A Greece seasonal work visa lets a citizen of a country outside the EU come to Greece to work for a named employer in a sector where work follows the seasons, mainly agriculture and tourism, for no more than nine months in any twelve month period. You cannot apply on your own. The Greek employer first applies to the one-stop service of the Decentralised Administration for an employment approval under the metaklisi (μετάκληση, invitation) procedure, the approval is sent to the Greek consulate, you apply there for a national D visa for seasonal work, and once in Greece you can apply for a seasonal work residence permit (known by its code "E.6") that can cover several seasons over up to five years. Between seasons you must leave Greece, the permit does not lead to long term residence, and staying on after the work ends can lead to a ban on re-entry.

What counts as seasonal work in Greece

Greek law treats seasonal work as a specific category, separate from ordinary employment. The Migration Code transposes the EU Seasonal Workers Directive, and the Ministry of Migration and Asylum explains to Parliament that the relevant articles of the Code, which re-incorporate the Directive into Greek law, govern entry for seasonal work alongside the general invitation procedure for employed workers. Seasonal work means a job in a sector where activity is temporary and depends on the time of year: harvesting, planting, livestock tasks tied to the season, hotel and catering work during the tourist season, and similar roles.

In practice the official procedures are organised around two main sectors.

• Agriculture. Crop and livestock farming, where the employer has to prove the size of the holding or the number of animals per worker.
• Tourism. Employers whose business activity is related to tourism, such as accommodation and catering, who must show that the worker's specialisation relates to that activity.
• Fisheries. A special rule applies to fishermen covered by the bilateral agreement between Greece and Egypt, with a longer maximum stay than other seasonal workers.

Not all temporary work is seasonal work. A fixed term contract in a factory, a warehouse job covering a busy period, a construction project or a care role for a few months is not seasonal work in the legal sense just because it is short. Those jobs, if open to workers from outside the EU at all, run through the residence permit for dependent employment, which has its own rules on contract length, renewal and family. Our separate guide on applying for a work permit covers that route, and our separate guide on employers hiring foreign workers explains the general metaklisi procedure from the employer's side.

Who needs a Greece seasonal work visa

You need the seasonal work route if you are a third-country national, meaning you are not a citizen of an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, you live outside Greece, and you want to come to Greece to do seasonal work. The Code applies to people who apply from abroad and to those already admitted for seasonal work. As a rule it does not apply to people who already live in Greece on another basis, so a person who is in Greece on a tourist stay or with another type of permit cannot simply switch into seasonal work from inside the country.

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens do not need this route. They can take seasonal jobs freely and only complete the usual registration steps, such as obtaining a tax number (AFM) and a social security number (AMKA).

The main documents in the seasonal work system

Several documents carry similar names. These are the ones that matter.

• Employment approval. A decision issued to the employer by the one-stop service of the Directorate for Aliens and Migration at the Decentralised Administration. It confirms that the employer may invite a named worker for seasonal work.
• National D visa for seasonal work. Issued by the Greek consulate in your country of nationality or residence, on the basis of the approval. The residence title code used for seasonal entry under the Code is "E.5". The visa is marked for seasonal work.
• Short stay multiple entry visa. For short engagements the Code also allows a uniform Schengen visa with multiple entries, valid for up to six months and allowing stays of up to 90 days, for seasonal work.
• Seasonal work residence permit "E.6". A residence permit you apply for after arriving on a national seasonal work visa and before that visa expires. It can be valid for up to five years and allows seasonal work and residence for up to nine months in each twelve month period.

The official procedure listings on the National Registry of Administrative Public Services describe the E.6 permit for agriculture as a permit granted to third-country nationals who hold a national visa for seasonal work, and there is a parallel listing for the tourism sector.

How long a seasonal work permit lasts in Greece

The maximum is the most important number in this route. The Ministry of Migration and Asylum states in its reply to Parliament that the employment approval covers one or more periods with a maximum duration of nine months in any twelve month period. The official listing for the tourism E.6 permit states the same limit and adds that the holder must leave Greece during the interim three month period of every twelve months.

Within that ceiling, the Code provides for several visa formats that a consulate can issue.

