Residence Permits as a family member of a Greek citizen

Article 93
Initial grant of a Residence Card to family members of a Hellenic citizen
(residence permit type “O.3”)
1. Third-country nationals who are family members of a Greek, in accordance with paragraph λκ’ of article 4 and who enter Greece with a uniform entry visa or an entry visa with limited territorial validity, where required, in accordance with the provisions of article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 November 2018 listing the third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas when crossing the external borders of the Member States and those whose nationals are exempt from that requirement (L 303), shall be granted a “Residence Card for a family member of a Greek” (residence permit type “O.3”), provided that their permanent residence in the country.
2. The Residence Permit (residence permit type “O.3”) of par. 1 is also granted to parents of minor citizens residing in Greece, regardless of the manner in which their children acquired Greek citizenship. The same Residence Permit is also granted to minor siblings of the aforementioned citizens. The right of residence of siblings of Greek citizens under the age of twenty-one is five (5) years. If the application is submitted either simultaneously with that of the sponsor or subsequently, the child is granted a Residence Permit for a period of five (5) years, after the expiry of which a residence permit of type “M.2” of article 161 may be applied for. The Residence Permit is granted for five (5) years, regardless of whether its expiry exceeds the completion of the twenty-first year of the child’s age. If the expiry of the Residence Permit falls short of the completion of the twenty-first year and therefore there is a period of time remaining for the completion of the five-year period leading to the residence permit of type “M.2” of article 161, the Residence Permit is renewed for one (1) additional five years.
3. The spouse or partner with whom the Greek citizen has entered into a marriage or civil partnership agreement, provided that this was drawn up in Greece or before a Greek consular authority, and who wishes to be granted a Residence Permit, in accordance with par. 1, must submit an application in accordance with article 10 to the competent service, within a period of three (3) months, from the date of entry into the country or within three (3) months from the date of conclusion of the marriage or civil partnership agreement drawn up in Greece, provided that he proves in writing his family relationship with the Greek citizen. In case of failure to submit the application within a period of one (1) year from the date of entry or the date of the registered event of the marriage or civil partnership agreement or the birth of a child, a fine of fifty (50) euros shall be imposed.
4. As defined in sub-paragraphs λζγ’, λζδ’, λζζ’ of paragraph λζ’ of article 4, family members of the Greek must submit an application in accordance with article 10, within three (3) months from the date of entry into the country or within three (3) months from the date of the marriage or the cohabitation agreement drawn up in Greece and in any case, after the submission of an application by the family member of the Greek from whom they derive the right of residence, provided that:
a. they prove in writing their family relationship with the Greek,
b. they prove that the condition of the dependent member is met, namely that they are financially supported by the Greek or the other spouse or partner who is a third-country citizen. In particular, they must prove that they are supported by the Greek and that they were supported or lived under the roof of the other spouse or partner who is a third-country citizen in the country of origin or that there are serious health reasons that make the personal care of the family member by the Greek absolutely necessary.
5. The residence card is individual and is issued to the family members of par. 1, by decision of the Secretary of the Decentralized Administration, subject to examination of reasons of public order and security and compliance with the conditions of par. 8.
6. The Directorate of Aliens and Immigration of the Decentralized Administration of the place of residence of the applicant is responsible for examining the application, which issues the Residence Card.
7. The Residence Card has a duration of five (5) years. The continuity of residence is not affected by temporary absences not exceeding a total of six (6) months per year, nor by longer absences for the fulfillment of compulsory military service or by one (1) absence of a maximum of twelve (12) consecutive months, for serious reasons, in particular pregnancy and maternity, serious illness, studies or professional training or placement in another Member State or a third country.
8. Rejection of the relevant application for reasons of public order and security must comply with the principle of proportionality and be based exclusively on the personal conduct of the person concerned. Previous criminal convictions do not constitute grounds for taking such a decision in themselves. The personal conduct of the person concerned by the measure must constitute a real, present and sufficiently serious threat, directed against a fundamental interest of society. Justifications that are not related to the facts of the case or are based on general preventive considerations are not accepted.
“9. Provided that the conditions of par. 7 are met, the Residence Permit, upon the expiry of its validity, is automatically converted into a Permanent Residence Permit (residence permit type “M.3”) of articles 93A and 161.”
*** Par.9 was formulated as above with article 27 par.1 of Law 5275/2026, Government Gazette A` 17/06.02.2026.
10. If the conditions of par. 4 are met and the conditions of par. 7 are not met, the residence card is renewed for five (5) years each time.
“11. Family members of a Greek who are third-country citizens retain a personal right of residence when:
a) the Greek dies and the family members reside in Greece for at least one (1) year prior to his/her death,
b) a divorce decree has been issued or the marriage has been dissolved through the process of divorce by mutual consent or the cohabitation agreement has been dissolved and the marriage or cohabitation agreement lasted at least three (3) years, prior to the submission of the spouses’ application for divorce or prior to the dissolution of the marriage in the case of divorce by mutual consent, in accordance with article 1441 of the Civil Code (P.D. 456/1985, A’ 164) or prior to the dissolution of the cohabitation agreement of the partners, of which one (1) year in Greece or the custody of the children has been legally assigned to one of the spouses/partners who are third-country nationals or
c) particularly difficult situations arise, such as when the family member became a victim of domestic violence while the marriage or civil partnership existed.
