Issuance of residence permits in Greece for educational purposes

Granting of a residence permit for educational purposes

1. The third country national, who has already been granted with a national visa for educational purposes in Greece, submits an application, according to paragraph 5 of the just aforementioned article, in case, and besides the general preconditions as described in article 6 of law 4251/2014, the following preconditions in total have been met accordingly:

a. He/ she has been admitted in a higher educational university institution within the Greek Territory in order to attend a specific educational program
b. He/ she is in possession of sufficient resources in order to cover his/ her living expenses during his stay
c. He/ she has already deposited necessary registration fee to the said educational institution, when such a precondition has to be fulfilled

2. Even the attendance of Educational Centers of the Greek Language and Culture as provided for by higher educational university institutions could be perceived as eligible educational programs.

3. Should the educational program intended to be attended by a third-country national requires sufficient knowledge of the Greek Language as a necessary precondition, it Is the Educational Institution’s responsibility to proceed with all necessary checks in order to issue a respective certificate, which shall then be forwarded to the competent Greek Consulate Authority.

4. The application of the aforementioned paragraph 1 is provided alongside all necessary supporting documentation.

5. Throughout the enquiry of the application submitted so as for the respective residence permit to be granted accordingly and the issuance of the relevant decision, the provisions of article 8 law 4251/2014 shall be applied.

1. The residence permit is to be issued on an annual basis and could be renewed for a respective period of time, given that all necessary preconditions of the aforementioned articles 32 and 33 are still valid. If the time period of the study program at hand is of lesser duration –i.e. less than a year’s time – the residence permit shall have that exact duration respectively

2. a. The third-country national could apply for the issuance of residence permit which shall be of the same duration as such of the maximum duration of the study program at hand. Should that be the case, during the application process the student provides additionally a certificate of the said educational institution regarding the total amount of time necessary for his/ her studies to be completed

2 b. in order to have the aforementioned residence permit issued, a fee of the amount of one hundred and fifty (150) euros has to be deposited regarding respectively each and every single year of studies. In order for that specific fee to be deposited the procedure of article 132 of law 4251/2014 needs to be followed

2 c. the student who is already in possession of a residence permit of a duration equal to the duration of the educational program, is obliged to submit to the competent authority of the regional Decentralized Administration every two years a confirmation enrolment and participation in the relevant exams period, as hosted by the said educational institution, as well as a certificate of all degrees for the same period of time, according to which the overall progress of the student or his/ her detailed progress report according to a competent authority’s assessment shall become available in case of a master’s degree to follow or even of a PhD degree. In case of an unfulfilled study program, and only after two months’ time since the relevant residence permit had been issued, the latter is to be revoked and the student needs to abandon Greek soil immediately without any further ado

3. In order for the residence permits as described in the aforementioned paragraphs to be further renewed, the third-country national has to submit an application before they get expired to the competent authority, accompanied by all supporting necessary documentation

4. The overall duration time of a renewal residence permit cannot be extended beyond the regular study period which equals the minimum number of credits necessary for the granting of a graduation certificate as per the indicative study program of the school at hand, and even extended for a period of four semesters and half of that time in case of master’s degree students or even PhD ones. An additional year could be provided in case of the option of learning the Greek language should that be a precondition set by the respective institution at hand.

Access to part time employment (ΚΥΑ – common ministerial decision – 30825/14 (D1.1))

Supporting documentation

Students’ mobility (Article 35 law 4251/2014)

1. As per the reservations provided for by articles 32 and 33 of law 4251/2014 regarding the Dismissal – Revocation of a residence permit, while also regarding Procedural Guarantees, a third –country national that has already been accepted in terms of studies by a member-state of the EU and has submitted an application in order to follow part of the program that is already under way, or to complete [his/ her studies] by attending a similar program here in Greece, he/ she is to be granted access only after this particular program is not to be interrupted and the competent authorities have enough time to go through the credentials of the application as such, and in a nutshell he/she:

