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Rights -
equal treatment
T
he holder of a long - term residence permit is entitled
to equal treatment compared to a Greek citizen as
regards:
1. Access to paid or unpaid undertakings and terms of
employment, including the terms relating to termination
and remuneration of that employment.
2. Education and vocational training, including scholarships
for study purposes.
3. Recognition of professional diplomas, certifcates and
other qualifcations.
4. Social security and basic advantages of social assistance
and protection.
5. The possibility of tax relief.
6. The opportunity to acquire housing, material goods
and services which are available.
7. The freedom to become an associate and enroll or
participate in organizations for workers or employers of any
organization in which the members exercise a particular
profession and to enjoy the advantages afforded by that
organization to its members (notwithstanding regulations
pertaining to public order and safety).
8. The right to move freely and settle anywhere in the
territory of Greece. This right may be subject to limitation
under Law 3386/05, Article 74.
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T
he right to equal treatment is restricted as regards:
1. Access to activities relating to the enforcement of public
authority.
2. Access to employment, paid or unpaid, which, according
to the dictates of present legislation, is undertaken
exclusively by Greeks or EU citizens or of the European
Economic Area (EEA).
3. Admission to Tertiary Education whether at university
or technical college, for which certain conditions must be
met according to the laws governing education.
A
third country national with a residence permit in
Greece must, according to Law 3386/2005, declare all
changes in his personal status, loss or change of passport,
loss of his/her residence permit etc.
Restrictions to
the right to equal
treatment
Obligations
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1. Have been legally resident in Greece for fve (5) years
without interruption. If you have left the country on one
occasion for less than six (6) months during those fve
years, the months you were absent will not be subtracted
from the fve (5) years. However, if you were absent for
more than six (6) months consecutively, you will be obliged
to wait until you have made up the months you were
absent before applying. If you have left Greece on many
occasions during the fve (5) years, but for less than ten
(10) months in total, those months will not be deducted
from the fve (5) years. If you have left for more than ten
(10) months in total, then you must wait until you have
made up the months you were absent before applying.
2. Earn enough to cover your living expenses and those
of your family. In other words, you must earn a minimum
of 8,500 per year, without taking social security benefts
into account (e.g. for disability). If you have a dependent
family, you must be able to provide an additional 1,275
for each family member annually. That is to say, if your
family consists of your wife and yourself, you must be able
to provide 8,500 + 1,275 = 9,775 per year. If you have
a child, then you must be able to provide an additional
1,275 per year etc.
3. Have full health insurance for all risks for yourself and
your family.
4. Have successfully completed a minimum of the frst three
(3) years of Secondary School in Greece (Gymnasium) and
hold a High School Leaving Certifcate (Apolytirion) or have
passed the Greek language examination showing suffcient
knowledge, as stipulated by the General Secretary of the
Ministry of Education, Life-Long Learning and Religious
Affairs.
To apply for a
long-term
residence
permit, you
must:

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2
Y
ou must apply to the authority that issued your last
residence permit (The Local Municipality or Ministry of
the Interior, Public Administration and Decentralization).
CAUTION! To make an application, your residence permit
must not have expired or you must have applied for a
renewal of the permit and provide proof that you have
applied for such renewal.
1. Photocopies of all the pages of a valid passport or other
travel document recognized by Greece. If you have been
in possession of more than one passport in the last fve (5)
years, you must make photocopies of the other passport(s)
and submit them as well.
2. A valid residence permit or proof that you have applied
for renewal of your residence permit.
3. Copies of Inland Revenue Tax Assessment Forms from
the last two (2) years. If you have not yet received the
Assessment Form for the previous year, you may submit a
copy of your Tax Return.
4. Certifcate of health insurance from Social Insurance
Institution (IKA), Insurance Organisation for self employed
people (OAEE), Agricultural Insurance Organisation (OGA),
etc. showing that you and your family have full health
insurance for all risks.
You can buy a
pre-paid bond
from the offce
where you make
the application.
How can
I obtain a
long-term
residence
permit?
What
documents
must I submit
with the
application?
Where can
I buy a pre-paid
bond?
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Y
ou can attend the free language courses which take
place twice a year and are provided by the Institute
of Continuing Adult Education of the General Secretariat
of Life-Long Learning. You take an exam at the end of
the course and, if you are successful, are awarded a
certifcate.
5. A certifed copy of a house purchase contract or a
certifed rental agreement for accommodation from the
Tax authorities (..). If you are living in accommodation
which has been lent to you, you need to submit an offcial
declaration from the house owner, certifed by the Income
Department of the Tax authorities , that they do not receive
rent from you.
