Incentives / Benefits

The implementation of Law 4487/2017 for the operation of the Cash rebate was a decisive step in attracting investment through the production of films, TV series, documentaries, animation and digital games in Greece.

In September 2018 (Law 4563/2018) the subsidy rate was increased to 35%, while since July 2020 (Law 4704/2020) it has been 40%. Today the scheme operates as Cash Rebate Greece (CRGR) under Part C of Law 5105/2024 (“Creative Greece”), the continuation of the Law 4487/2017 regime, with a fixed rate of 40% of eligible expenditure incurred in Greece. Law 5105/2024 sets minimum eligible expenditure of €60,000 for documentaries, €45,000 for short films and €200,000 for feature or TV fiction films. For fiction mini-series (up to 16 episodes) the threshold is €120,000 per episode, and €35,000 per episode for other fiction TV series (the first two seasons are supported). For animation it is €80,000 for feature or TV films and €50,000 for short films.

The maximum amount of state aid (cash rebate) from EKKOMED – Creative Greece (Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center, created in 2024 under Law 5105/2024 by merging EKOME, the National Centre of Audiovisual Media and Communication, with the Greek Film Centre) that an investment project can receive is €8,000,000. In addition, the cash rebate can act as a guarantee for producers to obtain loans through Greek banks. The scheme has no expiry date. The scheme is funded by the National Public Investment Programme or by European structural and investment funds and other financing bodies. From April 2018 to January 2023, 323 applications for project funding have been approved (of which 143 are international and 179 Greek productions), while the amount of invested funds in the country amounts to €619 million.

With the implementation of Law 4172/2013-71E and the Joint Ministerial Decision (JMD) 1007/09-01-2019, EKKOMED (Creative Greece) now also administers the tax relief programme, which provides for a 30% tax exemption for investments in domestic o/a productions (through the same procedure as for the cash rebate). The programme can be used in combination with the cash rebate, reaching up to 50% of the total production cost of a project.

Applications can be submitted for international and domestic productions and/or co-productions that choose Greece as the country of shooting, production and/or post-production.

Applications are submitted to EKKOMED throughout the year, no later than ten days before the start of production and/or post-production, through an electronic system that guarantees smoothness, speed and transparency.

The cash rebate is paid after the completion of the production and/or post-production operations, provided that all the requirements of the legislation have been met.

Tax Relief is a second tool for attracting financial capital to audiovisual production in Greece and provides for a 30% tax exemption for investments in domestic audiovisual productions (through the same procedure as the cash rebate). The programme can be used in combination with a cash rebate of up to 50% of the total production cost of a project. EKKOMED (Creative Greece) is the official State body of this incentive, which can operate complementary to the investment incentive (cash rebate). Both are stand-alone investment instruments acting together or separately, provided that the general rules of legality and cumulation conditions are respected.

A prerequisite for inclusion is the existence of a Special Bank Account by the production company in a Greek credit institution, through which the financial management of the investment project will be carried out.