What an AMA Number Is
An AMA (Αριθμός Μητρώου Ακινήτων, the property registration number) is the number the Greek tax authority issues to a property entered in the Short-Term Residence Property Registry. Any furnished home let for short stays must hold one before it is advertised, and the number must appear in the listing itself. It is not a quality rating. It certifies that the property is registered, that its rooms are legally habitable, and that it meets safety and insurance requirements set by statute.
What the number is
An AMA is a registration number. AADE, the Greek revenue authority, issues it to a property entered in the Short-Term Residence Property Registry. The registry is set up under Article 111 of Law 4446/2016, and every property let for short stays has to be in it.
The number belongs to the property, not to the owner or the agency. Each house has one AMA, whoever lets it and through whichever channel.
A short-term let is defined by its length. A furnished residential property rented for no more than 59 days falls inside the framework. A longer let is an ordinary residential lease, governed by entirely different rules.
Where the number has to appear
The AMA must appear in the listing: in every advertisement for the property, on every platform that shows it. The platforms check the numbers they receive against the registry.
This makes a missing number a useful signal, and it is the main reason to know about the AMA. A house advertised for short stays with no registration number on display is unregistered, or its registration has been withdrawn.
The consequence for the property is automatic. When a property loses its AMA, it is removed from the platforms.
What a property must have to keep it
Since 1 October 2025, registration has carried real requirements. Article 3 of Law 5170/2025 sets operational standards that every registered property must meet. The law was published in the Government Gazette in January 2025, and a Ministry of Tourism circular put it into effect for tourism in September 2025.
- Spaces of main use only. The rooms let must be legally habitable space, such as bedrooms, living rooms and kitchens, with natural light, ventilation and air conditioning. A converted basement, storeroom, garage or attic does not qualify.
- Civil liability insurance from an insurer licensed in Greece, covering damage or accidents that affect guests and third parties.
- An electrician’s declaration confirming the electrical installation. This includes a residual-current device in the fuse board, a safety switch that cuts the power when it detects a fault.
- Fire safety equipment: a portable fire extinguisher sized to the property, smoke detectors in bedrooms and kitchens, and marked emergency exits.
- A pest control certificate, a first aid kit and a guide to emergency contact numbers.
The statute sets the fines itself, instead of leaving them to discretion. A property that fails to meet the standards, or whose manager obstructs an inspection, faces an administrative fine of €5,000. A further breach within the same year is fined at several times that amount.
The Athens and Thessaloniki freeze
Two Greek cities have stopped issuing new numbers in their centres. This is separate from the standards above, and it catches people out.
Athens. New AMA registrations are barred in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd municipal districts until 31 December 2026. The area includes the commercial triangle, Plaka, Monastiraki, Syntagma, Kolonaki, Exarcheia, Koukaki, Mets, Pangrati, Petralona, Thiseio, Gazi and Metaxourgeio, among others.
Thessaloniki. Since 1 March 2026 the same rule has applied to the First Municipal Community, which holds roughly 4,800 of the city’s approximately 7,500 short-term listings.
Existing registrations continue. Only a new one is barred. This matters most when a property changes hands: a buyer in these districts cannot assume the number comes with the house.
What the number does not tell you
The AMA is a compliance record, and the common mistake is to read more into it.
It says the property is registered, its rooms are legal, and it has insurance, an extinguisher and a smoke alarm. It says nothing about the quality of the house, the standard of the linen, the competence of the staff or the accuracy of the photographs. A poor house and a very good one hold the same kind of number.
It also does not show who is letting the property or on what terms. The registry records the property. Deposits, cancellation terms and who holds the money are matters of contract, and they sit outside this system altogether.
Where it does not apply
Two cases fall outside the registry. Check them instead of assuming.
Longer stays. A let of more than 59 days is an ordinary residential lease, not a short-term rental, and the framework above does not cover it.
Licensed tourist accommodation. A property run as a licensed tourist business, not as a residential let, holds a licence from the Ministry of Tourism instead, with its own number. Several of the larger staffed estates in Greece are set up this way.
The quickest way to find out which applies is to ask directly: which number does this house hold, and may we see it? A registered property answers at once. So does a licensed one. Only an unregistered one has to explain.
What to ask before taking a house
Ask three questions. None of them is hostile.
- What is the property’s AMA, or its tourism licence number? Either is a good answer. Having neither is not.
- Are the rooms we will use spaces of main use? This matters most where a house advertises more bedrooms than its permit shows. A converted lower floor is exactly what the rule excludes.
- Who holds the civil liability insurance, and what does it cover? The statute requires the insurance, but the policy still has its own terms.
Asking is normal. Since October 2025 every legally let house in Greece has had to hold these answers.