Compliance · Greece
SMS Compliance in Greece
A practical overview of the rules that affect SMS messaging and marketing in Greece, with a checklist before you launch.
Key Rules for SMS in Greece
Law 3471/2006 requires prior consent for marketing SMS and email, and the Hellenic Data Protection Authority enforces it together with the GDPR.
Across the EU and the UK, the ePrivacy rules (implemented through national laws, and PECR in the UK) generally require prior consent before sending marketing texts to individuals, with a limited 'soft opt-in' for existing customers buying similar products. GDPR or UK GDPR then governs how the contact data itself is handled.
Data Protection
The Hellenic Data Protection Authority enforces the GDPR, including cookie consent.
Keep a record of how each contact was collected, what they agreed to and when, and make it easy for them to withdraw consent.
Practical Checklist
- Collect and record consent (or confirm an existing customer relationship) before sending, with the date and source.
- Use a registered sender ID or number that recipients can recognise as your business.
- Identify your business in every message and keep promotional and service messages separate.
- Give a simple way to opt out of marketing and process opt-outs quickly across all your systems.
- Send in the recipient's local daytime hours and keep frequency reasonable.
Contact data
Format numbers in international E.164 format with the +30 country code, remove duplicates and invalid numbers, and keep consent records linked to each number.
Timing and Language
Greece follows the Europe/Athens time zone (UTC+03:00 in October 2026). The usual working week is Monday to Friday. Schedule SMS campaigns for the recipient's local daytime hours, avoid public holidays and religious observances that matter to your audience, and convert send times from IST before scheduling.
In Athens, customers commonly use Greek, with English. Messages in the customer's preferred language usually perform better, but check how local-language text affects character counts (for SMS) and template approval (for WhatsApp).
Digital Habits and Channels in Greece
Greece has high mobile use, and Viber is unusually popular alongside Messenger and WhatsApp. SMS is used for appointment reminders, deliveries and bank codes.
Card payments grew rapidly after the 2015 capital controls, and IRIS instant payments are now used for transfers. Tourism dominates the summer economy, so many businesses market in English and other visitor languages from April to October. Easter, the August holidays and Christmas shape domestic demand.
Greece's economy depends heavily on tourism, which brings over 30 million visitors a year to the islands, Athens and Thessaloniki, and on shipping: Greek owners control one of the largest merchant fleets in the world. Agriculture (olive oil, feta, fruit) and a growing technology scene add to this. The standard VAT rate is 24%. Law 3471/2006 requires consent for electronic marketing, supervised by the Hellenic Data Protection Authority. Many Greeks celebrate name days as well as birthdays, which gives retailers extra occasions for greetings and offers.
Regulators, Registers and Practical Rules in Greece
In Greece, the Hellenic Data Protection Authority enforces the GDPR and Law 4624/2019, and the Hellenic Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT) regulates telecoms. Law 3471/2006 requires prior consent for marketing by SMS, email and automated calls, and live marketing calls must respect the opt-out registers held by operators (the "Article 11" register). Cosmote, Vodafone and Nova are the operators.
Messages should be in Greek; English is widely understood in tourism. The tourist season from May to October dominates hospitality.
WhatsApp and Viber are both popular in Greece.
In practice, Greek businesses use Viber and WhatsApp alongside SMS, and many customers prefer Viber for messages from local companies.
General guidance, not legal advice. Check current rules with the regulator or a local adviser before launch.
Advertising Alongside Messaging
Advertising follows consumer law and the Hellenic Code of Advertising and Communication Practice, administered by the Communication Control Council.
This guide is general information, not legal advice, and reflects our understanding as of October 2026. Rules change, so we check current requirements for Greece before every launch.
Planning SMS campaigns for Greece?
We check the rules, set up sender requirements and run compliant campaigns.
SMS in Greece: FAQs
Do I need consent to send marketing SMS messages in Greece?
In most cases, yes, or at least an existing customer relationship and a clear opt-out. Law 3471/2006 requires prior consent for marketing SMS and email, and the Hellenic Data Protection Authority enforces it together with the GDPR.
Do I need a registered sender ID for Greece?
Sender ID rules vary by country and operator. Some countries require pre-registration of alphanumeric sender IDs, others only allow numeric senders. We confirm the current requirement before launch.
Can DND Teams run SMS campaigns to Greece?
Yes. We are based in Bhopal, India, and run campaigns for international markets remotely, after checking the current rules, sender requirements and coverage for Greece.
Is this legal advice?
No. This guide is general information to help you plan. Regulations change and their application depends on your business, so take local legal advice for significant campaigns.
Related Guides and Services
Other channels in Greece
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