---
title: "Greek Work Permit (Single Permit) and e-EFKA Registration"
country: greece
service: "work-permit-efka"
category: employment
difficulty: complex
estimated_time: "Consular visa plus post-arrival residence-permit application; an interim certificate valid for one year is issued on lodging a complete file"
cost_range: "€300 single-permit fee"
last_verified: 2026-06-04
canonical: https://publicservices.guide/greece/work-permit-efka/
status: current
confidence: low
tags:
  - "work-permit"
  - "single-permit"
  - "social-security"
  - immigration
  - employment
  - "non-eu"
  - "residence-permit"
sources:
  - https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/migration-and-asylum/eu-immigration-portal/employed-worker-greece_en
  - https://migration.gov.gr/en/migration-policy/metanasteusi-stin-ellada/
  - https://en.mitos.gov.gr/index.php/%CE%94%CE%94:Registration_certificate_(e-EFKA)
  - https://en.mitos.gov.gr/index.php/%CE%94%CE%94:Registration_of_natural_persons_in_the_Employers%E2%80%99_Register_(e-EFKA)
---

# Greek Work Permit (Single Permit) and e-EFKA Registration

**Country:** 🇬🇷 Greece  
**Last verified:** 2026-06-04  
**Estimated time:** Consular visa plus post-arrival residence-permit application; an interim certificate valid for one year is issued on lodging a complete file  
**Cost:** €300 single-permit fee

## Required documents

- **Passport and national (D) visa**
  - Required: Passport copy and the national (D) visa obtained at the Greek consulate before entry, for most work categories
  - Where: The residence-permit file is lodged at a Decentralized Administration one-stop-shop after entry
  - _Note:_ For most work categories the national (D) visa must be issued by the Greek consulate in your country of origin before you travel; it is not converted from a tourist or short-stay visa inside Greece.
- **Employment contract**
  - Required: A signed employment contract of at least one year underpins both the consular visa and the residence-permit application
  - Employer side: The employer also files a tax certificate proving ability to pay at least unskilled-worker rates
- **Photographs**
  - Required: Photographs for the residence-permit file
- **Health-insurance application certificate**
  - Required: A health-insurance application certificate is part of the residence-permit file
- **Greek tax number (AFM) and social-security number (AMKA)** *(ΑΦΜ / ΑΜΚΑ)*
  - Why: The *ΑΦΜ* (tax number) is needed to interact with the tax and social-security systems; the *ΑΜΚΑ* (social-security number) identifies you on the e-EFKA register and on the registration certificate
  - _Note:_ Both are obtained through separate procedures — see the separate AFM and AMKA guides. You hold both before completing the social-security leg.

## Costs

- **Single residence-and-work permit fee (initial):** 300 EUR — Proof of payment of the residence-permit fee forms part of the application file. Figure normalised to native Greek comma-decimal: 300 €.
- **Late-renewal fine:** 50 EUR — Applies where a renewal is lodged up to one month after expiry. Renewals should normally be submitted two months before expiry.
- **e-EFKA registration certificate:** 0 EUR — Self-issued by the insured worker once on the e-EFKA register. The official service page states it is provided without cost.
- **Employer registration in the Employers' Register (e-EFKA):** 0 EUR — Employer-side obligation, not a worker cost. The official service page states it is provided without cost.

## Steps

### 1. Employer Initiates the Application

- The employer applies to the Decentralized Administration with a valid employment contract of at least one year.
- The employer also supplies a tax certificate proving ability to pay at least unskilled-worker rates.
- Admission to employment is subject to sectoral and regional admission volumes set by joint ministerial decision, which are revised periodically.

> **Tip:** The worker's route starts with the employer: there is no path where you obtain a standalone work permit on your own and then find an employer. The contract and the employer's tax certificate are what feed the single application.

### 2. Apply for the National (D) Visa at the Consulate *(εθνική θεώρηση)*

- On employer approval, apply for the national (D) visa at the Greek embassy or consulate in your country of origin.
- Submit your passport, the signed employment contract, and a criminal-record copy.
- For most work categories this consular visa must be obtained before entry — it is the standard path.

> **If this fails:** Do not plan to enter on a tourist or short-stay visa and convert it to a work permit inside Greece. For most work categories the national (D) visa must be issued at the consulate first; arriving without it can leave you unable to lodge the residence-permit file lawfully.

### 3. Enter Greece and Apply for the Residence Permit

- Travel to Greece on the national (D) visa.
- Lodge the residence-permit application at a one-stop-shop of the Decentralized Administration.
- Bring the passport copy and visa, photographs, proof of the residence-permit fee payment, the employment contract, and the health-insurance application certificate.

> **If this fails:** The official guidance is explicit on timing: "Upon arrival, and before your visa expires, you must apply for a residence permit." Letting the national (D) visa lapse before you lodge the file puts your lawful stay at risk — apply within its validity.

### 4. Receive the Interim Certificate

- On submission of a complete application you receive a certificate valid for one year while the file is examined.
- This certificate allows you to stay lawfully during processing.
- If the file is still pending after one year, a new certificate is issued.

> **Tip:** Treat the interim certificate as your proof of lawful stay while the permit is decided. Keep it with your passport — it is what evidences your right to remain before the permit card itself is issued.

### 5. Permit Issued and Renewal

- The Decentralized Administration issues the single residence-and-work permit.
- Permits for employed work are valid for two years and can be renewed for three years.
- Submit a renewal two months before expiry; a renewal lodged up to one month after expiry is accepted with a fine.

