--- title: "Greece Tech Visa requirements 2026: 1-year stay" url: https://settleanywhere.com/countries/greece/tech-visa-z13a/ lang: en updated: 2026-10-11 --- Greece · Work # Greece Tech Visa **First stay:** 1 yr Tech Visa: national visa for employees of National Startup Registry companies (type Z.13A) First checked against official sources on 11 Oct 2026 [Change log](https://settleanywhere.com/changes/) - **First stay:** 1 yr (National visa valid 12 months; the holder can apply for an EU Blue Card (type E.1) before it expires if still employed by the same startup.) - **Who can apply:** Most passports (Third-country nationals (citizens of non-EU states).) - **Work:** Limited (Work for the named National Startup Registry employer only; no change of employer during the visa.) ## Key facts Tech Visa is a work route for Greece. Local work: limited. Checked 2026-10-11 against the official source. - **First stay:** 1 yr ## Time and long term **Renewal: 1 year max, no extension** The national visa is valid 12 months and is not renewable; a holder still employed by the same startup can apply for an EU Blue Card (E.1) before it expires. [Taxheaven legal text repository](https://www.taxheaven.gr/law/5275/2026) **Where to apply: From abroad** Apply for the national visa at the Greek consulate; the job quota procedure does not apply. [Taxheaven legal text repository](https://www.taxheaven.gr/law/5275/2026/arthro/23) ## Why this route may not fit Check this before you apply. - Can't be renewed: 1 year in total at most - Applications are made from outside Greece, not after arriving - Needs a job offer from an employer in Greece - Work rights are limited - Not open to EU, EEA or Swiss passports ### What you'll need #### Who can apply - The applicant is a third-country national. - The employer is a company registered in, and still active on, the National Startup Registry (Elevate Greece). - The applicant has a tertiary degree or high professional skills. #### What you must show - Gross annual salary of at least 1.6 times the Greek average gross annual salary. #### Documents - A certificate from the National Startup Registry that the employer is registered and active. - An employment contract of at least 12 months. - Proof of the degree or of the high professional skills. #### Steps 1. Apply for the national visa at the Greek consulate; the job quota procedure of arts. 26 and 27 does not apply. #### After you arrive - The visa gives the right to work for the named employer from arrival, with no residence permit needed. - The employer cannot be changed during the visa; if the job ends, the holder must leave unless the employer breached the contract. - Before the visa expires, a holder still working for the same employer at the same salary level can apply for an EU Blue Card (type E.1). ## What happens at day 183 How Greece decides tax residence and treats foreign-source income, from its tax records. - **Stay on this route:** **Up to 1 year in total** - **Tax residence:** - **More than 183 days in any 12-month period** Presence in Greece for more than 183 days in total makes a person tax resident from the first day of presence. - **Foreign-source income:** Greek tax residents are taxed on worldwide income, including foreign-source income, at progressive rates from 9% to 44% (scale applied from tax year 2026); residence follows the main home, habitual abode or centre of vital interests, or presence over 183 days. [All tax rules for Greece](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/greece/tax/) Tax records checked 12 Oct 2026 **Full official text** A third-country national hired for at least 12 months by a company on the National Startup Registry (Elevate Greece), at 1.6 times the Greek average gross annual salary and with a degree or high professional skills, receives a 12-month national visa that gives the right to work for that employer without a separate residence permit. (sources 1, 2) #### What you must show - Income · Gross annual salary under the employment contract must be at least 1.6 times the average gross annual salary in Greece. (sources 1, 2) #### Requirements - The applicant is a third-country national. (sources 1, 2) - The employer is a company registered in, and still active on, the National Startup Registry (Elevate Greece). (sources 1, 2) - The applicant has a tertiary degree or high professional skills. (sources 1, 2) - Gross annual salary of at least 1.6 times the Greek average gross annual salary. (sources 1, 2) - A certificate from the National Startup Registry that the employer is registered and active. (sources 1, 2) - An employment contract of at least 12 months. (sources 1, 2) - Proof of the degree or of the high professional skills. (sources 1, 2) - Apply for the national visa at the Greek consulate; the job quota procedure of arts. 26 and 27 does not apply. (sources 1, 2) - The visa gives the right to work for the named employer from arrival, with no residence permit needed. (sources 1, 2) - The employer cannot be changed during the visa; if the job ends, the holder must leave unless the employer breached the contract. (sources 1, 2) - Before the visa expires, a holder still working for the same employer at the same salary level can apply for an EU Blue Card (type E.1). (sources 1, 2) #### Stay - National visa valid 12 months; the holder can apply for an EU Blue Card (type E.1) before it expires if still employed by the same startup. - Initial permitted stay: 12 months. - Visa validity: 12 months. Validity is the window to use the visa, not the length you may stay. - Not renewable