The personal right of residence is maintained, provided that these persons prove their status as employees or the exercise of a professional activity, or prove that they have sufficient resources for themselves and their family members, so that they do not burden, during their stay in Greece, the country’s social welfare system, as well as that they have full health insurance coverage in Greece, or prove that they are members of the already established family in Greece of a person who meets the above conditions.
The family member of a Greek who meets the conditions of this article and wishes to be granted a Personal Right of Residence Certificate, must submit an application for the granting of a residence permit to the competent service, within two (2) months, from the occurrence of the event from which the above personal right arises, which is accompanied by the required supporting documents.
The competent authority for examining the application is the relevant service of the decentralized administration, which issues a Personal Right of Residence Card type O.3., valid for five (5) years, with the possibility of renewal for five (5) years each time.
The issuance of the Residence Card, the Permanent Residence Card and the Personal Right of Residence Card is not subject to payment of a fee.
12. The spouse or partner, regardless of citizenship, and their descendants, relatives by blood in a direct line, in accordance with paragraph 4 of article 93 who hold a Residence Card or Permanent Residence Card or Personal Right of Residence Card have access to dependent employment, provision of services or work and professional activity.
12. The spouse or partner, regardless of citizenship, and their descendants, blood relatives in a direct line, in accordance with paragraph 4 of article 93 who hold a Residence Card or a Permanent Residence Card or a Personal Right of Residence Card have access to dependent employment, provision of services or work and professional activity. “
*** Paragraphs 11 and 12 were formulated as above by article 27 paragraph 2 of Law 5275/2026, Government Gazette A` 17/06.02.2026.
13. The residence card is not granted, revoked or renewed, except in the cases referred to in article 15 and in the cases where:
a. It is proven by an official document of a Greek authority or a final court decision or an irrevocable will of the competent judicial council that false or misleading information, forged or falsified documents were used or that fraud was committed in any way or that other illegal means were used and in general that abuse of rights or fraud is established, as in the case of a fictitious marriage.
b. The Greek and his family members have ceased to lead a real conjugal or family life.
c. It is established that the family relationship, in particular the marriage, the cohabitation agreement, the adoption or the recognition of children, has been concluded with the main purpose of circumventing this, in order to obtain the residence permit.
The family relationship is considered to have been concluded for this purpose, especially when there is no cohabitation of the family members or there is no possibility of their communication or when one spouse or partner is unaware of the identity of the other spouse or partner.
14. If a request for the granting or renewal of a residence permit is rejected, or a residence permit granted is revoked, the competent services in each case shall issue a return decision in accordance with articles 16 to 41 of Law 3907/2011 (A’ 7).
“Article 93A
Permanent residence of family members of a Greek citizen
1. Family members of a Greek citizen who have legally resided in Greece with him for a continuous period of five (5) years have the right to permanent residence in the country. This right is not subject to the conditions provided for in paragraphs 3 and 4 of article 93. Interruption of residence, which does not exceed two (2) consecutive years from the expiration of the Residence Permit, does not affect the right to obtain a Permanent Residence Permit.
2. The family member of a Greek who wishes to be granted a Permanent Residence Card of type “M.3” of article 161, must submit an application to the competent one-stop service, within three (3) months from the date of his entry into the country or up to two (2) months before the expiry of the validity of his Residence Card. In case of failure to submit the application within one (1) year from the expiry date of the Residence Card, a fine of fifty (50) euros shall be imposed. The application shall be accompanied by the required supporting documents of the joint decision of par. 1 of article 176.
3. The Permanent Residence Card is granted by decision of the Secretary of the relevant decentralized administration, without prejudice to reasons of public order and security, and is automatically renewed every ten (10) years. Any measure taken for reasons of public order or public security must comply with the principle of proportionality and be based exclusively on the personal conduct of the person concerned. Previous criminal convictions do not constitute grounds for taking such measures in themselves. The personal conduct of the person concerned by the measure must constitute a real, present and sufficiently serious threat, directed against one of the fundamental interests of society. Justifications that are not related to the facts of the case or are based on considerations of general prevention are not acceptable. The Residence Permit is granted without prejudice to the regulations concerning the issuance of residence permits in the form of a separate document, in accordance with Article 1 of Law 4018/2011 (Government Gazette A’ 215).
4. After obtaining a Permanent Residence Card, the loss of the right occurs only in the event of the interested party’s absence from Greece for a period exceeding two (2) consecutive years.”
*** Article 93A was added by article 28 of Law 5275/2026, Government Gazette A` 17/06.02.2026.