Country topic
Visas in Greece
Greece is in the Schengen area, which lets visa-exempt visitors stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period, counted across all Schengen countries. The Foreign Ministry, as recorded by the Atlas Visa Map, lists US passport holders as visa-free on that basis, and Canada’s travel advice says the same for Canadians. We have not found an official source for Australian or New Zealand passports. A longer stay needs a national visa, which the Ministry’s US missions describe as covering more than 90 and up to 365 days. [V1] [V2] [V11] The EU’s Entry/Exit System has been fully operational since 10 April 2026 and registers fingerprints and a facial image at the border. The European Commission says ETIAS, a €20 travel authorisation valid for three years or until the passport expires, is scheduled to start in the last quarter of 2026; the exact date is not announced, so whether it applies to your trip is unknown for now. People under 18 and over 70 are exempt from the fee. [V3] [V4] [V5]
What we found
The research, with its sources.
Research information, not advice. Rules change, so check the source before you act on one.
- Greece is in the Schengen area, which lets visa-exempt visitors stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period, counted across all Schengen countries. The Foreign Ministry, as recorded by the Atlas Visa Map, lists US passport holders as visa-free on that basis, and Canada’s travel advice says the same for Canadians. We have not found an official source for Australian or New Zealand passports. A longer stay needs a national visa, which the Ministry’s US missions describe as covering more than 90 and up to 365 days. [V1] [V2] [V11]
- The EU’s Entry/Exit System has been fully operational since 10 April 2026 and registers fingerprints and a facial image at the border. The European Commission says ETIAS, a €20 travel authorisation valid for three years or until the passport expires, is scheduled to start in the last quarter of 2026; the exact date is not announced, so whether it applies to your trip is unknown for now. People under 18 and over 70 are exempt from the fee. [V3] [V4] [V5]
- Greece’s digital nomad visa (permit type Z.1, Article 68 of the Migration Code) is a national visa of up to 12 months for people from outside the EU who work remotely, as employees or self-employed, for employers or clients outside Greece. You sign a declaration that you will not work in any way for an employer based in Greece. The Foreign Ministry’s own page, as archived, only points to the Work From Greece portal; the legal text is on a private legal portal, not the Government Gazette. [V6] [V8] [V9] [V10]
- The digital nomad visa asks for sufficient resources of about €3,500 a month. To be safe, have more than €3,600 a month. Where the income comes from employment or services, that is net income, after the taxes due in the country where the work is done. You show it with your contract or proof of employment, or with a bank account. A 2024 joint ministerial decision repeats the figure. An older Attica administration page prints €2,000 a month, but it predates that decision. To be safe, have more than €3,600 a month. [V6] [V7] [V14]
- You apply to the Greek consulate that covers where you legally live, in person, by email or by registered letter, and the consulate must answer within 10 days; the law gives no time for the decision itself. Work From Greece’s checklist (dated May 2023) lists a €75 visa fee plus a €150 administrative fee, a criminal record certificate, a medical certificate and insurance covering repatriation, emergency medical care and hospital care. We could not open a checklist from a Greek consulate in the US, and have not checked Canada, Australia or New Zealand; the Foreign Ministry lists its US posts by state. [V6] [V9] [V12]
- A spouse or partner and unmarried children under 18 can come with you on individual visas that end when yours does; they may not take dependent work or any economic activity in Greece. The income test rises by 20% for a spouse or partner and 15% for each child, so about €4,200 a month with a spouse and about €4,700 with a spouse and one child. To be safe, have more than €4,300 a month for two people and more than €4,800 for three. The checklist says each family member pays the same fees. [V6] [V7] [V9]
- The residence permit for financially independent people (type I.8) is for people living on stable income from abroad without working in Greece. The ministerial decision sets about €3,500 a month, plus 20% for a spouse and 15% for each child, shown by a pension from abroad, a bank account or own funds of lawful origin; older pages print about €2,000, so the figures run about €2,000 to €3,500; a safe target is more than €3,600 a month. The statute gives a three-year permit, renewable, with no right to work. We found no age limit in the statute or on the ministry pages. [V13] [V7] [V16] [V14]
- Before the digital nomad visa ends, you can apply to the Decentralised Administration where you live for a two-year I.8 permit if the conditions still hold; the Work From Greece checklist says a lease or purchase contract in Greece is needed then. Long-term resident status is permanent and needs five years of lawful continuous residence, income above the minimum wage plus 10% for dependants, full health insurance and a Greek language and history test. Whether years on an I.8 permit count towards the five is unknown. [V6] [V9] [V15]
The Fernshore Index
How the Index grades visas, by passport.
Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.
Visa, United States passport
85 of 100Strong
Strong: the digital nomad visa is open to US passport holders who work remotely for employers or clients outside Greece, with no Greek job offer and no age minimum. It lasts up to 12 months, and a two-year residence permit can follow. The income test is a net income of more than €3,500 a month (about €42,000 a year, or about US$47,100 at the ECB rate of 15 October 2026), plus 20% for a partner and 15% for each child. No deposit or investment is asked. The visa fee is €75. It does not allow work for a Greek employer or Greek clients.
Source: Law 5038/2023 (Migration Code), Article 68: digital nomads (permit type Z.1); Ministerial decision 225679/2024: amount and proof of sufficient means (Government Gazette B 5223, 17 September 2024). Checked 16 October 2026.
Visa, Canada passport
Unknown
Research for Canadian passports is being checked
Visa, Australia passport
Unknown
Research for Australian passports is being checked
Visa, New Zealand passport
Unknown
Research for New Zealand passports is being checked
The country
More on Greece.
Topics
More about Greece.
Questions about Visas in Greece.
How long can I stay in Greece without a visa?
The Schengen rule is 90 days in any 180-day period, counted across all Schengen countries. The Foreign Ministry lists US passport holders as visa-free on that basis, and Canada’s travel advice says the same for Canadians. We have not found an official source for Australian or New Zealand passports.
How much income do I need for Greece’s digital nomad visa?
The law sets a monthly amount, net of tax where it comes from employment or services, shown by contract or bank account. An older page prints a lower figure, but a 2024 decision repeats the law’s. To be safe, have more than €3,600 a month. The visa bars work for any employer based in Greece.
Can my family come with me on Greece’s digital nomad visa?
A spouse or partner and unmarried children under 18 can get individual visas that end with yours, with no right to work. The income test rises 20% for a spouse and 15% per child. To be safe, more than €4,300 a month for two people and more than €4,800 for three.
Can I live in Greece on savings or a pension?
Greece has a residence permit for financially independent people (I.8): three years, renewable, with no right to work. The 2024 decision asks for a set monthly amount from a pension, bank account or lawful own funds, plus 20% for a spouse and 15% per child. To be safe, more than €3,600 a month.
What happens when the digital nomad visa ends?
Before it ends you can apply for a two-year I.8 permit, if the conditions still hold; the Work From Greece checklist says a lease or purchase contract is needed. Long-term status needs five years of lawful residence and a language test. Whether I.8 years count towards the five is unknown.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [K1] Law 5038/2023 (Migration Code), Article 68: digital nomads (permit type Z.1), Hellenic Republic, Migration Code (consolidated text on Taxheaven, a private legal portal; official Gazette text not opened). Checked 15 October 2026. National visa for up to 12 months for third-country nationals who work remotely for employers or clients outside Greece; sufficient means EUR 3,500 a month net, plus 20% for a spouse or partner and 15% for each child; visa fee EUR 75; no work for Greek employers; a 2-year type I.8 permit can follow. Greek text; carries the scheme first created by Law 4825/2021.
- [R3] Ministerial decision 225679/2024: amount and proof of sufficient means (Government Gazette B 5223, 17 September 2024), Ministry of Migration and Asylum (published in the Government Gazette; copy hosted on migration.gov.gr). Checked 15 October 2026. For the type I.8 permit (Article 163 paragraph 8, a and b) and for digital nomads: at least EUR 3,500 a month, plus 20% for a spouse and 15% for each child, shown by a foreign pension, a bank account or own funds with a lawful origin, without working in Greece. Greek text.
- [V1] Visas (Foreign Ministry): short stay and the Schengen area (as recorded by the Atlas Visa Map), Hellenic Republic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Checked 27 May 2026. As recorded by the Atlas Visa Map: US passport holders visa-free, 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen area (map refreshed 13 May 2026, verified 27 May 2026). The live page refuses automated access.
- [V2] Greece travel advice and advisories, Government of Canada (travel.gc.ca). Checked 15 October 2026. Page last updated 5 October 2026: Greece is a Schengen country; Canadian citizens need no visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; a work visa is required.
- [V11] Visas (Greece in the USA), Internet Archive copy of 20 April 2026, Hellenic Republic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Greek missions in the USA). Checked 15 October 2026. National (D) visa: longer than 90 and up to 365 days; the mission where the applicant is legally located handles it; no digital nomad checklist on this page. The live page refused automated access today.
