Greece plans to end cash on delivery for courier parcels: what would change

A draft Greek law would stop private buyers paying couriers in cash at the door.¹³ The Ministry of National Economy and Finance (Υπουργείο Εθνικής Οικονομίας και Οικονομικών, Ypourgeio Ethnikis Oikonomias kai Oikonomikon, or ΥΠΕΘΟ) proposes that electronic payment become mandatory for deliveries of goods by courier companies, regardless of amount.¹⁵⁶ In Greek, paying on delivery is called αντικαταβολή (antikatavoli).³

This is a proposal, not a rule in force. The bill is in public consultation until 22 October 2026.¹² It would apply only after Parliament passes it and a ministerial decision is published.⁴⁷¹²

A courier rule inside a bill about loans

The change sits in a large omnibus bill whose title begins with stronger supervision of loans managed by servicers and protection for borrowers who keep up with payments.¹² The same bill also covers crypto-assets, capital markets, the transposition of six EU directives and a pension provision.¹² It also includes a refund of excise duty on farmers' diesel.¹¹¹ The ministry's aim is for the bill to be tabled in Parliament and voted on in the first week of November.¹¹⁰

The €500 rule it would extend

Greece already requires electronic payment when a business sells to a private individual for €500 or more, under article 20, paragraph 3 of law 3842/2010.³⁸¹² Article 299 of the draft bill amends that paragraph.³⁸

Under the draft, sales where goods are sent and delivered to a private individual through a courier business, and the price is paid on delivery, would have to be settled electronically whatever the amount.³⁷⁸ In practice that means from the first euro.⁷

Electronic payment would be required regardless of amount when a private buyer pays a courier on delivery.¹⁸¹²

How you would pay

The draft refers to the same methods as the €500 rule: card or another electronic means of payment, such as bank transfer, payment through a payment account or an e-wallet. In our translation, the bill says the list is given "indicatively but not exhaustively".³⁷¹² Greek press reports sum this up as bank cards and e-banking instead of cash.¹⁰¹¹

The fine falls on the courier

Article 300 amends the Tax Procedure Code (Κώδικας Φορολογικής Διαδικασίας, Kodikas Forologikis Diadikasias, law 5104/2024).³¹² A courier business that accepts cash would be fined double the amount paid in cash, for each breach.¹³⁸¹²

On a parcel paid with €100 in cash, that would mean a €200 fine, by our calculation. The new penalty in article 300 targets courier businesses, and the reports do not describe a fine on buyers or online shops.³¹³¹²

The ministry's announcement does not give a reason for the change.¹ Press reports describe the aim as reducing the use of cash and extending electronic payments.⁸¹⁰

Exemptions and a start date are still to come

The ministry says some categories of individuals would be exempt, but it has not named them.¹⁴ The bill text itself contains no exemptions.¹² According to the ministry, a ministerial decision issued before the rule takes effect would set them out. It would be modelled on the exemptions that already apply to the requirement to spend a set amount electronically, known in Greece as "building" the tax-free allowance (αφορολόγητο, aforologito).¹⁴⁹

No start date has been set.⁴⁷ Under the bill, articles 299 and 300 would take effect when a decision under paragraph 6A of article 20 of law 3842/2010 is published.¹² In any case, the new rules can apply only once the legislative process is complete.⁴ The bill does not say whether this is the same decision that will set the exemptions.¹²

What shoppers and small e-shops can do now

For shoppers, nothing changes yet. Applying the new rules depends on the legislative process being completed.⁴ Anyone who relies on paying cash at the door should watch for the ministerial decisions that would set the start date and the exemptions.¹⁷¹²

For small online shops, the new penalty in the draft falls on couriers, not on sellers.³¹² The reports do not say whether shops would have to stop offering cash on delivery themselves.³¹³ Shops that depend on it can read articles 299 and 300 and comment during the consultation.²³

How to have your say

The bill is open for public consultation on opengov.gr, the government's consultation website, until 22 October 2026 at 10:00.¹² The courier provisions are articles 299 and 300 of the draft.³⁸ The text is a draft, so its wording and numbering could change before it reaches Parliament.³