The Greek authorities have announced that they will no longer allow in-country applications for the Digital Nomad Visa.
From the same date, applicants will be required to apply through Greek consular offices, meaning that applications must be submitted in the applicant’s country of citizenship or residence. Processing times and documentation requirements vary from country to country.
The Digital Nomad Visa allows foreigners to legally live and work from Greece for companies or clients located outside the country.
In order to benefit from this type of visa, interested persons must be citizens of countries outside the European Union and meet certain conditions, such as proving that they are working as a digital nomad, having a valid employment contract registered outside Greece, and having a monthly salary of at least €3,500, among others.
The number of digital nomads in Greece is increasing. In 2021, only 10 people applied for this type of visa, while in 2022 the number reached 595, according to figures from Ekathimerini.
The same source shows that in the first two months of this year, 70 people applied for the digital nomad visa.
In 2022, the majority of applications for this visa came from Russians, 433 out of 595, while in 2023, out of a total of 70 applications, only 48 are from Russians.
According to a study by the MIT Enterprise Forum published earlier this year, Greece could gain more than €1.6 billion if it attracted 100,000 digital nomads each year, with an average stay of six months.
According to the study, such an amount is almost equivalent to the income generated by a one-week stay by 2.5 million tourists.
The Greek Ministry of Tourism has therefore developed the Digital Nomads initiative in several cities, including Ermoupolis, Heraklion and Kalamata, in order to attract international visitors.
The Hellenic Republic’s Digital Nomad Visa is valid for one year and can be extended to a maximum of three years. Those planning to stay for more than one year will need to apply for a residence permit before their digital nomad visa expires.
To date, several countries offer digital nomad visa programmes that contribute significantly to their economies.
Countries offering such programmes include Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Malta, Romania, the Netherlands and Norway.
