Working in Greece: Work Visa & Permit Guide for Foreign Workers (2026)

How work permits in Greece work

The main route is quota-based dependent employment: a Greek employer secures a position within the annual admissions quota, the worker obtains a national (type D) work visa, then a single residence-and-work permit under the Migration Code (Law 5038/2023, in force 31 Mar 2024). Highly-skilled workers can use the EU Blue Card instead.

The authority you ultimately deal with is the Ministry of Migration and Asylum. An annual admissions quota for dependent employment, allocated by region and occupation, set by ministerial act.

The routes, and the EU Blue Card

Beyond the standard national work permit, highly-qualified workers can use the EU Blue Card. In Greece the Blue Card salary floor is ≈ €31,919 gross/year (2024 EU portal figure), equal to 1.6× the national average and updated yearly; confirm the current amount with the Ministry.

Greece has no general job-seeker visa, so in almost all cases you need a signed job offer before the permit process can start.

For lower-skilled seasonal work: seasonal permits (mainly agriculture and tourism) run up to 9 months in any 12. Under a Greece–Bangladesh MoU (Law 4959/2022), Greece may recruit up to ~4,000 Bangladeshi agricultural workers a year on multi-year seasonal permits with a required annual return home — a route specific to Bangladeshi nationals.

Salary, language and recognising your qualifications

• Salary: the Blue Card floor is ≈ €31,919 gross/year (2024 EU portal figure), equal to 1.6× the national average and updated yearly; confirm the current amount with the Ministry.
• Language: greek; no language test for the work permit or EU Blue Card, though about A2 Greek is required later for long-term resident status.
• Qualifications: there is no automatic EU-wide recognition — get your degree or diploma assessed through DOATAP — Hellenic Academic Recognition Center, and formally recognised before working in a regulated profession. Start early; it is often the hidden bottleneck.

Which jobs hire foreign workers in Greece

The sectors that actually recruit non-EU workers in Greece are agriculture (seasonal), tourism and hospitality, construction, food processing and care and domestic work. Typical end-to-end timing: employer-led and quota-dependent; expect several months for the standard route. The EU Blue Card has a 90-day maximum for a complete file.