Greece is known for being a beautiful country, and it has a growing startup sector. However, it’s challenging for non-EU and EEA citizens to get a job or a work visa in the country. If you don’t know how to get a work visa in Greece for your employees, it can help to work with a Global PEO such as Resettle Worldwide.

We act as the Employer of Record to hire employees who can legally work in Greece. We’ll assign those employees to work for you as we also handle your payroll, compensation, benefits, and more. You will only need to worry about running your company and growing your bottom line as our team focuses on compliance for you.

What Types of Work Visas in Greece Are Available?

Greece has two overarching categories of work visas — short stay “C” visas and long stay “D” visas. Short stay visas allow people to go through or stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days uninterrupted or 90 days counted in stages over 180 days. Most people choose this visa for:

• Tourism

• Family visits

• Short business trips

• Conferences, exhibitions, fairs, or shows

• Board of directors’ or general meetings

• Providing services within the same business group

Your employees will most likely need a long stay or D visa that allows them to enter Greece and apply for a residence permit. Work visas in this category have a maximum validity of a year. Anyone with a D visa must apply for a residence permit immediately after entering the country.

The most common reasons individuals get this visa include:

• Work

• Studies

• Training

What Are the Requirements to Obtain a Work Visa in Greece?

Your employees will need to put together all the required documents in addition to their application to obtain a work visa in Greece. These include:

• Fully completed D visa application form in English or Greek

• Passport valid for at least three months after the expiration date of the D visa

• Copies of data page and residence permit

• A recent passport-size color photo not older than six months

• Travel medical insurance valid for the D visa’s period

• A medical fitness certificate

• A copy of the applicant’s criminal record

After getting a working visa, your employees must obtain a work permit in Greece to legally work for your company. You, as the employer,  must be locally licensed and incorporated. Then, you can get a work permit on behalf of the employee. Work permits now include residence permits, which means employees only need a work permit and a long stay visa to legally live and work in the country. Work permits are usually employer-, occupation-, and location-specific and are typically valid for a year.

Steps to Get a Work Permit in Greece

Within 30 days of arriving in Greece, your employees must go to their local municipal office or police station and apply for a work permit in-person. The work permit they need depends on what position they have, and this can also impact how long the permit will be valid. The basic application steps include:

• Obtaining a tax number from the local tax office and a social security number from the Social

• Security Institute

• Filling out a residence permit form in Greek and submitting in-person or through a certified lawyer with power of attorney

• Showing a copy of a visa, passport, passport photos, certificate of medical insurance, and a

• Health certificate from a state hospital

• Proving a local address, ability to support oneself, and payment of the required fee

After completing these steps, your employees will get a blue form that acts as a receipt showing the application is being processed. They can begin working for you as soon as they get this form.

Other Aspects to Consider

Your employees will need to renew their work permit at their local municipal office or prefecture at least 60 days before it expires. They need a valid passport, photocopies of the passport’s pages, certified copy of the original work permit, a completed application form, and possibly more depending on the type of permit.