Seasonal work contract in Greece: what to check before you sign

Was your hiring declared to ΕΡΓΑΝΗ?

Before you start working, your employer is required to submit a Digital Hiring Declaration to ΕΡΓΑΝΗ, Greece's national employment-declaration system. Work even one hour without that declaration on file, and your job counts as undeclared — no matter what was agreed out loud.

You can check whether you were declared yourself, without asking anyone. Sign in to myErgani with your Taxisnet credentials (the same national login used for tax and social-security services) and open your digital employment file: it lists every employment relationship a business has declared under your name, with its basic terms. The process recently changed again: every term of your hiring now has to be declared explicitly, and you review and digitally accept it yourself in myErgani.

If you see nothing there once you've already started, talk to your employer first — it could be a simple delay. If it still doesn't show up, see below for where to turn.

What should be in writing

Greek law requires your employer to give you the essential terms of your job in writing, not only spoken at the interview. A spoken promise can't be proven later if something goes wrong.

• Your role and job title.
• Your start date and, for a seasonal position, when it's expected to end.
• How and when you're paid — monthly or by the day — and the exact amount, written down, not implied.
• Your working hours and how many days off you get a week.
• If accommodation or meals are included, exactly what that covers.

The amount is the term that most often stays "roughly". Before you discuss it, see what open listings state for your role and your area on the seasonal pay page, so you know what you usually meet and what you do not.

Ask for this in writing before your final yes, not "we'll sort it out later". Keep a copy on your phone — a text, an email, a photo — so you have something to compare against what myErgani shows.

Hours, days off and the digital work card

Hotels, restaurants and cafés now use, with few exceptions, the digital work card (ψηφιακή κάρτα εργασίας): it records when you actually clock in and out of a shift, not just what's written on paper. It's the tool that shows whether your real hours match what was agreed.

Your hours and days off should match what was written down in the previous section. If they keep changing without explanation, or you're asked to work hours that never show up anywhere, that's a sign to ask clearly what actually applies.

Accommodation and meals in the agreement

If the job comes with accommodation and meals, that's part of the deal, just like pay, and it should be in writing: whether the room is private or shared, how many people live together, whether meals are provided daily.

For how to weigh up a listing with accommodation before you say yes, read the seasonal housing guide.

When the season ends

A "Seasonal" position is agreed for the length of the season and usually ends on the date that was written down from the start. Ask early what happens to any unused leave and your final pay, so you're not chasing it on your way out.

After the season ends, ask ΔΥΠΑ, Greece's public employment service (formerly ΟΑΕΔ), about the Special Seasonal Benefit: there's dedicated support for seasonal workers in tourism and food service, with its own insurance conditions. ΔΥΠΑ is the body that can tell you whether you qualify and what you need to claim it.

Where to turn if something isn't honoured

If anything agreed in writing isn't honoured — hours, pay, accommodation — the responsible authority is the Labour Inspectorate (Επιθεώρηση Εργασίας, still widely known by its former name, ΣΕΠΕ). You can reach it through its own website, by name or without giving your name, or by phone through the unified citizen line, 1555.

This guide gives general information, not legal advice. For anything about your own contract, ask the Labour Inspectorate (ΣΕΠΕ); for anything about a benefit after the season, ask ΔΥΠΑ — both answer to the public free of charge.

Before you apply

All of this is something you check after the interview, before your final yes. The first step, though, is finding the job: browse seasonal job listings at hotels, restaurants and beach bars across Greece.

If you also want the guide on how to read a listing and apply, read the seasonal jobs guide.

If you have more questions, read the FAQ.