The Corfiot and all things Greek

What should you bring with you if you relocate?

This is not a silly question. We originally started to make plans around taking much of the contents of our UK home to Greece. Then we started to think whether our style of furniture would be appropriate for a Greek house. As we intended renting we realised that to take our furniture would restrict our choice to purely unfurnished property.

As it turned out, we rented a furnished property, bought some furniture in Corfu and took 58 boxes of personal effects plus the car which was full of computers, tools, breakables and some electrical equipment (Hi fi etc.). We were also fortunate in that our landlord had proved to be very accommodating in that he was amenable to removing items of furniture that we didn't want. (All Greeks seem to have masses of storage space, but heaven knows where!)

Having decided what you want to take, how are you going to get it there? Essentially there are only two viable solutions. You either have your goods freighted overland by a forwarding or removals company or you hire a vehicle sufficiently big enough, assuming that you are licenced to drive it and transport the goods yourself.

This latter solution has added problems. Apart from hire charges, insurance charges in case of breakdown, road tolls, fuel charges, and ferry charges from Italy to Corfu as well as from the UK to mainland Europe, there will also be some overnight stops to cater for.

These may be able to be avoided if you can enlist the aid of additional drivers, but there may still be additional ferry fares. Oh yes! Did we mention that you then have to return the hire vehicle!

As an aside, we found that the hirers of commercial vehicles, in general, were quite reluctant to get involved in overseas hirings but some can be found.

Our Solution - We decided to ship our personal effects AND our car with a forwarding company. Yes! The car went into the back of a truck! The total cost (in 2002) was a little over £1,700 including limited insurance. (Total loss only). Our effects were collected from our door in the UK and delivered to our door in Corfu. On top of this we had to pay for single flights to Corfu. We had 3 items of minor, inconsequential damage and all goods were in Corfu within 5 days. At the time, we considered this the better option for us and have not changed our mind.

Packing!
What was the hardest part? That's easy! Packing it all. Ask Tricia! Some of what follows may seem obvious but it is amazing what gets forgotten in all the excitement!

You really need to get same same sized boxes for easy stacking. We used smaller boxes for heavy items like books - Don't try packing a box the size of a tea chest with books and expect to lift it! It sounds obvious but our forwarding agents assured us that people do try! The final hard thing is living when all your every day items are on their way to Greece! Marks & Spencer did very well out of us for that week!

In Conclusion
If have made your mind up to relocate, what you take with you will be dictated by a number of things. It will certainly depend upon whether or not you are 'selling up' in the UK.

Don't be too hasty in throwing things out or giving them to charities. (Being the hoarders that we are, we gave away about two van loads to charities!) It can be very comforting to have familiar things around you.

Gentlemen! If, like me, you have built up a collection of tools over many years, take them with you. They can be expensive to replace and, depending upon where you choose to live, difficult to locate.

Buy or Rent?
This is a tough one. The answer will depend very much upon the individual and their circumstances. We know those who could buy property but choose to rent, those that own their own property in the UK and in Corfu and those that have sold up and now are permanently based on Corfu. We now fall into the latter category.

Without going into specifics, when we first moved to Corfu, we owned a UK property but chose to rent in Greece although we could have  purchased a modest property if we wished. Our reasoning was relatively simple. Having served 30 years as a Copper tends to make you a little cautious and that as much as we love Corfu and the people, we were reluctant to 'burn our bridges' at that point in time.

To be honest, I have seen colleagues who have gone no further than Norfolk, who have decided after two or three years that they wanted to be back where they came from and found that they couldn't afford to do so.

At the time of updating this site, (March 2010) the world is gripped in a state of economic chaos. The Greek government has introduced stringent measures in an attempt to get the country's finances in order and we would consider it foolish to part with money hastily at this point in time.

Forgive us if the following statement does not apply to you! Put simply, "In times of economic hardship, luxuries are the first things to go. A second home is a luxury!"

Property prices are stagnant in Corfu at best. It is not uncommon for properties to remain on the market for many years, in some cases as much as ten years. There is a significant cultural difference when it comes to house purchase in Corfu as opposed to the UK.

