Moving from New Zealand to Greece
One of the longest moves on the map, from New Zealand to Greece, where the container sails for months to Piraeus and life begins once your residence, AFM tax number, and AMKA come through. Here is the honest brief on cost, sea transit, customs, and getting settled.
Costs are indicative ranges for 2026.
The honest summary of this move.
Moving a household from New Zealand to Greece is one of the longest relocations there is, a sea journey of half the world, so booking early and qualifying for customs relief matter most. For a 2 to 3 bedroom home, a shared container runs roughly 6,500 to 14,000 US dollars in 2026, with delivery in about nine to thirteen weeks door to door from New Zealand to your Greek address through the port of Piraeus near Athens.
This is a long ocean move. Your belongings are packed in New Zealand, trucked to a port such as Auckland or Tauranga, and shipped across the world to Greece, usually arriving at Piraeus near Athens, the largest passenger and container port in the country, or at Thessaloniki in the north. Price is driven by your volume in cubic metres, whether you share a container or take a sole use box, the season, and the delivery distance inside Greece, including to the islands if that is where you are headed.
Greece, as a European Union member, offers a transfer of residence relief that lets people moving their normal home to the country bring used household goods in free of customs duty and import VAT. The relief is conditional. You typically need a certificate of transfer of residence, often arranged through a Greek consulate before you leave, proof you are establishing residence, and goods you have owned and used. Get the paperwork right and the saving is large, since a third country shipment without it would face duty and VAT.
The numbers that run your life in Greece are the AFM and the AMKA. The AFM is your tax registration number, issued by the tax office under the Independent Authority for Public Revenue, and you need it for almost everything from a lease to utilities. The AMKA is your social security number, needed for healthcare and work. As a New Zealand citizen you are a third country national, so you also need a residence permit. Greece uses the euro rather than the New Zealand dollar, so budget in euro once you arrive.
What it costs, by home size and method.
The numbers below are indicative ranges for New Zealand to Greece in 2026. It is one of the longest sea routes in the world, so your volume, whether you share or take a sole use container, and the season drive the price.
Indicative ranges for 2026 in US dollars. The main drivers are volume in cubic metres, whether you share a container or take a sole use box, packing scope, the season, and the delivery distance from Piraeus, including any island leg. A summer move costs more, since June to September is peak demand.
- + Best value for a 2 to 3 bedroom home
- + You pay only for the space you use
- × Consolidation can add two to three weeks
- + Your goods only, sealed at your door
- + Fits a larger family home
- × More than a small load needs
- + Days not months to Athens
- + Good for essentials you need first
- × Several times the cost of sea by volume
A sane timeline for this move.
With one of the longest sea legs anywhere, a customs relief to qualify for, and a residence permit to secure, the plan is about booking very early and getting your transfer of residence paperwork in order before you leave.
Get three surveys
Have movers run video or in home surveys in New Zealand for an accurate volume and a binding quote that names your New Zealand loading port and your Greek delivery address.
Sort residence paperwork
Arrange your residence route and your certificate of transfer of residence, often through a Greek consulate, so customs relief is in place when the container arrives.
Book your slot
Confirm a shared or sole use container and agree collection and sailing dates. Book well ahead, since space on this long route is limited in summer.
Prepare customs papers
Gather your passport, residence documents, the transfer of residence certificate, a detailed inventory, and proof the goods are owned and used.
Clear and deliver
Your destination agent lodges the transfer of residence declaration with Greek customs at Piraeus or Thessaloniki, and once cleared the goods are delivered and unpacked.
Get your AFM and AMKA
Obtain your AFM tax number and AMKA social security number, finalise your residence permit, then open a Greek bank account and arrange your lease and utilities.
Bringing your household goods into Greece.
Greece offers a transfer of residence relief that lets qualifying movers bring used household goods in free of duty and import VAT, but the relief is conditional and the paperwork is best arranged before you leave New Zealand.
As a European Union member, Greece allows people transferring their normal residence to the country to import used household goods free of customs duty and import VAT under a transfer of residence relief. You generally need to have owned and used the goods, to be genuinely relocating, and to provide a certificate of transfer of residence, which is often arranged through a Greek consulate before departure. Without that relief, a shipment from a third country such as New Zealand would face duty and VAT, so the paperwork is what protects your budget.
