and the maternity benefit.
For any employees that are not insured, a standard maternity benefit of 220.10 EUR is paid.
Paternity Leave
Every working father is entitled to 14 working days of paid paternity leave, which must be taken upon the birth of the child. This leave may either: a) be granted two days before the expected date of delivery, in which case the remaining 12 days are granted in whole or in part within 30 days from the date of birth or b) granted after the date of birth. Paternity leave is compulsorily granted by the employer and does not depend on previous employment or seniority or on the employee’s marital or family status. In case of adoption or fostering of a child up to eight years of age, paternity leave is granted from the time the child joins the family.
Paternal Leave
Parental leave is available to any parent having completed one year of service, equal to four months (continuously or intermittently, as agreed with the employer) until the child reaches eight years old.
Childcare leave is available for 30 months after birth or adoption, entitling an employee to a reduction in the daily working hours by 1 hour (paid) or 18 months of a reduction of 2 hours in the daily working hours during the first 12 months. This reduces to 1 less working hour in the remaining six months or 3.5 months of paid leave taken in one period.
Other Leave
Depending on the Collective Agreement/Employment Contract terms, an employee may be allowed additional leave types, on approved between the employer and employee, for the following:
- Marriage Leave: employees are entitled to up to five paid days when getting married.
- Bereavement Leave: employees are entitled to paid leave of 2 days due to the death of a member of the immediate family.
- Caretaker Leave: Each employee having completed six months of employment with the employer is entitled to 5 days paid leave for taking care of a relative or other person living in the same home with the employee
- School Leave: For every child up to 18 years of age that attends school, both parents (full time or part-time employees) may be absent from work (without any deductions from their salaries and upon their employers’ permission) for some hours or a full day and up to four working days per year.
- Leave in case of sickness of dependent family members: Employees are entitled to a maximum of six days’ unpaid leave per year (used continuously or intermittently) if a child or other dependent member of their family is sick. The days are increased to eight if the employee has two children and 14 if the employee has three or more children.
- Election Leave: This leave is granted to employees who are on a five-day weekly work regime. National Election Day is a day off for employees with the right to vote in another city which is 200-400 kilometers away. If their voting city is over 400km away, a two-day leave is granted. For employees who need to travel to and from an island with no road access, the number of permitted days will be examined on a case-by-case basis, depending on the distance and the special conditions of travel. However, leave cannot exceed three days.
Employee Severance and Terminations
Termination Process
The termination process varies according to the employment agreement and collective agreement in place and based on the type of contract and reason for termination. To terminate an employee on an indefinite contract, an employer must provide a written notice of termination, and the employee must have been registered with the Unified Social Security Fund (EFKA).
Notice Period
Collective agreements may contain provisions on notice periods. If the notice periods in the collective agreement differ from the statutory periods of notice. In that case, the employer and the employee must observe the periods of notice laid down in the collective agreement.
The amount of notice is dependent on the length of service and reason for termination. If the contract is terminated by the employer, the notice period is as follows.
- No notice is required during the probation period or 1st year of service.
- Employees with between 1- and 2-yearsyears’ service -1-month notice period
- Employees with between 2- and 5-yearsyears’ service – 2 months’ notice period
- Employees with between 5- and 10-yearsyears’ service -3 months’ notice period
- Employees with more than 10 years’ service – 4 months’ notice period
Severance Pay
The amount of severance is based on the length of the employee’s service. After completing one year’s service, workers will be entitled to severancev as follows:
- 1-4 years of employment = 2 gross salaries
- 4-6 years of employment = 3 gross salaries,
- 6-8 years of employment = 4 gross salaries.
- No severance is required when the worker resigns.
Probation Period
It is possible to have a probation period of up to 6 months, during which time a worker can be dismissed without notice or severance.
Payroll Cycle
The payroll cycle in Greece is generally monthly, and payments must be made on the same day of the month and no later than the last working day of the month.
The minimum wage is 780 EUR per month.
13th & 14th Salaries
According to Greek law, all employees in the private sectors are entitled to two additional monthly salaries divided into three payments – Christmas (one full monthly salary), Easter (half a monthly salary), and Vacation Bonus (half a monthly salary) and all the above bonus payments must be paid only in cash and not be paid in kind.
The payment of the Christmas Bonus must be made by December 21st. In case the Christmas Bonus is not paid on time, the employees should apply to the relevant Labor Inspectorate. The Labor Inspectors of SEPE are responsible for the imposition of the relevant fines.
Contributions
Employer Payroll Contributions
VISA
Non-EU employees must acquire a Type D visa before arriving in Greece, allowing employees to stay in Greece for over 90 days to work. Once an employee has arrived in Greece, they must apply for a residence/work permit within 30 days at the local municipal office or police station. Work permits typically last one year, and any work permit renewal must be done at least 60 days before its expiration.
Business visitors to Greece typically use a local version of the Schengen C Visa unless they are visa exempt. The Schengen Area limits stay to 90 days in 180 days. Business visits must generally be limited to a few days; Greek authorities determine the exact duration of stay on a case-by-case basis.
The main work authorization categories are the Installation of Equipment Visa, suitable for short-term installation, testing, and maintenance of supplied items by technical staff under a service agreement; the Work and Residence Permit for Senior Employees, suitable for long-term work and residence under a local employment contract; the EU Blue Card, suitable for highly skilled local hires; and the EU Intra-Company Transferee (ICT) Permit, suitable for intra-company transfers of managers, specialists or trainees from outside the European Union.
Remote Work
Employers are obliged by law to reimburse homebased workers, in addition to the regular salary amount, as follows:
- Item 1 – The minimum monthly reimbursement for the use of the home for employment purposes is 13 Euros net.
- Item 2 – The minimum reimbursement for communication is 10 Euros net (not applicable where Employers are paying for the worker’s phone/internet directly).
- Item 3 – The minimum reimbursement for the maintenance of equipment is 5 Euros net (not applicable if the equipment used by the worker has been provided by the Employer).
Where a worker has spent less than 22 days of the month at home (including as a result of sickness, annual leave, or strikes) the home allowance will be prorated by 1/22 per workday at home.
VAT
The standard rate of VAT in Greece is 24%.