Contents
A virtual office gives you a professional address and mail handling; a registered business address gives you a lease agreement that is declared at the tax office (DOY). Put simply: a virtual office cannot be declared as your seat at the tax office, while a registered business address can. If you already have a registered address and simply want an address in Athens, the first is enough. If you need a registered address to start a business or to transfer it, you need the second.
The confusion is common, because for years many articles (and some providers) used the terms “virtual office” and “registered address” as if they were the same thing. They are not. Below, the BASES team explains the difference in two minutes, with the actual packages and prices, and gives you a simple decision tree so you choose correctly.
💡 Key Points
- A virtual office is not a registered address: it does not come with a lease agreement on TAXISNET and cannot be declared to the tax office, GEMI, ESPA or DYPA.
- A registered business address is a lease: a commercial lease agreement registered on TAXISNET and declared to AADE and GEMI.
- BASES prices: virtual office from €25/month; registered business address from €29/month (annual) + VAT 24% or stamp duty 3.6%.
- Decision rule: if you already have a registered address and want to keep it, choose a virtual office; if you need a registered address, choose a registered business address.
What a virtual office is and what a registered business address is
A virtual office is an address and mail service: you use a professional address in Athens on your website, in your email signatures and in your communication with clients. A registered business address is a legal commercial lease, with a lease agreement registered on TAXISNET and declared as your business’s seat.
In practice, a virtual office solves an image and organisation issue: you do not give out your home address, you have your own mailbox, and your mail is received, scanned or forwarded to wherever you are. For the full picture, see what a virtual office is and its benefits.
A registered business address solves a legal issue: every business needs a declared address at the tax office and, for companies, with GEMI. To declare it, you need a title to use the space, meaning ownership or a lease agreement. That is exactly what a registered business address rental provides.
What a “virtual seat” means
In the Greek market, the term “virtual seat” (eikoniki edra) is used for registered business address rental, not for the virtual office. In other words, it is the service with a lease agreement that is declared at the tax office. So if you are searching for “virtual seat or virtual office”, the real question is just one: do you need a lease agreement or not?
Can a virtual office be declared as your seat at the tax office?
No. A virtual office cannot be declared as your seat at the tax office, because it does not come with a commercial lease agreement. Without a lease agreement registered on TAXISNET, AADE does not accept an address as a registered seat, neither when you start a business nor when you change your business details.
Declaring or changing your registered address is done on myAADE, where, under the change of business details, you fill in the lease details (or the property details, if you own it). For companies, the registered address also goes through GEMI. In both cases the key document is the same: the lease agreement on TAXISNET.
The same applies to ESPA and DYPA programmes: wherever a registered seat or place of business is required, a title to use the space is required too. That is why, if a provider promises you a “registered address” without a lease agreement, ask them directly what exactly you will declare at the tax office.
🏢 From Our Experience
The most common misunderstanding we come across: someone books a virtual office believing they have “moved their registered address to Athens”, and finds out when their accountant asks for a lease agreement to process the change. Before you pay any provider, ask for one thing in writing: “Is a lease agreement issued in my name and registered on TAXISNET?”. If the answer is no, you are buying an address, not a registered seat.
Virtual office or registered business address: the comparison at a glance
The key difference is the lease agreement: a registered business address has one and can be declared, a virtual office does not. All the other differences follow from this, as the table with the actual BASES packages shows.
| Criterion | Virtual office | Registered business address |
|---|---|---|
| Lease agreement on TAXISNET | No | Yes, ready in 10 minutes |
| Declared as seat at the tax office/AADE | No | Yes |
| Declared to GEMI | No | Yes |
| Accepted for ESPA/DYPA | No | Yes |
| Address for website, signatures, Google | Yes | Yes |
| Own mailbox | Yes | Yes, branded |
| Receipt, notification, forwarding and document scanning | Receipt and notification by email/phone | |
| Meeting room | Extra charge | Extra charge |
| Activation | Same day | No activation fee |
| Price | From €25/month (6-month or annual) | From €29/month (annual) + VAT or stamp duty |
Note the mail row: a virtual office is designed for people who do not drop by the address, which is why it includes forwarding and document scanning. A registered business address covers receiving mail from the tax office and public bodies and notifies you when something arrives.
If you are not sure which column your case falls into, ask us before you buy anything. Call +30 210 440 9026 or send us a message through the contact form.
Which one you need: start from your registered address
The decision starts with one question: do you already have a declared registered address that you want to keep? If yes, you need a virtual office. If not, or if you want to change it, you need a registered business address.
Follow the steps in order and stop at the first “yes”:
- Do you already have a registered address with AADE (at home, in an office outside Athens or in another property) and want to keep it? → Virtual office. You get an address in Athens without any change at the tax office.