In the UK, if you put your property on the market, it is usually because you want to sell it. In many cases here, the vendor couldn't care less! The asking price is often what the vendor thinks somebody might be stupid enough to pay. It is not that uncommon when a property hasn't sold for quite a while, for the owner to increase the price! Honestly! 

This is not always the case. Sometimes it may be the case that they (the vendor) needs a given amount of money. For example, to pay for a wedding or to obtain title to an inherited piece of land or property. The possible reasons are endless. If you consider house purchase here to be an investment we would advise caution. It may take you many years to show any significant profit.

It won't surprise us if we receive abusive or threatening emails from real estate agents as a result of these comments! It won't be the first time! I guess that they have their uses, particularly if you if you feel daunted by the not inconsiderable bureaucracy involved in property purchase in Greece.

Renting
So what's the alternative? Simple! Renting!

There are plenty of properties for rent but do you remember what we have said elsewhere about doing your homework? It has never applied so much as does to renting! Forgive me for repeating this and shouting. DO YOUR HOMEWORK!

That lovely apartment that you stayed in by the sea for two or three weeks every summer for the past ten years will almost certainly be useless in the winter. In case you haven't done your homework, I will give you a clue. Winters in Corfu are VERY wet and cold. Overnight temperatures will often fall to -4°C or lower. Damp is a serious problem in many properties and it will almost not be obvious during summer. Sufficient heating is essential.

Don't let us put you off! Renting is a very viable proposition and one that we would recommend. Even if you feel certain that you want to 'up-sticks' and move here, we would recommend at least 18 months to two years renting to make absolutely sure.

A final word here on renting. We know of several people who feel that others think that they are in some way inferior because they rent. This seems to be a particularly British attitude and not one shared by most if not all other European nationals where renting is considered the norm. We don't know why this should be. I put it down to another British eccentricity!

By now, you may be wondering what route we went down. I will simplify things by saying that we first rented for 18 months. We then purchased a piece of land and designed a house with the aid of a local architect who ultimately built the house. Before our house was built, we rented another house close to our land and oversaw the build.

Having condensed several years into one paragraph, it sounds easy. The renting bit was. The house build is a different matter! If you are considering building a property here, you may care to visit another of our websites at http://www.thehelm.co.uk where we have detailed the trials and tribulations of building in Greece. It is not for the faint-hearted!

The Greek Language

This is difficult for us to comment upon as we had a limited knowledge of the Greek language when we first moved to Corfu as our very frustrated then landlord will testify! (Frustrated on account of his limited English!)

However, we had four years of classes prior to our move. When asked of our ability, we always answer that we don't think we would get lost or starve!

So, I guess that the short answer is, that if you can learn a little Greek before moving to Greece, it will stand you in good stead. Depending upon your contact with English speakers will have a bearing on this. It is very easy to become lazy! I shall say no more!

We would suggest that Greek classes can be fun, particularly if your fellow students are interested in more than 'holiday Greek'. That is not to decry classes specialising in teaching the casual visitor to Greece, but if you can also learn of the culture as well as the language, you will certainly find it rewarding.

I am not going to attempt to teach you Greek. However, if you consider starting to learn Greek, I would urge you to do so. It can be fun. Honest!

I lied! Here's a little taster!
One thing that frightens a lot of people is the alphabet. Don't let it frighten you. Let us give you a little encouragement! Consider the uppercase Alphabet that follows:

ΑΒΓΔΕΖΗΘΙΚΛΜΝΞΟΠΡΣΤΥΦΧΨΩ.

The first thing to notice is that there is only 24 letters as opposed to 26 in the English alphabet

Fifteen of those letters are the same as letters in the English alphabet. Many make similar sounds to those that an English speaker would be familiar with but not all!

For example, the letter 'Ρ' makes a sound like an English 'R'. Oh yes! Some of the familiar looking letters are not where you expect them to be. Eg. 'Ζ' is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet.

It gets even more interesting if you consider the lower case Greek alphabet that follows:

αβγδεζηθικλμνξοπρστυφχψω.

Okay, so not so many letters are identical to those of the English alphabet! To make it more interesting, the lowercase 'σ' (Sigma) There is a second form of this letter, 'ς' which is only used at the end of a word.

