Greece
Greece has over 250 sunny days a year.
About Country
Continent | Europe |
Capital | Athens |
Population | 10,423,054 |
World share | 0.1 % |
Land area | 128,900 km² |
Official Languages | - Greek |
Unofficial Languages | |
Currency | EUR |
Economy rating | 46 |
Economy GDP | 209,857 millions USD |
ВВП на человека | 20,134 USD |
Democracy Index
7.39
Flawed
democracy
*
|
Crime Rate |
0.9 |
Safe zone |
Unemployment |
12.9 % |
High unemployment |
*
|
Average salary |
1,507 USD |
|
Average expense |
670 USD |
|
Average rent price |
389 USD |
Immigration
Immigration difficulty |
Normal |
|
Recommended Savings |
6,359 USD |
Double citizenship |
Allowed |
Official site |
Immigration official website |
Compulsory exams |
Written exam "Panhellenic" (80%+) |
|
Passport rating |
8 Amount of countries: 185 |
Immigration options
| Immigration type | Required Time | Fee |
| Marriage | from 1 to 14 weeks (paperwork) 5 years (for citizenship) | 35 USD |
| Employee | from 1 to 14 weeks (paperwork) 7 years (for citizenship) | 35 USD |
| Student | from 1 to 14 weeks (paperwork) 7 years (for citizenship) | 35 USD |
| Business | from 1 to 14 weeks (paperwork) 7 years (for citizenship) | 35 USD |
| Religion | from 1 to 14 weeks (paperwork) 7 years (for citizenship) | 35 USD |
| Family reunification | from 1 to 14 weeks (paperwork) 7 years (for citizenship) | 35 USD |
| Refugee | from 1 to 14 weeks (paperwork) 6 years (for citizenship) | 0 USD |
Marriage
| Immigration fee | Immigration Time |
| 35 USD | from 1 to 14 weeks (paperwork) 5 years (for citizenship) |
List of documents:
- Completed questionnaire;- International passport;
- 2 color photos;
- Receipt of payment of the fee;
- General civil passport;
- Medical insurance;
- An invitation from a Greek spouse;
- Certificate of marital status from Greece;
- A copy of the spouse's identity card, certified at the Greek police station;
- The responsible statement of the Greek spouse, certified at the Greek police station.
Additional Information:
You can get a residence permit in Greece through marriage with a citizen of the country.To do this, it is necessary to conclude an official marriage, both political and ecclesiastical will do.
Employee
| Immigration fee | Immigration Time |
| 35 USD | from 1 to 14 weeks (paperwork) 7 years (for citizenship) |
List of documents:
- Completed questionnaire;- Passport;
- 2 color photos;
- Receipt of payment of the fee;
- Medical insurance;
- Information about the place of residence;
- Bank statement;
- A general civil passport;
- An invitation from the employer.
Additional Information:
You can get a residence permit if you find a job in Greece, but it is very difficult to do this. This is due to the fact that all employers in the Schengen area are obliged to consider first of all candidates for a position from their country, then specialists from the eurozone, and only in the absence of candidates, employ foreigners.Student
| Immigration fee | Immigration Time |
| 35 USD | from 1 to 14 weeks (paperwork) 7 years (for citizenship) |
List of documents:
- Completed questionnaire;- Passport;
- 2 color photos;
- Receipt of payment of the fee;
- Medical insurance;
- An invitation document from Greece from an educational institution;
- Bank statement or sponsorship statement.
Additional Information:
You can apply for a residence permit if you are studying in Greece.To do this, you need to comply with a couple of conditions:
- training should last more than 6 months
- you must have an official letter from the educational institution, which will indicate which faculty and specialty you are enrolled in and the duration of your studies.
Business
| Immigration fee | Immigration Time |
| 35 USD | from 1 to 14 weeks (paperwork) 7 years (for citizenship) |
List of documents:
- Completed questionnaire;- Passport;
- 2 color photos;
- Receipt of payment of the fee;
- A general civil passport;
- Medical insurance;
- Invitation from a legal entity;
- Bank statement or sponsorship application;
- Information about the place of residence.
