ΕλληνικάLaw 5275/2026 was published in Government Gazette A’ 17 on 6 February 2026 and materially amends the Greek Immigration Code. It transposes Directive (EU) 2024/1233 on the single residence and work permit, creates new categories of national entry visa and residence permit, and changes both how long permits last and how they are renewed. For anyone now planning to recruit third-country nationals or to file an application, the practical point is simple: several assumptions that held good until February 2026 no longer hold.
The single residence and work permit
Article 4 of the law replaces Article 81 of the Immigration Code and sets out which permits count as single permits: among others the permit for highly qualified employment (E.1), for special purpose employment (E.3) and for employment following recruitment from abroad (E.4), together with family permits where these carry a right to work. Holders of investment permits under Articles 96 to 100 are expressly excluded, so the new regime does not reach the permanent investor permit.
The substantive change sits in Article 6, which replaces Article 82 of the Code. The holder of an initial single permit must remain with the employer for the duration of the first contract, which may not exceed six months; where the contract runs longer, the tie falls away after the first six months of employment. Earlier change is permitted in three situations: a reasoned serious breach by the employer of the terms of the employment relationship, a request by the worker accompanied by declarations from both the outgoing and the incoming employer, and termination on the initiative of the employer who carried out the recruitment. The rule applies by analogy to seasonal workers (E.6).
The notification mechanism matters in practice. A change of employer is notified to the one-stop service, which must rule within forty-five days, and the worker may already work for the new employer during that period. If the service does not examine the notification in time, it is deemed accepted.
Article 5 inserts Article 81A into the Code and imposes deadlines binding on the administration: the one-stop service must examine the application within ninety days of a complete filing, extendable by thirty days in exceptional and duly reasoned circumstances tied to the complexity of the case. Where supplementary documents are called for, a reasonable period not exceeding two months is set and the ninety-day clock is suspended meanwhile.
Unemployment in itself is no longer a ground for revocation. Under Article 82 as it now stands, a period of up to three months is tolerated, or up to six months where the person has held the single permit for more than two years, provided the start and end of each period are notified to the one-stop service. The three-month period is extended by a further three months where it is established that the holder worked under particularly abusive conditions. Article 7 adds Article 82A, guaranteeing equal treatment with Greek nationals as to conditions of employment, trade union rights, education, recognition of qualifications and social security.
The new national entry visas
Article 10 amends Article 9 of the Code and adds five new visa categories in the Z class, each narrowly defined. The Z.13 visa, set out in detail in the new Article 72A, is directed at specialized technical staff of an undertaking established in a third country, transferred under a contract with a Greek company for the construction of production units in technology, pharmaceuticals and industry. The limitation that is most often missed is that the investment must exceed ten million euros, and the visa may not run beyond twelve months in total. The Z.13A visa covers work for undertakings registered on the Elevate Greece national startup registry.
The Z.14 visa is for visiting professors at higher education institutions and at legal entities of university education. Of particular interest is the Z.15 visa, the so-called talent visa, valid for twelve months, which allows applicants with high educational qualifications to enter Greece to look for employment or professional activity without a prior job offer. The Z.16 visa applies to students of foreign higher education institutions that have concluded agreements with Greek colleges, for coursework and practical training as part of their studies.
The new residence permits
Two new residence permits are added: the H.5.2 permit for studies at colleges, and the H.11 permit. The latter, as elaborated by Article 13 amending Article 12 of the Code, allows students and researchers to remain for one year after completing their studies or research, either to look for work as highly qualified (E.1), special purpose (E.3) or dependent employees (E.4), or to establish a business under Article 97. Importantly, by way of derogation no available post within the admission quota is required for that transition. The provision closes a gap that previously forced graduates of Greek institutions to leave before making any use of the qualification they had just obtained.
A second-chance residence permit, I.9, is also created for those lawfully resident for at least five years, subject to the conditions the law sets out. It repays attention in cases where the original title has lost its basis through no fault of the holder.
Duration and renewal
Article 14 adds a third paragraph to Article 13 of the Code. For every permit whose nominal duration is at least three years measured from the filing of the application, the one-stop service must ensure that the time remaining until expiry is at least two years; where it is less, the duration is adjusted upwards. This addresses the position in which an applicant received a permit already partly consumed by the time taken to examine the application.
Article 19, amending paragraph 2 of Article 34 of the Code, makes the EU Blue Card valid for three years and renewable in three-year periods, in place of the previous two. Article 20 correspondingly makes the special purpose employment permit a three-year permit.