• A national visa for seasonal work valid for up to nine months, after which the holder may return on a similar visa three months after the previous one expires.
• A national visa valid for up to one year, with a right to stay for a total of nine months of seasonal work, linked to the employment periods in the contract.
• A short stay multiple entry visa for stays of up to 90 days.
• For fishermen covered by the Greece and Egypt agreement, a national visa for up to eleven months, followed by a one month break before return.

The E.6 residence permit then allows the same worker to come back season after season without a new visa for each season. The Ministry describes this as a five year seasonal work residence permit that allows multiple entries on a single approval, one visa and one permit, with the stated aim of reducing paperwork for employers and workers. The time covered by the visa counts towards the five years.

The official tourism renewal listing states that the E.6 permit can be renewed, that you apply within two months before it expires, and that your total stay must not exceed ten years. Renewal also requires that you have met all your obligations and not breached the terms of employment or residence.

One point of caution. Some older guidance, including the European Commission's country page, still refers to a maximum of six months per year for seasonal work and to an older bilateral framework. The Ministry's own statements to Parliament and the current official procedure listings use the nine month limit, so treat older figures as outdated and confirm the limit that applies to your case with the consulate or the Decentralised Administration.

How metaklisi works for seasonal workers

The seasonal route always starts with the employer. There is no job search visa for seasonal work, and a consulate will not issue a seasonal visa without an approval.

Step one, the employer applies for approval

The employer submits an application to the one-stop service of the Directorate for Aliens and Migration at the Decentralised Administration responsible for the place where the employer is based. For agriculture, the Ministry of Migration and Asylum lists a dedicated electronic application for employers inviting seasonal agricultural workers, and employers log in with their TaxisNet tax credentials. The application names the worker, the specialty, the number of positions and the periods of employment, and it can cover several periods across up to five years.

Step two, the approval goes to the consulate

The official listing for agricultural approvals gives a processing deadline of 10 days and states that, once the competent director signs the approval, the decision and the signed employment contract are sent by email to the Greek consular authority named by the employer. The tourism listing describes the same flow. The approval itself does not let you travel or work. It is the basis for your visa application.

Step three, you apply for the visa

You apply in person at the Greek embassy or consulate in your country of nationality or residence, normally the one named in the employer's declaration. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes general visa information and the list of Greek missions abroad. The consulate checks your passport, the approval, the contract and the general entry conditions, such as public order, public security and public health. According to the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, a recent amendment to the Code requires the consulate to notify the one-stop service of its decision on the national visa within 30 days, and the one-stop service must then inform the employer within 15 calendar days.

Step four, entry and start of work

Once you hold the national visa you can enter Greece and start the job set out in the contract. The Ministry stresses that workers entering on an approval and a national D visa can begin work immediately. You should carry the original documents with you, including a certified and translated certificate of family status or birth certificate showing both parents' full names if this was not submitted with the employer's application.

Step five, apply for the E.6 permit before the visa expires

If you want the multi-season permit, you apply online through the Ministry's electronic applications portal while your national visa is still valid. Your application is examined, your biometric data are collected, and the permit is issued or refused. The official listings estimate 50 to 80 days for this stage. If your visa expires while a complete application is pending, the Code allows you to remain until a decision is made, as long as you applied while the visa was valid and you have not exceeded the maximum seasonal period.

What the employer must provide

It helps to know what the employer has to prove, because a missing document can stall an invitation. Under the official listings, the employer must show the following.

• A vacancy in a seasonal sector. The position must fall within the planning of third-country workers and in a sector where seasonal work is possible.
• A written seasonal employment contract. Signed by an employer established in Greece, with the signature authenticated by a public authority or through gov.gr. It must state the type of work, the place of work, the start date, the duration, the weekly or monthly hours and the pay.
• Pay at least at the unskilled worker level. The contract pay may in no case be lower than the remuneration of an unskilled worker. Pay figures in contracts are normally gross, before social security contributions and tax.
• Suitable accommodation. A solemn declaration that the employer provides accommodation meeting health and safety standards, with a lease or equivalent document given to the worker if rent is charged. Where the employer does not provide housing, a declaration that the worker has accommodation meeting the legal requirements.
• Return costs. A solemn declaration that the employer will cover the worker's estimated return costs where the law requires it.
• A copy of your passport. The pages with your identification details and photograph.
• Sector proof. For agriculture, a certificate from the Ministry of Rural Development and Food confirming the cultivated area or livestock per worker. For tourism, proof that the business is tourism related, such as a tax office certificate or a business register (GEMI) certificate, and evidence of the worker's specialisation.
• For regulated professions. Proof that the worker's qualifications are recognised where the job is a regulated profession.

