Working in Greece from Nepal: Visa & Permit Guide (2026)

The short version for Nepali applicants

As a Nepali citizen you are a third-country national, so working in Greece takes three things: a job offer from a Greek employer, a Greece work permit obtained under its national rules, and a long-stay (type D) visa to enter. A tourist Schengen visa never allows work.

In short, how Greece's system works: 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). The full Greece detail — routes, the EU Blue Card floor (≈ €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 and quotas — is on the Greece country guide linked below. This page focuses on the part that is specific to applying from Nepal.

Applying from Nepal: where and how

Several EU countries have no embassy in Kathmandu, so Nepali applicants often file the long-stay visa at the mission covering Nepal from New Delhi (India) or another regional hub, frequently through a VFS Global centre — confirm the responsible mission before you travel.

• Emigration clearance: nepal requires a labour approval (shram swikriti) from the DoFE before you leave for foreign employment — going without it is irregular migration and strips you of legal protection.
• Documents: educational and other documents usually need verification and, for many countries, translation and attestation (e.g. via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) before a consulate will accept them.
• Recognition: get your qualification assessed through DOATAP — Hellenic Academic Recognition Center — start this early, as it often takes weeks or months.

The Nepali–Greece route: which jobs, realistically

The Greek sectors that recruit non-EU workers — agriculture (seasonal), tourism and hospitality, construction, food processing and care and domestic work — are where Nepali applicants realistically find offers, hired against a Greece work permit.

In almost all cases you need the signed offer before the permit process can begin — Greece has no general job-seeker visa.

Avoiding recruitment fraud on the Nepal–Greece route

Nepal's foreign-employment corridor is heavily targeted by unlicensed 'manpower' brokers. Use only DoFE-licensed recruitment agencies, never pay for a 'guaranteed' European work visa, and check that the job, employer and permit are real.

• The employer — not you — normally drives and pays for the work-permit process.
• A visa is decided by a government, never by a broker: no legitimate route sells a guaranteed visa.
• Verify the employer, the vacancy and the permit with the Ministry of Migration and Asylum before paying anyone.