- [V3] Entry/Exit System, European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs. Checked 15 October 2026. Registers fingerprints and a facial image; fully operational since 10 April 2026.
- [V4] Main differences between the EES and ETIAS (news item of 28 April 2026), European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs. Checked 15 October 2026. ETIAS scheduled to start in the last quarter of 2026, exact date to be announced; authorisation valid 3 years or until the passport expires.
- [V5] The European travel authorisation ETIAS will cost EUR 20 (news item of 17 July 2025), European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs. Checked 15 October 2026. ETIAS fee 20 euros from when it starts; people under 18 and over 70 exempt; a 2025 item, so check the current fee.
- [V6] Migration Code, article 68: digital nomads (visa and Z.1 status), TaxHeaven (private Greek legal database; reproduces the law as in force, not an official site), Law 5038/2023 art. 68. Checked 15 October 2026. Statute text: 12-month national visa from the consulate, 3,500 euros a month (net where it comes from employment or services), plus 20% for a spouse and 15% for each child, 75 euro visa fee, two-year I.8 permit applied for before the visa ends.
- [V8] Work From Greece: frequently asked questions, Work From Greece (Marketing Greece initiative, backed by the Greek state; a promotion portal, not the visa authority). Checked 15 October 2026. Plain-language summary: 3,500 euros a month after taxes, +20% and +15%, apply at the consulate in your country of main residence; private source for process only.
- [V9] Work From Greece: digital nomad visa checklist (PDF), Work From Greece (Marketing Greece initiative, backed by the Greek state; a promotion portal, not the visa authority). Checked 15 October 2026. Document list and the 75 euro visa fee plus 150 euro administrative fee, per family member; dated May 2023 in its URL, so confirm with your consulate.
- [V10] Digital Nomad Visa (Foreign Ministry page), Internet Archive copy of 11 May 2026, Hellenic Republic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Checked 15 October 2026. The live page refused automated access today; this copy has one paragraph sending applicants to workfromgreece.gr and no checklist.
- [V7] Joint ministerial decision 225679/2024 on sufficient resources (copy), Greek Ministries of National Economy and Finance, Labour and Migration and Asylum (decision of 4 September 2024, ADA Ψ55Υ46ΜΔΨΟ-Α3Ε), copy hosted on dsa.gr. Checked 15 October 2026. Sets 3,500 euros a month (+20% spouse, +15% each child) for article 163(8) permits and applies the same assessment to digital nomads; resources mean net income or capital.
- [V14] Residence permit documents: financially independent persons (Attica Decentralised Administration), Hellenic Republic, Decentralised Administration of Attica. Checked 15 October 2026. Written under Law 4251/2014: 2,000 euros a month (+20%, +15%) and a 1,000 euro fee; older than the 2024 decision, so not used for the figure.
- [V12] Contact our Missions in the USA, Internet Archive copy of 3 October 2026, Hellenic Republic, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Greek missions in the USA). Checked 15 October 2026. Lists the Washington embassy and the consulates general in San Francisco, Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Tampa and the consulates in Atlanta and Houston, with the states each covers.
- [V13] Migration Code, article 163(8): permit for people with sufficient resources (I.8), TaxHeaven (private Greek legal database; reproduces the law as in force, not an official site), Law 5038/2023 art. 163. Checked 15 October 2026. Statute: three-year permit, renewable, no right to work; the amount is not in the article itself.
- [V16] Ministerial decision 225679/2024: amount and proof of sufficient means (Government Gazette B 5223, 17 September 2024), Ministry of Migration and Asylum (published in the Government Gazette; copy hosted on migration.gov.gr). Checked 15 October 2026. For the type I.8 permit (Article 163 paragraph 8, a and b) and for digital nomads: at least EUR 3,500 a month, plus 20% for a spouse and 15% for each child, shown by a foreign pension, a bank account or own funds with a lawful origin, without working in Greece. Greek text.
- [V15] Law 5038/2023 (Migration Code), Articles 143 to 145: long-term resident status (type M1), Hellenic Republic, Migration Code (consolidated text on Taxheaven, a private legal portal; official Gazette text not opened). Checked 15 October 2026. Five years of lawful, continuous residence, income above the minimum wage plus 10% for dependants, full health insurance and a Greek language and history test; the status is permanent (Article 145 paragraph 7). Article 143 paragraph 2 excludes study, protection and diplomatic permits and does not name the sufficient-means permit. Greek text.