6. A minimum of a Junior High School Leaving Certifcate
(Gymnasium Apolytirion) that you have acquired in Greece
or a Certifcate of Suffcient Knowledge of the Greek
Language.
7. Three (3) colour photographs.
8. Pre-paid bond for 600.
Institute of Ongoing Adult
Education
Tel: 213 1311612
Fax: 213 2284433
E-mail:
metanastes@ideke.edu.gr
Information:
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How can I get
a Certifcate
of Suffcient
Knowledge
of Greek?
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Who will issue
my long-term
residence
permit?
I
f you have submitted the application to the Directorate
of Migration Policy of the Ministry of the Interior, Public
Administration and Decentralization, you will be issued
with the long-term residence permit by them.
If you have submitted the application to your Municipality,
then the permit will be issued by the relevant Regional
Authority and you will take receipt for it at your
Municipality.
CAUTION!
Before issuing the permit, the offce responsible will ask
the police for their opinion on matters of public order and
national security. If there are no objections and if you
have supplied all the necessary supporting documents,
the offce will check the documents and issue you with
a residence permit for fve (5) years with the annotation
of EU long-term resident. If you are not issued with this
permit, you can continue to reside in Greece with the
residence permit that you already have and you can re-
apply when you have judged that you are qualifed to do
so. If your residence permit expires while you are waiting
for a reply to your application for a long-term residence
permit, then you should go to the offce which issued your
last permit so they can advise on what to do.
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My long - term
residence
permit is due
to expire. What
should I do to
renew it?
CAUTION!
1. The pre-paid bond of 600 is non-refundable. If a long-
term residence permit is not issued, the bond will be
used for the next category of permit issued to you and
the amount will be taken into account on future occasions
when you want to renew your residence permit.
2. Be advised that if you are not issued with a long-term-
EU residence permit, the reasons for this will be given in
the offcial decision issued to you.
M
ake an application before it expires to your
Municipality. A residence permit is valid for fve (5)
years and is renewed for a further 5 years each time.
You need:
1. Photocopies of all the pages of your current passport
or other travel document recognized by Greece. If you
had more than one passport during the last fve (5) years,
you should provide photocopies of the other passport(s)
as well as the previous long-term residence permit.
2. Three (3) colour photographs.
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Under what
circumstances
do I lose the
status of
long-term
resident?
1. If a decision is issued calling for my expulsion from
Greece.
2. If the police consider me to be a danger to public
order and national security.
3. If I am absent from the European Union for twelve
(12) consecutive months or more.
4. If I have been issued with a long-term residence
permit by another member- state of the European
Union.
5. If I am absent from Greece for more than 6 years.
Y
ou should make a new application only if you have
lost the attribute because you were absent from an EU
country for twelve (12) consecutive months or were issued
with a long-term residence permit by another member-
state of the EU.
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What should I
do to acquire
the attribute
of long-term
resident once
more?
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My application
has been
refused.
What can I do?
1. Photocopies of all the pages of your current passport
or other travel document recognized by Greece. If, during
the last fve (5) years, you have had more than one
passport, then you must provide photocopies of the other
passport(s).
2. A photocopy of the long-term residence permit of the
European Union country from which you have come;
translated into Greek.
3. Evidence from a bank account or of a pension from
abroad that you have an income of 8,500 a year.
4. A certifcate from IKA, OAEE etc. that you and your family
have applied for full coverage of health care expenses.
5. A certifed copy of a contract of house purchase or
certifed copy of a rental agreement (rental contract)
issued by the Public Economic Service (Tax Department).
6. Three (3) colour photographs.
CAUTION!
You must submit the application to the Offce that issued
your previous permit (Local Municipality or Ministry of the
Interior, Public Administration and Decentralization).
1. REMEDIAL APPLICATION (administrative recourse to the
administrative body that issued the decision).
2. APPLICATION OF CANCELLATION TO THE RELEVANT
ADMINISTRATIVE COURT ( judicial recourse under Article
14 of Law 3068/2002, Parliamentary Notice 274/t.A)
What
documents do I
need to
submit to
acquire the
attribute of
long-term
residency
once more?
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I am
a long - term
resident of
another
European Union
member-state
and I want
to stay in
Greece, I can:
What should I
do?
1. Exercise the right to paid or unpaid work.
2. Reside as an economically dependent person.
3. Study.
4. Receive vocational training.
W
ithin three (3) months of your arrival in Greece,
you should apply to your Local Municipality or the
Directorate of Migration Policy at the Ministry of the
Interior, Public Administration and Decentralization, for a
frst residence permit for one of the above reasons.
