20 Comments »

  arammos wrote @ October 16th, 2007 at 21:48

Good evening Kat. In 1999, I traveled to Italy with my ID only. After 9/11, everything changed. Now I have my passport, whether I’m traveling in the EU or not.

  The Scorpion wrote @ October 16th, 2007 at 23:27

What is so difficult about traveling with that paper with the photo on it, along with your passport?

Is there a logistic reason that wouldn’t work for them? Or is it just typical “Greek scratching the left ear with right hand” bureaucracy?

  gia1 wrote @ October 17th, 2007 at 15:50

It does seem to be a matter of bureaucracy and national safety. We live in a country that is currently attractive to citizens from non-EU countries. Since 9/11 there has been a crackdown on all activities that have to do with immigration.

  graffic wrote @ October 21st, 2007 at 12:31

I guess one day I’ll be waking in the street and the police will arrest me, hitting me because I forgot to fill-up the AX3244234FF form. And after that they will discover that I don’t need it.

Welcome to chaos, welcome to Greece.

  hony wrote @ October 21st, 2008 at 00:59

i am filipino nationality 4 years working in greece ,i have a permit for employment,service or project type of permit my question is can i go in other europe country for visit a family freind for at least 30 day?and my permit also will expired by january 16 2009,what shoul i do first i am planning to go on dec to january 10,thanks alot

  Kat wrote @ October 21st, 2008 at 11:14

The answers to your questions are already on site; please search/read more carefully next time or your questions won’t be published. As I say in the Related Post listed above “FAQ: Greek residence/work permits,” you should renew before you leave. You are required to start renewal at least 60 days previous, which you should know if you’ve held the permit for 4 years.

As I say in the article above, there will likely be a Christmas travel period, so as long as you renew before you leave, you should be fine. If you have further questions, call your municipality office.

  cristina wrote @ January 20th, 2009 at 17:37

hi,i live in greece ,have a working permit that expires next year.but because i’m a fyr macedonia citizen they won’t stick the working permit inside my passport.i wanna travel in italy with my boyfriend this march.i wanted to know if they are gonna make me a problem if i try to travel.answer as soon as possible,as i need it to travel.

Kat Reply:
January 22nd, 2009 at 23:51

Hi Cristina. Yes, it’s true that Greece does not recognize the name ‘Macedonia’ for your country, and as a result does not recognize your passport as being valid. Therefore, even though you have a valid work/residence permit, it is very possible that Greek authorities will not allow you back into Greece if you leave, unless the name dispute is resolved before March. Whether you want to take this risk is up to you.

* Hat tip to MBE for sharing his stats and information.

  Panagiotis wrote @ January 27th, 2009 at 06:18

Hello Kat,

I just felt obliged to congratulate you on your excellent reporting – not to mention for providing the ultimate resource for expat issues in Greece.

I bumped into your December article in UK media that was simply a revelation for me; even though I’ve been living in France for five years and consider myself a sceptical observer I hadn’t been able to distance myself enough from my origins so as to see into the malaise of the Greek society as you clearly did.

My girlfriend is Senegalese and we want to move to Greece; She has a long-term residence/work permit which is transferable among EU countries (which I know, thanks to your site!) so it should be easier for her to move than it was for you.

I’d like to tell you that I’ve enjoyed a lot reading your posts: your objectivity is of scientific standards – a valuable and rare attribute; your articles and comment replies are rigorous, admirable..!

I hope you keep writing

cheers

Kat Reply:
January 29th, 2009 at 23:50

Ela Panagioti. I’m sorry I didn’t answer right away; sometimes I don’t know what to say, and sometimes life moves too fast. Apo tin kardia mou, thank you for your kind words and encouragement. It is my pleasure to write, serve and invest in people like you. Hope to see you again!

  Krista wrote @ April 12th, 2009 at 17:26

Thanks for the information regarding travel with only a bebaiosi. Has the government announced the pre-approved travel period for Easter 2009?

And does the Easter travel exception still apply if the first point-of-entry back into the EU is through a country other than Greece? For example, travel to a Non-Schengen country (Wales), and a return flight back to Greece via Amsterdam. Will the customs officials in Amsterdam recognize the bebaiosi and the accompanying press release, both of which are printed in the Greek language?

Or will they simply issue a transit visa and leave it for the Greek authorities to deal with upon return back into Greece?

Thanks again for all of your help.

