Residence Permit for Financially Independent Foreign Citizens

Since the year of 2013 Greek Government have been creating fertile ground in the form of legal acts and programs for the investors from abroad, ready to  inject new capital into the various sectors of the Greek economy. There are, however, some categories of residence permits, provided by the current legislation, which allow foreign nationals to reside in the Greek territory on a regular basis and it will not require large-scale investments of any kind or to be engaged in any entrepreneurial activities. One of those categories is the residence permit for those, who are financially self-supporting. If you manage to prove that you have stable annual income, sufficient enough to cover your living expenses, with no need to be hired as an employee or to carry out business activities in Greece, then this appears to be one of those cases, when this very category of residence permits, provided by the Greek legislation, is exactly for you! When issued for the first time it is valid for two years, while when reissued this type of residence permit is valid for three years.

After you acquire the residence permit, you have a right to reside in Greece, to leave and enter the territory of the country again with no need to open visa as well as to be travelling to all Schengen countries subject to availability of only your passport and residence permit. The latter is issued in the new biometrical format in the form of a card, without any additional documents required.

The main steps and terms of acquiring of the residence permit are as follows:

    - before starting procedures within Greece, it is essential to open a certain type of visa, i.e. Visa D, in the Greek consulate in one’s country of origin. The applicant must present himself/herself personally and pass a brief interview with consular officials regarding the purpose of filing the mentioned request
    - having a constant and stable annual income, derived from the official sources, is the basic requirement for obtaining of the “D” type visa along with the residence permit. The amount of the income funds can be proved and supported by the pension received from abroad, by the bank statements or any other evidence, showing that one is able to cover his living expenses using his own financial means of legally official origin, and that is without having to be hired as an employee or to carry out entrepreneurial activities
    - the minimum amount of  the sufficient funds is determined to be 2 000 Euro per month. In case if a third-country national intends to arrive with his/hers family, the above mentioned amount is increased up to 20% for the spouse and 15% for every child
    - health insurance covering possible medical expenses is mandatory

After submitting the necessary documentation the competent Greek authorities provide a third-country national with the so called document receipt certificate (a blue paper with the photograph on it), as a proof that all the required documents for the initial issuance of the residence permit, or its renewal, have been duly submitted.

As soon as the aforementioned certificate is duly received, a third country national has the right to remain in Greece until the authorities make a final decision regarding his/hers residence permit. Besides, he is allowed to travel repeatedly to his homeland and back.

This type of residence permit does not imply granting the right to work in Greece.

Advantages and additional benefits are as follows:

    - third-country nationals may arrive in the company of the members of their families, i.e. spouse, minor children, who are provided with an individual residence permit, whereby the expiry date of the latter must comply with that of the residence permit of the person, dependant of whop they are
    - European education for your children and their living in Europe with the residence permit
    - one of the world’s most favorable weather conditions, along with the fabulous Mediterranean climate, including the refreshing sea breeze as well as absolutely pure mountain air
    - unique natural Greek landscapes
    - traditional hospitability of the local population
    - a great variety of historical, architectural and cultural sites being so close by
    - homemade healthy food and lifestyle
    - low crime rate
    - state guarantees for the protection of the stability and security of the Greek banking system

The residence permit of this certain category of is also available under the similar conditions in case of a real estate property purchase worth less than 250 000 Euro.

If you need to receive the residence permit with the purpose of moving and staying  within Europe without having to either be hired as an employee or to do business in Greece, and, provided you have the sufficient documentary evidence that you have a constant and stable official income on a yearly basis, the Greek Law office under the leadership of Ms Kasatkina-Kouskou Svetlana is ready to provide every necessary assistance in obtaining the special “D” type visa from the Greek consulate authorities in the country of origin of the foreign national, which is required for the processing of the residence permit, envisaged for the financially independent foreign nationals. If you chose to be represented by our Law office, whose long-standing experience in the field of migration legislation allows us to offer and ever wider range of services in the mentioned area, starting from the consultation in general and up to establishing a step-by-step strategy in the process of acquiring the residence permit, you will be able to save some money, time and nerves, as each and every client is of high importance. Call today!