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    Student visa guide

    Greece student visa 2026: cost, requirements and how to apply

    The National D visa for studies plus residence permit for studies costs $293 in fees nobody can skip, up to $327 if every situational extra applies.

    By Global Admissions Editorial · Checked against 5 official sources

    How much does a Greece student visa cost in 2026?

    Applying for a student visa in Greece on the National D visa for studies plus residence permit for studies costs $293 in fees you cannot skip: National D visa for studies ($103), Residence permit for studies, first year ($172) and Electronic residence card ($18). Situational extras (visa application center service fee and medical certificate and travel insurance) add up to $34 more. Tuition, living costs and proof-of-funds sit outside this total. All amounts are US dollars, last checked September 2026.

    National D visa for studies plus residence permit for studies cost breakdown

    Every line the Greece application puts on your card, in US dollars, as of September 2026.

    National D visa for studies$103
    EUR 90, non-refundable if refused Study in Greece (Ministry of Education): Visa and residence permit guide for students
    Residence permit for studies, first year$172
    EUR 150 for each year applied for; a multi-year permit is paid per year up front EU Immigration Portal: Student in Greece
    Electronic residence card$18
    EUR 16 for printing the separate card Ministry of Migration and Asylum: Residence permit documents and the EUR 16 card fee
    Mandatory total$293
    What the National D visa for studies plus residence permit for studies costs before any optional service.
    Situational extras, only if they apply to you
    Visa application center service fee$34
    Charged only where the consulate outsources intake: EUR 20 at the Cairo post, EUR 30 at the London and Indian centers Embassy of Greece in Cairo: Visas
    Medical certificate and travel insurance$0
    Both are required in the visa file, with no official price published, so they sit outside the total Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece: Visas, national visas
    If every extra applied$327
    Worst case. Most applicants pay none or one of these.

    Amounts are US dollars. Greece bills in its own currency, so the exact charge moves with the exchange rate. The native figures are in the notes column where the fee schedule publishes them.

    Things to watch

    • Greece charges the residence permit by the year: a three-year bachelor's degree taken as one multi-year permit means EUR 450 at the start, or EUR 150 at each annual renewal.
    • The EUR 400 a month funds test is a floor, not a deposit: a bank balance, a transfer or a scholarship letter proves it, and a part-time salary counts only from the first renewal.
    • Euro figures convert at USD 1 = EUR 0.871, the ExchangeRate-API rate on 18 September 2026.

    How much bank balance do you need for a Greece student visa?

    For the National D visa for studies plus residence permit for studies, Greece asks you to show EUR 400 (about $459). The accepted form is Deposit account, bank transfer, scholarship or, at renewal, a part-time salary, and it covers One month of study and living costs, the floor set by Joint Ministerial Decision 41712/2014. This is money you show, not money you pay, so it never appears in the fee table above. The figure comes from Study in Greece (Ministry of Education): Visa and residence permit guide for students, checked September 2026.

    Study in Greece (Ministry of Education): Visa and residence permit guide for students · checked September 2026

    Greece student visa requirements and documents checklist

    7 documents every applicant provides.

    DocumentWho needs itWhat it involves
    Admission or registration at a Greek higher education institutioneveryoneThe file opens with a certificate that you are registered and have paid any fees, or a certificate that you have been accepted for registration. Each September the Ministry of Education sends the consulates the lists of admitted third-country nationals, which is what the consulate checks the letter against. source
    An interview in person at the consulate for your place of residenceeveryoneEvery national visa applicant appears in person before the Greek mission covering where they legally live, whatever the visa category, so the purpose of the stay can be established face to face. source
    A passport issued within ten years, with two blank pages and three months to spareeveryoneValidity has to run at least three months past the intended departure from the Schengen area, and the document must have been issued in the previous decade. source
    A criminal record certificate from where you liveeveryoneForeign authorities certify your record in your country of residence. If you have lived somewhere other than your country of origin for more than a year, the consulate can ask for a certificate from the country of origin as well. source
    A medical certificate from a recognized institutioneveryoneA state or private institution certifies that you carry no disease that could pose a public health risk under WHO data and the EU acquis. source
    Travel insurance for at least the life of the visaeveryoneCover has to include repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical care and emergency hospital treatment for the whole period of the visa. source
    Parental consent if you are under 18, and Greek where the program demands iteveryoneMinors add the consent of the parents or the person holding parental authority. Where the program requires Greek, the institution itself checks your level and issues the certificate the consulate wants to see. source

    How to apply for a Greece student visa

    1. Get admitted, then book the consulate for the D visa marked Studies

      The national visa for studies is issued for up to 365 days after the interview and carries the note H.1 Studies. It covers first, second and third cycle programs at Greek higher education institutions.

      source
    2. Pay the EUR 90 visa fee, plus the service fee where a visa center takes the file

