Moving from Australia to Greece
One of the longest sea moves in this index, and a popular one given the deep ties between the two countries. Your goods sail through the Suez Canal to Piraeus. Greece welcomes returning residents with duty free transfer of residence relief, but only if your tax number and paperwork are ready in time. Here is the honest brief for this corridor.
Moving from Australia to Greece is among the longest household moves anyone makes, and a well travelled one thanks to the large Greek Australian community that keeps people flowing in both directions. A container leaves Melbourne, Sydney, or another capital port and sails through the Indian Ocean and the Suez Canal to Piraeus, the port of Athens. From there it clears Greek customs and is trucked to your home, or ferried onward if you are settling on an island.
The thing that surprises people is not the sea time but the order of the paperwork. Greece offers generous transfer of residence relief, so used household goods of someone settling there can enter free of duty and value added tax. The catch is sequencing. You need a Greek tax number, the AFM, in hand before the container arrives, plus a repatriation certificate and, as a third country national, a residence permit of at least a year. Start those early and this long corridor becomes calm and predictable rather than stressful at the quayside.
What it costs to move from Australia to Greece.
What it really costs to move a household from Australia to Greece in 2026, shown as indicative ranges by home size and shipping method. This is a long sea move, so volume and the route through Suez drive the number.
Indicative ranges for 2026 in Australian dollars, before full packing, premium insurance, and any storage. A shared container splits a box and the cost with other moves, while a sole twenty foot or forty foot container carries only your goods. These are not binding figures, so get a survey.
Four levers move the number. Volume dominates, because ocean freight is sold by the container and the space you fill, so a hard declutter before a Suez crossing this long is worth real money. Shared versus sole container trades cost against timing, since a shared load is cheaper but waits to consolidate while a sole container sails on its own schedule. Season matters, with a summer premium around the busy mid year window when many families move. And destination access counts, from an Athens apartment block to an island delivery that needs a second ferry leg and a smaller truck.
A realistic schedule, working back from the sailing.
Work back from your move date. On this corridor the long pole is the sea leg, so book early and get your Greek tax number and residence paperwork moving in parallel.
Book and survey
Have movers run a video or in home survey and quote a shared container against a sole twenty foot or forty foot container, then confirm the sailing from Melbourne or Sydney to Piraeus through the Suez Canal.
Start the Greek paperwork
Confirm your residence route, begin your residence permit and repatriation certificate, and obtain your Greek tax number, the AFM, so it is ready before the container arrives at Piraeus. This sequencing is the single most important step on this corridor.
Pack and load
The crew packs your home, inventories every box, and loads the container for the long sailing. Keep originals of your passport, residence documents, AFM, and shipping papers with you rather than sealed in the container.
Sail through Suez
The container crosses the Indian Ocean and the Suez Canal to Piraeus, commonly six to nine weeks. Use the time to finalise the residence permit and repatriation certificate that customs will want for duty free clearance.
Clear customs and deliver
Present the repatriation certificate, your AFM, residence permit, passport, and inventory to claim transfer of residence relief, clear the shipment, and have it trucked or ferried to your home for delivery and unpacking.
Clearing your goods into Greece.
Greece offers a clear transfer of residence relief for people moving their habitual residence into the country. If you have lived outside the European Union for the required period, generally the last twelve months and more, your used household effects can be imported free of import duty and value added tax. The mechanism is a repatriation certificate, the pistopoiitiko metoikesias, issued through the Greek authorities and presented to customs alongside a detailed inventory of your goods.
As a third country national arriving from Australia, customs will also expect a Greek residence permit valid for at least one year, which evidences that you are genuinely settling rather than visiting. And before any of this works, you need your Greek tax number, the AFM, which the tax office, the DOY, issues and which can often be arranged remotely through a representative. The AFM must exist before the container lands at Piraeus, because the whole clearance is keyed to it. Goods should normally arrive within the permitted window after you take up residence.
A few categories sit outside the relief or need extra care. New or unused items can be taxed, a motor vehicle follows a separate transfer of residence and registration process, and pets travel under European Union animal rules with the required vaccinations and microchip. Tobacco and alcohol above personal allowances are treated as ordinary imports. None of this is unusual, but it is worth confirming the detail for anything beyond standard furniture and effects.
How people leaving Australia actually move to Greece.
Australians are third country nationals in Greece, so most need a national visa and then a residence permit. These are the routes this corridor's typical mover tends to use, including many with Greek heritage.
Many movers from Australia have a Greek parent or grandparent and can claim Greek and so European Union citizenship by descent, which removes the visa question entirely and gives full free movement.
- Type
- Citizenship
- Basis
- Greek ancestry
- Result
- EU rights
- Note
- Records needed
The financially independent person visa suits retirees and people with stable passive income who can show sufficient funds to live in Greece without local employment.
- Type
- Independent means
- Basis
- Passive income
- Result
- Residence permit
- Note
- Income test
If you work remotely for an employer or clients outside Greece and meet the income threshold, the digital nomad visa lets you live in Greece while keeping your Australian or international work.
- Type
- Remote work
- Basis
- Foreign income
- Result
- Residence permit
- Note
- Income test
A job with a Greek employer, or the residence by investment route for those buying qualifying property, are the other common paths to a Greek residence permit from Australia.
- Type
- Work or investment
- Basis
- Job or property
- Result
- Residence permit
- Note
- Thresholds apply
How to choose a mover for this route, with no names attached.
This site never names, ranks, or recommends a moving company. Instead, here is the neutral checklist that separates a safe international mover from a risky one. Apply it to every quote you receive for Australia to Greece.
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Questions people ask about this move.
How much does it cost to move from Australia to Greece?
As indicative ranges for 2026, a 2 to 3 bedroom move runs roughly 10,000 Australian dollars as a shared container load and 16,000 to 22,000 dollars for your own twenty foot or forty foot container, before packing, insurance, and destination charges at Piraeus. The long sea leg, your volume, and final delivery in Greece drive the figure. Get a binding quote from a survey.
How long does shipping take from Australia to Greece?
Plan on roughly eight to fourteen weeks door to door. The ocean leg from Melbourne or Sydney to Piraeus through the Suez Canal commonly runs six to nine weeks, and a shared container adds time at both ends to consolidate and deconsolidate. Add packing, port handling, customs clearance, and inland delivery.
Do I pay import duty on household goods moving to Greece?
Usually not, under transfer of residence relief. If you have lived outside the European Union for at least twelve months and are settling in Greece, your used household effects can enter free of import duty and value added tax once you obtain a repatriation certificate and your Greek tax number. As a third country national you also need a residence permit valid for at least a year. Verify the current rules before you ship.
What is the AFM and why do I need it before my goods arrive?
The AFM, the Arithmos Forologikou Mitroou, is your Greek tax registration number, issued by the local tax office, the DOY, or remotely. You must have it before your shipment reaches Piraeus, because customs uses it to process your transfer of residence relief and clear your household goods. You also need the AFM for a lease, utilities, banking, and almost every official step in Greece.
Which Greek port do shipments from Australia arrive at?
Piraeus, the port of Athens and the largest in Greece, handles most household shipments from Australia. From there your container clears customs and is trucked to your home in Athens, Thessaloniki, the Peloponnese, or onward to the islands by ferry. Thessaloniki is the main northern alternative for deliveries in that region.
Can I bring my car from Australia to Greece?
It is possible under transfer of residence but rarely simple. Australia drives on the left while Greece drives on the right, and a right hand drive car must pass Greek registration, technical inspection, and tax steps that often outweigh the value. Most people sell the car in Australia and buy locally. Confirm the current vehicle rules with Greek authorities before deciding.