Moving to Greece

Law 5275/2026 (Government Gazette A 17, 6 February 2026) rewrote the invitation (μετάκληση) route in the Migration Code (Law 5038/2023). The number of workers who may be invited is capped by an act of the Cabinet (Πράξη Υπουργικού Συμβουλίου) issued in the last quarter of each year on the Labour Minister's proposal, setting the maximum number of positions for dependent and seasonal work per sector of employment on the basis of the European ESCO classification of occupations; the same act may raise the cap by up to 15% to cover unforeseen and extraordinary needs, regardless of sector (Code Art. 26(1)). An employer may invite only a third-country national who is over eighteen (Art. 26(6)). The employer applies online to the Directorate for Aliens and Migration of the Decentralised Administration, stating the positions, the sector and type of work, the workers and the period of employment (Art. 61(2)), with a lawful employment contract of at least six months in Greece paying at least the monthly pay of an unskilled employee or worker as set from time to time under Articles 141 and 141A of the Labour Code (the statutory minimum wage process; this law states no euro figure), and a tax assessment or tax return showing that the employer can pay that wage; with the application the employer pays a non-refundable fee of EUR 200 for each worker (Art. 61(3)). An approved worker is called to the Greek consulate to sign the contract and receive the national visa (Art. 27(3)) and, straight after arriving, applies online for the type E.4 residence permit (Art. 61(4)), which is valid for three years and renewed for five years at a time while its conditions are still met (Art. 61(5)). The single-permit procedure the law adds (Art. 81A) has the application decided within ninety days of a complete application, extendable by thirty days in exceptional cases (Art. 81A(3)), and makes an application inadmissible once the cap for its category is filled (Art. 81A(6)). Long-term residence after five years of lawful and uninterrupted residence immediately before applying (Code Art. 144(1)). Naturalisation requires seven continuous years of lawful residence before applying (Code of Greek Nationality, Law 3284/2004, Art. 5(1)(δ)) and, when applying, holding one of the residence titles Art. 5(1)(ε) lists, such as the long-term resident permit; a holder of any other valid residence title that is not a temporary one needs twelve continuous years (Art. 5(3)). Art. 5A adds sufficient knowledge of the Greek language, of Greek history, geography, culture and institutions, and smooth integration into the economic and social life of the country.

Requires either credentials for a regulated profession or at least 5 years of professional experience comparable to higher professional qualifications. Salary must be at least 1.6x the average gross annual salary in Greece; the officially published figure is EUR 31,918.83 for 2024 and it is re-indexed annually, so the applicable 2026 figure will be higher and was not confirmed here - treat the value in min_income_eur as the last officially confirmed reference point, not as the current threshold. Law 5275/2026 (Government Gazette A 17, 6 February 2026, Art. 19, amending Migration Code Art. 34(2)) made the card valid for three years and renewable for three years at a time; if the employment contract is shorter, the card is valid at least for the contract plus three months, but not longer than three years. The EU portal page cited here still gives the earlier two-year term. Fee EUR 150 for issue and renewal; maximum processing 90 days with complete documentation. Law 5275/2026 additionally created national Tech Visas (employment at companies on the startup registry), Talent Visas (job-seeking by highly qualified people), Specialised Technical Personnel Visas and Visiting Professor Visas, plus a strategic-investment technical personnel route for projects over EUR 10 million; thresholds and implementing detail for these new categories are not yet confirmed.

Law 5100/2024 reset the property thresholds with effect from 31 August 2024: EUR 800,000 in Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands with more than 3,100 inhabitants; EUR 400,000 in all other regions. Both tiers require a single property of at least 120 square metres. A EUR 250,000 tier survives only for converting a commercial building to residential use or restoring a listed building, and in that tier multiple units may be combined. Short-term letting of the qualifying property is restricted. Non-property routes exist under the Immigration Code (investment activity, securities or bank deposits, strategic investment, independent economic activity) but their current thresholds were not confirmed at an official source and are not stated here. The permit runs 5 years and is renewable indefinitely while the investment is held, with no residence requirement and no language or exam requirement. Because there is no minimum stay, most holders never accumulate the physical residence Greek naturalisation requires, so treat the citizenship figure as conditional on actually living in Greece.

