VISA INFORMATION

Provided that the stay in Greece or Schengen area is for no more than 90 days, nationals of the following countries do not require a visa to enter or transit through Greece, as long as the passport is valid for at least 3 months from the date of return from Greece:

Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Honduras, Hong Kong(holders of passports Hong Kong Special Administrative Region), Israel, Japan, Macao(holders of passports Regiao Administrativa Especial de Macau), Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Romania, South Korea, San Marino, Singapore, United States, Uruguay, The Vatican and Venezuela.

Citizens of all countries not mentioned above do need a visa to enter Greece

Refugees and Stateless persons residing in an EU country and holding a travel document issued by the authorities of this country should contact the visa section of the Greek consulate for further details, as they may not require a visa to travel to Greece

SCHENGEN SHORT TERM VISAS

ALL PERSONS WISHING TO APPLY FOR A VISA TO ENABLE THEM TO TRAVEL TO GREECE MUST MAKE AN APPOINTMENT BEFORE ATTENDING THE CONSULATE IN PERSON TO SUBMIT THEIR DOCUMENTS

  THE TELEPHONE NUMBER IN ORDER TO MAKE AN APPPOINTMET IS 09065 540 744. PLEASE NOTE THAT IT IS NECESSARY TO HAVE ONE APPOINTMENT PER PERSON BUT AN INDIVIDUAL MAY MAKE AN APPOINTMENT FOR UP TO FIVE MEMBERS OF THEIR IMMEDIATE FAMILY

ΤHIRD COUNTRY NATIONALS WHO ARE FAMILY MEMBERS OF EU CITIZENS DO NOT NEED TO BOOK AN APPOINTMENT. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CALL AT: 0207 313 5617, 0207 313 5623 (LOCAL NUMBERS).

PLEASE NOTE:

• THIS CONSULATE GENERAL CAN ONLY ACCEPT APPLICATIONS OF PEOPLE RESIDING IN UK AND HAVE A VALID RESIDENCE PERMIT
• PLEASE DO NOT APPLY MORE THAN THREE MONTHS BEFORE THE DATE OF TRAVEL
• IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO APPLY FOR A SCHENGEN VISA IF YOU STILL HOLD A VALID ONE
• YOUR APPLICATION FOR A VISA CAN NOT BE CONSIDERED WITHOUT ALL DOCUMENTS REQUIRED.
• PLEASE ALLOW BETWEEN 3 AND 14 WORKING DAYS, DEPENDING ON THE NATIONALITY, FROM THE DAY YOUR APPLICATION HAS BEEN ACCEPTED

THE PROCESSING TIME FOR VISA APPLICATIONS FOR THE NATIONALS OF THE FOLLOWING COUNTRIES IS UP TO 14 WORKING DAYS:

AFGHANISTAN, ALGERIA, ARMENIA, BAHRAIN, BANGLADESH, BELARUS, BURUNDI, CHINA, COLOMBIA, CONGO (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF), EGYPT, EQUATORIAL GUINEA, INDONESIA, IRAN, IRAQ, JORDAN,
KAZAKHSTAN, KUWAIT, LEBANON, LIBYA, NIGERIA, NORTH KOREA, PAKISTAN, PALESTINE, PHILIPPINES, QATAR, RWANDA, SAUDI ARABIA, SOMALIA, SUDAN, SURINAME, SYRIA, TUNISIA, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES,
VIETNAM and YEMEN.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

A visa application form   should be completed and submitted together with the following supporting documents. You can complete a form at the Consulate General on the day of your appointment.

• *An original passport valid for at least three months longer than the expiry date of the visa you are applying for, showing a valid residence permit issued in United   Kingdom. No visas can be issued to holders of Brown Certificate of Identity Passports.
• Two recent passport size photographs
• *A recent official letter from your employer addressed to the Greek Consulate General and a recent wages/salary slip or if you are a student in the UK you must have a recent original letter from your college or university addressed to the Greek Consulate confirming you status/attendance and the duration of your course
• *Provisional booking for flights
• *Provisional booking for accommodation or a formal invitation of your host in Greece plus a copy of his/her passport or ID Card, which have been authenticated accordingly (e.g. by a relevant Greek public authority e.g. Greek police, Greek Consulate etc). If your host in Greece is not a Greek national, please also provide copy of his/her residence permit authenticated accordingly (as mentioned above)
• *Evidence that you have sufficient funds to cover the cost of your intended stay in Greece e.g. a recent bank statement or travellers cheques
• *Proof of travel insurance to cover your intended stay in Greece
• The Consular FEE is 48£ which must be paid in cash or by postal order (we regret that personal cheques and credit cards cannot be accepted). The Consular Fee for the holders of passports of the following countries is £28: Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, FYROM, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova. Please note that visas for minors under 6 years old are free of charge.

All documents marked * must be original and be accompanied by a photocopy.

If the applicant is a minor under 18 they must be accompanied by both partents/legal guardians or submit a letter that has been authorised by a solicitor from the parent/legal guardian who can not attend, giving permission to travel to Greece. They must also bring the original children birth certificate, with an official English translation, both parents’ passports/legal guardians passports( plus photocopies of all documents)

If the applicant is a SPOUSE OF A EUROPEAN UNION CITIZEN they must also bring their original marriage certificate translated into English (plus a photocopy), their spouse’s passport (plus a photocopy), two recent passport size photos plus some proof of their intended trip to Greece (e.g. provisional bookings of flights, accommodation etc). Additional documents may be requested during the interview if deemed necessary.

Please note that the visas for Spouses and children of a European Union Citizen are free of charge.
For those who reside more than 200 miles away from London, they may apply by post by sending us a filled application form, all the relevant documents as mentioned above plus a prepaid registered self addressed “Special Delivery” envelope. PLEASE NOTE that the processing time will be significantly prolonged and  that this Consulate General can not bear any responsibility for losses of passports sent by mail.

Long Stay VisaS (more than 90 days) for living, working or studying in greece:

If you intend to visit Greece for more than 90 days OR going to take up employment or establish a business, trade, profession or commercial activity, you have to apply in person in the Consulate General of Greece for a National Visa.

Please note that you will at any case need the following:
1. An original valid passport showing a valid residence permit issued in United Kingdom valid for at least three months longer than the expiry date of the visa you are applying for.
2.     Two recent passport size photographs
3.   Criminal record issued by the authorities of the country of residence
4.     Health certificate stating that the applicant does not suffer from
any contagious diseases threatening public health according to the
International Health Organization 

• All other documents depend on the nature of your stay in Greece in accordance with Greek Legislation and more specifically Law 3386/05. Applicants are advised to be in contact with the inviting parties in Greece for the issuance of the appropriate documents before their interview by appointment at the Greek Consulate.   

Visa fee for National Visas is the amount of £30

COLLECTION OF PASSPORTS

Passports can be collected everyday from 1200 to 1300 by showing the collection slip given on the day of the application. If the person collecting is other than the applicant should produce a passport or an identity card as well.