Additional Information:
You can get a residence permit when opening a business or buying real estate.To open a business, you will need an active account with € 60,000, a business plan, a lease or subcontract agreement and registration with all pension, insurance and social funds.
It's still easier with real estate, you just need to purchase it for at least 250,000 € and then you get a residence permit.
Religion
| Immigration fee | Immigration Time |
| 35 USD | from 1 to 14 weeks (paperwork) 7 years (for citizenship) |
List of documents:
- Completed questionnaire;- International passport;
- 2 color photos;
- Receipt of payment of the fee;
- General civil passport;
- Medical insurance;
- Invitation from the bishop;
- Hotel reservations and plane tickets.
Additional Information:
Religious figures can get a residence permit in Greece, provided they have a mission, which includes only priestly duties. To do this, you need an invitation from the bishop.Family reunification
| Immigration fee | Immigration Time |
| 35 USD | from 1 to 14 weeks (paperwork) 7 years (for citizenship) |
List of documents:
- Completed questionnaire;- International passport;
- 2 color photos;
- Receipt of payment of the fee;
- General civil passport;
- Medical insurance;
- Certificate of non-criminal record;
- Documents confirming the relationship.
Additional Information:
If you have close relatives who are Greek citizens, then you have the right to apply for a residence permit for reasons of family reunification. Close relatives include: minor children, parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents.Refugee
| Immigration fee | Immigration Time |
| 0 USD | from 1 to 14 weeks (paperwork) 6 years (for citizenship) |
List of documents:
- Identity document;- 2 color photos;
- Fill out an application with the police on arrival.
Additional Information:
You can get to Greece as a refugee. To do this, you will need to prove the fact of harassment in your country on any basis: race, gender, nationality, religion, political views, social status. Military actions and natural disasters are also grounds for granting asylum.Taxes
The main taxes in the Greece are: taxation of individuals, income tax, social contributions, VAT, withholding tax, movable property tax, inheritance and gift tax, real estate transfer tax.Taxation of individuals
Tax residents of the country pay income tax on their total global income, but non–residents pay income tax on income received in Greece. Income tax is levied at progressive rates:
The following rates apply to remuneration, pensions and commercial income:
- 9% - for the first 10,000 EUR
- 22% - for the next 10,000 EUR
- 28% - for the next 10,000 EUR
- 36% - for the next 10000 EUR
- 44% - from income over 40,000 EUR.
Income from real estate is paid at the following rates:
- 15% - from the first 12000 EUR
- 35% - from the following 23000 EUR
- 45% - over 35000 EUR.
The special solidarity contribution is taxed at the following rates:
- 0% - up to 12000 EUR
- 2.2% - from 12001 to 20000 EUR
- 5% - from 20001 to 30,000 EUR
- 6.5% - from 30001 to 40,000 EUR
- 7.5% - from 40001 to 65000 EUR
- 9% - from 65001 to 220000 EUR
- 10% - over 220,000 EUR.
Income tax
Corporate income tax is levied at the rate of 24%.
Social contributions
Social contributions are paid from the remuneration of employees and depend on the social fund in which the employee is registered. The contribution rates are 14.12% for the employee and 24.54% for the employer.
VAT
The standard VAT rate is 24%. A reduced rate of 13% may be applied to certain goods and services.
Income tax at the source of payment
Withholding tax is levied on dividends at the rate of 5%, 20% - royalties, 20% - on technical, management, consulting and other services. But the tax may be withheld when making some other payments.
Movable Property Tax (ENFIA)
This tax consists of the main and additional taxes calculated at certain rates, based on the area of objects using a number of coefficients, taking into account the location, type of use, etc.
Inheritance and gift tax
The tax is calculated at progressive rates from 1% to 40%, depending on the degree of kinship and a number of other factors.
Property transfer tax
The tax rate is 3%. In addition, an additional 3% is paid in favor of municipalities.
Education
In Greece, the education system is divided into 3 levels: primary school, secondary and higher education institutions. Primary educationPrimary education is divided into two stages: kindergarten and primary school.
