Organising your Greek residency permit is a crucial step in moving to Greece. It is something that you need to start organising within a couple of months of your arrival in the country if you hope to remain in Greece medium/long term.
How to Get a Residence Permit in Greece
You need to obtain a residence permit in Greece if you hope to stay in the country for longer than 90 consecutive days. This is a relatively straightforward process (something which surprises people when they hear about bureaucracy in Greece).
If you are an EU citizen that is relocating to Greece, obtaining your residence permit will be the only stage you need to follow to live in the country legally. If you are a third-country national (i.e. you are relocating to Greece from outside of the EU), you will need to be eligible for some form of visa or another before you are permitted to live in the country.
For instance, you will need a Greek Digital Nomad visa, a Financially Independent Person’s visa, or a Golden Visa. If you are of Greek descent or you are married to a Greek, you can go down the heritage/spousal visa route.
Applying for your Greek residency permit
There are two different types of residency permits in Greece: temporary and permanent. The temporary residency permit is what you apply for first.
Once you have been in the country for five years, you can trade this for a permanent residency permit. You can also apply for Greek citizenship after seven years in the country. (To obtain this, you also need to demonstrate some Greek language skills and knowledge of the history and culture of the country).
The temporary residency permit is valid for 5 years. The permanent residency permit is valid for 10 years. (Once the permanent residency permit reaches its expiration date, it is just a simple matter of renewing it.)
Eligibility for Greek residency
If you are an EU citizen and you want to apply for a temporary Greek residency permit, there are several criteria that you need to meet first. If you have a Greek partner or close family member (you don’t have to be married), you can go down the “hospitality route”.
Essentially this person “vouches” for you in the country. They will have to sign a few documents and accompany you to your appointments, although there is less paperwork required if you go down this route.
Alternatively, you can apply for residency if you earn an income from a source outside of Greece, are being employed by a Greek company, and have an offer letter, or if you are looking for work and have proof of savings. To reiterate, third-country nationals need to apply for a separate Greek visa in the first instance.
Obtaining a temporary residency permit for Greece (ΒΕΒΑΙΩΣΗ ΕΓΓΡΑΦΗΣ)
There are several things that you need to prepare for your Greek residency permit application. These are detailed below.
- 2 x Passport-sized photos
- A photocopy of the passport
- Medical insurance certificates
- Clear health check (no contagious diseases, etc). You can download a template for a medical certificate via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website here
- Proof of address in Greece and rental contract
- Proof of employment (a signed contract is sufficient) OR proof of sufficient funds if unemployed/self-employed (4000 euros)
Every document detailed above must be submitted in Greek. Official documents need to be translated by a Lawyer, a certified Translator, or the Greek Foreign Ministry’s Department of Translation.
You may or may not be asked for your Arithmos Forologikou Mitroou or AFM (Greek tax number). However, it is a good idea to apply for this soon after arriving in the country as it is needed to secure rental contracts, open a bank account, etc.
If you are self-employed or work as a freelancer, it is a good idea to bring additional supporting documents where you can “just in case”. For instance, any contracts with clients, pay slips, etc.
Attending your appointment
The application for the Greek residency permit needs to be made in person. If you live in Athens or Thessaloniki, you should visit your nearest Hellenic Police station that has an Aliens Department.
Alternatively, if you live anywhere else in Greece, visit your nearest General Regional Police Directorate which has an Aliens’ Department. If you live in a small town or island, you may have to travel a little further to find this.
For instance, if you live in Skiathos, Skopelos, or Alonissos, you need to travel to the mainland and visit the Volos police station. If you are unsure as to where to go, you can contact your local police station and ask them to point you in the right direction.
Do note that the application fee is €16 euros. You should take the required paperwork, four passport photos, and a valid passport with you to your appointment. Afterward, you will be required to have your fingerprints taken at the regional passport office.
Waiting for your application to be processed
Appointments at your local police station are fairly straightforward. The Office that you speak to will simply review your forms, briefly discuss what you are doing in Greece, and take copies of your passport and other supporting documents.
You will be handed a blue receipt (βεβαίωση / veveosi) that shows that you have applied for residency. Your permit will be ready several weeks after.
Some stations work faster than others. Many people who apply for residency at small island police stations may find that they receive their permits in a matter of days, not weeks.
There is no time limit regarding how long you can stay in Greece once you have received this receipt. You are also free to travel internationally from Greece or return to your home country during this period as you desire.
If you have any questions regarding your application, it is better to call or head to the station in person. Emails often get lost or go unanswered.
The Citizen’s Service Office (KEP) can provide additional information on how to get a Greek residence permit. However, their site is displayed in the Greek language only. You can visit their website here.
