Obtaining a residence permit in Greece: digital nomad visa. Service offer

• passport;
• 2 colour photos;
• certificate of no criminal record from the applicant’s home country;
• health insurance;
• rental agreement for a property in Greece valid for at least another 12 months at the application date, or proof of ownership of residential property;
• agreement with an employer outside Greece stating the possibility of remote work, valid indefinitely or for at least another 2 years, with an income equivalent to at least EUR 3 500 for the applicant + 20% for a spouse (if any) and + 15% for each child under the age of 18;
• if the applicant is an individual entrepreneur (sole trader): certificate of registration as individual entrepreneur and contracts with customers showing that the services / work can be performed remotely (contracts must be valid indefinitely or for at least 2 years, with payments at the level as specified in the previous paragraph);
• extract from the local register showing information about the employer or individual entrepreneur (indicating the types of business activity);
• applicant’s account statements from banks in the home country or foreign banks, confirming that there are funds available (preferably at least EUR 25 000) and how often the transfers are made (if possible);
• other proof of income outside Greece for the last 1–2 years (contracts, account statements, tax returns);
• in the case of visa application for family members* – apostilled documentary proof of relationship: marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc.

*Children over 18 years old and a spouse not in an official marriage cannot be included in the same application.

The application for a residence permit requires taking the following steps:

1. gather the above-listed documents and send us their scanned copies, and also tell us which documents are not available / you need our help with;
2. come to Athens for 3–4 days (first visit) on a Schengen visa with the original documents translated into Greek;
3. sign 2 declarations on the composition of the family and an undertaking not to have employment in Greece;
4. obtain a Greek tax identification number (our lawyer helps with this, acting under a power of attorney);
5. make a rental agreement for a property in Greece and buy insurance;
6. have your fingerprints taken and submit an application for a residence permit.

A second visit to Greece is made after 3–4 months[1], to get a residence permit plastic card. It is also possible to have a passport delivered to Greece for a lawyer to collect the card.

This category of the residence permit is valid for 2 years.

The residence permit renewal is similar to the initial application. To avoid problems with the renewal of the residence permit, it is necessary to stay in Greece for more than 183 days in a year.

Residing in Greece makes one a tax resident of the country, however, digital nomads enjoy a number of tax benefits.

[1] Please check with our specialist the current time frame for application processing and issuance of the plastic card, as the situation is constantly changing depending on the workload of the government authorities (and depends as well on where the application is made). There exists an expedited procedure (for an additional fee of EUR 1 000), but even in this case the processing time can range from several weeks to several months.

[2] The fees are valid as of December 2024.

[3] The fees are payable in 2 stages: advance payment (please check the amount with our specialist) and the remainder payable during the first visit to Greece.