Prepare a clear, valued inventory, and keep colour scans of your passport, your residence documents, the transfer of residence certificate, and proof of prior residence in New Zealand. Your destination agent lodges the declaration with Greek customs and arranges any inspection at Piraeus or Thessaloniki. Alcohol in quantity, new goods, weapons, and certain plants and foods fall outside the relief or are restricted, so keep the load to genuine used household effects.
Vehicles can be imported but face registration, emissions, and tax steps that make the process complex, and many movers buy locally in Greece instead. Pets travel under European Union import rules with a microchip, rabies vaccination, and the required health paperwork, with no quarantine when the documents are complete. The smoothest moves are the ones where the transfer of residence certificate, the inventory, and the residence route are all lined up before the container sails.
Verify before you move. Greek and European Union transfer of residence rules, the documents required, and prohibited item lists change. Confirm the current position with Greek customs, a Greek consulate, and your destination agent before you ship.The realistic routes for this corridor.
As a New Zealand citizen you are a third country national, so a move to Greece needs a residence route. These are the paths people on this corridor typically use.
Greece offers a digital nomad residence route for remote workers and the self employed meeting an income threshold, a popular path for New Zealanders working for overseas employers.
The financially independent person route suits retirees and those with stable passive income, requiring proof of funds and health cover rather than local work.
Greece runs an investment residence route for those buying property or making a qualifying investment above set thresholds, a route some movers use to gain residence.
A Greek employer can sponsor a work route, and spouses or family of residents and European Union citizens can obtain residence on family grounds, subject to conditions.
How to choose a mover for New Zealand to Greece.
We never name, rank, or recommend a moving company. Instead, here is the neutral checklist that matters on this exact lane. Apply it to any quote, then request comparable quotes through the form below.
FIDI or IAM affiliation
Membership of the FIDI Global Alliance or the International Association of Movers signals audited financial stability and a complaints process you can lean on if something goes wrong.
Real corridor experience
Ask how many households the company has shipped from New Zealand to Greece in the past year. A mover that runs the lane often knows the route, the paperwork, and the destination agent by heart.
A binding pre move survey
Insist on a video or in home survey and a binding or not to exceed quote. A price built from a real volume estimate is the only quote you can compare like for like.
Clear insurance terms
Read how transit cover is calculated, what the deductible is, and whether valuation is by replacement value. Vague cover is the most common regret on an international move.
Verifiable reviews
Look for recent, specific reviews that name the destination, not just star ratings. Patterns in how a company handles claims tell you more than any single glowing note.
Written scope and timeline
Everything that matters belongs in writing: packing, any customs clearance, delivery, unpacking, and debris removal, with who pays destination charges spelled out.
Get moving quotes for New Zealand to Greece.
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Questions people ask about this move.
How much does it cost to move from New Zealand to Greece?
For a 2 to 3 bedroom home, a shared container typically costs from about 6,500 to 14,000 US dollars in 2026. It is one of the longest sea routes in the world, so volume, whether you share or take a sole use container, and the season drive the price. Base your budget on a binding pre move survey.
How long does shipping take from New Zealand to Greece?
Plan on roughly nine to thirteen weeks door to door for a sole use container, and a little longer for a shared load because of consolidation. Air freight lands in one to two weeks at a much higher cost.
Do I pay duty on my household goods moving to Greece?
Usually not, if you qualify. Greece offers a transfer of residence relief that admits used household goods free of duty and import VAT, but you typically need a certificate of transfer of residence and proof you are relocating. Without it, duty and VAT apply.
What are the AFM and AMKA and why do they matter?
The AFM is your Greek tax number and the AMKA is your social security number. Leases, utilities, banking, work, and healthcare depend on them, so obtaining both is an early priority once you arrive in Greece.
Do I need a visa to move from New Zealand to Greece?
Yes. As a third country national you need a residence route, such as the digital nomad, financially independent person, investment, work, or family routes, arranged before or soon after you arrive.
Can I bring my car from New Zealand to Greece?
It is often not worthwhile. Vehicle import faces registration, emissions, and tax steps, so many movers buy locally instead. Pets travel under European Union import rules with a microchip and rabies vaccination, with no quarantine when documents are complete.