How to upgrade to a ten-year residence permit (ΕΓΓΡΑΦΟ ΜΟΝΙΜΗΣ ΔΙΑΜΟΝΗΣ)
After you have been living in Greece for five years, you are eligible for the ten-year permanent residence permit (πιστοποιησης μονιμης διαμονης). To apply for this, you will simply need to make another appointment with the local police authorities and swap out your permit.
This is Greece, and sometimes frustrating things happen. You should note that there have been instances in the past where the Greek police have refused to change people’s permit types and said that doing so was not necessary.
Your request to change to a permanent residency permit should not be refused. If this happens to you, you should stress to the Greek authorities that you need a permanent residency permit. Failing that, you should contact your country’s embassy in Greece or an alternative department of the police.
Permanent residency permit holders have more rights to remain in Greece. As such, it is advisable that you switch your beige permit for this as soon as you are able to do so.
If you have lived in Greece for five years or more already but for whatever reason, you did not register yourself in the country, you can apply directly for a permanent residency permit. You just may need to show utility bills, rental contracts, flight tickets, etc, as proof that you lived in the country from a certain date.
Important note for British people in Greece post Brexit
Prior to Brexit, British people were able to apply for Greek residence permits in the same way that EU citizens were. The Brexit transition period officially ended on 01.01.2021.
British people living in Greece should have registered themselves in the country prior to this deadline. However, the deadline for applying for residency was then extended to June 2021.
If you do not have any form of Greek residency permit in hand and you have not submitted your documents yet you have been in Greece since before Brexit, you may still be able to register as a resident. You need to contact your local police department.
Be prepared to show documents that demonstrate that you were residing in Greece before the Brexit deadline. This can be done by providing evidence of utility bills, rental contracts, etc.
Greek Residency Permit FAQs
Do you still have any burning questions or concerns about how to get a Greek residency permit? Hopefully, you will find the answers you are seeking below.
How do I get a residency permit in Greece?
It is relatively easy to get a residency permit in Greece if you are from the EU. You either need to be self-employed and have a source of income from outside Greece, a job offer from a Greek firm, or sufficient savings to maintain yourself until you find work. Alternatively, a Greek partner or family member can be your “sponsor”.
If you are not from an EU country, there are still a couple of options. You can get a visa by investing €250,000 in property or investments.
If you work remotely, you can apply for a financially independent person’s visa or a Digital Nomad visa. If you are of Greek descent or married to a Greek, you can go down the Greek heritage route.
Can I get residency in Greece if I buy a house?
You can get residency in Greece through the country’s golden visa program if you purchase property over the value of €250,000. Anyone can purchase property in Greece.
You can opt to purchase multiple properties or one property with a value exceeding €250,000. If you already own property in Greece, its value will be considered towards the €250k requirement.
How long does it take to get a residence permit in Greece?
Provided that you are eligible, it should only take a couple of weeks or months for your residence permit in Greece to be processed. To make things easier for yourself, you should start this process as soon as possible after arriving in Greece.
Can I apply for Greek residency from the UK?
British nationals are no longer eligible to apply for a Greek residency permit on arrival, following Brexit. You can relocate to the country on a type D entry visa such as a Digital Nomad visa or a Financially Independent Person’s visa. Alternatively, you can obtain a visa via investment in property or stocks/shares.
How long can you live in Greece without residency?
You should apply for a Greek residency permit within 90 days of arriving in the country. Non-EU persons are only permitted to stay in Greece (and the wider EU) for 90 days in any 180-day period unless they obtain a visa.
Parting Words
The process of applying for a residence permit in Greece is more straightforward than it may seem. Of course, there are several other things that you need to do when you move here too.
Don’t forget to apply for your AFM tax number, and your AMKA number if applicable. I have written this comprehensive guide on moving to Greece which aims to address all aspects of relocating here.
Have any further questions about this process? I have lived in Greece for five years now
Feel free to reach out and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Geia sou!
33 replies to “How to Get a Residence Permit in Greece in 2024”
Hello Melissa, I’m traveling to Greece in March to try to find my grandfather’s proof of birth in Krokees area. He immigrated to the US around 1907. I have a little over 3 weeks scheduled in Greece and hope to visit other sites while there. If you have suggestions for what i might do before i arrive to begin the process that would be great. I think the town archives might have birth records or the local greek orthodox church. My maiden name is Marianos (Nicholas Merianos i think in krokees) and my grandmother was Teresa Harakas but i’m not sure which village she was born. She and my grandfather listed Sparta on many documents as their place of origen. I speak almost no Greek! I hope i can eventually prove I’m Greek descent and apply for a greek passport.
Hi Linda , I hope you have better luck than I did , even though I know my grandparents village and lots of cousins there , all birth records were destroyed in a fire around 1955 ! So even though my relatives can vouch for me as I met them in the 1970’s when the grandparents were still alive , I dont think that will work for the bureaucracy?
