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Visas & legalization: Greece

Greece currently offers 5 active paths relevant to remote workers, including a digital nomad visa (income requirement 3,500 EUR/month). Conditions below come from official immigration sources — filter by your citizenship.

Verified

Getting in

Who can enter Greece and on what terms — visa-free windows and entry visas.

Visa-free short stay (Schengen 90/180)

activeVisa-free stay

For: US citizens, UK citizens, Ukrainian citizens

Duration
3 months
Path to PR
No
Requirements (4)
  • Valid (for Ukraine, biometric) passport of a Schengen visa-exempt country
  • Maximum 90 days within any rolling 180-day period across the whole Schengen area
  • Tourism, family visit or business only — local gainful work is not permitted
  • Sufficient means and accommodation

Tax implications: Short visa-free stays generally do not create Greek tax residency; working remotely for foreign clients during such a stay is a legal grey zone.

Standard Schengen visa-free entry for exempt nationals (US, UK, biometric-passport Ukraine). The lawful window to prepare a first residence/nomad-visa application, but not a work status. EU citizens use free movement. ETIAS is being phased in for visa-exempt travellers.

Staying long-term

Grounds for residence — business, employment, special programs — with the conditions to qualify.

EU/EEA/Swiss citizens — freedom of movement (registration certificate)

activeSpecial program

For: EU citizens

Duration
5 years, renewable
Path to PR
Yes
Family
Included
Requirements (4)
  • EU/EEA and Swiss nationals may live and work in Greece with no visa or permit
  • For stays over 3 months, obtain a registration certificate (βεβαίωση εγγραφής) from the local authority
  • Freedom of establishment: freelance or run a business on the same terms as Greek nationals
  • Permanent residence available after 5 years of continuous legal residence

Tax implications: Greek tax residency after 183 days or centre of vital interests; full access to the freelancer regimes, including the 50% new-resident exemption if relocating.related scheme →related scheme →related scheme →

For EU/EEA/Swiss freelancers this is the simplest path — free movement plus freedom of establishment, only a registration formality. A relocating EU freelancer can still claim the 50% new-resident income-tax exemption. Duration shown as the 5-year run to permanent residence.

Digital nomad visa / residence permit

activeDigital nomad visa

For: All except EU citizens

Income requirement: 3,500 EUR/month (Net monthly income of at least €3,500 (after tax) from remote work for employers/clients outside Greece; +20% for a spouse, +15% per child. Verify the current figure for the application year.)

Duration
1 year, renewable
Path to PR
Yes
Family
Included
Requirements (4)
  • Non-EU remote workers (employees, freelancers or company owners) working for employers/clients OUTSIDE Greece
  • Prove net monthly income of at least €3,500 from foreign sources; a 12-month digital-nomad visa is issued first, convertible to a 2-year residence permit
  • Declaration not to provide services or work for employers based in Greece
  • Health insurance and, for the residence permit, accommodation

Tax implications: Staying over 183 days creates Greek tax residency; a relocating nomad can combine this with the 50% new-resident income-tax exemption (Article 5C) for a low effective burden.related scheme →related scheme →

Greece's dedicated digital-nomad route (Law 4825/2021): a 12-month visa then a 2-year residence permit, for remote workers earning from abroad. The €3,500/month net income bar is higher than in Albania/Bulgaria, but pairing it with the 50% new-resident tax exemption makes the after-tax economics attractive. Foreign-clients-only restriction applies.

Financially Independent Person (FIP) residence permit — no work

activeTemporary residence

For: All except EU citizens

Income requirement: 2,000 EUR/month (Stable annual passive income of at least €2,000/month (Article 20 para 1, Law 4251/2014); +20% for a spouse, +15% per child.)

Duration
2 years, renewable
Path to PR
Yes
Family
Included
Requirements (4)
  • Non-EU nationals with sufficient stable passive income (pension, rents, dividends, savings) who will NOT work in Greece
  • Prove income of at least €2,000/month (+20% spouse, +15% per child), mainly via a foreign pension or bank statements
  • Type-D visa (electronic fee ~€1,000), then a 2-year residence permit, renewable
  • No labour-market access — no employed or self-employed activity in Greece

Tax implications: No Greek gainful work allowed, so it does not pair with the freelancer regimes; relevant only to nomads living off passive income. Greek tax residency applies to worldwide income once resident.

Included because nomads ask about it, but it FORBIDS all gainful work in Greece — including remote self-employment — so an actively-earning remote worker cannot lawfully use it; it fits people living off passive income. Lower income bar (€2,000/mo) than the digital-nomad visa but no right to work.

Temporary protection for displaced Ukrainians

activeSpecial program

For: Ukrainian citizens

Duration
1 year, renewable
Path to PR
No
Family
Included
Requirements (4)
  • Displaced persons from Ukraine covered by the EU Temporary Protection Directive
  • Register for temporary protection and receive the status document
  • Right to work, including self-employment, without a separate work permit
  • Access to healthcare, education and support services during protection

Tax implications: Access to work on the same terms as residents — full access to the freelancer regimes; no income test or fee.related scheme →

For Ukrainian remote workers and freelancers this is the most accessible status: immediate residence and the right to work/self-employ, no income test, no fee. The EU-wide temporary protection currently runs to 4 March 2027.