Greece is located in southern Europe and is one of the most visited countries globally, which is no surprise for anyone. Why should it be? It is the country of ancient civilizations. It is the homeplace of the most famous philosophers, scientists. When the world was ruled under the dominion of Romans, Greek language and culture were the main influencers. Of course, history is not the only reason. Touristic places like Santorini, Mykonos, and others are among the most visited and desired places. The harmony of modern and ancient is what makes it such a great place for visitors. Reasons to visit Greece are many, but what about ways, procedures? We will elaborate on that for the rest of the article.
Greece visa policy
If you decided on Greece, there are a lot of things you should consider first. Do I need Greece visa? If so, what are Greece visa requirements? How to get Greece visa? How much is Greece visa fee? What are Greece visa fees anyway?
A bit confused? Do not be! Because we will put a light on the things that are a bit difficult to grasp. Let's start with the Greece visa policy. As a member of the Schengen area, Greece does not ask for a Greece visa application from the nationals of the Schengen countries. It is not only limited to the Schengen countries though. Followings are visa-exempt countries:
Western, northern, southern European countries, Ukraine, Georgia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Latin American countries (except Bolivia, Suriname, French Guiana, Ecuador), UAE, Israel, Cyprus, Malaysia, Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands, Taiwan, Singapore
Nationals from the rest of the world will need to apply for a visa. What types of visas are there for Greece? To start, we can categorize them into three groups.
First is the Greece Schengen visa. This visa type is comprised of Greece tourist visa, business visa, visiting family and friend visa, Greece study visa, and Greece work visa. We should note that these visas are designed as short-stay visas and anyone who applies for such visas should know that they can benefit from the visa for up to 90 days.
The second is long–term visa called a national visa and it consisted of the followings:
Employment visa and blue card, National study visa, Family reunion visa, Self-Employment visa, Au Pair visa. These visas are categorized as long-stay visas, which allow people to stay in Greece for more than 90 days.
Greece Schengen visa and requirements
As we mentioned, these visa types for short-stays. Greece visa requirements are changeable depending on the type. However, main requirements remain the same, only a few documents are asked as there are different types. Here are the main Greece visa requirements:
- Greece visa application form – The application should be filled in and signed by the applicant either in English or Greek
- A passport that should remain valid minimum for 3 months after leaving Greece. It should bear the signature of the applicant. It should have a validity of not more than 10 years and have a minimum of 2 pages that are not used
- Two photos – should meet the requirements of passport format and it should include the full face. The background should be white or light-coloured. The size of the photo should be 3x4. Face coverage should not exceed 70-80% of the photo. The photo should cover your eyes clearly. The person must show no facial expression
- Duplicates of the main page of your passport and previous visas
- Duplicate of ID. Your ID should be valid for at least 3 months after leaving Greece
- If the country you reside in and the citizenship of your countries are different, then you will need a copy of that visa or residence permit which should have a validity of a minimum of 3 months after departure from Greece
- Ticket booking – Dates of entry and leaving Schengen area should be shown
- The document that proves your accommodation for the travel – If you are going to stay in a hotel, it should be a hotel reservation. If you rent a house, a tenancy agreement should be presented
- Letter of sponsorship. Contact details of the sponsor should be indicated. Details of the work condition of the applicant (including work position, salary, starting date, expected date of completion) and if the applicant is the owner of the company, then ownership documents, licenses should be presented. If the applicant is a student, a letter from a university is required
- Financial prove that you have enough financial means during your stay in the country. For that, the applicant can present different verified methods
- Overseas Insurance for the travel – Minimum coverage of Insurance should not be less than 30 000 euro
- In case a minor travel unaccompanied, he or she will need to present a letter that shows his/her parents or family guardians' consent. If a minor is accompanied by his/her family, then his birth certificate or travel authorization provided and signed by the holder(s)
If you do not know how to get Greece visa, you need to present mentioned documents to the nearest Greek embassy.
Let's have a close look at some of the Greece Schengen visa types. Starting with Greece tourist visa, this type of visa is considered for the people who want to visit Greece for touristic purposes. Requirements for that remain the same, you need to indicate your purpose. For a business visa, you need to present an invitation letter from the company and also documents that give details of the nature of your travel. Greece visa fees for the Schengen visas are 80 euros but nationals from Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine fee is 35 euros.
Greece national visa and requirements
Greece national visas are comprised of Greece student visa, Family reunion visa, Greece work visa or employment visa, Au pair visa, Self-employment visa.
Greece student visa requirements dictate that the applicant should present documents regarding the university in Greece. In general, the followings are the Greece student visa requirements in addition to standard requirements:
A document proving that the applicant got admitted by a greek university
- Letter of admission provided by the university
- Must show language of planned education
- The start and completion date should be indicated
- In case of study is carried out greek and there is a foundation course
- Payment for a language course
- Admission letter indicating conditional enrollment of the student
Proof for language efficiency
- If the study is carried out English, IELTS, or TOEFL
- If the main language for the study is Greek, the official language certificate proving proficiency in Greek
Document showing the criminal record of the applicant
Two copies of short essays indicating the applicant's feature plans
For a Greece work visa or employment visa the applicant should present these additional documents as well:
Proof of employment, contract, or legal document indicating details of job offer. Details of contract, terms, conditions, and salary must be defined.
Documents that show the applicant is qualified for the job
- University degrees recognized by Greece and certificates of training on a relevant field
For a family reunion visa, the applicant needs to present:
If he/she is married to a national of Greece
- Should present detailed info on spouse which include a copy of ID, Spouse's residency permit, and marriage certificate
If the applicant was married before
- Document proving the divorce (decree)
Greece Au Pair Visa is intended for people who like to be helpers working for, and living as part of, a host family. Au pair should take his/her responsibility for children, doing housework in exchange for a monetary allowance and accommodation with the host family. The applicant needs to present the additionals to main documents:
- Invitation letter from host family which indicate in the family there is at least one minor and there is no any relationship with au pair
- Agreement between host family and Au pair which gives details of stay, duration, work conditions, monetary allowance so on
- Letter indicating motivation of the applicant
- Certificates of education and tranings
- Certificate reflecting criminal record of the applicant
The third group of Greece visas is Greece transit visa. It is for using Greece as a station to move to a third country. Without a Schengen visa, you can not leave the airport in Greece
The answer to how much is Greece visa fee is "it depends". Generally, for Schengen visa, it is 80 euros but for some countries which we mentioned before, it is 35 euros. For national visas, the minimum is 25 euros but they are only for ethnic Greeks in Turkey and Albania. For students in greek universities, volunteers, researchers fee is 90 euros. For Au pairs, it is 180 euros. Visa processing time for short-stay visas is relatively short, ranging from 5 to 20 days. For national visas, it can vary between 10 to 60 days.