Hi I found your information very useful. I am in perhaps a different position than most as I don’t want to ‘move’ to Greece but would like to stay for more than 90 days (As myself and my wife have now retired). I usually drive from the UK to Greece so I need to be able to use my permit on entering and leaving France. Would the beige permit allow me to do this?
My husband and I are considering “visiting” Greece for about a year. I noticed you question on this site. Were you able to find an answer? Many thanks – Maureen
Hi my husband and I are in a similar position to you and your wife. I was wondering if you found a way round the 90 days. The permits either Beige or Blue appear to be if you want to reside in Greece. Any help you have found would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks
HI Melissa,
Your information has been invaluable. Thank you! My partner (Eu citizen) and I (Australian) have been looking everywhere for some detailed information for this process. We are now almost ready to proceed. One thing we have not got any good answers for though, is what is the Minimum length of the rental lease in greece that an EU citizen needs to provide to Police to complete registration? We are arriving in Greece shortly and need to make the application ASAP before my visa expires. Thanks again, Phill
hello we have had a beige permit for over 5 years and own aproperty in crete — we recently applied for blue which we collected yesterday with an expiry date of 31/12/20 !!! informed by policeman he doesn’t know what will happen after this date as we obviously will be no longer eu citizens etc !!! bit concerning as we thought getting the blue residence was permanent and would facilitate the transfer to biometric !!!!any advice would be welcome !!!!
Hello and thank you for your blog, very useful information.
Do we need a utility bill for the beige permit registration process?
How long does it take to get the beige permit once all documents have been submitted?
Hi
We got our Biege permit 2 weeks ago, we were told come back in 10 days it will be ready.
Our daughter did her application 2 days ago and the police told her that as from 31st january 2021 she would have to change it again & had 6 months to to do it.
So what will happen after brexit, “who nows” ?
Does anyone now anything ???
After Brexit, the current paper residency permits are to be replaced with biometric ones. As of yet, the process remains as outlined in this guide. Everyone in Greece is waiting for information from the Greek Government as to what steps they will need to take going forward if they hold a permit, and how the process will change for new applicants from 2021.
Hello, how long are the beige temporary resident permits valid for?
The aliens department in Patras had no idea about blue biometric permits when my wife went there recently. They reluctantly gave her a beige one, although couldn’t understand why she’d want one. They didn’t even ask for evidence of health insurance or sufficient funds in the bank. I’ll maybe give it a couple of months before trying to exchange our beige for blue – hopefully by then they may be more clued up!
Hi James, ugh I am sorry to hear it! I feel like this year is going to be absolute chaos. I initially applied for my beige permit in Athens. However, have since moved to Skopelos and need to reapply for the biometric here. I’ve been putting it off because I don’t feel like dealing with it right now (!!) The police here don’t speak English and my Greek is okay, not perfect.. I think I’ll give it a few months also, waiting to see how fellow expats in Skopelos find the process before I go through it..
I would like to visit my fiancee in UK what do I need?
Hello. We are retired couple who have a house we bought 12 years ago in Corfu. We have a Bank account, tax number, accountant and are paying regular electricity and water bills. We have never had a residence permit so please could you advise us on which route we need to take to obtain one. Many thanks
Hi Melissa, I have been reading a lot of your blog and it makes very interesting reading: thank you! We are a British couple in our early 60s and have purchased a building plot in the Mani. We have a beige residency card; a Greek bank account and a Greek tax number. We have a building license and are planning to start our build this spring. The overall cost will be in excess of E250,000. We are trying to find out best way to stay in Greece for longer than 90 days in every 180. Please can you advise whether you think Golden Visa or replacement residency permit is best? We want the option to be in Greece for longer than 90 days but not necessarily more than 183 days in a single year, so really we want maximum flexibility! Look forward to hearing from you. With many thanks, Jenny
Hi Melissa….. we live in England although I can apply for an Irish passport so still a citizen of the EU. I would like to buy a small property in Crete although be flexible in staying over 3 months but probably less than 6. My question is after applying for a biometric I’d card would I qualify for residency after 5 years or would we have to live in Crete full time. We have enough income to be self sufficient and will purchase medical insurance although I have been quoted €110 per year for what is required for my stays and biometric card.
Thank you John and Karly
Hi Melissa , your information is very helpful. I have a beige residency permit and a tax number . I had to get these to buy a car in Lefkada . My boat is kept there in a boatyard and this is the address I used and the only address I have . Will this be OK to transfer to a biometric card ?
Thank you
Hi Melissa
I have my blue residency permit (hooray!) I’m not sure whether this entitles me to work from
greece however? I split my time between a greece and the Uk and work for a Uk registered company. With my residency permit can I work here without problems and without paying taxes? (I pay them through UK payroll)
Thanks
Hi Melissa.