> **Tip:** The single permit is one document for both residence and work — there is no second card to collect. Diarise the renewal two months ahead of expiry to avoid the late-renewal fine.

### 6. Complete the e-EFKA Social-Security Leg *(e-ΕΦΚΑ)*

- Your employer registers in the Employers' Register with the *e-ΕΦΚΑ* (Electronic National Social Security Entity): identity via TAXISnet, AMKA verification, business data retrieved from the tax authority, then employee data entry and submission, after which an Employer Register Number is assigned.
- Once you are on the e-EFKA insured register, log in via your TAXISnet codes; the system identifies you by your AMKA and the registration certificate prints with a digital stamp and signature.
- The certificate is available via gov.gr, a KEP, or myKEPlive.

> **Tip:** The certificate confirms your insured status and is self-issued — you do not need to visit an office for it. If the online employer-registration service cannot be used, the employer may apply at the regional e-EFKA office instead.

## FAQ

### Is the residence permit and work authorisation one document or two?

One. Under the Migration Code (Law 5038/2023, which transposes the EU Single Permit Directive 2011/98) residence and the right to work are carried by a single document — the single residence-and-work permit — issued through one procedure. There is no separate Ministry-of-Labour work-permit card held alongside the residence permit. The employer's employment contract and tax certificate feed that single application.

### How much does the national (D) consular visa cost?

The national (D) visa fee is set by the issuing Greek consulate and varies by consular district, so no single official figure applies across all missions. Confirm the current fee with the Greek consulate in your country of residence, which is also where this visa must be applied for before you travel.

### When do I have to register after arriving in Greece?

Apply for your residence permit at a Decentralized Administration one-stop-shop after entry and before your visa expires. Beyond that, register with your local Aliens & Immigration office promptly after arrival — confirm the current deadline with that office or your residence-permit service, because the precise day-count is set administratively and is best checked at the point of registration.

### Does the e-EFKA registration certificate cost anything?

No. The official service page states it is provided without cost and issues in about a minute online via gov.gr, a KEP, or myKEPlive once you are on the e-EFKA register. You log in with your TAXISnet codes, the system identifies you by your AMKA, and the certificate prints with a digital stamp and signature.

### Do I (the worker) register in the Employers' Register?

No. The Employers' Register is for employers. Your employer registers there before or while taking you on. As a salaried worker you appear on the insured e-EFKA register and can pull your own registration certificate; you do not register yourself as an employer.

### How long is the permit valid?

Residence permits to work as an employed worker are valid for two years and can be renewed for three years. On lodging a complete application you receive an interim certificate valid for one year that lets you stay lawfully while the file is examined.

## Sources

- [Employed worker in Greece — EU Immigration Portal (EU-official)](https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/migration-and-asylum/eu-immigration-portal/employed-worker-greece_en) — accessed 2026-06-04 — _T1_ — Sets out the non-EU employed-worker route: employer applies to the Decentralized Administration with a one-year employment contract and a tax certificate; the worker obtains a national (D) visa at the consulate with passport, signed contract and criminal-record copy; "Upon arrival, and before your visa expires, you must apply for a residence permit"; a complete application yields a certificate valid for one year, and "Residence permits to work as an employed worker are valid for two years and can be renewed for three years." Residence-permit file includes passport and visa, photographs, proof of the 300 € fee, employment contract, and a health-insurance application certificate. A renewal lodged up to one month after expiry carries a 50 € fine. Confirms the worker route, document set, fee, validity, renewal fine, and post-arrival timing wording.
- [Ministry of Migration and Asylum — Migration in Greece (Migration Code)](https://migration.gov.gr/en/migration-policy/metanasteusi-stin-ellada/) — accessed 2026-06-04 — _T1_ — Names the Migration Code, Law 5038/2023, as the governing legislation consolidating residence-permit categories and a common issuance procedure, transposing the EU Single Permit Directive (Directive 2011/98). Confirms residence and work are carried by a single document through one procedure, with no standalone Ministry-of-Labour work-permit document issued separately to the worker.
- [National Registry of Administrative Public Services — Registration certificate (e-EFKA)](https://en.mitos.gov.gr/index.php/%CE%94%CE%94:Registration_certificate_(e-EFKA)) — accessed 2026-06-04 — _T1_ — The e-EFKA registration certificate is self-issued online by any citizen on the e-EFKA register: the worker logs in via TAXISnet codes, the system identifies them by AMKA, and the certificate prints with digital stamp and signature in about one minute, available via gov.gr, KEP or myKEPlive. "Provided without cost." Competent body is the Ministry of Labor and Social Security; service provider is the Electronic National Social Security Entity (e-EFKA). Confirms the certificate is free, self-issued, and the authority chain.
- [National Registry of Administrative Public Services — Registration of natural persons in the Employers' Register (e-EFKA)](https://en.mitos.gov.gr/index.php/%CE%94%CE%94:Registration_of_natural_persons_in_the_Employers%E2%80%99_Register_(e-EFKA)) — accessed 2026-06-04 — _T1_ — A natural-person employer registers digitally via gov.gr (identity via TAXISnet, AMKA verification, business data retrieved from the tax authority, employee data entry, submission, then an Employer Register Number assigned); the service is provided without cost and takes about 41 minutes digitally. Only employers who have started a sole proprietorship with the tax authority and are on the e-EFKA insured register use this; an offline fallback at the regional e-EFKA office exists. Confirms the register is employer-side, free, and not a worker obligation.

---

Verification pending — see the canonical page for the latest trust state.
Canonical: https://publicservices.guide/greece/work-permit-efka/