The insurance funds in Greece⁹, relating to the most common professions practiced by third-country nationals, are:

1. The Social Insurance Institute – Auxiliary Employees’ Insurance Fund (ΙΚΑ-ΕΤΑΜ) – for employees of the private sector (e.g. office and store employees, factory workers, people working from home, craftsmen, construction workers and others)
2. The Social Insurance Organization of Freelance Professionals (ΟΑΕΕ, former TEBE) (for freelance professionals, tradesmen and craftsmen, motorists or even legal persons, i.e. companies or associations).
3. The Agricultural Insurance Organization (OGA) (for farmers and agricultural workers).

For more details, you may visit the website of each insurance fund:

ΙΚΑ / ΕΤΑΜ	www.ika.gr
ΟΑΕΕ (former TEBE)	www.oaee.gr
OGA	www.oga.gr

---

⁹:The list includes 13 insurance funds, three of which relate to civil servants and security forces and therefore exclude those who do not have Greek nationality. The list is as follows:

1.Social Insurance Institute - Auxiliary Employees’ Insurance Fund (ΙΚΑ-ΕΤΑΜ)
2.Social Insurance Organization of Freelance Professionals (ΟΑΕΕ, former TEBE)
3.Agricultural Insurance Organization (OGA)
4.Unified Insurance Fund of Independent Employees (ΕΤΑΑ)
5.Unified Insurance Fund for Mass Media Employees (ETAP – ΜΜΕ)
6.Unified Insurance Fund for Bank Employees (ΕΤΑΤ)
7.Unified Auxiliary Insurance Fund for Salaried Employees (ΕΤΕΑΜ)
8.Private Sector Auxiliary Insurance Fund (ΤΕΑΙΤ)
9.Insurance Fund of Bank and Public Utilities Employees (TAYTEKO)
10.Auxiliary Insurance Fund for Public Sector Employees (TEADY)*
11.Auxiliary Insurance and Welfare Fund for Employees in the Armed Forces (TEAPASA)*
12.Private Sector Welfare Fund (TAPIT)
13.Public Employees Welfare Fund (TPDY)*

If you wish to register at Ι.Κ.Α. – Ε.Τ.Α.Μ. (register with the IKA Registry of Insured Members) you need the following:

• Valid passport / identity card and one photocopy
• Your TRN (Taxpayer Registration Number) and AMKA (Social Security Number)
• A certification of employment issued by the employer stating the start date of insurance at IKA, if you work at a company.
• The bankbook of a bank account (photocopy with the IBAN) in which you must appear as the first beneficiary (optional)
• A document proving where and when you started your insurance at IKA, for you to be recognized as an “old” or “new” insured person. (In the event you have been insured at any other insurance organization, Insurance funds in Greece and the EU and certain funds of countries outside the EU are recognized).

Since you are insured at IKA you may issue a Health Booklet. The personal health booklet is the insurance identity for benefits in kind and cash for the directly insured person. The family health booklet is issued for the members of his/her family.

https://www.ika.gr/gr/infopages/asf/insurance/bibhygine.cfm

The supporting documents that are required for the registration at the Social Insurance Organization of Freelance Professionals (OAEE) vary depending on the profession. You may find them in detail on the website http://www.oaee.gr/asfalish.asp?catasf_id=189&banner_pgc=11.

General instructions for the supporting documents:

• A valid passport / identity card and their photocopies.
• The residence permit and work permit and their photocopies.
• A document indicating the registered seat of the company: the most appropriate document is the rental data that you can print through the TAXISNET, 1 form of rental/lease of the business premises from the owner (lessor) and 1 form of acceptance from you (lessee). The motorists shall submit supporting documents for the commercial vehicle instead of the premises.
• A registration fee (it varies depending on the profession; in 2015 it amounted to an average of 110 euros).
• Data determining whether the insured person is “old” or “new”.
• The Income Tax Notice of Assessment of the directly insured person and the family member or any other evidence proving that the requirements for the cohabitation are met.
a) Photocopies of documents proving the period of insurance with any other Insurance Organization in Greece or a certification of a governmental body of the EU or country that have signed an Intergovernmental Agreement¹⁰.

