How ΚΑΔ codes affect eligibility

Almost every funding call starts with the same question: which activity will the investment be in? The answer is given by the ΚΑΔ, and if the ΚΑΔ is not on the eligible list, the application goes no further, however good the business plan.

What a ΚΑΔ is

The ΚΑΔ (activity code number) describes what a business does. The numbering follows the EU's statistical classification of economic activities (NACE) and gets more specific with each digit: the first two show the sector, the next ones the exact activity. For example, every code starting with 56 is in food and beverage service.

ΚΑΔ codes are registered with AADE, the tax authority, and also appear in GEMI, the business registry. A business has one main ΚΑΔ and may have secondary ones.

How calls use them

Calls define ΚΑΔ codes in one of these ways, and often combine them:

• A list of eligible codes. Only the listed activities are accepted, usually in an annex to the call.
• A list of excluded codes. Every activity is accepted except those.
• Groups of codes. When a call names a short code, such as two or four digits, it usually covers every more detailed code that starts with it. Confirm this in the call's text.

Every programme page lists its eligible and excluded codes, and each code links to the other programmes that name it.

Which code counts

This is where most mistakes happen. Calls usually do not ask "what ΚΑΔ do you have" but which ΚΑΔ the investment is in, and where. Depending on the call, it may require:

• the investment's ΚΑΔ to be the main one, or accept a secondary one
• the ΚΑΔ to be registered at the place of investment, for example at a branch
• the ΚΑΔ to exist before a given date, or allow adding it before completion
• a minimum share of revenue from the eligible ΚΑΔ

These rules differ from call to call, so always read them in the call itself. On programme pages we quote the passage and give the page of the document that sets them.

Before you add a new code

Adding a ΚΑΔ so that a business "fits" a call is not always a fix. If the call requires the code to exist before a given date, a new code does not count. And the code must match an activity the business really carries out or will carry out, since this is checked after approval too. Talk to your accountant before making a change.

Check your own codes

Enter your ΚΑΔ codes in the eligibility check: you will see which open and upcoming programmes accept them, which exclude them, and why. For the bigger picture, see what ESPA 2021–2027 is.