- Are you starting a business or setting up a company now? → Registered business address. You need a lease agreement to declare your seat with AADE and, for a company, with GEMI.
- Do you want to transfer your registered address (e.g. move it out of your home)? → Registered business address and a change of details on myAADE.
- Do you need a registered address for ESPA or a DYPA programme? → Registered business address, because a title to use the space is required.
- Do you only want an address for Google, your website and mail? → Virtual office.
You already have a registered address
If your registered address is already declared, a virtual office gives you a professional presence in Athens without touching anything at the tax office. It is the usual solution for professionals registered at home who do not want to publish their address, for businesses based in another city and for people working from abroad.
See in detail what the virtual office includes: your own mailbox, free mail receipt, notification and forwarding, document scanning and same-day activation. For ideas on putting it to use, add the new address to a professional email signature.
You need a registered address or want to transfer it
If you do not have a registered address or want to change it, a virtual office is not enough: you need a registered business address with a lease agreement. BASES has the lease agreement registered on TAXISNET ready in 10 minutes and guides you through the change of registered address with AADE and GEMI, so your accountant can complete the process without delays.
The registered business address package already covers a mailbox and mail receipt, so you usually do not need both services. For the documents required for the change, see how to get your address.
🏢 From Our Experience
We often get calls from professionals registered outside Athens, e.g. in Patras or Thessaloniki, who want a “registered address in Athens” to inspire trust in clients in the capital. Our first question is always: do you want your tax office to change? If not, a virtual office does exactly the job, at a lower cost and without any change with AADE or GEMI.
How much each costs and what the price includes
The BASES virtual office costs from €25 per month, while the registered business address costs from €29 per month on the annual package, plus VAT 24% or stamp duty 3.6%, whichever you choose. The small price difference hides a big difference in use: one is an address, the other a legal registered seat.
| Service | Package | Price/month | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered business address | Annual | €29 | + VAT 24% or stamp duty 3.6%, your choice; prepaid for the period; no activation fee |
| 6-month | €39 | ||
| 3-month | €49 | ||
| Virtual office | Annual | €25 | Same features, only the duration changes; active the same day; no 3-month plan |
| 6-month | €35 |
The registered business address also includes the option to declare a goods storage space at no extra charge, which is useful for e-shops. With a virtual office, the value lies in mail handling: you do not need to drop by the address to see what has arrived for you.
🏢 From Our Experience
For your Google Business Profile, keep in mind that Google applies its own verification rules: its guidelines state that a virtual office is shown as a physical location only if it is staffed by the business during business hours. If you serve clients at their location, Google also provides a “service area” profile with no visible address. Before you set up your profile, tell us how you work and we will tell you what to check.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I declare a virtual office as my seat at the tax office?
No. A virtual office does not come with a commercial lease agreement, so it cannot be declared as your seat at the tax office or with GEMI. To declare a registered address, you need a lease registered on TAXISNET or a property you own. If you need a registered address, the right service is registered business address rental.
What is the difference between a virtual seat and a virtual office?
A “virtual seat” is registered business address rental, with a lease agreement declared to AADE and GEMI. A virtual office is an address and mail service, without a lease agreement. The first covers a legal obligation, the second your professional image. You can have your registered address elsewhere and only a virtual office in Athens.
Do I need both if I have a registered address with BASES?
Usually not. The BASES registered business address package already includes a branded mailbox and mail receipt with notification by email or phone. A virtual office makes sense mainly when your registered address is somewhere else and you simply want an address in Athens. If you are not sure, ask us before you buy.
Can I use the virtual office address on Google?
You can use it on your website, in your email signatures and in your communication. For your Google Business Profile, Google has its own rules and verifies addresses; its guidelines state that a virtual office is shown as a location only if it is staffed during business hours. Read Google’s guidelines before you create or change your profile.
How quickly is each service activated?
The BASES virtual office is active the same day. For the registered business address, BASES has the lease agreement registered on TAXISNET ready in 10 minutes, with no activation fee. After that, you or your accountant submit the business start or change declaration on myAADE. Allow a little extra time for the change at GEMI if you are a company.
Sources
- AADE – myAADE / TAXISNET (accessed 02/10/2026)
- gov.gr – Single Digital Portal (accessed 02/10/2026)
- Business Portal – GEMI (accessed 02/10/2026)
- Lawspot – AADE: Automatic update of the Tax Registry with changes to EPE and IKE company details (accessed 02/10/2026)
- Google Business Profile – Guidelines for representing your business on Google (accessed 02/10/2026)
Note: This article is for information purposes only and does not constitute tax or legal advice. For your specific case, consult an accountant. The information is valid as of October 2026.
