Digital Nomad Visa (Type D) + Residence Permit (Type I.8) - Law 5038/2023, amended by Law 5275/2026 · Open to applicants
Greece offers a mid-range income floor and a 50% tax break, but a 2026 law moved the process abroad, and that break isn't the win it first looks like.
How much income do you need for the Greece digital nomad visa?
3,500 EUR per month (EUR 3,500/mo NET (after tax), from sources outside Greece)
How long does the Greece digital nomad visa last?
12 months, renewable
How does Greece tax digital nomad visa holders?
New tax residents may access a 50% income-tax exemption for up to 7 years (Art. 5C), but it is NOT automatic and generally does NOT apply to pure foreign-source remote income. Staying >183 days makes you a Greek tax resident, taxed on worldwide income at standard rates.
Can family come with you on the Greece digital nomad visa?
Spouse and children can be included (+20% spouse (approx EUR 4,200/mo total), +15% per child (approx +EUR 525/mo))
How long does the Greece digital nomad visa take to process?
~10 days consular decision target (2-6 weeks in practice; longer since the 2026 consulate-only route)
- Minimum income
reported- 3,500 EUR / month (EUR 3,500/mo NET (after tax), from sources outside Greece)
RE-VERIFIED 2026-09-24: NET-vs-GROSS conflict stays open, no tiebreaker found; one new source (freenance.io) claims GROSS and frames EUR 3,500 as "raised from EUR 2,500 in 2025," which does not match this fiche's tracked history and looks like a search-summary artifact, not a genuine change - not promoted. Attributed to the official mfa.gr page (403 on direct fetch) and corroborated by multiple specialist sources, though at least one 2026 secondary guide states this figure as GROSS rather than NET - the net/gross distinction could not be independently re-confirmed on the official page this pass and should be treated as unresolved. Family uplift: +20% spouse, +15% per child. RE-VERIFIED 2026-09-05: multiple independent 2026 guides (remoteworkeurope.eu, globalcitizensolutions.com, lexidy.com, nomadsembassy.com) state the required bank-statement history proving this income rose from 3 to 6 consecutive months, effective 27 January 2026 - corroborated across 4 independent secondary sources but no primary decree/circular citation found, so this is added as a documentation-requirement detail, not a change to the EUR 3,500 figure itself.
source · verified 2026-09-24
- Visa duration
reported- 12 months, renewable
RE-VERIFIED 2026-09-24: unchanged, no new development. Type D visa: up to 12 months. Then Type I.8 residence permit: 2 years, renewable for successive 2-year periods. LAW 5275/2026 (~5 Feb 2026): the in-country conversion route was ABOLISHED - you must now obtain the Type D visa at a Greek consulate abroad BEFORE entering. RE-CHECKED 2026-07-31: the same reform also closed a second loophole - applicants who entered on a Type C (Schengen) visa or a visa-waiver could previously obtain the Type I.8 permit by showing a housing lease or property-purchase contract instead of the full consulate-first D-visa route; two independent legal-advisory sources (Bernitsas Law, siopi-law.gr) now describe this route as closed, consistent with the same law's abolition of in-country conversion. Reported/corroborated via search-indexed content, not a fetched primary source (mfa.gr/migration.gov.gr still 403).
source · verified 2026-09-24
- Tax regime
reported- New tax residents may access a 50% income-tax exemption for up to 7 years (Art. 5C), but it is NOT automatic and generally does NOT apply to pure foreign-source remote income. Staying >183 days makes you a Greek tax resident, taxed on worldwide income at standard rates.
