VisaGreece limits student work to 20 hours a week under its 2026 rules
A current-rule guide for non-EU students explains the work limit and why older online residence guidance needs checking against the February reform.
Official source date: 2026-02-06
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
The 2026 law sets a weekly work limit
Non-EU students holding Greece’s H.1 study residence permit may work part-time outside their study timetable, up to 20 hours weekly. Article 31 of Law 5275/2026 replaced the former wording with that maximum. The law was published in the Government Gazette on 6 February 2026; this article is a current-rule explanation checked on 2 November, not a new work-rights announcement.
The distinction matters when accepting a job alongside a degree. A residence permit for study is not general authorisation for unrestricted employment. The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens confirms the same weekly limit in its Working and studying guidance and says employed students fall within labour-law obligations, including social-security contributions and tax returns. Students should retain a clear record of their agreed work schedule so they can compare it with lectures and other required study activities. They should use that resource when discussing a proposed timetable with an employer: hours must fit both the numerical limit and the requirement to work outside study hours.
Check the permit period against the February reform
Article 30 of the February law also rewrote study-permit duration around the programme’s maximum study period. For such permits, students must provide academic progress evidence every two years; failure to supply it within two months after the two-year point can lead to withdrawal. The Gazette is the controlling source for this change. A longer card therefore does not remove the need to remain enrolled and document progress.
The European Commission’s Student in Greece portal is dated 1 April 2025. It remains useful for identifying the basic route: acceptance by a higher education institution, a study visa through the competent Greek embassy or consulate, sufficient resources and applicable enrolment payments. However, it still describes an annual-permit framework and a fee for each year. For the visa stage, the portal identifies an acceptance certificate for a particular course, evidence of income covering the study period and proof of enrolment payments where required. Applicants should obtain these from the institution and funding provider before seeking a consular appointment. A university offer and an immigration decision serve different purposes; one does not automatically produce the other. Those passages predate the February reform. Applicants should not calculate their current permit duration or total charge solely from that older summary.
Build a document file before applying
The University of Athens’ Supporting documents checklist provides a practical preparation resource. It calls for a valid passport, a valid type-D student visa, enrolment evidence, financial resources, insurance and a certificate of the programme’s total duration. It identifies parental or guardian consent for applicants under 18 and scholarship evidence where relevant. Foreign insurance can be presented with an official translation if it provides the required coverage.
The checklist lists a €150 administrative charge, with a stated scholarship-holder exemption, and a separate €16 card charge. It currently describes financial means of at least €650 monthly. Applicants should obtain the responsible immigration office’s current instructions before payment or submission, particularly when a scholarship changes the evidence required. An illustrative case is a scholarship-funded student: the award letter should establish the funding and its duration rather than assuming that admission alone proves the ability to pay living costs.
Resolve older checklist differences before the appointment
Attica’s official issuance checklist, dated 2 November 2023, shows why applicants need to check document versions. It still states a one-year duration and a €400 monthly resource figure, compared with the university’s €650 figure. Its photograph instructions also differ from the university’s current checklist. These discrepancies should be put to the responsible office; this article cannot establish that an older local webpage overrides newer requirements.
The Attica resource remains useful for locating the relevant immigration directorate and seeing the distinction between the permit fee and the separate card-production charge. It also explains that a certified, translated public record of birthplace can be needed where the passport does not show the birthplace in Latin characters. Students should check the appointment notice for the required image format and supporting originals before attending. There is no single November filing deadline covering every student: the immediate dates to monitor are the existing visa or permit expiry, the personal appointment and any applicable academic-progress reporting point.
