Move to Greece
Residence routes to Greece, compared
There are eight ways a foreign national can live in Greece legally. Most people only need to read two of them. This table exists so you can find out which two in about a minute, then stop reading about the other six.
Last verified 12 September 2026 · 1 day ago · checked by spec-import Every figure on this page was checked against its source on this date.
Start here
Three questions decide almost everything. Are you an EU, EEA or Swiss national? If so, none of this applies to you — you have free movement and only the paperwork to do. If not: where does your money come from, and do you intend to work in Greece?
- Money from a foreign employer or foreign clients, and you keep working. The Digital Nomad route.
- Money from a pension, investments or rent, and you will not work. The FIP route.
- A Greek employer has offered you a job. The single work permit, or the EU Blue Card if the salary is high enough.
- You will buy property and want residence without living there. The Golden Visa.
- You are joining family, or studying. Family reunification or the student permit.
Whichever you choose, the permit card itself is the same document: the ADET, a biometric residence card issued by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum. It becomes your main legal identity document in Greece — for banking, leases and services — and it lets you travel short-stay elsewhere in the Schengen Area.
Every route, side by side
Reading across: what you need financially, how long the first permit lasts, whether you can work, and the condition that most often stops an application. The "catch" column is the one worth reading first.
| Route | Financial requirement | Initial term | Work allowed | Family included | Minimum days in Greece | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Nomad Visa and residence permit | €3,500 Net monthly income from outside Greece, with uplifts for a spouse and each child. | D-visa up to 12 months, then a residence permit of up to 2 years | Limited | Yes | No stated minimum, but staying beyond 183 days in a year makes you a Greek tax resident | Since 5 February 2026 you must apply at a Greek consulate abroad. You cannot arrive as a tourist and apply on the ground. |
| FIP — Financially Independent Person | €3,500 Passive monthly income, or qualifying savings. | 3 years | No | Yes | Reported expectation of roughly 183 days a year to maintain status — not clearly documented | You may not work in Greece at all. This is the route's main practical limitation. |
| Golden Visa — residence by investment | €800,000 A single property above the threshold for its zone, with a minimum floor area. | 5 years | Not by the permit | Yes | None. This is what distinguishes the route from FIP and Digital Nomad. | Single property, 120 m² minimum of main spaces, and no short-term letting. |
| Work permit — the single residence-and-work permit | — An employment contract with a Greek employer, at or above the applicable minimum. | Typically 1–2 years, tied to the employment | Yes | Yes | You are expected to live in Greece and work here | The process is employer-driven. Without an employer willing to sponsor you, this route does not open. |
| EU Blue Card | — A salary above the statutory threshold, which is a multiple of the minimum salary. | Multi-year, renewable | Yes | Yes | You are expected to live and work in Greece | The salary threshold is a multiple of the statutory minimum salary, so it moved when the minimum wage rose in April 2026. |
| Student residence permit | — Proof of enrolment plus evidence of means of support. | 1 year | Limited | No | You are expected to be studying in Greece | The permit is tied to continued enrolment. Withdrawing from the course ends the permit. |
| Family reunification | — The sponsor must meet income and housing conditions. | Usually aligned to the sponsor's permit | Limited | Yes | You are expected to live with the sponsor in Greece | The sponsor's income and housing are assessed, not yours. |
| EU, EEA and Swiss nationals | — None for the right of residence itself. | Not applicable — no permit is issued | Yes | Yes | None, though registration is advisable after three months of residence | Free movement removes the visa, not the bureaucracy. You still need an AFM and an AMKA. |
The rule that applies to all of them
Residence and tax are different systems and they do not move together. Whatever
permit you hold, spending Days in Greece that trigger tax residency 183 days or more in a calendar year makes you a Greek tax resident regardless of the other tests. Residents are taxed on worldwide income.183 days — source and verification date
Read how Greek tax residency is decided before you choose a route, not after.
Where routes are decided
Four places matter, and knowing which does what saves weeks:
- The Greek consulate in your country of residence issues the entry visa. Almost every route starts here.
- The Ministry of Migration and Asylum, through its one-stop offices, issues the residence permit and takes your biometrics.
- The DOY — the tax office — issues the AFM, the tax number nothing else works without.
- KEP — Citizens Service Centres — issue the AMKA social security number and handle certified copies and attestations faster than ministry offices do.
The paperwork order is fixed: AFM first, then AMKA, because the AMKA application asks for the AFM.
Questions people actually ask
Which route is the fastest?
None of them is fast. Every route that starts at a consulate depends on how long that particular consulate takes to give you an appointment, and that varies from a couple of weeks to several months depending on the country. The parts you control — gathering income evidence, getting a criminal record certificate apostilled and translated — take four to eight weeks if you start today. Plan for three to six months from decision to residence card.
Can I arrive as a tourist and sort out a permit once I am there?
Not for the Digital Nomad route. In-country applications for it were abolished on 5 February 2026, and that is the single most common piece of out-of-date advice still circulating. Most other routes also expect you to collect an entry visa at a Greek consulate before travelling. Assume you apply from home unless you have confirmed otherwise with the consulate itself.
I am an EU citizen. Which of these do I need?
None. Free movement means no visa and no residence permit. What you do still need is the paperwork: an AFM tax number and an AMKA social security number, without which you cannot rent, be paid, open a bank account or see a doctor. Registration with your local authority is advisable once you pass three months of residence.
Can I switch from one route to another later?
Sometimes, but not as freely as people assume, and not always without leaving Greece. The Digital Nomad permit in particular does not convert into a work permit if you take a Greek job. Treat a switch as a new application with its own conditions rather than as an upgrade, and check with a Greek immigration lawyer before you rely on being able to make one.
Does any of this give me Greek citizenship?
Not directly, and not quickly. Naturalisation is a separate track from residence, commonly reported at seven years of legal residence with physical-presence, Greek-language and integration requirements including an examination. We have not published the specifics because the sources we can see disagree and this is the highest-liability claim on the site. Ask the Ministry of Interior or a Greek lawyer.
Which route lets me spend most of the year outside Greece?
The Golden Visa. It is the only route here with no minimum stay requirement, which is exactly what distinguishes it from the FIP and Digital Nomad permits. That also means it does not by itself make you a Greek tax resident — but spending 183 days or more in Greece will, whatever permit you hold.
Do I need a lawyer?
For a straightforward Digital Nomad or student application with clean documents, many people manage without one. For anything involving property, family reunification, or a previous refusal, get one. The cost of an independent Greek lawyer is small next to the cost of an application that fails on a document formality after you have already moved.