National Visa and Residence Permit in Greece for Digital Nomads: All the Requirements and the Procedure

Digital nomads are citizens of foreign countries who are self-employed or employed and who work remotely using Information and Communication Technologies with employers or clients outside Greece.
These citizens have the opportunity to apply for a national visa (type D visa) under certain conditions. More specifically, the interested party must present either by physical presence or by e-mail or by registered letter to the competent Greek consular authority the general supporting documents defined in the ministerial decision of par. 16 of article 136 of Law 4251/2014, as well as the following documents:
A) An official declaration, stating that he/she wishes to reside in the country under the national visa regime for the provision of distance work and that he undertakes not to provide in any way work or services or work to an employer in Greece.
B) 1) Employment or project contract or some proof of employment relationship with an employer, who can be either a natural or legal person, but only established outside the Greek Territory and this contract in case it is for a certain period to cover the period of the granted national visa,
2) employment or work contracts of indefinite duration or fixed term employment with a remaining period covering the period of validity of the national visa, in case the citizen of a third country is self-employed with more than one employer but located outside Greece,
3) in case the citizen of a third country is self-employed in his own business, which is of course located outside the Greek Territory, data on the status of the applicant in the business as well as data concerning the business itself such as name, registered office, field of activity , corporate purpose.
C) Evidence that the applicant has sufficient financial resources through a stable income that will provide him with the necessities for living throughout his stay in the country, without burdening the national social welfare system. Sufficient resources have been determined through the law itself and amount to three and a half thousand (3,500) euros per month. This amount should be supported either by the employment or project contract or proof of employment, in the case of dependent employment, services or work (but net income after payment of the required taxes in the country of service) or by bank account. It is also important to emphasize that this amount is increased for the spouse or cohabitant by twenty percent (20%) and for each child by fifteen percent (15%).
D) National visa fee of seventy five (75) euros.
Third-country nationals falling into the categories discussed above may be accompanied by family members, who must apply for a separate individual visa that expires at the same time as the dependent visa. During their stay, they are not allowed to carry out any economic activity in the country. More specifically, family members are: a) the other spouse or cohabitant with whom the third-country national has entered into a cohabitation agreement, b) the unmarried joint children of the spouses or cohabitants under eighteen (18) years old, including those who have been legally adopted by a foreign court decision that is automatically enforceable or has been declared enforceable or has been recognized in Greece and c) the other, under eighteen (18) years old, unmarried children of the applicant or of the other spouse or cohabitant, if custody has been legally entrusted to one of them.
If the applicant wishes to do so and the conditions previously analyzed are still met, it is possible for him and his family to be granted a two-year residence permit, upon a request at the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum, before the end of the validity of the national visa. This residence permit may be renewed as long as the above conditions are met. Both for the issuance and for the renewal of the relevant residence permit, it is necessary to pay a fee of one thousand (1,000) euros for the main applicant himself and one hundred and fifty (150) euros for his family members. Absence from Greece for a period of less than six (6) months in total per year does not create an obstacle for the renewal of the residence permit. If, of course, there is a departure from Greece and the validity of the national visa expires, the procedure for its issuance will have to be followed again, both for the main applicant and for his family members, from the beginning.
Finally, it is noted that a third-country national and his / her family members who have entered the country under another regime, such as tourists for the prescribed period of 90 days, have the opportunity to apply at the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum for the issuance of the specific residence permit, without having first to obtain the relevant national visa. In this case, the applicant, in addition to what has been mentioned so far, must additionally present a residence lease or a contract for the purchase of real estate in the Greek Territory.
*Our office has extensive experience in immigration law and international law (visas, residence permits, citizenship applications, naturalization process, deportation, asylum applications, etc.). For more information or legal advice, please do not hesitate to contact us at +30 2313 079293 or by email at info@siopi-law.gr*
Dafni I. Siopi
Attorney at Law, LLM
52 Tsimiski Str, Thessaloniki
T. +30 2313 079293, +30 6977 568673
E. info@siopi-law.gr, dsiopi@siopi-law.gr