Greece Digital Nomad Visa 2026: Income, Documents, Permit

Who it is for

Article 68 of Greece's Migration Code (Law 5038/2023) covers third-country nationals who are self-employed, freelancers or employees and can work remotely, using information and communication technologies, for employers or clients outside Greece. The law calls them digital nomads and labels the category Z.1. The competent consular authority grants them a national entry visa for up to twelve months. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs defines a long-stay national visa, Type D, as one for entry and stay of more than 90 days and up to 365 days.

migration.gov.gr: Κώδικας Μετανάστευσης (Law 5038/2023, Government Gazette A' 81) migration.gov.gr: Joint Ministerial Decision 95391/2024 on specific documents per national visa category (Government Gazette B' 1807) mfa.gr: General supporting documents and procedure for granting national D type visas

Income and funds

The law sets sufficient resources at 3,500 EUR per month. The applicant must show stable income that covers living costs during the stay in Greece without burdening the national social welfare system. For employees and contractors the amount is proved by the work or service contract or proof of the employment relationship; otherwise by a bank account, which the ministerial decision says may be a business or personal account if the applicant is self-employed. If the money comes from salaried work, services or projects, the 3,500 EUR is a net figure after taxes in the country where the work is done. The amount rises by 20% for a spouse or partner and by 15% for each child. The ministerial decision says it is examined either monthly or yearly, on a weighted-average basis.

migration.gov.gr: Κώδικας Μετανάστευσης (Law 5038/2023, Government Gazette A' 81) migration.gov.gr: Joint Ministerial Decision 95391/2024 on specific documents per national visa category (Government Gazette B' 1807)

Documents for the visa

Besides the general documents, Article 68 lists specific ones. One is a declaration that the applicant intends to live in Greece on the visa to work remotely and will not provide work, services or projects in any way to an employer based in Greece. Another is a contract or proof of an employment relationship with an employer established outside Greece, open-ended or fixed-term with a remaining length covering the visa. A self-employed applicant gives details of their own business, which must be outside Greece. The ministerial decision asks for proof that the foreign business is operating, for example registration in a service equivalent to the commercial register, and says a freelancer needs more than one contract.

migration.gov.gr: Κώδικας Μετανάστευσης (Law 5038/2023, Government Gazette A' 81) migration.gov.gr: Joint Ministerial Decision 95391/2024 on specific documents per national visa category (Government Gazette B' 1807)

General documents and insurance

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' general documents for national D-type visas include a completed, signed application form, a passport valid for at least 3 months after the scheduled departure from the Schengen area, with at least 2 blank pages and issued within the last 10 years, a criminal record certificate from the relevant foreign authority, a medical certificate and travel insurance at least as long as the visa. A separate decision for residence permit applicants whose permit type allows insurance with a private insurer sets minimum yearly cover of 15,000 EUR for accident disability, 1,500 EUR for medical expenses and 10,000 EUR for extensive hospital care, with the insured paying at most 20%, and it does not accept policies that include exclusions or special additional agreements. That decision does not name the I.8 permit or digital nomads.

mfa.gr: General supporting documents and procedure for granting national D type visas migration.gov.gr: Joint Ministerial Decision 133692/2024 on full health insurance cover for permit applicants insured with private insurers (Government Gazette B' 2724)

How to apply and fees

The Migration Code says the applicant submits the documents in person, or sends them by email or registered letter, to the competent Greek consular authority, which must reply within ten days of the request. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the application is examined by the consular authority with jurisdiction over where the applicant legally resides, which may also examine applications from legally present people who give sufficient reasons, and that applicants must appear in person at the consular authority or an external service provider, be interviewed and consent to the collection of biometric data: a printed photograph, or one taken when the application is submitted, and ten fingerprints. The authority may request additional documents. The texts differ on submission. For category Z.1 the Ministry states a decision within 10 days from submission. It adds that meeting the requirements does not necessarily mean the visa is granted, as the decision lies with the Greek consular or diplomatic authority. The Code sets the national visa fee at 75 EUR.

migration.gov.gr: Κώδικας Μετανάστευσης (Law 5038/2023, Government Gazette A' 81) mfa.gr: General supporting documents and procedure for granting national D type visas

Residence permit and renewal

If the visa conditions in paragraph 2 of Article 68 (the documents and income described above) still apply, the Secretary of the Decentralised Administration may grant the holder and family members a two-year residence permit of type I.8. The application is made before the visa expires. The ministerial decision lists, among other items, proof of funds, proof of accommodation (a lease, a property purchase contract or a use agreement), a private insurance policy and a fee of 1,000 EUR. It says the permit is renewed under paragraph 8 of Article 163. For I.8 permits in general, that paragraph provides three years, renewable for an equal period. Law 5275/2026 (Government Gazette A' 17, 6 February 2026) repealed paragraph 7 of Article 12 of the Code, which had let people who meet the Article 68(1) conditions and entered Greece with a Schengen visa or without a visa apply for this permit in Greece.

migration.gov.gr: Κώδικας Μετανάστευσης (Law 5038/2023, Government Gazette A' 81) migration.gov.gr: Joint Ministerial Decision 95391/2024 on specific documents per national visa category (Government Gazette B' 1807) National Printing Office: Law 5275/2026 (Government Gazette A' 17)

Family members and restrictions

Applicants may be accompanied by family members. On application, each gets an individual visa that expires together with the main holder's visa. The law counts as family members the spouse, or the partner with whom the applicant has concluded a cohabitation agreement (registered partnership), unmarried joint children under eighteen, and other unmarried children under eighteen of either spouse or partner if custody is lawfully assigned. During their stay, the spouse or partner and the other family members may not take dependent work or carry out any economic activity in Greece. Under Article 163(8), the I.8 permit gives no right to dependent work or independent economic activity in Greece, for the holder or the family. The ministerial decision says family members of Z.1 holders enter Greece without the family reunification approval procedure.

migration.gov.gr: Κώδικας Μετανάστευσης (Law 5038/2023, Government Gazette A' 81) migration.gov.gr: Joint Ministerial Decision 95391/2024 on specific documents per national visa category (Government Gazette B' 1807)

What this page does not cover

This page does not cover tax rules for people living in Greece, fees for family members' individual visas, the documents needed for a renewal, how the permit period set for digital nomads and the general period for this permit type apply to a renewal, where and how to submit the residence permit application inside Greece, whether the private insurance cover levels apply to this permit, or any later changes to these texts. Check the official pages for them.