Greece Offers €10,000 Incentive to Move to Rural Areas

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Greece will expand its programme offering up to €10,000 to people and families who permanently relocate to selected regional areas, with applications expected to open in October for eight Regional Units.

The new phase will also extend the programme to areas of Epirus and will allow eligible applicants to receive half of the financial support before they move. Unlike the current scheme in Evros, applicants will not need to find employment in their new place of residence.

According to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Relocation Programme, which began as a pilot project in Evros, will expand to seven municipalities in the Ioannina Regional Unit, as well as the municipalities of Souli and Filiates in Thesprotia.

The government has already included eight Regional Units in the next phase: Kastoria, Kilkis, Serres, Florina, Pella, Drama, Kozani and Grevena.

Up to €10,000 in financial support

The programme offers financial support to encourage individuals and families to move permanently to remote and border areas of Greece.

Social Cohesion and Family Minister Domna Michailidou said the government developed the scheme with local mayors and decided to expand it without requiring participants to have a job in the area where they relocate.

“We started the Relocation Programme in Evros. We worked on it with the mayors and we are expanding it to new areas, without requiring employment in the place of relocation,” Michailidou said.

She added that the application platform should open in October.

The programme will also target Greeks living abroad who want to return to Greece and settle in one of the participating areas.

Under the new design, eligible participants could receive up to €10,000 regardless of the size of the settlement where they move.

This represents a change from the scheme currently operating in Evros, where the amount depends on the size of the settlement and the number of minor children in the household.

€5,000 advance before relocation

The government also plans to change when it pays the financial support.

Under the new phase, applicants will have the option of receiving 50% of their support before relocating. For someone eligible for the full €10,000, that would mean a €5,000 advance.

The programme’s formal invitation will set out the specific conditions for receiving the advance.

The scheme targets people who transfer their main residence and everyday life to an eligible area. Both single-person and larger households can participate.

The current Evros programme does not impose income or age criteria.

Authorities verify the actual relocation through supporting documents, while beneficiaries must remain in the area for at least three years. The government will set out the detailed conditions for the newly eligible areas in the relevant decisions.

Who can apply?

The expansion will open the programme to a broader range of potential applicants.

The government’s plans include Greeks living abroad who want to return home, remote workers, pensioners, members of the armed forces and security services, and university graduates who choose to remain and work in the area where they studied.

Applicants will not need to secure employment in the area where they relocate.

The relevant application will specify how each category must demonstrate that it meets the programme’s eligibility requirements.

Applications for the existing Evros scheme are submitted online through the government’s relocation platform.

For the newly included areas, authorities still need to issue the relevant Joint Ministerial Decision, activate the application platform, publish the list of eligible municipalities and settlements, specify the required documents and set the conditions for payment.

The government expects these steps to precede the opening of applications in October.

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