The tourism approval listing also sets minimum annual gross income conditions for the employer per invited worker, with a higher threshold for sole proprietors and legal persons than for natural persons. If an employer tells you it cannot meet these conditions, it may not be able to invite you through the tourism route at all.

Fees for the seasonal work visa and permit

The official procedure listings state the following administrative fees, paid through the electronic fee system (e-paravolo) and not refundable.

• Employer approval. A fee of 100 euros per invited worker, paid by the employer.
• E.6 residence permit. A fee of 75 euros for the seasonal work residence permit, plus 16 euros for printing the electronic residence permit card, 91 euros in total, both one-off. The Code describes the permit fee as covering the whole period of the permit.
• Appeal against a refused approval. A fee of 50 euros for an administrative appeal.

The consulate charges its own visa fee, which depends on the visa type and sometimes on your nationality. Check the amount with the consulate. These official fees cover processing only. They do not cover travel, accommodation, medical checks, translations or any service you choose to buy. Greek law does not require you to pay a private intermediary to obtain a seasonal visa, and you should treat any demand for a payment in exchange for a job or a "guaranteed" visa with great caution. Our separate guide on finding a job in Greece from outside the EU explains how to spot recruitment fraud.

Documents for the E.6 seasonal residence permit

For the residence permit stage, the worker is the applicant and submits the application online. The official listings for both agriculture and tourism set out broadly the same requirements.

1. A copy of your passport with the national seasonal work visa.
2. The seasonal employment contract signed by you and the employer.
3. The employer's solemn declaration on accommodation, or a declaration that you have your own lawful accommodation.
4. Proof of full sickness insurance covering, during the work, all the risks covered for Greek nationals.
5. The employer's solemn declaration on return costs.
6. For agriculture, the employer's crop or livestock declaration. For tourism, the employer's tax office or business register certificate.
7. Where relevant, recognition of your qualifications for a regulated profession.
8. One recent colour passport style photograph, in print and in digital form.

You also need a mobile phone number and an email address, which the portal uses to identify you. You must not be considered a threat to public order, public security or public health. The online application portal is linked from the Ministry's electronic applications page, which also lets you book an appointment to collect your permit card and check the status of your file.

Your rights as a seasonal worker in Greece

The Code gives seasonal workers equal treatment with Greek nationals in key areas, including:

• terms of employment, such as minimum working age, pay, dismissal, working hours, leave, holidays, and health and safety at work;
• the right to strike, to join a trade union and to take part in collective bargaining;
• recovery of unpaid wages owed by the employer;
• the branches of social security covered by EU coordination rules, with insurance through the social security body e-EFKA like Greek workers;
• recognition of diplomas and professional qualifications, and education and training linked to the job;
• access to goods and services available to the public, although housing is excluded from this equal treatment rule.

Equal treatment does not extend to family benefits and unemployment benefits, or to study grants and loans. Seasonal workers also receive the health benefits provided for their sector once they have entered and started work. If the employer does not pay what the contract says, does not register you for insurance or makes you work in breach of labour law, you can complain to the Labour Inspectorate. The European Commission's EURES service gives a general overview of living and working conditions in Greece, including how to obtain the AFM and AMKA numbers.

Under the Code, the worker must also receive written information on rights, obligations and procedures when the national visa is issued. Ask for it if you do not receive it.

Changing employer on a seasonal permit

The seasonal visa and permit are tied to the employer who invited you and the work described in the contract. For years this meant a seasonal worker could not change employer during the contract, and older guidance still says so. The rules have since been relaxed.