RE-VERIFIED 2026-09-24: unchanged. Art. 5C (AADE) requires 5-of-6-years prior non-residence AND historically Greek-source income; specialist tax sources flag that a nomad working purely for foreign clients may not qualify. Do NOT present the 50% cut as an automatic benefit.
source · verified 2026-09-24
- Family (spouse / children)
reported- Spouse + children admitted (+20% spouse (approx EUR 4,200/mo total), +15% per child (approx +EUR 525/mo))
RE-VERIFIED 2026-09-24: unchanged, +20% spouse / +15% per child reconfirmed.
source · verified 2026-09-24
- Application fees
reported- 75 EUR
RE-VERIFIED 2026-09-24: unchanged. This EUR 75 is the Type D VISA fee (+ EUR 150 per accompanying family member). SEPARATE and much larger: the Type I.8 RESIDENCE PERMIT fee, ~EUR 1,000 (+ EUR 150/family member). Guides routinely conflate the two stages. RE-VERIFIED 2026-09-07: the post-Law-5275/2026 re-verification flag carried since 2026-07-05 is now resolved - the EUR 1,000 + EUR 150/family-member Type I.8 figure is independently reconfirmed unchanged post-reform by multiple current 2026 sources (Karabatsoulegal and GSL.org since 2026-07-29; consiliojus.com added this pass), with no competing post-reform figure surfacing across any pass since. Still not read on migration.gov.gr directly (403/EGRESS_BLOCKED every pass), so confidence stays "reported," not "official."
source · verified 2026-09-24
- Health insurance
reported- Required - Mandatory private health insurance covering care/hospitalization in Greece for applicant + family; minimum coverage amount not stated officially.
RE-VERIFIED 2026-09-24: unchanged.
source · verified 2026-09-24
- Processing time
reported- ~10 days consular decision target (2-6 weeks in practice; longer since the 2026 consulate-only route)
RE-VERIFIED 2026-09-24: unchanged. This estimate covers the initial Type D consular-visa stage. SEPARATE and later: the Type I.8 residence-permit stage, applied for after arrival, is a 'single permit' application under Law 5275/2026 (transposing EU Directive 2024/1233, in force since 6 Feb 2026), which sets a statutory 90-day decision deadline (extendable by 30 days in exceptional cases), plus a 2-month deadline (also extendable by 30 days) for the applicant to supply any missing documents, with the clock paused meanwhile. RE-VERIFIED 2026-09-20: independently corroborated across several named law-firm sources (EY Greece, Zepos & Yannopoulos, PwC Greece, Bernitsas Law, Machas & Partners) all citing the statute directly - still not read on migration.gov.gr itself (EGRESS_BLOCKED), so confidence stays 'reported', but this is the strongest sourcing tier short of a direct page read.
source · verified 2026-09-24
Guidance written by Elias Verne · last reviewed 2026-07-07
Who this visa is for
Greece's digital nomad visa is for remote employees and freelancers earning from outside Greece, with a net monthly income at the level shown above and uplifts for a partner and each child. The wording matters: the threshold is stated net, after tax, so budget from your take-home figure rather than gross.
It suits established remote earners who want a Mediterranean base with a clear route from a one-year visa to a longer residence permit, rather than a quick stopover.
The 2026 change you have to know
A 2026 reform abolished the old option to enter Greece visa-free and convert to a residence permit from inside the country. You now have to obtain the Type D digital nomad visa at a Greek consulate abroad before you travel. Most guides written before 2026 still describe in-country conversion; that path is closed, so ignore it.
Once you hold the Type D visa (up to one year), you apply for the Type I.8 residence permit (two years, renewable). The figures and the legal basis are on the fiche above; the takeaway is to start at a consulate, not on the ground in Greece.
The tax break is not automatic
Greece advertises a 50% income-tax exemption for new tax residents, but it generally does not apply to pure foreign-source remote income, and it carries conditions (prior non-residence, a multi-year commitment). Do not budget your move around it.
There is a second, blunter point: stay more than 183 days and you become a Greek tax resident, taxed on worldwide income at standard rates unless a special regime applies. Confirm your position with a Greek tax adviser before assuming any reduction.
Fees and pitfalls
The two fees people confuse are separate stages: the Type D visa fee is small; the Type I.8 residence-permit fee is far larger. Guides routinely merge them. Private health insurance covering care in Greece is mandatory for you and any family members.
Since the 2026 consular-only route, processing has lengthened because every application now runs through consulates abroad with limited appointment slots. Apply earlier than the old guides suggest.
The figures above are the sourced, dated record; this guide explains and compares them and is not legal or tax advice.
Last full review: 2026-09-24. Figures are re-verified quarterly.