Then you must fill out an Application – Registration Form (you may find it in the OAEE branch) which you submit together with the above documents.

Please be advised that:

a) the freelance professionals are asked to pay themselves their insurance contributions (unlike IKA) which increase based on the years of practice their profession.
b) the freelance professionals must have and declare a business premises at the relevant OAEE branch.
c) the freelance professionals and enterprises need to keep and update income and expenditure books, as well as to issue receipts for the provision of services, bearing a stamp with all the details of the enterprise.
d) Before you exercise legally your profession, you have to proceed with “professional practice commencement” at the appropriate Public Financial Service (DOY), filling out the relevant forms and submitting the supporting documents you got from OAEE at your registration.

---

¹⁰:In the absence of such a certification you may submit the social security card indicating the registration number of the foreign organization and a Solemn Declaration as per L.1599/86 stating the country, the social security organization, the duration of insurance and that the relevant certification shall be submitted within a reasonable time.

For those entitled to insurance coverage from OAEE and health booklet the same as in the Personal and Family Health Booklet of IKA shall apply.

Supporting documents:

The supporting documents that are required for the registration at OGA as a self-employed (you are insured on your own responsibility with the Main Insurance Branch of OGA and you have to pay yourselves your insurance contributions ¹¹) are the following:

1) The Application – Registration Form (you may fill it out at the OGA branch)

2) A Solemn Declaration on the special form of OGA, signed by you and authenticated (by the competent OGA correspondent or any other legal authority).

3) A certified photocopy of both sides of your identity card or your passport.

4) A certified photocopy of your residence permit, which must be valid or, in the event it has expired, a photocopy of the residence permit and a certificate of type A stating that the supporting documents for its renewal have been submitted.

In the event that you are employed in the agricultural exploitation of your family’s land, you also need to submit:

5) The same supporting documents (apart from the application form and the identity card) for the head person of the agricultural exploitation (spouse, parent or child).

6) A Certificate of Family Status of the applicant.

You may visit the following website for detailed information on issues related to the organization: http://www.oga.gr/

---

¹¹:Since 2010 the ergosimo (labor ticket in the form of a paycheck) was established as the new method of remuneration for the agricultural workers and payment of their contributions (L.3863/2010). The employer, instead of a cash amount corresponding to the remuneration, provides the employee with the ergosimo which has equal value to the remuneration. The employee may cash the ergosimo (in the Hellenic Post or banks) after the OGA has withheld the relevant insurance contributions (10%).

In Greece each employee has certain minimum rights as throughout the European Union:

• health and safety at work: general rights and obligations, workplaces, work equipment, specific risks and vulnerable workers
• equal opportunities for men and women: equal treatment at work, pregnancy, maternity leave, parental leave
• protection against discrimination based on sex, race, religion, age, disability and sexual orientation
• abour law: part-time work, fixed-term contracts, working hours, employment of young people, informing and consulting employees

Individual EU countries must make sure that their national laws protect these rights laid down by EU employment laws. The Greek state has been convicted several times for violating or failing to protect labour rights.

http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=82&langId=el

The social security system in Greece is one of the mechanisms of income redistribution and institutionalized social solidarity among the employees, the unemployed, the elderly and those in need of social protection. The basic functions of the insurance organizations are:

• the provision of pension for those who are not able to work (due to old age or health/disability reasons)
• the coverage of emergency needs (financial or medical care) in case of childbirth, illness, unemployment, accident or similar situation.
• additional allowances (e.g. supplementary pensions, allowances for the children’s education and others) for those who are entitled to (only certain funds).

The social security funds are financed by the state budget and the contributions made by the employers and employees. The contributions are mandatory, even if the employee is covered by another insurance organization (foreign or private insurance organization).