      The visa fee is EUR 90 and is not refunded if the visa is refused. Consulates that outsource intake to a visa application center add a service fee paid to the provider, EUR 20 at the Cairo post.

      source
    3. Enter Greece and file for the residence permit at the one-stop service

      Consulates are required to tell applicants that the visa does not exempt them from filing, immediately on arrival, an application with the Aliens and Immigration Department of the Decentralized Administration for the place they live. National visas are not extended.

      source
    4. Pay EUR 150 for each year of permit and EUR 16 for the card

      The residence permit for studies costs EUR 150 for each year applied for. A multi-year permit equal to the maximum duration of the course is possible with a certificate of the total length of study from the institution, and the separate electronic residence card carries its own EUR 16 printing fee.

      source
    5. Keep the multi-year permit alive with a transcript every two years

      A holder of a multi-year permit submits an enrollment certificate, proof of sitting exams and an updated transcript to the Decentralized Administration every two years. Miss it and the permit is withdrawn, with an obligation to leave at once.

      source
    6. Ask your university whether it runs the 40-day accelerated procedure

      Institutions that have signed a tripartite contract with the Ministry of Migration and Asylum and the Decentralized Administration file the residence permit on the student's behalf, and the permit is issued no later than 40 days after a complete file and biometrics are received.

      source

    Greece student visa processing time

    Under the accelerated procedure a university has contracted for, the residence permit is issued no later than 40 days after the complete file and biometrics are received. Outside that route Greece publishes no fixed decision time for the student permit, and the Schengen-style 15-day target applies to short-stay visas only.

    Global Visa Center for Greece: Long-term national D visa, category H.1 Studies · checked September 2026

    Greece student visa work rights, dependants and what comes after

    Work rights

    A student residence permit allows part-time work only, under the terms of the labor legislation. The visa center's category sheet quotes Article 36 of Law 4251/2014, under which the working time may not be less than ten hours a week or its equivalent in days or months a year.

    sourcecompare all countries

    Dependants

    The consular category sheet for H.1 Studies states that students may not be accompanied by members of their families.

    source

    After graduation

    The EU Immigration Portal's Greece page, dated 1 April 2025, says a student residence permit cannot be switched to another purpose, and that after finishing the course a graduate returns home and files a fresh application from there.

    sourcecompare all countries
    United States
    From $535 all-in
    United Kingdom
    From $1,760 all-in
    Canada
    From $175 all-in
    Australia
    From $2,250 all-in
    Germany
    From $190 all-in
    France
    From $183 all-in

    FAQ

    Frequently asked questions

    How much is the Greece student visa fee?
    The National D visa for studies plus residence permit for studies application charge is $103 (National D visa for studies). Add the other mandatory items (Residence permit for studies, first year $172 and Electronic residence card $18) and the all-in mandatory total is $293. Optional extras add up to $34 on top.
    How much bank balance is required for a Greece student visa?
    EUR 400 (about $459), held as Deposit account, bank transfer, scholarship or, at renewal, a part-time salary, covering One month of study and living costs, the floor set by Joint Ministerial Decision 41712/2014. It is money you show rather than money you pay, so it is separate from the visa fees. The same EUR 400 a month applies at the consulate for the visa and at the Decentralized Administration for the residence permit. The guide lists a deposit account, a bank transfer or a scholarship as proof, and accepts a salary slip from part-time work only when the permit is renewed. USD figure at EUR 1 = USD 1.149, ExchangeRate-API on 18 September 2026. Source: Study in Greece (Ministry of Education): Visa and residence permit guide for students (September 2026).
    Can you work on a Greece student visa?
    A student residence permit allows part-time work only, under the terms of the labor legislation. The visa center's category sheet quotes Article 36 of Law 4251/2014, under which the working time may not be less than ten hours a week or its equivalent in days or months a year. Source: Global Visa Center for Greece: Long-term national D visa, category H.1 Studies (September 2026).
    How long does a Greece student visa take?
    Under the accelerated procedure a university has contracted for, the residence permit is issued no later than 40 days after the complete file and biometrics are received. Outside that route Greece publishes no fixed decision time for the student permit, and the Schengen-style 15-day target applies to short-stay visas only. Source: Global Visa Center for Greece: Long-term national D visa, category H.1 Studies (September 2026).
    Can you bring your family on a Greece student visa?
    The consular category sheet for H.1 Studies states that students may not be accompanied by members of their families. Source: Global Visa Center for Greece: Long-term national D visa, category H.1 Studies (September 2026).
    What's not included in the National D visa for studies plus residence permit for studies fee?
    Tuition, living costs and the money you have to show in your account are separate from the fees on this page. Use our cost-of-study calculator at /tools/cost-calculator for a complete budget.
    When are these fees due?
    Application and biometric fees are paid before submission. Health surcharges (UK IHS, Australian OSHC) are paid as part of the visa application. Some fees (Anmeldung in Germany, OFII in France) are paid after arrival.

    Official sources

    Last verified September 2026.