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Are you an international student wanting to settle in Greece? Are you wondering- how to get PR in Greece after study? You have come to the right page! This blog covers everything you need to know about the Greece PR. You will learn about the PR types, how you can switch from a student visa to a long-term residency, eligibility criteria, application process, and more. Keep reading to learn more about it.
This Blog Includes:
- How to Get PR in Greece After Study? An Overview
- How Can International Students Get PR in Greece?
- Types of Permanent Residency in Greece
- Who Qualifies for Permanent Residence in Greece?
- What are the Documents Required to Apply for Greece PR?
- Where to Apply for a Greece PR?
- How Long Does It Take to Get PR in Greece?
- How Long is PR in Greece Valid For?
- How Much is a PR in Greece?
- What are the Benefits of Permanent Residency in Greece?
- Is it Hard to Get a Permanent Residency in Greece as an International Student?
- Alternative Ways to Get Greece Residency
- How Long Does It Take to Get My Greek Citizenship?
- FAQs
How to Get PR in Greece After Study? An Overview
International students will not directly get long-term residency status after completing their studies. To get a PR, they will have to complete their education in Greece, apply for a post-study permit, and then get a residence permit for work. Only after staying in the country for 5 years, do they become eligible for long-term residency.
Greece’s long-term residence permit is a type of PR. It is meant for non-EU nationals wanting to stay in the country for an indefinite period. You will enjoy similar benefits as citizens with a long-term residence permit. The actual PR is only meant for investors, or those r those related to Greek citizens.
How Can International Students Get PR in Greece?
How to get PR in Greece after study? The simple answer is to stay in the country for 5 years. Here is how you can stay in the country for 5 years as an international student.
Complete Your Education
First, complete your studies at a recongised university in Greece. Thereafter, you can apply for a National Visa for studies and travel to Greece. Upon reaching Greece you can apply for a residence permit for studies. It is important to know that the duration of studies is not counted for PR.
Apply for a Post Study Permit
After you have completed your studies you can apply for a post-study work permit in the country. During this period you can search for employment. It is estimated that the post-study permit is given up to a year. However, the exact duration depends on the program of study, and the type of employment.
Apply for a Work Permit
After getting a job offer, and a work contract you can apply for a work permit. The employer applies for the work permit on your behalf. Once you get the work permit you can apply for a residence permit for work.
While the work permit will authorise you to work, the residence permit will permit you to stay in Greece. The residence permit for work is valid for 2 years. Moreover, it can be renewed for an additional 3 years
Stay for 5 Years & Apply for PR
After you have stayed in the country for 5 years you can apply for a long-term residence permit. The long-term residence permit is for non-EU nationals (like Indians). To apply for this permit you must meet the additional requirements.
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Types of Permanent Residency in Greece
How to get PR in Greece after study? First, get to know about the PR you can apply for. Greece has two types of PR. These are as follows-
- Greece PR: The Greece PR is only available to investors and the family members of Greek citizens. You must hold a Golden Visa for 5 years to get this PR (if you are an investor).
- Long-Term Resident Permit- This is the PR that is available to non-EU nationals. If you are a non-EU national (like Indians), and you have held a temporary residence permit for 5 years you can apply for this.
| Note: When we talk about PR we refer to the long-term residence permit. The reasons? This is the PR available to Indians. |
Who Qualifies for Permanent Residence in Greece?
You must meet the eligibility criteria to apply for Greece PR. The basic eligibility requirements are as follows-
| Greece PR Eligibility Criteria | Description |
| Duration of stay | You have stayed in Greece for 5 years |
| Continuous stay | You have stayed in the country for continuously for 5 years |
| Acceptable Period of Absence from the country | Less than 6 months of continuous stay abroad. The total stay must be less than 10 months in 5 years. |
| Financial stability | You have sufficient income to take care of yourself and your family. Your income must not be less than the annual minimum wage. It is increased by 10% for all dependent family members/ |
| Social security | You have social security for yourself and your family |
| Met the integration requirements | Do you know Greek history & culture, or you have legally resided in the country for 12 years |
What are the Documents Required to Apply for Greece PR?
How to get PR in Greece after study? Submit the necessary documents. The following documents are required to apply for a Greece long-term residence permit
| Greece PR Documents Required | Description |
| Application form | Long-term residence permit application form |
| Photograph | 4 recent coloured photos |
| Passport | Your passport must be valid at the time of application |
| Health insurance | You must provide a valid health insurance certificate for you and your family |
| Tax clearance | A copy of the last tax clearance certificate from the Tax Office |
| Accommodation proof | Copy of a certified rental contract, or a home purchase contract |
| Payment of Long-Term Residence Permit application fee | Pay EUR 16 |
| Certificate of knowledge of the Greek language, Greek history and culture | Issued by the General Secretariat for Lifelong Learning. |
| Education proof | Submit graduation certificates from high schools that are a part of the Greek educational system, or university graduation certificate |
| Greek language proficiency (Optional) | Greek proficiency (B2 level) |
Understand the Cost of Living in Greece
Where to Apply for a Greece PR?
