Frequently Asked Questions

Upon application, the Child Benefit is granted to the categories of persons referred to in question 34, provided that they reside legally and permanently in Greece and their dependent children are in Greece.

The A21 application is submitted once a year, from March through 15 January of the following year, via the A21 platform on the OPEKA or IDIKA website, using TAXISnet credentials. If the beneficiary’s family circumstances change, or another application detail was entered incorrectly, the beneficiary must amend the application within one month, and only in the fields that have changed.

No further action is required, provided that the application has been definitively submitted. If you meet the benefit criteria, the following message appears at the top when you view the application: “Based on the information available so far, you are eligible for the Child Benefit and the following amounts have been calculated.”

The application must be definitively submitted once all other sections have been completed. Only after final submission can the competent OPEKA service review the attached supporting document and approve or reject it. You can track your application on the platform by viewing it to see whether the review has been completed, whether the attached document has been approved, and, if not, why.

You are eligible for the Child Benefit starting in the month after the child’s birth, and you may apply during the period specified in question 2. A child born in December is not eligible for the benefit for that year, even if the application is submitted during the first two weeks of the following year.

View the application you have already submitted and select the “Create Amended Application/Solemn Declaration (A21)” button. In the new application, select “Add Child” and enter the child’s surname, not their first name, and their AMKA number. Then follow the platform’s instructions.

When adding a child, enter only the child’s surname, not their first name, and their AMKA number. If the identification problem persists, beneficiaries should check the dependent child’s full details in the AMKA online service or contact a Citizen Service Centre (KEP) to correct any errors in the AMKA electronic register.

The surname may have been entered on the platform differently from the way it appears in the AMKA register. In that case, cancel the A21 application and definitively submit a new one so that the corrected details can be retrieved again from the AMKA register.

Applicants for the Child Benefit must ensure that their dependent children aged 4 to 16:

• are enrolled in compulsory education for the 2025–2026 school year; and
• complete the school year satisfactorily by 30 June 2026, meaning they are not required to repeat the grade because of a high number of unexcused absences.

For the application to be approved by 30 June 2026, the first condition must be met, among other requirements. From 1 July to 31 December 2026, both conditions above must be met.

To verify a minor child’s attendance in compulsory education electronically, go to the child’s personal details and, specifically, the “Child’s Attendance Details” field, and enter:

• the school’s details, the pupil’s grade and registration number, if the child is in compulsory education;
• the year in which the child completed compulsory education (lower secondary school/Gymnasium), if the child has completed it.

If all the pupil’s details are verified, the application can proceed as normal. If they cannot be verified, a relevant notice will appear.

If the pupil’s attendance cannot be verified electronically, you must attach a certificate of enrolment or attendance for the current school year, issued by the head or principal of the relevant school, to complete the application. If the minor child has completed compulsory education, attach either their lower secondary school (Gymnasium) leaving certificate or a relevant certificate from the school.

For a minor child who has completed compulsory education and attends upper secondary school (Lyceum), you may attach either a Lyceum attendance certificate or the Gymnasium leaving certificate.

No.

If, at the end of the 2025–2026 school year, the requirement for adequate attendance in compulsory education is not met because of unexcused absences, the benefit is discontinued from 1 July through 31 December 2026. It will not be reinstated even if the child enrols in the new 2026–2027 school year.

The child is considered dependent from 1 January of the year following the year in which their studies began.

Children who have transferred are considered dependent children. In this case, enter both the number of the previous student ID and the new student ID in the relevant fields on the platform.

Students are considered dependent children until the end of the academic year in which they graduated. For those who graduate by August of the current year, the academic year ends on 31 August; for those who graduate from September onward, it ends on 31 December.

No. They are not considered a dependent child for the purposes of the Child Benefit.

The disability pension is included in total family income. Welfare disability benefits and the extra-institutional allowance have not been included since 1 January 2022.

If you received the Child Benefit in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, you will continue to receive it under the same conditions. You will not need 12 years of residence in Greece to receive it in 2026, provided that you also submit the current income tax return for the 2025 tax year within the prescribed deadline.

If your new residence permit has been issued, you can attach the valid permit. The Child Benefit will be granted only after OPEKA authorised users have reviewed it. The attached permit must clearly show the holder’s identity details and the permit’s period of validity.

Where supporting documents are required, the system displays a specific notice. Supporting documents are not required in any other case.

Check whether the family members listed in the A21 application who are required to file an E1 income tax return have submitted one. If they have, check whether the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) has assessed it.

An AFM is not requested for children born in 2008 or later. An AFM is mandatory for children born in 2007 or earlier. If the child’s AFM is not recorded in the AMKA register, citizens are directed to a KEP to update the AMKA register with the relevant AFM. The AMKA register cannot be updated through the A21 application.

Then cancel the saved A21 application and definitively submit a new one so that the corrected details are retrieved again from the AMKA register. If you know that the child’s AFM has already been recorded in AMKA, simply cancel the application and definitively submit a new one.

