Immigration Information for Greece

Who requires a visa?

Required by all except the following:
(a) nationals of EU countries, Australia, Canada, Japan and US for a period of up to 3 months;
(b) nationals of Andorra, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Korea (Rep. of), Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, St Kitts & Nevis, San Marino, Slovak Republic, Switzerland and Vatican City for a period of up to 3 months;
(c) nationals of Brazil, El Salvador and Uruguay for a period of up to 2 months;
(d) nationals of Singapore for a period of up to 2 weeks;
(e) those continuing their journey to a third country within 48 hours provided holding tickets with reserved seats and other documents for their onward journey except: nationals of Angola, Bangladesh, Congo (Rep. of), Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria and Turkey who always need a visa, even if transiting by the same aircraft.

Note: The above list is subject to change at short notice; please check with the Consulate or Consular section at Embassy before travelling.

Passport valid for 6 months required by all except:
(a) EU nationals with a valid national ID card and with sufficient funds for their length of stay;
(b) nationals of Monaco and Switzerland with valid national ID cards. 

Required documents for visa

Applications in person only:
(a) Completed application form with stamped, self-addressed envelope. (b) Proof of sufficient funds to cover stay.
(c) Fee (payable in cash only).
(d) Passport valid for at least 6 months with blank pages to affix visa.
(e) 1 passport-size photo.
(f) Return or onward ticket or proof of booking/itinerary from travel agent. (g) Proof of reason for visit; a letter of reference from employer and letter of invitation from Greek company for business trips; a letter from school for school trip. If self-employed, a letter from a solicitor or an accountant.
(i) Proof of travel insurance.
 
Time required to issue visa:
personal applications: 3 weeks
postal applications: 1 month
 
Costs of visa:
A uniform type of visa, the Schengen visa is issued for tourist, business and private visits. There are 3 types of Schengen visa: Short-stay, Transit and Airport Transit.

Note: Spouses and children of EU nationals (providing spouse's passport and the original marriage certificate is produced), and nationals of some other countries, receive their visas free of charge (enquire at Embassy for details).
 
Validity of visa:
Short-stay (single- and multiple-entry): valid for 6 months from date of issue for stays of maximum 90 days per entry.
Transit (single- and multiple-entry): valid for a maximum of 5 days per entry, including the day of arrival.
Visas cannot be extended and a new application must be made each time.

Comment:
Travellers visiting just one Schengen country should apply to the Consulate of that country; travellers visiting more than one Schengen country should apply to the Consulate of the country chosen as the main destination or the country they will enter first (if they have no main destination).

Important note: Persons arriving in and departing from Greece on a charter flight risk having the return portion of their ticket invalidated by the authorities if, at any time during their stay, they leave Greece and remain overnight or longer in another country.