Fixed-term employment contract (Greece)

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A Greek employment contract with an end date, carrying the same essential terms as the open-ended one and what sets it apart: the term, the objective reason for the fixed term and the end without notice. The reason matters: successive fixed-term contracts without an objective reason that run past three years in total are presumed to meet permanent needs and become open-ended (Presidential Decree 81/2003). The ERGANI II steps for hiring are included.

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Common questions

When does a fixed-term contract become open-ended in Greece?

When successive fixed-term contracts between the same parties, without an objective reason, run past three years in total or are renewed more than three times within three years. They are then presumed to meet the employer's permanent and lasting needs, and the relationship is treated as open-ended (Presidential Decree 81/2003). That is why the contract has a field for the objective reason, such as replacing an absent employee, seasonal work or a specific project.

Is notice or severance needed when a fixed-term contract ends in Greece?

No. A fixed-term contract ends by itself once its term runs out (art. 669 of the Greek Civil Code), without notice and without the severance pay that applies to open-ended contracts. Before then it ends only by the parties' agreement or by termination for serious cause (art. 672).

Can probation be agreed in a Greek fixed-term contract?

Yes, but for at most six months and in proportion to the length of the contract and the nature of the work, as Directive (EU) 2019/1152, transposed by Law 5053/2023, requires. Six months' probation in a three-month contract is hard to call proportionate, and if the contract is renewed for the same job and duties, no new probation is provided for.