According to the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, a recent amendment to the Code gives invited workers more flexibility to change employer, provided the one-stop service is informed, and this flexibility also applies to holders of the E.6 seasonal permit. The Ministry also explains that a worker can change employer where the first employer breaches labour law, where both parties agree not to proceed with the employment, or where the employer refuses to employ the worker at all, and that the worker may claim compensation under labour law in those cases.

The Code also allows a worker who is lawfully in Greece to apply, before the maximum period expires, for an extension of a seasonal visa where the contract is extended with the same employer or a new contract is signed with another employer, as long as the maximum stay is not exceeded. This extension can only be granted once. Any new contract must meet the same conditions as the original one, including pay and accommodation.

Because the procedure depends on your exact permit and situation, do not stop working for one employer and start with another before you have confirmed with the one-stop service of the Decentralised Administration what you need to file. Our separate guides on changing employers on a work permit and on job loss on a work permit explain the wider rules that apply to ordinary employment permits.

Leaving Greece at the end of the season

The seasonal route depends on circular movement. You must leave Greece when the seasonal employment ends or the maximum period is reached, and you may return only after the required break, normally three months, or one month for Egyptian fishermen under the bilateral agreement. Filing an appeal against a decision does not exempt you from the obligation to leave once the maximum stay has passed.

The consequences of staying on are serious. Under the Code, a seasonal worker who does not leave can be barred from re-entering for up to five years. If an E.6 permit is revoked for breaching its terms, the person cannot obtain a new national visa of any category for five years. A visa or permit can also be refused or revoked if documents were forged or obtained by fraud, if the worker stays for purposes other than seasonal work, or if the worker applies for international protection.

Compliance pays off. The Code gives priority to applications from workers who held a seasonal work national visa within the previous five years and fully complied with their obligations, which matters for workers who want to return to the same farm or hotel every season.

What a seasonal permit does not give you

• No family reunification. The seasonal work residence permit does not give a right to bring your spouse or children to Greece.
• No path to long term residence. Time spent on the seasonal permit does not count towards EU long term resident status, permits on exceptional grounds or Greek citizenship.
• No free choice of job. The permit gives access only to seasonal work under a valid contract with an employer established in Greece, in a sector where seasonal work is allowed.
• No automatic switch to another permit. The official sources reviewed for this guide do not set out a general right to convert a seasonal permit into a residence permit for dependent employment from inside Greece. If you want a year round job, the employer usually needs to start a separate invitation for dependent employment.

Members of Parliament have asked the Ministry whether workers with several consecutive years of lawful seasonal work should be offered a path to longer residence. That is a proposal under discussion, not a rule in force.

Bilateral agreements and seasonal workers

Bilateral agreements sit on top of the Migration Code. They do not replace the approval, visa and permit steps, but they can create dedicated quotas, pre-selection of candidates and faster procedures for nationals of particular countries.

Egypt

The agreement between Greece and Egypt on seasonal agricultural workers has been ratified by law. The Ministry of Migration and Asylum states that it provides for the entry and residence of 5,000 Egyptian seasonal agricultural workers in its first year, that vacancies are pooled nationally, and that the agreement has been extended for two years by diplomatic note. The Ministry describes a staged process.

1. The Egyptian side selects candidates and compiles a database.
2. The database is made available to Greek employers through an electronic application.
3. An employer chooses workers and submits an invitation request to the Decentralised Administration.
4. The Decentralised Administration approves the invitation and forwards it to the consulate and the employer.
5. The consulate decides on the visa, and after entry the worker may apply for the five year seasonal permit before the visa expires.

The Ministry also reports that a Greek agricultural cooperative union helps organise interviews with candidates, with the support of Egypt's Ministry of Labour, and matches employers with candidates in advance. A separate older arrangement with Egypt covers fishermen, which is why the Code gives them a maximum stay of eleven months.

Bangladesh and other countries

Greece has a memorandum of understanding with Bangladesh on migration and mobility, ratified by law, under which the Ministry has told Parliament that new seasonal worker entries take place with 4,000 places per year. In the same reply, the Ministry said it was preparing agreements with India, Vietnam, Moldova, Armenia, Georgia and the Philippines, and that such agreements need both sides to agree. Whether each of these has been concluded, and whether it covers seasonal work, can change. Check the Ministry of Migration and Asylum or the Greek embassy in your country before relying on any agreement.

