Residence permit Greece 2025: new rules and acceleration of procedures

< img src="https://www.ekathimerini.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/10diaba10-thumb-large.jpg?v=1611834895 " alt="Picture background">

Greece continues to simplify procedures for foreigners who want to obtain a residence permit in Greece or apply for the popular Golden Visa Greece program. The latest changes are aimed at reducing queues and speeding up the processing of applications.

Currently, there are more than 510,000 valid residence permits in the country and about 290,000 applications are under consideration (including renewals). All these requests are processed by the same government agencies, which often caused delays.

What will change?

The new draft law of the Greek Ministry of Migration assumes:

Automatic renewal of individual residence permits (for example, for employees for employment and family reunification).

An increase in the validity period of a residence permit, which will allow for less bureaucratic procedures.

Redistributing applications between different regions, not just by filing location, will reduce the load on the Athens offices and speed up the process.

The introduction of new visa categories for highly qualified specialists, researchers and professors will make Greece even more attractive for professionals.

What about the golden visa?

A similar scheme is already in effect for the Golden Visa Greece (investment Residence Permit) program: many applicants apply in the province, to avoid waiting in the capital for more than a year. Thanks to the new law, this practice will be extended to other categories of migrants.

When will the changes take effect?

A parliamentary vote on the bill is scheduled for October 2025. If the amendments are adopted, obtaining a residence permit in Greece in 2025 will become much faster and more convenient.