Business structures · Greece

Company limited by shares (AE)

See how a new investor changes ownership, how much dividend your shares receive, and what the company needs to do.

What would you like to do?

Open a question to see the inputs, practical steps, and sources.

Incorporation, costs and obligations

Is €25,000 an incorporation cost or the AE's share capital?

Practical steps

  1. An ordinary AE requires at least €25,000 in share capital. List cash or in-kind contributions separately from incorporation costs.
  2. Check the fees for your case in e-YMS. For in-kind contributions, check the valuation and payment requirements.
How do an AE's annual costs compare with an IKE's?

Practical steps

  1. Ask for quotes covering the same services, transaction volume and payroll. Replace the example amounts with your own.
  2. Record any statutory audit, GEMI fees, charges for corporate actions and one-off incorporation costs separately.
Do I need financial statements, a statutory audit and publication?

Practical steps

  1. Ask how the company is classified under the Greek Accounting Standards for the relevant financial years. Preparation, audit, approval and publication are separate steps.
  2. Set deadlines for preparing accounts, holding the annual general meeting and filing the approved accounts and any audit report with GEMI.
Who can sign on behalf of the AE?

Practical steps

  1. Find the current representation certificate and any resolutions delegating authority. A board title alone does not confer signing authority.
  2. Check for monetary limits, transaction restrictions and whether a board or other resolution is needed.

Investors, capital and share rights

An investor wants 20%. Should we issue or sell shares?

Practical steps

  1. Compare issuing new ordinary shares with buying existing shares from a founder. Both routes give the investor a 20% stake in this example.
  2. Check pre-emption rights, resolutions and disclosure requirements for the capital increase. For a transfer, check the restrictions in the articles of association.
When does the company receive the money, and when does a shareholder receive it?

Practical steps

  1. Record the issue price for new shares and the purchase price for existing shares separately. One agreement can include both types of payment.
  2. For a capital increase, separate nominal value from any share premium. For a sale, record who receives the proceeds and any capital gains tax.
What stake will I hold if I do not invest in the capital increase?

Practical steps

  1. Try entering zero first, then subscribe in proportion to your stake. The issue changes the total number of shares.
  2. Check the capital increase resolution, the pre-emption right, any restrictions and the deadline for exercising it.
Can we have share classes with different rights?

Practical steps

  1. Record the number of shares in each class, the rights they carry and the clause in the articles that establishes them.
  2. Check whether the issue or change requires a general meeting resolution, a separate vote of affected shareholders and a filing with GEMI.

Voting, compensation and distributions

I hold 51%. Can I pass a resolution at the general meeting?

Practical steps

  1. Check the agenda to see which rule applies and whether the articles set stricter requirements.
  2. The example assumes an unlisted AE with ordinary shares carrying equal voting rights. For other classes or special terms, get advice before drafting the minutes.
I am a minority shareholder. What information can I request?

Practical steps

  1. State the subject of the request, your capacity as a shareholder, the meeting date and the supporting documents.
  2. Check the procedure, thresholds and deadlines in Article 141 and the articles of association.
How do I distinguish board fees, salary and dividends?

Practical steps

  1. Ask for a separate breakdown of board fees, salary under an employment contract and profit distributions.
  2. Check corporate approval, the tax and insurance treatment for each payment, and whether contributions must be reconciled by insurance category.
What can I distribute if I made a profit but have little cash or past losses?

Practical steps

  1. Ask separately about the legal maximum, the treatment of past losses and the applicable minimum dividend. Cash on hand does not determine the legal amount.
  2. Check the general meeting resolution, statutory reserve, past distributions and withholding for each beneficiary before paying.

Transfers, exits and liability

Can I sell my shares? Do other shareholders have priority?

Practical steps

  1. Check the current articles, any shareholders' agreement and the share register. Identify who is transferring which shares and on what terms.
  2. Record the approvals, notices and deadlines required before committing to a buyer.
I want to exit. Does another shareholder buy my shares, or does the AE?

Practical steps

  1. Agree on the valuation, number of shares and who pays. Each route has different approvals and cash flow implications.
  2. If the AE will pay, check the rules for buying back shares or reducing capital. Confirm the tax implications too.
Equity fell below half of share capital. What happens?

Practical steps

  1. Use total equity from the relevant financial statements and the current share capital. Check for any changes since those statements.
  2. If equity falls below half of share capital, Article 119(4) calls for a general meeting within six months of year-end to consider dissolution or another measure.
When am I personally liable as a director or guarantor?

Practical steps

  1. Separate liability arising from being a shareholder, managing the company and giving a contractual guarantee.
  2. Gather the dates of your tenure, GEMI disclosures, the assessment or loan agreement. Article 49 of the Tax Procedure Code sets cumulative conditions for specified tax debts.

Day-to-day obligations

What should I do before issuing my first invoice or receipt?

Practical steps

  1. Confirm that the business is registered and that its activities, premises and VAT status are recorded correctly.
  2. Set up the correct way to issue and submit documents to myDATA. Check the rules for the transaction before issuing the first document.
Do I need a card terminal or a registered business account?

Practical steps

  1. Find your active main and secondary business activity codes in myAADE. Check which payment methods you are required to accept.
  2. If you must declare a business account or card terminal, use the relevant AADE services and check that the details are recorded correctly.
What do I do when I hire my first employee?

Practical steps

  1. Check employer registration with e-EFKA and confirm the employee's details, workplace, contract, pay and hours.
  2. Arrange the ERGANI II declaration before work starts. Set up payroll, APD payroll declarations and contribution payments.
What do I report if I change my address, activity code or premises?

Practical steps

  1. Gather the effective date and supporting documents. Check the business record in myAADE.
  2. Check whether a corporate resolution and GEMI filing are needed before the tax register can be updated.
What do I file even with no turnover?

Practical steps

  1. Confirm the status in the tax register. List outstanding filings, payments and invoices by period.
  2. Check the requirements for forms N and E3, GEMI and financial statements where applicable.

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