Greece digital nomad visa: the visa comes first, and the permit must be filed before it expires

The route runs in a fixed order: a national visa from a Greek consulate, then a two-year residence permit applied for in Greece before that visa runs out. Most of what the state charges falls on the second step, where the permit fee is more than thirteen times the visa fee.

Someone who lets the national visa lapse before filing for the permit must start again with a new visa from abroad. The Migration Code allows the permit application only while that visa is still valid. The visa lasts up to 12 months, and the window closes when it does.

Step one, at the consulate

You apply to the Greek consulate responsible for where you live, in person, by email or by registered post, and the code gives it ten days to answer. The file holds a sworn statement that you will work remotely and not for any employer or client based in Greece. It also needs a contract with an employer or clients abroad, or proof of a business you run abroad.

Step two, in Greece

The permit application goes to the aliens and migration office of the Decentralised Administration where you live. The permit lasts two years. The code issues it as the same permit type given to financially independent people, and its fee table charges that type the same amount on first grant and again on renewal.

How the income is measured

The figure above is the monthly minimum for the main applicant. Money earned from a job or from services is counted net, after the tax paid in the country where the work is done. A spouse or partner adds 20%, and each child 15%. Family members get visas of their own that end with yours, and none of them may work or run a business in Greece.

Fees to Greece and fees to a firm

To the Greek state:

• The visa fee at the consulate, then the permit fee in Greece; the figure above adds the two together. Family members' own permits are not included in that figure.

To a firm:

• Its own fee for both applications, on a separate line.

Points to settle before paying anyone:

1. Does the quote cover both steps, or only the consulate visa?
2. Who tracks your visa's expiry date, and when will the permit be filed?
3. Is your income from work counted after tax, and does it reach the figure with the additions for your family?
4. Does anyone in your family hope to work in Greece?
5. If the permit is refused, or the rules change after you pay, what happens to the firm's fee and to the state fees already paid?

A firm's quote covering both steps can go through the box above: answer yes at its first question, and it is read line by line against the published rules and the prices firms on file publish for this route. With nothing in writing, answer no and enter your monthly income after tax. The check compares a document or a figure with the published rules, and does not look at your application or advise on it; for advice on your own case, speak to a qualified immigration lawyer.

General information, not legal advice.