How to get PR in Greece after study? Submit the PR application to the relevant authority. The PR application can be submitted to the authority that issued your last/previous residence permit:
| Particulars | Where to Apply |
| Long-term residence permit application authority | Greece Ministry of Migration and Asylum |
| To get the printed residence permit | Apply at a Police Directorate/Passport Office. They will give you a receipt of documents that you need to keep with you to collect the printed residence permit |
To learn more about getting a Greece PR after 5 years, watch this video:
How Long Does It Take to Get PR in Greece?
How to get PR in Greece after study? Stay in the county for 5 years with a temporary residence permit. Once, you have applied for a PR, it will be processed. The application processing times are as follows-
| Greece PR | Processing Time |
| Long-term residence permit | 6 months for normal applications. Additional 3 months for extended applications. |
The application processing can be extended if further verification in required. In such cases, the application can be extended for 3 more months
How Long is PR in Greece Valid For?
The Greece PR validity period is provided below:
| Greece PR | Validity | Renewable |
| Long-term residence permit | 5 years at a time | Yes. For 5 Years |
How Much is a PR in Greece?
How to get PR in Greece after study? Meet the requirements. One of the requirements is to pay the long-term residency fees. The fees of long-term residency in the country are provided below:
| Greece PR | Greece PR Cost |
| Long-term residence permit | EUR 16 |
What are the Benefits of Permanent Residency in Greece?
Now you know how to get PR in Greece after study. There are several benefits of applying for long-term residency in Greece. Some of these benefits are as follows-
- Equal treatment just like a citizen of Greece. For example, Access to non-salaried or salaried work, remuneration, and dismissal
- You can access professional training and education in the country
- Get tax relief
- Can access public goods and services, housing procedures
- Freely move and settle in Greece
- Travel to other schengen states without a visa for up to 90 days
- Receive recognition for the certificates, vocational degrees, etc you have acquired.
- Pathway to citizenship in Greece
Is it Hard to Get a Permanent Residency in Greece as an International Student?
It is moderately easy to get a PR in Greece. There are several reasons for this. Some of these reasons are provided below:
- Study time is not counted- The study time in Greece is not counted towards PR duration.
- Post-study work permit- The post-study work duration is dependent on the course, and the employment you are seeking. This makes getting a post-study permit uncertain.
- Residence Permit for Work- The residence permit for work is available for up to 5 years (Including the renewable period). This makes the path to long-term residency easy.
- No language requirement- You do not have to know the Greek language to apply for a PR. Submitting a Greek language (B1 level) certificate is optional.
Alternative Ways to Get Greece Residency
Now you know how to get PR in Greece after studying. However, it is important to know that there are alternative ways you can get PR in Greece. These alternative paths are provided below:
The PR process becomes much easier if you are related to a Greek citizen. After staying in the country for 5 years you can apply for PR. The Permanent residency permit is available to the dependent children, spouse, etc.
Choose to work in Greece With an EU Blue Card
Greece has a demand for employees in the healthcare, customer support, and IT sector. You can acquire an EU blue card to work in Greece. This residency permit is available to highly skilled workers outside the EU to work in any EU country. The EU Blue card is valid for 1-4 years. If you have an EU Blue card and you lose your job you are given 3 months to look for another job.
Get a Greece Golden Visa
The Greece Golden Visa is for those who are willing to invest in the country. You are given residency status in return for investment. You can choose to invest in assets or real estate. To Greece Golden Visa you must be at least 18 years old, have no criminal record, have medical insurance and must be a non-EU national. You need to invest at least EUR 250,000- EUR 500,000 in real estate to get a golden visa.
How Long Does It Take to Get My Greek Citizenship?
How to get PR in Greece after study? Stay in the country for 5 years and get a long-term residency permit. The long-term residence permit is a pathway to a PR in Greece. You can get citizenship if you stay in the country for 7 years. However, if you are an EU national you only have to stay in the country for 3 years to get citizenship.
Citizenship is only provided if you meet additional requirements. For example, personal tax audits, and documents providing relation to Greece. Greece offers dual citizenship to all eligible applicants.
FAQs
If you are planning to stay in Greece for more than 90 days you must get a temporary residence permit. A temporary residence permit is issued for different purposes. For example, you can get a temporary residence permit if you are planning to study or work in the country
It is moderately easy to get a PR in Greece. We say that it is moderately easy because it does not count the study time in the country. However, the residency permit for work allows you to stay in the country for 5 years making you eligible for PR. You can also have the option to apply for a post-study permit to look for work.
Iceland, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Germany are some of the easiest countries to get a PR. You can also get a PR easily in Portugal, and Ireland.
As per the 7-year law, you can get citizenship in Greece if you stay in the country for 7 years. This means that such people have become naturalized. This form of citizenship comes under exceptional reasons for granting citizenship.
We hope you now have the answer to your question- How to get PR in Greece after study? Want to apply for a Visa for your study abroad journey? Drop us a comment in the section below, or visit our visa page for more such articles. You can also connect with a visa expert at Leverage Edu, and we will guide you on your dream journey!
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