Children from 4 to 6 years old go to kindergarten. Classes last from 8.00 am to 16.00 pm. In addition, there are kindergartens designed for children with special educational needs.
Primary school is attended by children from 6 to 12 years old. This step is mandatory for everyone. To move to the next grade, children do not need to take any exams. After graduating from the 6th grade, students are given a certificate with which they go to secondary school.
Secondary education
Secondary education consists of three stages: gymnasium, lyceum and vocational school.
In the gymnasium, children study for 3 years from 12 to 15 years. At the end of three years, students take exams to transfer to the lyceum. They have 2 attempts for this, if they fail, the child remains for the second year.
Children also study at the lyceum for 3 years. At the end of each academic year, transfer exams are taken. Upon successful completion of the final exams after 3 years of study, graduates receive a certificate of completed secondary education.
Training in a vocational school lasts 3 years. You can enroll here after the gymnasium instead of the lyceum. The certificate of the vocational school gives the right to employment in the specialty, but the certificate of the general lyceum only certifies the completion of the course of secondary education, that's the whole difference.
There are many private schools in Greece, where 6% of primary and secondary school students study. The cost of studying at a private school is from 1,500 euros per year.
Higher education
Higher education can be obtained at universities or at institutes of technical education.
Education lasts from 4 to 6 years. You can enroll after receiving a certificate of completed secondary education and after passing entrance exams in 9 subjects.
In addition, at the age of 22, as a result of the draw, you can become a student of the Greek Open University. It operates on the model of the British Open University and provides exclusively distance learning at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Healthcare
The Greek health insurance system includes public and private health insurance. There are about 30 social insurance funds that provide both private and public insurance coverage. Most of them are independent, but they are still managed by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security.All citizens of the country must be provided with a medical insurance policy. The Public Health System of Greece (ESY) guarantees free medical care for all citizens and residents of the country.
In accordance with the legislation in force in the country, the employer ensures the registration of the employee in the state health insurance system and makes mandatory insurance contributions. Insurance premiums to the EFKA system amount to about 30% of the employee's salary.
Every resident of Greece must issue an AMKA document, it contains a social security number. The health insurance system operates on the principle of insurance compensation. There are several different forms of compensation, for example:
- covering only hospitalization
- or treatment plus medications
- or fixed payments for medical services may be set in advance.
Currently, there are about 130 hospitals across the country under the jurisdiction of the Greek public health system. Medical personnel of State medical institutions are not allowed to work in private hospitals and clinics. But at the moment this rule is being revised, since most consider this approach to be incorrect.
The state health insurance system covers the costs of:
- general and specialized medical care
- hospitalization
- laboratory tests
- medicines and medicines
- maternity care.
There is also a private health insurance policy. After the economic crisis, many Greek residents began to purchase private health insurance in addition to the state health insurance policy. The cost depends on many factors, for example: age, gender, country of permanent residence, nationality.
Climate
Climate type |
- Temperate climates
|
Climate Information |
Сlimate in different countries |
Rains are quite intense in the period from October to February, December is the rainiest month of the year. If you like a moderate holiday, then it is better to rest in Greece from May to June and from September to October, since from mid–July to mid-August in Greece is the hottest period. The temperature can reach +40 degrees Celsius. At this time, strong winds of the northern type also appear on the eastern coast of the mainland.
The average summer air temperature in the resorts of Greece is +32 degrees Celsius, winter — +10 degrees Celsius, but on the mainland in summer the temperature can reach +45 degrees Celsius, and in winter it can reach 0 degrees Celsius.
The swimming season in Greece opens quite late — sometimes even in May the water is still too cold to swim. But it closes around November, as the water warms up and retains this heat for a long time. Spring in Greece is more suitable not for a beach holiday, but for traveling around the country.
Greece is one of the most mountainous countries, more than 4/5 of the country consists of mountains or hills. The highest mountain in the country is Mount Olympus. Its height is 2917 meters. In the mountains, the weather is very different: the higher, the colder, more clouds and precipitation. The weather in the mountains is unpredictable. Many peaks are covered with snow for several months of the year, there are several ski resorts.