An agreement does not guarantee a job. You still need an employer, an approval and a visa.

How quotas and labour needs affect seasonal hiring

Seasonal positions are not unlimited. Under the Code, the number of third-country workers who may be admitted is set through a planning decision on labour needs, broken down by sector, specialty and region, and positions held under the seasonal permit count towards that annual intake. The Ministry has explained that consultation on the annual volume of admissions has been broadened, that the cap on additional positions has been increased from 10 to 15 percent where linked to cooperation with third countries on irregular migration and returns, and that the ratio of agricultural land or livestock to workers is now set by a decision of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food.

For a worker, this means that even a willing employer may not be able to invite you if the positions for that specialty and region are used up. Our separate guide on shortages in Greece explains how the labour needs decisions work and why demand in a sector does not make you eligible.

Agencies and the seasonal route

Under the amended Code, temporary work agencies can act as the direct employer in the invitation process if they have a cooperation contract with the business where the work is done and meet conditions set by joint ministerial decision. A licensed agency in Greece is not the same as an unlicensed broker abroad who charges candidates for "visas". Always see the approval and a contract naming a Greek employer before you pay for travel.

Agricultural workers already in Greece

Greece has also run an exceptional, time limited procedure for agricultural work by third-country nationals already in the country without a residence permit, which the Ministry's electronic applications page calls a derogative procedure. Its window has been extended by law more than once. It is not a general amnesty and does not cover tourism. Check with the Decentralised Administration whether it is still open.

Refusals and appeals

If the employment approval is refused, the official listings state that an administrative appeal can be lodged within two months of service of the decision, with a fee of 50 euros, and the authority must decide within 30 days. If your E.6 permit application is refused, you can ask the issuing authority to review its decision or file an administrative appeal with the supervising authority, again with a 30 day deadline for the decision. Decisions refusing or revoking a seasonal visa can be challenged before the competent administrative court. Every decision must state the available remedies and deadlines, and the authorities must take account of the circumstances of the case and the principle of proportionality.

Checklist before you accept a seasonal job in Greece

• Confirm the employer is established in Greece and that the job is in agriculture, tourism or another sector where seasonal work is allowed.
• Ask to see the written contract with the type of work, place, start date, duration, hours and gross pay, and check that it matches what you were told.
• Ask where you will live, whether rent will be deducted and whether you will receive a lease.
• Make sure the employer, not you, files the approval application, and that you know which consulate will handle your visa.
• Pay only official fees, and keep receipts.
• After arrival, apply for the E.6 permit before your visa expires if you want to return in later seasons.
• Plan your departure date and your return date so that you respect the nine month limit and the break between seasons.

Confirm every step with the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, the one-stop service of the Decentralised Administration or the Greek consulate that will issue your visa.

Sources and References

• Reply on simplifying the invitation of third-country workers, Ministry of Migration and Asylum via Hellenic Parliament
• Reply on seasonal agricultural workers and the invitation procedure, Ministry of Migration and Asylum via Hellenic Parliament
• Reply on agricultural workers and bilateral agreements, Ministry of Migration and Asylum via Hellenic Parliament
• Approval of seasonal employment in agriculture, National Registry of Administrative Public Services
• Approval of seasonal employment in tourism, National Registry of Administrative Public Services
• Seasonal work residence permit E.6 in agriculture, National Registry of Administrative Public Services
• Seasonal work residence permit E.6 in tourism, National Registry of Administrative Public Services
• Renewal of the seasonal work residence permit E.6, National Registry of Administrative Public Services
• Electronic applications for legal migration, Ministry of Migration and Asylum
• Migration Code, Government Gazette text, National Printing House
• Visas for Greece, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Seasonal worker in Greece, EU Immigration Portal, European Commission
• Seasonal employment of third-country nationals, Legislative Observatory, European Parliament
• Living and working conditions in Greece, EURES, European Commission