IRIS is mandatory for every Greek business — what that means
The rule
the mandate covers every commercial entity dealing with private consumers — sole traders, street vendors, service providers and large chains alike. They must be able to receive IRIS payments at the point of sale and in e-commerce.
The fine
failure to accept IRIS carries an administrative penalty of €1,500 per the relevant ministerial decision (ΚΥΑ 119899/2023). There is a 50% reduction for professionals in small villages and low-population, non-touristic islands. (Note: other, larger figures you may see in the press relate to other obligations — such as missing a POS terminal — not to IRIS acceptance itself.)
Why the state did this
the driver is anti-tax-evasion and fiscal transparency. IRIS funnels commerce through a traceable, real-time rail that is cross-checked against the myDATA system. This is a top-down, compliance-driven model — quite different from Poland, where BLIK became universal through consumer demand rather than legal compulsion.
What a business needs
an IRIS-enabled merchant setup through its bank or payment provider. The receiver pays a fee (per the bank contract for professionals, or a per-transaction merchant fee for IRIS Commerce), while the payer pays nothing. Confirm your specific pricing with your bank — receiver fees are not a single published rate.
How not to get cheated (as a merchant)
set IRIS up directly with your own bank or a reputable payment provider — not through someone who cold-calls offering to “register you for IRIS” for a fee. And remember the flip side of the no-chargeback rule: for you as a receiver it means funds are final, but you still owe the goods or service, and IRIS activity is visible to the tax system in real time.
A note for newcomers planning to trade
if you are opening a small business — a kiosk, a food stall, a service — IRIS acceptance plus the POS / cash-register / myDATA interconnection is now part of the baseline. Budget for it from day one rather than treating it as an add-on.
Related
IRIS explained · card types in Greece · AFM (tax number)
This is general information, not legal, tax or business advice. The mandate’s enforcement and any extensions can change — confirm current rules at dias.com.gr and aade.gr. WTP Finance is informational only.