We are hoping to move to Skiathos at the end of the year. My husband has retired and earns over 2000 euros a month in pensions. We also have savings and money to buy a property. My question is would I be allowed to work as I am younger than him. I would be bored if not and also like to earn my own money.
I have all the paper work for someone that has lived in Greece for the last 2 years such as AMKA and KEP and medical papers but I never got my permit, I’m wondering if I can still get a residency card if I go and apply for a permit now as I’m from England.
Hey Jade, thanks for your comment. British people are still eligible for residence permits as per the old rules as long as they can prove that they lived in Greece before 31.12.2020 and therefore are beneficiaries of the withdrawal agreement. It sounds like you have that proof. Are you in Greece at the moment? You can apply at your local police station. The Greek authorities gave a provisional deadline of the end of June for Brits to get their biometric permits but it isn´t set in stone and many people (myself included) have appointments way after this date.
Hi Melissa,
I have dual nationality, I was born in Greece and been living in Uk for 34 years, (holder of both passports), paying taxes there and my income comes from Uk, The last 2 years I spend more time in Greece and since the pandemic, I was unable to go back. Do I need the biometric card?
Kind Regards
Hi Melissa
My wife and I have purchased an old ruin within the village boundary in Fres, Apocaronas, Crete
We are planning a full renovation over the next year or so.
We are planning on retiring to Crete but obviously after Brexit are unsure of the best approach to residency?
Golden ticket seems an expensive route, lawyer 5k each stamp 2.5k and having to hand over all renovation cost to builder in advance to bring the total spend to excess of E250k
I am never going to hand over all of the renovation cost to any builder in advance?
Rent income and early workplace pension from the uk takes me over the E2k per month so if I applied for the financially independent could i then apply for spousal for my wife or only if EU citizen? What do you think.
Hi Melissa
I am a teacher in the UK and own a house in Kerkyra. I only go to the villa for holidays (out of term time only). I had a beige residence permit that unfortunately ran out in 2012 !! Iknow!!
Anyway, I still go to the property and was wondering…do I need the residence permit or not? I may rent out the property next year, but unsure.
I would appreciate your advice.
Terry
Hi Melissa
The hospitality route seems very easy and you don’t need a lot of beaurocracy as I understand, right? But I cannot find it somewhere else, can you send me more info about this?
Hi, thank you for all this clear information! Myself & my husband have just bought a small house in Corfu, purchase completed Feb 2021 We are both retired and would like to eventually spend more than 90 days in Corfu at a time, eventually to be there full time! We’ve been advised that financially independent visa is the way to go, how do we have to show our income? Can we produce a years worth of UK bank statements showing our income? Or do we have to put the income into our Greek account? (Not so straightforward as we are not living in Corfu at this time!) Or do we have to put a lump sum the equivalent of a years income of £2,000 per month plus 20% for spouse (£2,400 per month??) into Greek bank account to be able to apply? I’m just confused abut the logistics of showing our income?? I really appreciate your help! By the way, my husband’s father was a Greek Cypriot who moved to London in 1955, my husband was born in 1959, it’s proved very complicated to apply for duel Cypriot citizenship, we’ve kind of given up on that 🙁
Hi,
Greek police are very pragmatic, re documentation. Regarding required bank account statements, proof of funds. They want to see that you have fulfilled the requirement on the day of yr application. If 31,000 is required, bingo there it must be in your account and available for immediate spending. The whole sum does not have to stay in the account. That is my understanding. Regards, Gerald of BritsinCrete.
Hello. I am argentinian and my wife is french. We live in Greece and I got the blue paper provisional permit. I have heard it is not possible to travel within Europe with it, but only to return to my home country.Is that true? The immigration office where I have applied is taking very long to deliver my definitive permit, it’s going to be the second year I am waiting..
Hello Lucas, you can travel freely around the world as you like with your passport or other valid identity documents. Just carry the provisional residency permit with you at all times and be ready to show it to the Greek Immigration Officers when flying in and out of the country.
Kind Regards, Melissa
Hello, I am wanting to come out and work in Corfu but for longer than the 90days so believe I need to apply for a permanent residency, please can you advise me if this is correct? And if there are any pages that supply links or help etc on how to apply for all of this following brexit for a British citizen.
Melissa hello
I am wanting to move to Crete from Uk. Newly widowed so alone. Lived seven years in Cyprus still have temporary residence. What chance do I have to be accepted? I have nearly 2000 euro pensions and significant savings. Also a house to sell Uk no mortgage. I just want to live in Crete now that husband is gone. I have a step daughter there too I may live with for a while.
if i have just signed up but I actually would really like to see a specific letter
(Lorelei Lee’s) is there some place i’m able to possibly look at it or obtain a copy somehow?
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