Residence card for a family member of a Greek citizen (type ‘O.3’)
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | Δελτίο Διαμονής μέλους οικογένειας Έλληνα (άδεια διαμονής τύπου «Ο.3») as of 2023-04-01[3][4] |
|---|---|
| Official name (English) | Residence card for a family member of a Greek citizen (type 'O.3') as of 2026-08-04[3][4][5] |
| Legal basis | Migration Code (L.5038/2023) Art. 93 and new Art. 93A (added by Art. 28 L.5275/2026), with Art. 93(9), (11) and (12) as amended by Art. 27 L.5275/2026; family-member definition Art. 4(lz) as amended by Art. 9 L.5275/2026; fee exemption Art. 171(2)(e) as of 2026-02-06[1][2][3][4] |
Who can apply
| Nationals not served by this route | EU, EEA as of 2023-04-01[3][4] The card is issued to third-country-national family members of Greek citizens. |
|---|---|
| Criminal-record condition | Yes as of 2023-04-01[3][4] Art. 93(5) and (8): issued subject to public order and security grounds, which must respect proportionality and rest exclusively on the person's own conduct; previous criminal convictions do not in themselves justify refusal. |
Permit terms
| Initial duration | 5 years as of 2023-04-01[3][4] Art. 93(7). |
|---|---|
| Renewable | Yes as of 2023-04-01[3][4] Art. 93(10): renewed for five years at a time where the conditions of Art. 93(4) are met but those of Art. 93(7) are not. |
| Renewal duration | 5 years as of 2023-04-01[3][4] |
| Work rights | full as of 2026-02-06[1][2][5] Art. 93(12) as replaced by Art. 27 L.5275/2026: the spouse or partner and their direct descendants holding a residence card, a permanent residence card or a personal-right residence card have access to dependent employment, to the provision of services or works, and to professional activity. |
Permanent residence and citizenship
| Counts toward permanent residence | Yes as of 2026-02-06[1][2][3][4] Art. 93(9) as amended and new Art. 93A: after five years of continuous lawful residence in Greece with the Greek citizen, the card converts automatically on expiry into a permanent residence card (type 'M.3'), renewed automatically every ten years; the right is lost only on absence exceeding two consecutive years. |
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Requirements
| Who can sponsor | citizen as of 2023-04-01[3][4] Art. 93(1): family members of a Greek citizen. |
|---|---|
| Eligible relations | spouse, registered partner, minor child, adult dependent child, parent, other dependent as of 2026-02-06[1][2][3][4] Art. 4(lz) as amended by Art. 9 L.5275/2026: the spouse; the partner under a civil partnership concluded in Greece or before a Greek consular authority; direct descendants of the Greek citizen or of the spouse or partner who are under 21, or dependent regardless of age, including adopted children; dependent direct ascendants of either; any other family member who is dependent and whose personal care by the Greek citizen is strictly necessary on serious health grounds; and, new since 6 February 2026, adult children of the Greek citizen or of the spouse who lack legal capacity, regardless of age, who live with and are supported by that person. Art. 93(2) also covers parents of Greek minors resident in Greece, and minor siblings of such minors; siblings of a Greek citizen under 21 have a five-year right of residence. |
| Sponsor income requirement | Not applicable as of 2023-04-01[3][4] Art. 93 imposes no income condition on the Greek sponsor. |
| Sponsor accommodation requirement | No as of 2023-04-01[3][4] Absence-based: Art. 93 imposes no accommodation condition, in contrast with Art. 84(2)(a) for third-country sponsors. |
| Sponsor waiting period | Not applicable as of 2023-04-01[3][4] No prior-residence period is required of the Greek sponsor. |
| Pre-entry language test | No as of 2023-04-01[3][4] Absence-based: Art. 93 imposes no language or integration test. |
Process
| Where to apply from | in-country only as of 2023-04-01[3][4] Art. 93(1): the card is issued to family members who enter Greece with a uniform visa or a visa with limited territorial validity where one is required; Art. 93(3)-(4) require the application within three months of entry or of the marriage or civil partnership concluded in Greece. A EUR 50 fine applies if it is filed more than a year late. |
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| Fees | |
| Quota |
Physical presence
| maximum total absence | 6 months · to keep the permit as of 2023-04-01[3][4] Art. 93(7): continuity of residence is not affected by temporary absences not exceeding six months per year, nor by longer absences for compulsory military service, nor by one absence of up to twelve consecutive months for serious reasons such as pregnancy and childbirth, serious illness, study or vocational training, or a posting to another Member State or third country. |
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| maximum consecutive absence | 2 years · to keep the permit as of 2026-02-06[1][2] New Art. 93A(4): once the permanent residence card is held, the right is lost only through absence from Greece exceeding two consecutive years. |
Your next step
Read the requirements above considering your own situation: the income multiple, the absence limits, who you can bring. Check the country record for the reference figure those amounts are calculated from, and for anything that has changed recently.
The next step is your own case. That assessment is legal work. Create profile for our assistance in this.
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Verification
| Sources cited | 5 |
|---|---|
| of which official (tier 1) | 3 |
| Oldest as-of date | 2023-04-01 |
| Newest as-of date | 2026-08-04 |
| Reviewed on | 2026-08-11 |
| Schema version | 1.1 |
Sources
- [1] Law 5275/2026 – promotion of legal migration policies and transposition of Directive (EU) 2024/1233 (full text reproduction)
e-nomothesia.gr · press · Tier 2 · Published 2026-02-06 · Accessed 2026-08-04 - [2] Law 5275/2026 – promotion of legal migration policies, transposition of Directive (EU) 2024/1233 (Government Gazette A' 17/06.02.2026)
National Printing House (et.gr) · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2026-02-06 · Accessed 2026-08-04 - [3] Law 5038/2023 – Migration Code (Government Gazette A' 81/01.04.2023)
National Printing House (et.gr) · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2023-04-01 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy - [4] Migration Code, Law 5038/2023 (Government Gazette A' 81/01.04.2023) – full text hosted by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum
Hellenic Ministry of Migration and Asylum · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2023-04-01 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy - [5] Residence permit in Greece for family members of a Greek citizen: prerequisites and procedure
Dafni I. Siopi Law Office · law firm · Tier 2 · Accessed 2026-08-04