I would suggest that the average person could learn both the upper and lowercase Greek alphabets and the sound they make and name of them in two or three hours at the most. Believe me when I say that I am no academic!

Whatever anyone tells you, knowing the alphabet is worthwhile. How would you find your way around a dictionary without that minimum skill?.

Be warned though. One night a week at evening classes will not get you proficient in the language! It will help though. Information on Greek language courses can be obtained from local colleges whose prospectuses are usually available from libraries. Highly recommended! 

The following are just a sample of sources of online information on the Internet about the Greek language.

Decisions and Considerations before moving

There are some basic decisions to be made before you move. These will differ according to personal circumstances. They include:-

• What do you want to get out of living in Greece? If you want to become one of the 'Gin & Tonic Brigade' and party all summer, well I guess that's fine, but I'm afraid that we can't help you as that's not our scene!
• Is your stay going to be on a permanent basis or just for the summer?
• Do you intend working in Greece? If you do, we would suggest that the ability to speak Greek is essential unless you intend working in tourism when you may get by with limited Greek.
• Do you want to learn at least a little Greek before you go?
• Do you intend purchasing or renting a property in the first instance?
• What you want to take with you by way of personal effects and how do you transport them?
• Do you take your car with you? If so do you drive it there or ship it?

These are just some of the considerations that you will need to make. We are sure that others will come up with many more.

To Work Or Not To Work?

Do you intend working? A single person who intends retiring and not working will have different considerations to a couple with children of school age where they both intend seeking employment. At this point in time we consider work and retirement a contradiction in terms, therefore research in this area has been minimal. Similarly, education is outside our knowledge although we understand that the education system varies considerably from that in the UK.

You should be aware that Greece has a high rate of unemployment which stood at 10.2% in March 2010. We suspect that it is even higher in Corfu. The likelihood of finding work as a non-Greek speaker is very slim.

The following are useful sources of information for those intending to live and work in Greece:-

The Greek Embassy
1a, Holland Park, London. W11 3TP. 
Tel. (020) 7221 6467 
www.greekembassy.org.uk

On advice, we made contact with the embassy at a very early stage. The press office were particulary helpful and sent a very thick paperback book which gave all sorts of useful and interesting information about the country.

Be warned if you telephone the Greek Embassy in London. They have one of those systems which give you a 1001 options depending upon the nature of your enquiry. It may take two or three goes to hit the right department! Have a pencil ready to note down the relative (different) phone numbers. We must emphasise though, that once through to the correct department, they were very helpful, particularly when I attended the embassy to obtain an import licence for our car.

Job Centres - It is our understanding that UK/EU nationals have free access to the services of the Greek employment service, the OAED (Organismos Apasholisseos-Ergatikou Dynamikou). They have a web site at www.oaed.gr.

Books - Check out the local lending library. There is one book that we have heard of entitled "Living and Working In Greece", by Peter Reynolds, ISBN: 1857036751. We can't vouch for the content though.

Basic preparations
Most will agree that to move from one's native country to another which is more than a thousand miles away from your roots and family is a decision not to be taken lightly. To do so is to invite all sorts of problems. Add to this the fact that your intended new country of residence has a different language, alphabet and culture and the problem is magnified.

Our guide sets out how we went about it, what we did and sources of information that we found useful. It is by no means exhaustive and may not cover areas pertinent to others wishing to embark upon such an adventure. We use the word adventure deliberately as that is how we have viewed it from the time we first seriously considered the move. Although it is early days for us, we still do!

We cannot emphasise enough that this guide is based upon our personal circumstances and experiences of moving to Corfu from the UK. If your native country is other than the UK, we suggest that you may have different or additional considerations.

This IS basic! However, we make no apologies for saying it. Three pieces of advice when starting out - 1) Be organised, 2) Be organised and 3) Be organised!

Information is much more available now than it was when we first started planning our move. The fact that you are reading this is an indication of some of that which is available. Remember! Google is your friend!

Those that know us will know that one half of us is heavily into information technology - therefore we used box files! Don't laugh! It worked for us and was based upon advice from those that went before us. Imagine having all those really useful emails and contacts on  computer only to have the hard disk crash. We do dutifully back up our important information, don't we? NOT!