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What documents
do I need?
1. Photocopies of all the pages of your current (valid)
passport or other travel document recognized by Greece.
2. A photocopy of your long-term residence permit issued
by another European Union member-state (translated into
Greek).
3. Supporting documents showing the reason you
are applying for long-term residency (contract with
your employer if you are employed, certifcate from an
educational body if you are a student, bank account,
pension from abroad if you are living in Greece as a
fnancially dependent person etc.)
4. A certifcate that you have applied to an insurance
organisation for cover of health care expenses.
5. Clean Bill of Health from a State Hospital, Health Centre
or an IKA Therapeutic Centre or Outpatients Clinic.
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Where will I be
issued with a
long-term
residence
permit?
I have a
long-term
residence
permit for
another
European Union
member - state
and I am
resident or want
to be resident in
Greece with my
spouse and my
children.
What should
I watch out for?
I
f you applied to the Directorate of Migration Policy of
the Ministry of the Interior, Public Administration and
Decentralization, they will issue you with the long-term
residence permit, providing you fulfll the requirements
according to law.
If you applied to your Local Municipality, then the permit
will be issued by the responsible Regional Authority and
your will receive it from your Local Municipality.
CAUTION! Before your residence permit is issued, the
relevant offce will ask the police for their opinion on
matters of public order and national security and, on
having examined the supporting documents submitted
by you, the permit will be issued.
1. Your spouse must be 18 years or over.
2. Your children (of either spouse) must be under the age
of 18 and single and, if they are adopted, must be legally
adopted.
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I
f you have had a family in another European Union
member-state, the other family members must also
apply for a residence permit to the same offce that you
have applied to, in order to reside together in Greece.
This application must be accompanied by the following
supporting documents:
1. Photocopies of all pages of a current passport or other
travel document, recognized by Greece.
2. A photocopy of the family members residence permits
for the other European Union member-state.
3. A formal declaration that your family status is the same
as it was in the other European Union member-state.
4. Supporting evidence that you, or a member of your
family, has an income of at least 8,500 per year (pension,
salary etc.) to be increased by 20% for a spouse and by 15%
for each child. In other words, you and your wife must be
able to prove that you have an income of 8,500+1,700
= 10,200 per year. If you have a child, you must provide
an extra 1,275 per year etc.
5. A certifcate to show that you have applied for health
cover by an insurance organisation. This certifcate must
be replaced by a certifed copy of your Health Care Booklet
or an authorized document issued by the European Union
within one (1) month of making the application.
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If the family has
been formed
in another EU
member-state?
If your family
was formed in
Greece:
I
f your family was formed in Greece whilst you were legally
resident in this country, with a third-country national
who is legally resident in Greece, you should follow the
procedure for family reunifcation as specifed by Article
40 of Law 3731/08 (Parliamentary Notice 263/t.A).
If your family was formed in Greece whilst you were legally
resident in this country with a citizen of a third country,
resident in a third country, you should follow procedure
for family reunifcation (Presidential Decree 131/2006
Reconciliation of Greek law with Directive 2003/86/EK as
relates to the right to family reunifcation, Parliamentary
Notice 143/t.A)
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Rights and
obligations of
holders of
long-term
residence
permits from
another European
Union member
- state who also
have a residence
permit for Greece
A
s a long-term resident of another European Union
member-state who has obtained a residence permit in
Greece, you have the same rights and obligations of long-
term residents of Greece.
Restrictions to equal treatment are only applicable under
the following circumstances:
1. If you have obtained a residence permit in order to be
given paid employment, you may not change your feld of
work or insurance company/institute for one(1) year from
the date you obtained the residence permit.
2. If you have a residence permit for study or vocational
training purposes, you can only work in part-time
employment.
T
he members of your family have the same rights and
obligations as third-country nationals who are resident
in Greece for the purposes of family reunifcation.
Your familys
rights and
obligations
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Withdrawal
of a residence
permit
Y
our permit may be withdrawn or not be renewed
if:
1. There is reason to believe that your person is a
threat to public order and national security.
2. If you no longer fulfll the requirements to maintain
the right to residency in Greece.
3. You are not legally resident in Greece (for example,
your residence permit expired and you did not renew
it.
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My residence
permit has been
withdrawn in
Greece;
what can my
family and I do?
1. Return to the European Union member -
state where you had obtained the long - term
residence permit before coming to Greece.
2. Go to another European Union member -
state of your choice, on condition that you are
accepted under current law
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