Moving to Greece

A Piraeus-bound box from Jebel Ali leaves on its Eastern-Med rotation, runs the length of the Mediterranean and berths at the largest port in Greece some 12 to 16 days later. Athens spreads out behind it — the shipping houses of the Marousi and Glyfada belts, the apartment districts of Kolonaki and Kifisia, the coastal strip down to Vouliagmeni where a good number of UAE families settle. North of there, Thessaloniki runs its own rhythm against a working port; further out sit the islands, where Crete, Rhodes and Corfu draw a steady stream of arrivals chasing a slower kind of year.

The corridor carries a particular mix. A fair share of the traffic now moves on the Greece Golden Visa — residence granted against a qualifying property purchase, which is why so many of our Athens consignments arrive alongside a completing apartment sale. Alongside them come the lifestyle movers and retirees drawn by the climate and the cost of living, the founders setting up a Mediterranean base, and families relocating for a posting or a school year. Greece is a country where the move runs on sequence, and after 22 years on the European routes we plan it that way from the first call.

1. Survey and brief

   A UAE survey or a video walk-through, volume measured in cubic metres, and the items that change customs treatment flagged early. Sea and air options come back against your Athens or island timeline and your Golden Visa or residence dates.

2. Documentation before sail

   The customs file is built and checked while the box is still in Dubai — the Greek import declaration, the transfer-of-residence relief application, the detailed inventory and the residence evidence. AFM and residence status confirmed so the relief stands up at the desk.

3. Export pack and dispatch

   Export-standard packing from Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah, ISPM-15 timber where it is needed, and a full inventory. Booked onto a Piraeus or Thessaloniki rotation, or flown DXB to Athens when the timeline is tight.

4. Clearance and delivery

   Clearance through Greek Customs at the point of entry, relief applied, the box devanned and trucked. Any island ferry leg coordinated to the same schedule. The crew unpacks, reassembles and clears the debris on the same visit.

The UAE–Greece corridor in detail

Piraeus, Thessaloniki and the sea route

Sea freight runs into two ports. Piraeus, just south-west of Athens, is the main gateway — the largest container and passenger port in Greece and the natural landing for household and commercial cargo bound for the capital, the Peloponnese and most of the islands. Thessaloniki serves the north and central regions. Jebel Ali to Piraeus runs roughly 12 to 16 days on the Eastern-Med service, quay to quay, depending on the rotation and whether the vessel transships. Add a few working days for clearance, then the road or ferry leg to the final address. It is one of the more dependable European runs once the booking is right.

Air freight from Dubai

For essentials and tight timelines, air is the answer. DXB flies direct to Athens International (ATH) in a little under five hours, and a properly documented air consignment clears in about a working day. We often split a move — a small air shipment of working and living essentials to get a family functional, with the main household following by sea. Both cargoes share one inventory reference so the relief reads consistently across the airwaybill and the bill of lading.

Greek customs, transfer of residence and the AFM

Imports are handled through Greek Customs on the EU framework, lodged electronically via the ICISnet system. For a genuine move from the UAE, used personal effects and household goods come in free of duty and VAT under the EU transfer-of-residence relief, provided the goods have been owned and used for at least six months and the move is a real change of normal residence. The relief is granted against documentation: a detailed inventory, proof that UAE residence is ending, evidence of residence being taken up in Greece, and the customs application. Running underneath it is the AFM, the Greek tax number from the local tax office — the key that a lease, a utility contract and a bank account all turn on. We prepare the customs file with you in advance and flag the AFM and residence-permit sequence early so the timing holds together.

Bringing a used car

A used UAE car can come, but it is the part of the move that asks the most. Once in Greece the vehicle goes through KTEO roadworthiness testing and is registered, with registration tax assessed on it — the figure turns on engine size, emissions and the age of the car, and for many vehicles it lands high enough that selling in the UAE and buying locally is the more sensible route. We give you an honest read on whether your car is worth shipping before anything is booked, rather than leaving the bill to surface at the Greek end.

Moving a pet

Pets travel into Greece on the EU pet scheme. A cat or dog needs an ISO-standard microchip, a valid rabies vaccination given after the chip and at least 21 days before travel, and the EU health certificate completed by an official UAE vet inside the required window before departure — the documentation that lets a pet passport be issued on arrival. We coordinate the animal's movement with an established pet-relocation handler at the Dubai end so it lands cleanly alongside the household.

Golden Visa timing

A large share of UAE arrivals come in on the Greece Golden Visa — residence granted against a qualifying property investment, with the threshold varying by area and property type. The practical point for the move is sequencing. The household should not sail before there is a confirmed address to deliver it to and enough residence footing to support the customs relief. Where a purchase is completing, we hold the shipment against the handover date and the AFM, then bring the box in once the apartment is ready. Rushing the freight ahead of the property rarely saves time and usually adds storage.

What stays behind

Some things do not travel. Firearms and weapons need their own permits and are best left out of a household move. Quantities of alcohol beyond personal allowances attract excise. Plants and certain foodstuffs need phytosanitary clearance or cannot come at all. New, boxed, still-in-warranty goods can be read as commercial rather than personal effects and sit outside the transfer-of-residence relief. We mark these at the survey so nothing surprises the inventory.

Pricing

A quote builds from volume, the chosen route and freight mode, the customs treatment, and how the final address is reached — a central Athens flat with lift access reads very differently from a fourth-floor walk-up on Crete reached by ferry. Every quote itemises freight, customs, haulage, packing and insurance, so the figure is legible rather than a single lump. We would rather give an honest band early than a flattering number that moves later.