# AFM/ΑΦΜ Number and opening a bank account



## teletrader (Oct 6, 2010)

Hi..

I'm an Austrian citizen and I plan to move to Greece,sometime around Xmas..
This forum is very helpful,so I hope that someone will be able to answer some of my questions:

1.If I am technically still residing abroad,is it possible to obtain a A.F.M number and does it have to be at the one special Eforia in Athens?
What kind of documents are necessary

2.As I was able to read-up,most banks require a copy of a utilities bill as proof of adress..However if I plan to rent a room in a shared appartment for a few months,it is impossible to provide such a document,as the name on the bill would be that of the landlord..
So my question is,is it possible to open a greek bank account only with a passport and some kind of temporary adress?
Is the bank account immediately activated?
Thx a lot for any kind of help...


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## paroshep (Jan 4, 2009)

I am not an expert on this as I only know Paros. Here you get your tax number at the tax office. I am told for rural Greece you get it at the police department. Banks are reasonably flexible on documentation; my first account was simply on the O.K. of a known citizen. Your landlord should prepare a rental agreement which would thus show you are a resident and not just passing through.


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## teletrader (Oct 6, 2010)

paroshep said:


> I am not an expert on this as I only know Paros. Here you get your tax number at the tax office. I am told for rural Greece you get it at the police department. Banks are reasonably flexible on documentation; my first account was simply on the O.K. of a known citizen. Your landlord should prepare a rental agreement which would thus show you are a resident and not just passing through.



Hi Paroshep,thank you for your quick answer...
Did anyone try applying for the A.F.M number even if he was not a resident?
As I read-up in aother forums,some banks require some kind of utility bill as proof of adress,however if I plan on living in a shared plan,the utilitiy bill will not be running under my name...
So how am I supposed to get a bank account?


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## xenos (Dec 20, 2009)

all you will need is your AFM and Pssport. You can go to KEP with sommebody to get a legal stamped paper saying you are staying with them (rent free if you want). Thats all that I needed to open an account. Mind you, they then took over a month to change a cheque (a nicely large one) issued from a UK Solicitor.

Pretty sure you need to be (offically) resident to get the AFM but with a litttle ingenuity, there are ways around it - as there is for a lot of paperwork in Greece.

good luck


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## teletrader (Oct 6, 2010)

xenos said:


> all you will need is your AFM and Pssport. You can go to KEP with sommebody to get a legal stamped paper saying you are staying with them (rent free if you want). Thats all that I needed to open an account. Mind you, they then took over a month to change a cheque (a nicely large one) issued from a UK Solicitor.
> 
> Pretty sure you need to be (offically) resident to get the AFM but with a litttle ingenuity, there are ways around it - as there is for a lot of paperwork in Greece.
> 
> good luck



Hi Xenos!

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my post...
I rang the CC Center of the ATE bank yesterday and was told that only a passport and A.F.M is necessary to open a bank account..of course this does not have to be the truth...
However I do have another question regarding the A.F.M number:
Where in Athens do EU-citizens apply for it,is it OK to state the adress of a friend or appartment where I am temporarily staying as the contact adress?

Thx,


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## xenos (Dec 20, 2009)

teletrader said:


> Hi Xenos!
> 
> Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my post...
> I rang the CC Center of the ATE bank yesterday and was told that only a passport and A.F.M is necessary to open a bank account..of course this does not have to be the truth...
> ...


....

Normally its applied for by your employer, but if you go along to the local tax office - with a Greek speaking friend - trust me you will need one - it is normally very easy to obtain. the address where you are staying temporarily is okay but you may want to get the stamped paper from KEP (Greek CAB) saying you are legally staying there. Greeks LOVE their stamps!! 

ATE (a number of years ago) told me they did not open accounts for foreigners, maybe they have changed or maybe the manager just didnt like me.

Any other help, do not hesitate to ask.

Are you in Greece now or "on the way"?


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## teletrader (Oct 6, 2010)

xenos said:


> ....
> 
> Normally its applied for by your employer, but if you go along to the local tax office - with a Greek speaking friend - trust me you will need one - it is normally very easy to obtain. the address where you are staying temporarily is okay but you may want to get the stamped paper from KEP (Greek CAB) saying you are legally staying there. Greeks LOVE their stamps!!
> 
> ...



Hi Xenos,

Thank you very much for your very detailed and helpfull answer..
I am on my way to Athens,will stay day for probably 2-3 months so that I am presently making some inquiries about opening bank accounts etc. etc.
I thought that the bureaucracy in Austria is complicated enough,but we can easily be beaten.. 
Cheers..


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## xenos (Dec 20, 2009)

teletrader said:


> Hi Xenos,
> 
> Thank you very much for your very detailed and helpfull answer..
> I am on my way to Athens,will stay day for probably 2-3 months so that I am presently making some inquiries about opening bank accounts etc. etc.
> ...


....

Trust me, bureaucracy in Greece takes a lot of beating!!! 

Just a word of warning, try to open your bank acount within the first 3 months of getting here - that way, they cant ask for a Residency Permit - which actually was replaced by the Certifiate of Registration a number of years ago - the Certificate is required (legallly) after 3 months. It is free but you will spend an entire day at least obtaining it - from your local Aliens Bureau. 

More important is the AFM, you cannot (officially) do things like rent a property without it.
And when you have that you can also spend a joyus day or so at your local IKA (health insurance) obtaining the book so you can get medical treatment. 

Not trying to put you off but the bureaucracy is at times truly unbelieveable. If they introduced it as an Olympic sport, I think I can guess the medal winners.

good luck and drop me a line when you get here.


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## teletrader (Oct 6, 2010)

xenos said:


> ....
> 
> Trust me, bureaucracy in Greece takes a lot of beating!!!
> 
> ...




*loooool "bureaucracy in Greece takes a lot of beating"*

Well not all european countries have the same comprehension of "law and order"..
I was in Sofia recently,took me almost an hour to exchange 200€ into Levas,first of all they made a copy of my passport,then a copy of my 200€ banknote (as if they had never seen one before)...Then I had to sign a paper and was handed out my money 
Btw. you already being in Greece,can you recommend me any great web sites for finding a shared room in a flat?
I had a look at "www.justlanded.com",looks good,however I'm not sure how up to date the ads are?

Thx a lot,


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