In order to find out whether you are insured (to check your insurance capacity) you may use the insurance capacity online platform (see below). You may also visit the branch of the insurance organization at which you are registered, but they suggest the use of electronic services in order to avoid overcrowding at the branches and any discrimination against you by the employee.

The “ATLAS” system collects the information of the insured persons (the insurance CV) from all the insurance organizations and it can be accessed on the website https://www.atlas.gov.gr. As far as OGA is concerned, you may receive more accurate information by visiting the branch of the region where you are registered. With regard to IKA and OAEE you may also refer to the special electronic information platforms of each organization on the following web addresses:

• IKA/ETAM.: https://apps.ika.gr/eInsEligibility/
• OAEE (former TEBE): https://www.idika.org.gr/OAEE-OFEILETES/

*Please note that: In order to make use of the online services you need first to have activated your personal account on taxisnet with username and password, which you enter in the appropriate fields.

In the context of recent changes in the functioning of the country's social security system, each insurance fund is still responsible for the pensions of the insured people, but the health care services of most funds were merged into The National Organization for Healthcare Provision (EOPYY).

EOPYY cooperates with the network of health centers throughout the country and a network of contracted private doctors in primary health care services (see also chapter “Health”). With regard to issues of secondary health care (hospitals), the insured individuals have to display their health booklet at the time of admission into the hospital, which is issued and updated by each insurance organization for them and their family.

It depends! Each insurance fund has its own conditions. The pensions are provided due to old age, death of a spouse or disability. Those who have completed a certain number of working days (insurance stamps/ergosima) and have reached a certain age are entitled to receive the old-age pension. The age limits differ for men and women and the insurance days vary depending on the occupation.

Special categories of occupations are those classified as heavy and health-hazardous occupations (such as construction workers, employees in shipyards etc.), in which the employees may retire earlier. The relevant list with these occupations is reviewed regularly and it is advisable for you to contact your insurance fund to find out more about them.

The Body that accepts complaints about the violation of labour rights is the Labour Inspection Corps (SEPE) under the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Welfare. Its Central Office is located in Athens (10 Agisilaou St., P.C. 10437, Tel. 2105289281), but you may find branches in all regions of the country.
You may find a complete list with the addresses and contacts details of SEPE on the link¹².

The Bodies that provide legal advisory services on labour issues are:

• The Greek Ombudsman
  www.synigoros.gr, 5 Chatzigianni Mexi St., Athens, Tel.: 2107289703
• The Information Centre for the Employed and Unemployed of the General Confederation of Greek Workers (G.S.E.E.)
  http://www.kepea.gr/, 3 Enianos St. & 69 Patision Av., Athens, Tel.: 2108202100 & 2108202174

Legal advisory services are offered free of charge by several NGOs, organizations and other initiatives throughout Greece, a list of which you may find in the last chapter of this guide.

---

¹²:Addresses of the Labour Inspection Corps: http://www.ypakp.gr/uploads/docs/4623.pdf

No!

• The contributions paid to the insurance funds are intended to cover medical and pharmaceutical expenses in case of sickness or preventive medical examinations for directly insured persons and for their families (indirectly insured).
• In case of unemployment, the Manpower Employment Organization (OAED) provides for a certain period of time the unemployment benefit and health care coverage based on the working days, which are proved by the paid insurance stamps (ensima) of the beneficiary.
• When the employee reaches a certain age that he/she cannot or no longer wants to work and has completed the required number of working days (or insurance stamps/ergosima) may retire.
• The insurance clearance certificate is associated with the issuance/renewal of the residence permits.
• The uninsured work is prosecuted by law.

No, unless you have previously contacted the competent branch by filing your complaint, (“Declaration of Disagreement over the Insurance Data – Complaint»). The Greek Ombudsman, who is responsible to control all the insurance funds, may intervene in the event that the IKA delays to investigate your complaint or has adopted a decision which you consider to be illegal.