Kat Reply:
April 12th, 2009 at 23:23

That’s a good question, and I did not post anything last month. For those who missed it, the Easter period is from March 14 to May 3, 2009, see the Press Release in Greek only. The Easter period is not widely publicized because it’s assumed everyone wants to stay here for Greek Pascha. People should keep in mind that a passport or other valid travel document and the original bebaiosi (blue certificate with photo) are necessary. Those with a special certificate of legal residence that bans the holder from leaving are not eligible.

Another good question. You’re right. Greek authorities, for some reason, will not let go of the age-old practice of issuing a bebaiosi in only Greek. Therefore, officials from other countries cannot read them. When you get to passport control of any point of entry and officials see your visa has expired, give them the bebaiosi and press release. They’ll see it’s in Greek, shake their head or roll their eyes and make a comment/complaint that it’s not in English, then let you go (sometimes they’ll ask you what it says or why Greece doesn’t do this or that, but most EU countries are familiar with Greece’s ancient practices). They figure it’s not their problem, and Greece will deal with you. I’ve never been refused passage. Carrying the press release is primarily recommended to deal with uninformed Greek authorities, who should know better.

Thank you for being someone who took the time to read through the information I provide, then asks a legitimate question that helps everyone and is grateful for the assistance. Really it’s a pleasure, and have a nice trip!

  Leigh wrote @ August 4th, 2009 at 16:56

Does anybody know what is the difference between the sticker residence permit and the card residence permit? I received the card permit valid for 5 years (I am a non-EU married to an EU Citizen) but I was expecting a sticker to be placed in my passport.

Kat Reply:
August 5th, 2009 at 20:58

They’re both permits and accomplish the same thing. Why would you want a sticker when the card is better? The card is evidence that the permit process is evolving — it used to be a paper, then it was a poor quality card in Greek only, and now there are bilingual stickers and cards with improved security.

  Sanjay wrote @ August 31st, 2009 at 14:19

Hi ,
I am a Indian Passport holder and came to Greece on Visitor visa which is valid for 3 months. After i came here my company applied for my Residence Permit which is yet to come ( almost 1 month since we applied for it ) .. Now the Visitor visa is expired and i am having Blue paper and i want to visit other EU countries (Swiss and Italy for tourism ) . what should i do if i dont get Residence Permit by then ?

Kat Reply:
August 31st, 2009 at 23:44

Please read the above post. I also suggest reading the post “FAQ: Greek work/residence permits.” Waiting one month for a permit is NOT a long time; I and several of my friends have waited up to a year.

You and your company have given Greek authorities two reasons to delay and/or not issue your permit:
1) to enter Greece for the purpose of work and immigration, you should have been issued a Schengen type ‘D’ visa through the proper channels, not a visitor visa;
2) the law says that applicants must apply for permits within 30 days of arrival in Greece.

Also note that Switzerland is not an EU country. It is, however, in Schengen.

  nana wrote @ February 6th, 2010 at 03:01

can somebody answer me..i am non-eu citizen, i have greek residence permit sticker in my passport, it’s expiry date is 30.06.2010, only in greek language, so can i travel to poland up to 90 days with my greek permit sticker?

where can i find same information on an official site?

thank you.

Kat Reply:
February 11th, 2010 at 06:35

Answer is in the first paragraph of the article above.

You can find the same information in Greek on the Ministry of Citizen Protection’s official Web site, which is also listed in the above article.

Note: Because you asked two redundant questions, future ones were deleted per my policy.

  Peter wrote @ February 8th, 2010 at 23:22

Hi Kat,
I am non EU citizen and when i came to Greece i sought asylum and was given a pink card that is renewable every six months. I was born in Gambia in the western part of Africa, but Mali is my country. My father is from Gambia, and my mother is from Mali. Since i was born in Gambia, i was issued with Gambian birth certificate and passport. I have gone to Mali just twice with my mother since I was young. My mother died about 8 years ago. On my pink card they wrote Gambia as the place i was born and Mali as my national country.

I have Gambian passport and birth certificate but i have nothing from Mali that shows that i am from there. However on my AFM they wrote Mali as my country and this is a problem for me because i am using a Gambian passport.

So what should i do now? Can they change the country on my AFM and make it Gambia for me since i have all my documents from Gambia. I cant go to Mali again because i don’t have any family there. All my sisters are in Gambia, though my father too is dead.

Please help me so that i can change the country on my AFM and the Work permit. Thank you.

Kat Reply:
February 10th, 2010 at 22:23

Hi Peter,

I’m not sure how to answer this question because I don’t understand why they listed Mali as your country for your AFM and work permit, especially since your passport is from Gambia and this is the only passport you’ve ever had and have no documents from Mali. The only thing you can do is ask the eforia and the dimos office to make the change and see what they demand from you.

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