Migration Code (Law 5038/2023, Government Gazette A 81/2023) Art. 68: a Greek consular authority issues a national visa for up to twelve months to a third-country national who is self-employed, a freelancer or an employee and can do their work remotely, using information and communication technologies, under an employment, services or works contract with employers or clients outside Greece (Art. 68(1)). The applicant declares that they will not work in any way for an employer based in Greece and shows the contract or proof of the working relationship with an employer established outside Greece, or, if self-employed in their own business, that business's details (Art. 68(2)(α)-(δ)). Sufficient resources are set at EUR 3,500 a month, proved by the contract or by a bank account; where they come from employment, services or works, that minimum is net income after the taxes due in the country where the work is done; it rises by 20% for a spouse or civil partner and by 15% for each child (Art. 68(2)(ε)). The national visa fee is EUR 75 (Art. 68(2)(στ)); the general supporting documents are set by a ministerial decision (Art. 176(8)) that was not archived. Family members may accompany the holder on their own visas but may not work or carry on any economic activity in Greece (Art. 68(3)). While the conditions still hold, the holder and family may apply before the visa expires for a two-year residence permit for third-country nationals with sufficient means of living (type I.8) (Art. 68(4)); its fee is EUR 1,000 (Art. 171(1)(η)). CHANGE UNDER LAW 5275/2026 (Government Gazette A 17, 6 February 2026, in force from publication, Art. 69): its Art. 13 repealed Code Art. 12(7), which had let a person meeting Art. 68(1) who entered Greece on a uniform (Schengen) visa or visa-free apply inside Greece for the I.8 permit with a housing lease or a property purchase contract; the route now starts with the national visa. Long-term residence needs five years of lawful and uninterrupted residence (Code Art. 144(1)), but the long-term-residence chapter does not apply to people who enjoy a temporary residence status (Art. 143(2)(ε)), a term the text read does not define, so whether time as a digital nomad counts is not settled here: the five years to long-term residence and seven to citizenship shown for this route are unconfirmed, not established. Naturalisation requires seven continuous years of lawful residence before applying (Code of Greek Nationality, Law 3284/2004, Art. 5(1)(δ)) and, when applying, holding one of the residence titles Art. 5(1)(ε) lists, such as the long-term resident permit; a holder of any other valid residence title that is not a temporary one needs twelve continuous years (Art. 5(3)). Art. 5A adds sufficient knowledge of the Greek language, of Greek history, geography, culture and institutions, and smooth integration into the economic and social life of the country. The I.8 permit is not among the titles Art. 5(1)(ε) lists, so naturalisation at seven years also depends on first obtaining long-term residence. Art. 68 was read as enacted in 2023; amendments to it between 2023 and Law 5275/2026, if any, were not checked.

Requires stable passive income - savings, investments, pensions, rents - of at least EUR 3,500 net a month, about EUR 42,000 a year, plus 20% for a spouse and 15% per dependent child. An alternative of a deposit of roughly EUR 126,000 covering the three-year permit period is reported. The threshold was raised from the earlier EUR 2,000 a month by Law 5038/2023; the current figure is secondary-sourced and was not confirmed at an official source, although the permit category itself (article 20A, economically independent persons, including a pension-based renewal variant) is listed on the Ministry of Migration and Asylum's official category index. Employment in Greece is not permitted. Permit granted for 3 years and renewable for 3 at a time while the means test is met.

Migration Code (Law 5038/2023) as amended by Law 5275/2026 (Government Gazette A 17, 6 February 2026). Entry and stay for studies requires a passport and a national visa for studies, the consent of the parents or of the person with parental responsibility if the applicant is under eighteen, full health insurance, and paying the fee (Code Art. 105(2)); the type H.1 study permit also requires admission to a higher-education institution in Greece to follow a programme of study, sufficient resources for living costs and the return journey, assessed case by case with no euro figure in the Code, and payment of any tuition fees (Art. 106(1)). The permit fee is EUR 150 (Art. 107(3)(β)). Under Law 5275/2026 the study permit is valid for the maximum duration of the programme and is renewable while the student keeps their student status at the same institution, with a certificate of enrolment and examinations and a transcript due every two years (Art. 107(1) and (3)(γ)); one further year is added for learning Greek where the institution asks for it (Art. 107(5)). Students may work only part-time, outside study hours, and for no more than twenty hours a week (Art. 118; the earlier text said the allowance could not be less than fifteen hours a week). After completing their studies they may stay in Greece for one year on a type H.11 permit to look for work as a highly qualified (E.1), special-purpose (E.3) or dependent (E.4) employee, or to set up a business (Art. 12(5)). The long-term-residence chapter does not apply while a person holds a study permit (Code Art. 143(2)(α)), and periods of residence for studies count only half toward its five years (Art. 144(2)), so no years-to-residence figure is given. Naturalisation requires seven continuous years of lawful residence before applying (Code of Greek Nationality, Law 3284/2004, Art. 5(1)(δ)) and, when applying, holding one of the residence titles Art. 5(1)(ε) lists, such as the long-term resident permit; a holder of any other valid residence title that is not a temporary one needs twelve continuous years (Art. 5(3)). Art. 5A adds sufficient knowledge of the Greek language, of Greek history, geography, culture and institutions, and smooth integration into the economic and social life of the country. A study permit is not among the titles Art. 5(1)(ε) lists, and study counts only half toward long-term residence, so no years-to-citizenship figure is given either.

The sponsor must hold a Greek residence permit and, under the Immigration Code, must have completed a qualifying period of prior residence before applying - reported at two years, but the current period was not confirmed at an official source. The sponsor must show sufficient income, health insurance and suitable accommodation; the income threshold was not confirmed and is left null rather than guessed. Eligible family generally covers a spouse (both parties at least 18) and unmarried minor children. The family member receives a permit matching the sponsor's, and once granted has access to the labour market. Family members of Greek or EU citizens use a separate and considerably lighter regime. The permit category is listed on the Ministry of Migration and Asylum's official index of residence permit categories; the numeric conditions are not.