On renewal, Article 12 amends Article 11 of the Code and extends late filing from one month to three months after expiry, subject to a fine of one hundred euros for each month of delay. The application is still due within two months before expiry, and once the three months have passed no application is received at all save on proven force majeure. The provision is not an extension of the deadline; it is a safety valve with a price attached. Articles 11 and 12 also provide for applications to be distributed electronically among the one-stop services by workload rather than by the applicant’s place of residence, the system selecting the service with the fewest pending files.
Recruiting workers from abroad
For employers the changes to recruitment are the most tangible. Article 17 adds a sixth paragraph to Article 26 of the Code introducing a minimum age of eighteen, while Article 21, amending Article 61, reduces the minimum duration of the employment contract from twelve months to six, which assists sectors with pronounced seasonality. The fee remains two hundred euros per worker recruited.
Article 18 adds a fourth paragraph to Article 27 and permits, for the first time, recruitment through a temporary employment agency acting as direct employer. The conditions are strict: share or corporate capital of at least one million euros, no prosecution or conviction of its directors for unlawful trafficking of third-country nationals, and the details of the indirect employer stated in the application, which must also be accompanied by the contract with that employer.
Paragraph 7 of the new Article 61 introduces a priority procedure for up to five hundred third-country nationals per project, in favor of legal entities or investment schemes falling under Law 4864/2021 on strategic investments or which have taken on a public work under Law 4412/2016. The fee there is four hundred euros per person. The E.4 permit is valid for three years and is now renewed in five-year periods, while the maximum number of posts may be increased by up to fifteen per cent to meet unforeseen and extraordinary needs.
Students, scholarship holders and digital nomads
Holders of scholarship (H.7) and student (H.1) permits acquire the right to work up to twenty hours. Article 9, amending Article 4 of the Code, brings within the definition of family members adult children who lack legal capacity, regardless of age, where they live with and are supported by the sponsor; incapacity is proved by a final court judgment or an equivalent document from the country of origin, duly certified and translated. The provision corrects a real injustice for families with an adult child under judicial support, and applies correspondingly to family members of Greek nationals and of Union citizens.
For digital nomads the change runs the other way. The ability to apply directly for a residence permit has been abolished and a national entry visa is now required. Anyone who planned to arrive first and regularize afterwards will need to rethink the sequence.
What to do now
The law took effect on publication, but a number of provisions depend on implementing ministerial decisions. The picture is therefore incomplete, and any plan should be checked against the decisions as they are issued. Employers who engage or intend to engage third-country nationals should revisit their standard contracts in the light of the six-month minimum duration and the right to change employer, and should recalculate recruitment timetables against the ninety-day decision period.
For individuals the practical advice is a single point: the title that fits today may not be the one that fitted last year. The new Z.15 and H.11 categories open routes that did not exist before February 2026, and an application filed on the wrong basis costs more in time than the preliminary analysis would have. Further information is available on our immigration law and corporate law pages. Our offices in Athens, Thessaloniki, Piraeus and Heraklion can be reached on +30 210 3600036 or at gr@oikonomakislaw.com.
Frequently asked questions
Is the law already in force? Yes. Law 5275/2026 took effect on publication in Government Gazette A’ 17 of 6 February 2026. Certain provisions, however, are activated by implementing ministerial decisions, which are being issued in stages.
Can I change employer on a dependent employment permit? Yes. You are tied for the duration of the first contract, which cannot exceed six months. Earlier change is permitted on a serious breach of the terms of employment, on termination at the employer’s initiative, or at your own request with declarations from both employers. The change is notified to the one-stop service, which rules within forty-five days, and you may work for the new employer during that period.
What happens if I lose my job? Unemployment in itself does not bring revocation. Up to three months is tolerated, or up to six where you have held the single permit for more than two years, provided you notify the start and end of each period. If particularly abusive working conditions are established, the three-month period is extended by a further three.
I missed the renewal deadline. Have I lost the permit? Not necessarily. An application may be filed up to three months after expiry, subject to a fine of one hundred euros for each month of delay.
Can I come to Greece as a digital nomad and regularize once I am there? No longer. The option of applying directly for a residence permit has been abolished and a national entry visa is required before arrival.
Disclaimer: this article gives general information on Law 5275/2026 as at July 2026 and does not constitute legal advice in an individual case. A number of provisions depend on implementing ministerial decisions issued in stages. Assessment of a specific matter requires advice from a qualified lawyer. No liability is accepted for decisions taken solely on the basis of this article.
Prepared by Christos Oikonomakis, Chairman, OIKONOMAKIS LAW