1. Fulfills all preconditions provided for as per articles 32 και 33, with the exception of the precondition providing for national visa. In such cases the only necessary precondition is a visa as per Regulation (ΕC) 539/2001, of the Council dealing with the list of third countries whose nationals find themselves obliged to have a visa in order to leave the boundaries of the member-states of EU and with the list of third-country nationals who are exempt from such an obligation

2. Submits a certificate of the up that date concluded study program, wherefrom it is provided, as well, the relevant and complementary nature of the separate study programs

3. Participates in an EU or bilateral of some sort exchange program or he/ she has been accepted as a student by another member-state for at least two years’ time

2. The residence permit of the aforementioned paragraph 1 is to be provided and renewed, only after the preconditions have been met and according to the procedure of article 32, i.e. “General preconditions of the right of permit for educational purposes or in terms of voluntary service” and article 33 “Duration and renewal of a residence permit for educational purposes” respectively

3. When the application is to be submitted in terms of the provision of the residence permit as per the aforementioned paragraph 1, the student submits complementarily the below supporting documentation:

1. Exact photocopy of the residence permit in terms studies, of which he/ she in possession within the jurisdiction of the other EU member-state

2. The study program the way it has been completed thus far, as well as the complementary or relevant nature of the aforementioned study program with the one that is to be attended in Greece

3. Certificate issued by the authority competent to realize the respective program in terms of its endorsement in an EU or bilateral exchange program or certificate issued by the competent authorities of the EU member-state that he/ she has been granted access as a student for a period of at least two years

4. The precondition described under point (c) of the just above paragraph does not stand in case of a student who in terms of his/ her studies, is obliged to attend pat of these studies in an institution of a foreign member-state. In such a case the under point (c) of the aforementioned paragraph obligation is replaced by a certificate issued by an institution of another EU member-state according to which the compulsory partially attendance of these studies in Greece is to be certified

Professional activities of students who happen to be third-country nationals (Article 36 law 4251/2014)

Third-country nationals, who have received residence permit for educational purposes according to the present proclamation, are allowed to be employed only on a part-time basis according to the provisions set by the national legal arrangements. In any such case the working hours cannot be less than ten hours per week or the respective proportional number in terms of days or months per year

Supporting documentation

Fast track process of providing residence permits to master’s degree students (article 37 Ν. 4251/2014)

1. The university grade educational institutions of the country which happen to also operate master degree classes, may as well conclude contracts regarding the creation of fast track procedures providing for the issuance of residence permits to master degrees third-country national with the Ministry of Internal Affairs given that certain specific reasons meet that end by complying to the following preconditions:

1. The duration of the master degrees program is minimum of three (3) months’ time

2. The preconditions of the aforementioned articles 32 and 33 regarding the issuance of the respective residence permits have been fulfilled

In these fast track contracts the exact title of the master’s degree program is included while the particular arguments in order to support such a contract are mentioned, the duration of validity, the option to have it renewed, as well as the obligations of the contracting parties

2. a. in order to have the fast track contracts completed the Ministry of Internal Affairs is to be represented by the head of the Directorate of Migration Policies of the General Office of Migration Policies and Social Rehabilitation , while the competent university institution by a lawful representative

2. b. The relevant applications regarding the granting of the said residence permits of the article at hand are to be submitted to the aforementioned Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the relevant permits are to be issued by order of the competent Minister at hand

2. c. The competent Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs grants the residence permits should the preconditions of the present provisions, within a twenty days’ period form the date of the actual submission of the application alongside all supporting documents

3. The university institution notifies in every possible way the Greek consulate authority from the country that the third-country national is to be entering with regards to the fast track contract that has been assigned according to all of the aforementioned terms

Supporting Documentation

Study programs in schools of military and of productive nature (Article 46 law 4251/2014)

