Send money to Greece from Ireland
Both countries use the euro, so a payment from an Irish balance to a Greek IBAN is euro at both ends. Grey delivers through SEPA to National Bank of Greece, Piraeus Bank and Alpha Bank, typically within minutes from a funded balance, with the fee shown before you confirm and nothing to convert in Athens.
EUR
EUR
-
Trusted by 3M+ people around the world
GOOGLE PLAY •22K REVIEWS
APP STORE • 12K REVIEWS
The two directions this corridor runs in
The first is Irish money going south. A house on Crete, Corfu or the Peloponnese does not look after itself, and the owner in Cork or Kildare ends up paying a caretaker, a builder, an electrician, the annual ENFIA property tax and a lawyer who wants the fee in a Greek account. People who retired there and kept an Irish pension are doing the same thing in reverse.
The second is Greek money going home. Greeks who came to Dublin for work in tech support, shipping and hospitality after the crisis years, and who still contribute to a household in Thessaloniki or Patras, or help with a parent's medical costs.
Whichever direction you are in, the mechanics are the same and they are unusually simple. Euro sent, euro received, and nobody's bank in Greece takes a cut for changing currency because there is no currency to change.
Sending euro from Ireland to Greece
Open an account
Registration is free and takes about five minutes. Bring a valid identity document, a passport, Irish driving licence or Greek ID card.
Fund in euro
Send euro to your Grey balance by SEPA transfer from AIB, Bank of Ireland, Permanent TSB, An Post Money or Revolut.
Pay the Greek IBAN
Enter the Greek IBAN, beginning GR, and the account holder's name. Review the fee and confirm. The euro travels by SEPA to the Greek bank.
What a payment to Greece costs
This is worth stating plainly because so much remittance copy is about hunting for hidden margins. There is no margin here to hunt for. A euro leaving Dublin is a euro arriving at Piraeus Bank.
A conversion only enters the picture if your money starts elsewhere. Sterling, or dollars in a USD balance provided by Lead Bank, is converted into euro once before the SEPA transfer, at a rate you see beforehand and which is fixed when you confirm.
When an exchange rate is involved and when it is not
Euro to euro means no rate and no rate screen. The confirmation simply states the fee and the euro amount arriving in the Greek account.
If you hold another currency, the single conversion into euro happens in Ireland. That is useful for a builder in Chania quoting in euro for a job: the figure you agree is the figure that reaches him, regardless of what the money was before it was euro.
Grey compared with paying Greece from an Irish bank
A euro payment from an Irish bank to a Greek IBAN is a normal SEPA transfer and there is no need to dress that up. Grey is the better option when the money is not already euro, when you pay several people in Greece over a season and want the costs in one list, or when your other transfers go outside Europe. Many readers here already use Revolut for European payments; the honest question is which is cheaper on the day and which covers the rest of what you send.
What the Greek account receives
A euro credit on a Greek IBAN, indistinguishable from a domestic payment. The person receiving it needs no Grey account and does nothing when it lands.
The main Greek banks
National Bank of Greece, Piraeus Bank and Alpha Bank all receive through SEPA. Enter the GR IBAN and the euro typically arrives within minutes.
Nothing converted
Because Greece is in the eurozone, the receiving bank does not exchange anything and the credited figure matches the figure you sent.
Between Grey accounts
If your brother in Thessaloniki uses Grey as well, GreyTag moves the money free and instantly with no IBAN involved.
Having the euro ready
Greek payments tend to be seasonal rather than monthly, which changes how you keep the balance rather than whether you keep one.
Before the season
Work on a holiday house happens between October and April. Funding the balance before the trades start saves a bank step every time an invoice arrives.
Ahead of the tax
ENFIA arrives on a schedule set in Athens, not by you. Euro already on the balance means the payment is a two-minute job.
Save the IBANs
Store the caretaker, the accountant and the builder separately after the first payment, and stop hunting through old messages.
Transfers are encrypted and trackable from confirmation to settlement, which is reassuring when you are paying somebody a thousand miles from the property they are working on.
What people in Ireland pay Greece for
Running a Greek property
Caretakers, utilities, insurance and the ENFIA property tax on a house in Crete, Corfu or the Mani, paid from Ireland for eleven months of the year.
Builders and renovations
A roof, a terrace, a rewire. Greek trades quote in euro and are often paid in stages, which suits a balance you can send from repeatedly.
Family in Greece
Greeks working in Dublin supporting parents in Thessaloniki or Patras, or helping with medical costs and a grandchild's school expenses.
Professional fees
Lawyers, notaries and accountants handling a purchase, an inheritance or a residence question, all of whom invoice to a Greek bank account.
It divides fairly neatly between property and family, with a little business in between.
Why this corridor suits Grey
FAQs
Is euro converted when it reaches a Greek bank account?
No. Greece is in the eurozone, so the euro you send from Ireland is credited to the Greek account unchanged.
Which Greek banks receive transfers from Ireland?
National Bank of Greece, Piraeus Bank and Alpha Bank all receive through SEPA. You need the GR IBAN and the account name.
How long does a payment from Ireland to Greece take?
From a funded euro balance the SEPA credit typically reaches the Greek account within minutes of your confirmation.
Can I pay ENFIA property tax on a Greek house from Ireland?
Yes, where payment is made to a Greek bank account. Enter the IBAN and the exact euro figure, which arrives unchanged.
Can I pay a builder in Crete who has only sent me an IBAN?
Yes. The GR IBAN and the account holder's name are all Grey needs to send him euro through SEPA.
What does a transfer from Ireland to Greece cost?
The fee alone, shown before you confirm. No exchange rate is applied because nothing is converted between the two countries.
Does my family in Thessaloniki need a Grey account?
No. They receive an ordinary euro credit in their existing Greek bank account and take no action when it lands.
Can I send to Greece if my balance is in dollars?
Yes. USD provided by Lead Bank converts into euro once, at a rate fixed when you confirm, before the SEPA transfer leaves.
How do I fund the euro balance I pay Greece from?
By SEPA transfer from your Irish bank, such as AIB, Bank of Ireland, Permanent TSB or An Post Money.
Can I save several Greek recipients, such as a caretaker and an accountant?
Yes. Each IBAN is stored separately after the first payment, so you are not searching old messages for account details.
Can I track a payment to a Greek account?
Yes. Transfers are encrypted and can be followed from your confirmation in Ireland through to settlement in Greece.
Get digital banking
at your fingertips