according to our source. - National visa (Z.13A) up to 12 months: Employment with the registered startup - EU Blue Card (E.1) up to 36 months: Applied before the visa expires, same employer, salary condition still met #### Nationality Third-country nationals (citizens of non-EU states). Not open to: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia. #### Work Work for the named National Startup Registry employer only; no change of employer during the visa. #### Family Family members receive 12-month national visas as family members of a Z.13A holder. Checked 2026-10-11 ## Official sources 1. [Law 5275/2026 (Government Gazette A 17/06.02.2026): legal migration policies, amendments to the Migration Code](https://www.taxheaven.gr/law/5275/2026) · Taxheaven legal text repository (Law 5275/2026) · checked 2026-10-11 · published 2026-02-06 2. [Law 5275/2026, art. 23, adding art. 79A (Tech Visa, type Z.13A) to the Migration Code](https://www.taxheaven.gr/law/5275/2026/arthro/23) · Taxheaven legal text repository (Law 5275/2026) · checked 2026-10-11 · published 2026-02-06 ## Tech Visa and its alternatives | Route | Money needed | Stay | Work | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Tech Visa | – | 1 yr | Limited | | [Blue Card](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/greece/blue-card-e1/) | – | 3 yr, renewable | – | | [Intra-company transfer](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/greece/intra-company-transfer-e2/) | – | 1 yr, renewable | – | | [Researcher permit](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/greece/researcher-h3/) | – | – | – | | [Work permit](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/greece/employment-e4/) | – | 3 yr, renewable | – | ## Questions people ask ### How long can I stay on the Tech Visa? National visa valid 12 months; the holder can apply for an EU Blue Card (type E.1) before it expires if still employed by the same startup. ### Can I work on the Tech Visa? Limited. Work for the named National Startup Registry employer only; no change of employer during the visa. ### Can I bring my family on the Tech Visa? Family members receive 12-month national visas as family members of a Z.13A holder. ### Who can apply for the Tech Visa? Third-country nationals (citizens of non-EU states). Not open to: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia. ### How are Tech Visa holders taxed in Greece? No special regime in our records is tied to the Tech Visa. The standard rules apply: Greek tax residents are taxed on worldwide income, including foreign-source income, at progressive rates from 9% to 44% (scale applied from tax year 2026); residence follows the main home, habitual abode or centre of vital interests, or presence over 183 days. ## More in Greece [Working Holiday · Australia](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/greece/working-holiday-australia/) [Working Holiday · Canada](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/greece/working-holiday-canada/) [Digital nomad visa](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/greece/digital-nomad-visa-i8/) [Business investor permit](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/greece/business-investment-b2/) [Large-company director permit](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/greece/company-executive-b3/) [Seasonal worker permit](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/greece/seasonal-worker-e5/) [Student permit](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/greece/study-h1/) [Greek citizenship by descent](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/greece/citizenship-by-descent/) ## Work visas elsewhere [🇵🇹 Blue Card](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/portugal/eu-blue-card/) [🇪🇸 EU Blue Card](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/spain/eu-blue-card/) [🇬🇪 IT sector permit](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/georgia/it-residence-permit/) [🇮🇹 Blue Card](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/italy/eu-blue-card/) [🇩🇪 Blue Card](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/germany/eu-blue-card/) [🇫🇷 Talent · Company officer](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/france/talent-corporate-officer/) ≈ USD figures are approximate: daily reference rates from ExchangeRate-API, dated 12 Oct 2026, refreshed when the site is updated. ## How this was checked **Checked on 2026-10-11 against 2 official sources.** Status: verified against the official sources. Every figure on this page comes from the official source it links to. The record was researched against these sources, then reviewed separately, with special attention to effective dates and amendments. Where a source does not state something, the page leaves it out. 1. [Law 5275/2026 (Government Gazette A 17/06.02.2026): legal migration policies, amendments to the Migration Code](https://www.taxheaven.gr/law/5275/2026) · Taxheaven legal text repository (Law 5275/2026) · checked 2026-10-11 2. [Law 5275/2026, art. 23, adding art. 79A (Tech Visa, type Z.13A) to the Migration Code](https://www.taxheaven.gr/law/5275/2026/arthro/23) · Taxheaven legal text repository (Law 5275/2026) · checked 2026-10-11 Tracked since 2026-10-11. Rule changes and corrections are listed on the [changes page](https://settleanywhere.com/changes/), and the [methodology page](https://settleanywhere.com/methodology/) explains how facts are checked. Found something out of date? Email [contact@stayglobe.app](mailto:contact@stayglobe.app?subject=Correction) with a link to the official source.