Third-country nationals who have already received a visa and have already been granted access to Schools and other Special Schools such as Military ones, Security-like ones or Academies and Schools of Commercial Navy do get, as an exception, a residence permit for as long as they are to attend these Schools. Those who have already been granted access as a result of scholarship in terms of the aforementioned Schools and Special Schools are not obliged to deposit any fee

Supporting documentation

Granting and renewing a residence permit for educational purposes within the Athonian Church Academy of Mount Athos (Article 46 law 4251/2014)

1. the entry of a same-religion third-country national for educational purposes within the Athonian Church Academy of Mount Athos is allowed only after this third-country national has received a visa

2. the third-country national must at least two months in advance before the visa termination submit to the Holy Supervision of Mount Athos, as per the reservation of article 8 law. 4251/2014 and the introduction of the residence permit status, in the form of a self-standing document, an application regarding the granting of residence permit. Along such an application the following need to be provided as well:

1. a photocopy of a passport or of another traveler’s document bearing a visa

2. certificate of enrolment with the Athonian Church Academy

3. a certificate issued by a Monastery or a foundation or a natural person that the custody the teaching fee and expenses while at Mount Athos

4. certificate issued by the Holy Supervision or the Monastery or the Foundation or the natural person that have undertaken the aforementioned custody that they have also undertaken in full the respective medical care and the medical expenses at hand, as well as

5. health certificate, as issued by the national state medical institutions or health centers or healing centers and premises operated by the National Health System, certifying that the third-country national does not suffer from any illness that, according to the requirements set by the World Health Organization and of the EU legislation, may cause any sort of harmful effects on the public health sphere

3. residence permit of a third-country national as issued by decision of the General Secretary of Decentralized Administration after such a suggestion has been provided for by Holy Supervision

4. the residence permit is issued for as long as the study program occurs and may be renewed for one more year

Supporting documentation

Residence permits for third-country nationals who enter Greece in order to study in Schools of Airplane Handlers that happen to operate after a necessary approval has been issued by the State Authority of Citizens’ Airforce (Common Ministerial Decision 49122/2014)

Article 1

1. By decision of the General Secretary of Decentralized Administration it is to be granted a residence permit to third-country nationals who have already been accepted for educational purposes to National Schools of Airplane Handlers, already recognized as such by the State Authority of Citizens’ Airforce, given that they are already in possession of a valid passport and they have already been granted a national visa

2. The application regarding the granting or renewal of a residence permit is to be submitted to the one-stop=shop authority of the Directorate of Foreigners and Migration of Decentralized Administration of the competent place of residence of the applicant

3. The duration of the residence permit is set for a time period of up to eighteen months’ time and may be renewed for a period of six more months, by taking into consideration the fact that the study period is still under way and that is something to be confirmed by the School of Airplane Handlers by way of a certificate revised by the State Authority of Citizens’ Airforce

4. In case of interruption of studies, the competent School of Airplane Handlers has to notify the competent authority of Foreigners and Migration of the competent Decentralized Administration in order for the latter one to proceed to the revocation of the residence permit or the dismissal of the relevant ad hoc demand

5. No change of scope is allowed for those in possession of residence permits that have been issued as per the current decision at hand

Article 2

The necessary particular supporting documents regarding the issuance of a long-term visa (Visa – type D) read as follows:

• Official copy issued by the State Authority of Citizens’ Airforce regarding the decision of approving the operation of the School of Airplane Handlers wherein the third-country national has been enrolled

• Certificate issued by the aforementioned School of Airplane Handlers according to which the amount of every year’s tuition fee is estimated as well as the respective receipt is issued regarding deposit by the applicant at hand of, at least, one third (1/3) of this exact fee. Before such a national visa is issued, the necessary checks have to be undertaken by those competent authorities that in their regard issue an expert opinion by also keeping notified the competent Consulate Authorities

Article 3

Applications already submitted according to provisions of article 19, par. 7 of law 4251/2014, are to be examined as per the provisions of the present legislation given that all respective requirements have been met

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