Greece's 2026 Short-Term Rental Rules: What Foreign Airbnb Buyers Need to Know

Can you still get a new short-term rental license in central Athens in 2026?

No. New short-term rental registrations are suspended in the most saturated central districts of Athens through 31 December 2026. The freeze applies to obtaining a new AMA, the property registration number that every short-term rental must hold, so a property without an existing registration in those zones cannot legally be listed on Airbnb, Booking, or any other platform. The measure was first introduced for 2025 and has been extended into 2026.

Which Athens areas are covered by the short-term rental ban?

The suspension covers the city's three central municipal districts, including the commercial triangle of Plaka, Monastiraki, Syntagma, and Omonia, along with Kolonaki, Exarcheia, Ilisia, Neapoli, and Koukaki. These are the neighbourhoods where short-term lets had grown fastest and where long-term housing supply came under the most pressure. A buyer looking at an apartment in any of these areas specifically for short-let income should assume a new license is not available.

Is the restriction spreading beyond Athens?

Yes. From 1 March 2026, comparable measures begin to apply in parts of Thessaloniki, the first geographic expansion of the policy beyond the capital. The government has signalled that other high-pressure tourist areas could follow, so the safe assumption for 2026 is that the list of restricted zones grows rather than shrinks. This is a national policy direction, not a one-city experiment.

What happens to a short-term rental license when the property changes owner?

This is the rule that matters most to foreign buyers: in a restricted zone, the existing AMA is automatically deleted when the property changes hands, whether through sale, parental transfer, or inheritance. The new owner cannot obtain a fresh AMA and must use the property for long-term rental or owner-occupation instead. In practice, that means you cannot buy an apartment in a frozen zone on the assumption that its current Airbnb registration transfers to you, because it does not.

How do you legally register a short-term rental in Greece?

Outside the frozen zones, every short-term rental must be entered in the Register of Short-Term Residence Properties through the AADE (the Greek tax authority) online portal, which issues the AMA. That number has to be displayed in every listing and in all advertising. Operating without a valid AMA is what triggers the steepest penalties, so registration is the first step, not an afterthought.

What is the new EU-wide registration rule for 2026?

From 20 May 2026, EU Regulation 2024/1028 requires every short-term rental in the European Union to carry a unique registration number that is shown on all platform listings, and platforms must share data with national authorities. For Greece this layers on top of the existing AMA system, meaning a Greek short-term let needs to be both registered nationally and compliant with the EU number. Foreign owners operating across several EU countries will face the same logic everywhere in the bloc.

How is short-term rental income taxed in Greece in 2026?

Short-term rental income must be declared to AADE and is taxed, with a more favourable progressive regime applying from 2026, and owners who operate several properties can be reclassified as running a business with the heavier obligations that brings. Because the threshold between private letting and business activity affects VAT and other charges, owners with multiple units should take Greek tax advice rather than assume the simple personal-income treatment applies. The exact figure depends on the number of properties and total income, so this is worth confirming case by case.

What are the penalties for operating without a valid registration?

Fines start at 5,000 euros for a first offence, rise to 10,000 euros for a second offence within twelve months, and reach 20,000 euros for each subsequent breach. These penalties attach to non-registration and to listing without a displayed AMA, which is why compliance is far cheaper than the alternative. Enforcement has been tightening alongside the registration push.

What should a foreign buyer check before buying a rental property in Greece?

Confirm whether the specific address sits inside a frozen zone, and remember that any existing AMA will not survive the change of ownership in those areas. Verify that the use you are planning, short-let versus long-let, is actually permitted for that property in 2026, and budget for the EU registration requirement from May. Bektu helps foreign buyers check this kind of location-specific rule before committing, so the income model is built on what is currently legal rather than on a listing that may already be non-transferable.