You will end up with lots of information. It is easy to dispose of it once you are sure that it is not needed but it is sometimes difficult to remember the source of that really useful information once it is gone. This is particulary true if, like us, you carry out a lot of research on the internet.

The extent to which you file the results of all your labours will depend upon the individual. We did no more than retain everything in the box files. Knowing that it was there was sufficient for us. I won't dwell upon this further.

Our Guide To Moving To Corfu - Background

Having retired after 30 years as a police officer in London, England, my wife, Tricia and I realised our dream and moved to Corfu in 2002. At one time, this seemed an impossible dream, not only because of the magnitude of what we were planning, but the sheer logistical and legal problems involved in such a move.

We have tried to approach the problems we have encountered logically and being an ex-detective, I am used to asking questions! That is precisely what we did and this guide is an attempt to put our experiences, based on the experiences of others, into writing in the hope that it may be of help to others.

This guide touches upon such things as tax, banking and employment. We have no specialist knowledge in these fields. The information presented is based either upon personal experience or research. If any reader feels that there are specific inaccuracies, please contact us. We call it a guide and that is precisely what it should be taken as!

In addition, we have prepared this and other 'HOWTO' guides giving in-depth accounts of our experiences and information relating to renting a home in Corfu and importing a UK registered car into Corfu.

Acknowledgements! 

Having received so much help from both Greek and English residents within Corfu, it would be remiss of us not to acknowledge their valuable assistance without which, our own move would have been a nightmare.

In the first instance, there were the readers of "The Corfiot", an ex-patriot's magazine published in Corfu, who responded to a letter that I had published some years ago. 

The list of individuals who have helped is quite long. However, we would like to specifically thank:-

• Periklis Katsaros and his family who continue to provide valuable assistance;
• Dimitris Katsaros for helping us find our first home in Corfu;
• Ted and Ruth Wooller, Joan and Bill Ashford, Rob and Hilary Horne, all of whom have gone before us and who have been such a valuable source of advice and encouragement.
• Finally, I would like to thank Carol and Peter Stroud who moved to Corfu in October 2002. They have provided details of their move which will give another perspective to the subject. In addition, they have given details of the overland route that they took and the costs incurred.

There are many other individuals whom we come into contact with who offer help advice and encouragement but to list them all would be an impossible task. If you are one of that number, please don't take offence at the ommision! Your contributions are always welcome. 

The following details are of the forwarding company that we used. We found their service satisfactory and recommend them. We are not connected in any way with this company. We have subsequently used them again since moving to Corfu. If moving elsewhere in Greece, they have offices at Elefsina, Thessaloniki and Patras as well Limassol in Cyprus.

Mondial Forwarding Ltd
46 Lockfield Avenue
Brimsdown
Enfield
Middlesex
EN3 7PX.

Tel:(+44) 020 8805 3344 (UK)
Fax(+44) :020 8805 2299

Their agents in Corfu are:
Almaran Ltd
Tria Gefiria
On the Linking road between Eth. Pelekas and Eth. Lefkimmi
Corfu.

Tel: (+30) 2661 032879
Mob: 6945 791473 & 6945 177019

PLEASE! Check any 'Stop Press' notes at the end of this article.

This will depend upon how long you will be remaining in Greece and what the purpose of your stay is. I.e. Will you be seeking employment?

The Aliens Police have announced new requirements for obtaining residence / work permits in Corfu. They are less demanding, with the medical and psychiatric examinations deleted.

The Police have underlined that the penalties for non-observance of the requirements can he very high.

Essentially, if your stay in Greece is longer than 3 months, you require a residence permit. Application MUST be made in person within three months of the date of arrival in Greece. For more complete information, check out our HOWTO document on obtaining a residence permit in Corfu by clicking HERE.

Stop Press! - 9th April 2002
We are indebted to Nick Whitehouse for the following information. Apparently when he approached the Security Police in Corfu, He was advised that if he was not employed and was an EU citizen, that he did not require a residence permit. However, please note that you will require one if employed in Greece. You will also need one if you wish to register a car here.

As this situation appears 'fluid', you are strongly advised to seek clarification appropriate to your own circumstances.