AMKA is updated with the AFM immediately. Cancel the application and definitively submit a new one so that your child’s AFM is retrieved again from AMKA.

Residence in Greece for the five years preceding the A21 application—or 12 years for third-country nationals—is established through the applicants’ E1 income tax returns, or those of their spouses or parents, for tax years 2021 through 2025, or 2014 through 2025 for third-country nationals. The income tax return must have been submitted during the year in which the deadline for filing it fell, not at a later date.

No supporting documents are required or provided for to prove the five-year period.

The instalment or instalments paid are considered undue payments and must be repaid to OPEKA, Piraeus Bank, Account No. GR 78 0171 0170 0060 1703 0022 477. State your full name, tax identification number (AFM) and region of residence. A copy of the deposit receipt must be sent to OPEKA. Contact details for OPEKA’s regional services are available on the application’s Contact page.

To determine annual family income, the total actual or imputed pre-tax income from all sources in Greece and abroad is taken into account, after deducting social security contributions and excluding benefits that are not counted as taxable income. This includes the income of all family members included in the A21 application who have an AFM and are required to file a tax return.

The calculation is made each time by the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE), and the information is retrieved automatically from the A21 Child Benefit online service. The amount retrieved through the interoperability of the two electronic systems is a total based on the sum of the individual incomes of all AFMs included in the application. It does not identify the source of the income or the family member to whom it relates.

For every AFM included in the A21 application whose holder is required to file a tax return, the taxable income in Table C1 of the tax assessment is added to the amounts taxed separately in Table D1. These are amounts that constitute income but are taxed at source. They are included except where they relate to benefits that are not counted as taxable income, such as the Child Benefit received in the previous year.

Previous years’ A21 Child Benefit applications are recalculated before each new payment using the latest tax return for the relevant year, whether the original or an amended return. If total family income has changed—for example, because an amended income tax return was filed—the Child Benefit is recalculated using the latest amendment for that year.

If the beneficiary was initially paid more than they were entitled to and the recalculation shows a lower entitlement, the difference is treated as an undue payment and offset against future payments. If the initial payment was lower than the beneficiary’s entitlement, the difference is paid retroactively.

There is no need to record the residence permit. The only details that need to be corrected in the AMKA register are the full name and date of birth, and only if they differ from the residence permit. The beneficiary must then cancel the A21 application and submit a new one so that the corrected details can be retrieved from the AMKA register.

If the residence permit cannot be verified electronically, you can attach the valid permit to the online application. The Child Benefit will be granted only after OPEKA authorised users have reviewed it. The attached permit must clearly show the holder’s identity details and its period of validity.

Greek citizens, people of Greek origin, citizens of EU Member States, citizens of countries in the European Economic Area, and third-country nationals or stateless persons who have been granted refugee status, subsidiary protection or residence on humanitarian grounds must have resided legally and permanently in Greece for the five years preceding the application.

Citizens of other countries, except for the categories listed above, must have resided legally and permanently in Greece for the 12 years preceding the year in which the A21 application is submitted.

Legal and permanent residence in Greece is established by filing an income tax return for each tax year. The return may be the applicant’s or their spouse’s, or, if the applicant was not required to file a return, the return in which they appear as a dependent. Only income tax returns submitted during the year in which the filing deadline fell are taken into account; late submissions are not.

No. The income tax return must have been submitted during the year in which the deadline for filing it fell, not at a later date.

The deadline for submitting an A21 application for previous years has passed, and an application can no longer be submitted.

Yes. The Child Benefit cannot be seized for any debt or offset against confirmed debts.

From the month after the child’s birth. For example, a child born in January becomes eligible from February 2026. A child born in December 2026 is not eligible for that year, but should be included in the application submitted for 2027.

Yes. To receive the benefit amount due to you, you must declare a bank account of which you are the account holder or a joint account holder.

From May 2025, the benefit amount due is paid through a special prepaid card. For more information, see the relevant OPEKA announcement.

Undue payments must be repaid to OPEKA, Piraeus Bank, Account No. GR 78 0171 0170 0060 1703 0022 477. State your full name, tax identification number (AFM) and region of residence. A copy of the deposit receipt in PDF format must be sent to the competent OPEKA service.

You can find the email addresses of OPEKA’s Central Service and Regional Directorates at the A21 application contact link.

Complete the relevant form available under Child Benefit Online Services and email it to the competent OPEKA Regional Service with the subject line “Child Benefit Certificate”. You can find the email addresses of OPEKA’s Central Service and Regional Directorates at the A21 application contact link.

Complete the form available on the Legal Remedies and Appeals page and email it to the competent OPEKA service—the Central Service or the Regional Directorate, depending on your place of residence—with the subject line “Administrative Appeal – Child Benefit”.

You can find the email addresses of OPEKA’s Central Service and Regional Directorates, as well as the regions under their jurisdiction, at the A21 application contact link.