Citizens of the European Union do not need a visa to study in Greece. However, if you come from a non-EU country, you need to obtain a student visa. In order to do so, you first need an official acceptance letter from your chosen University in Greece, which must be an institution certified by the Greek Ministry of Education. Contact the Greek Embassy in your country, or consult the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, for a detailed list of the documents required for a student visa and information about how to submit your application.
According to the existing legislation:
- A third-country national entering on Greek territory must hold a passport or other travel document recognized by international conventions.
- Such documents shall have a visa, if so required by applicable international conventions, Community law and national arrangements.
- The visa shall be issued by the consular authority of the place of residence of the third-country national, having regard to reasons mainly relating to public policy and to the protection of national security and public health, and shall be distinguished into short-term residence ("Schengen" visa) and long-term residence (national visa).
- National visas shall be issued on the basis of legislative arrangements hereof relating to the residence permit and their length shall be equivalent to that of the residence.
- Third-country nationals not subject to visa may enter and remain on Greek territory for a period of up to three months overall or in part, within six months from the date of initial entry.
- In exceptional circumstances, visas may be issued by passport control agencies on arrival of the third-country national to the point of entry, by decision of the Minister of Public Order.
- A decision of the Minister of Foreign Affairs shall determine the conditions, documentation and procedure for the issuance of visas.
The application form for a VISA can be found in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition, the necessary Medical Certificate required for issuing VISA can be found here .
You can find all the necessary codification of legislation regarding the entry, residence and social integration of third-country nationals on the Greek territory in the website pages of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs .
A list of countries requiring or not requiring a VISA can be found in the official link of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Note: During their stay in Greece, visitors with a visa must also have suitable insurance coverage for emergency medical or other needs.
The official Ministry of foreign Affairs link for VISA and other relative information is: http://www.mfa.gr/en/visas/
Schengen Agreement
Greece is a Member-State of the European Union and has ratified the Schengen Agreement. Citizens traveling inside the E.U. just need to display their police I.D. Card without the need of a passport. However, a passport is necessary for a number of other transactions, such as currency exchange, purchases, etc.
Visas are not required by citizens of Member-States of the Schengen Agreement. Greece follows the provisions of the Schengen Agreement, which abolished controls on common internal lands, at air and sea borders and allows Member-State citizens to travel around without a visa for a short stay period of up to three (3) months. However, airlines and other carriers require a valid passport and/or police I.D. Card or other form of official identification means.
Citizens of the majority of the countries that are not Member-States of the Schengen Agreement require a visa to enter Greece and the E.U. Visitors from these countries can obtain further information from the Hellenic Embassies or Consulates in their countries, or even from their travel agencies.
