Residence permit for study purposes (type ‘H.1’)
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | Άδεια διαμονής για λόγους σπουδών (άδεια διαμονής τύπου «Η.1») as of 2023-04-01[3][5] |
|---|---|
| Official name (English) | Residence permit for study purposes (type 'H.1') as of 2026-02-06[3][5][8] |
| Legal basis | Migration Code (L.5038/2023) Arts. 105-107 and 118-119, transposing Directive (EU) 2016/801; Art. 107 as amended by Art. 30 L.5275/2026 and Art. 118 as amended by Art. 31 L.5275/2026; means amount JMD 225679/2024 (Gazette B' 5223) Art. 1(1)(e); fee Art. 171(1)(d) as of 2026-02-06[1][2][3][4][5] |
Who can apply
| Nationals not served by this route | EU, EEA as of 2023-04-01[3][5] |
|---|---|
| Criminal-record condition | Yes as of 2023-04-01[3][5] Art. 105(2)(d): no risk to public order, public security or public health. |
Permit terms
| Initial duration | Not applicable as of 2026-02-06[1][2][8] No single figure exists since 6 February 2026: Art. 107(1) as replaced by Art. 30 L.5275/2026 sets validity equal to the maximum duration of the specific study programme (previously a flat one year). Art. 107(2) keeps a separate rule for EU or multilateral mobility programmes – at least two years, or the length of the studies if shorter, dropping to at least one year where the Art. 105 and Art. 106(1)(b) conditions are not met for the whole period. |
|---|---|
| How the initial term is set | length of the programme |
| Renewable | Yes as of 2026-02-06[1][2] Art. 107(1): renewable where the institution certifies continuing student status and the Arts. 105-106 conditions are still met. |
| Maximum total duration | Not established from a qualifying source Art. 107(5) as amended adds one further year for learning Greek where the institution has requested it; beyond the programme's maximum duration plus that year, no overall statutory cap is stated. |
| Work rights | hours capped as of 2026-02-06[1][2][8] Art. 118 as amended by Art. 31 L.5275/2026: part-time work only, outside study hours, and not exceeding 20 hours per week. The pre-2026 text instead set a floor of 15 hours per week. |
Permanent residence and citizenship
Requirements
| Enrolment status required | admitted as of 2023-04-01[3][5] Art. 106(1)(a): the applicant has been ACCEPTED by a Greek higher education institution to follow a programme of study; Art. 106(1)(c) additionally requires any registration fees to have been paid. |
|---|---|
| Means requirement | EUR 650 per month as of 2024-09-17[4][6] JMD 225679/2024 Art. 1(1)(e): at least EUR 650 per month, assessed on a monthly or annual basis and individually, evidenced by deposit account, bank transfer, grant, scholarship or payslip from permitted part-time work. Art. 1(2) specifies these are net income or capital. |
| Work-hours cap | 20 as of 2026-02-06[1][2][8] Art. 118 as amended by Art. 31 L.5275/2026: hours per week. |
| Post-study route exists | Yes as of 2026-02-06[1][2][3][5] Art. 119 as amended by Art. 32 L.5275/2026: after completing studies, holders of an H.1 permit who hold a tertiary degree receive a dedicated residence permit type 'H.11' to look for work or set up a business. It converts into an E.1, E.3, E.4 or B.2 permit (Art. 119(3) as amended, Art. 12(5) as replaced) and no available job position under Arts. 26, 27, 61 and 62 is required for that conversion. From three months after issue, the holder must show a genuine prospect of being recruited or of establishing the business (Art. 119(8)). Sufficient means for H.11 are EUR 650 per month (JMD 225679/2024 Art. 1(1)(k)); for researchers the figure is EUR 900 (Art. 1(1)(l)). Art. 119(11) extends H.11 to graduates of Greek Colleges holding an 'H.5.2' permit. |
| Post-study permit duration | 1 year as of 2026-02-06[1][2][3][5] Art. 119(1) and (3): one year. |
Process
| Where to apply from | from abroad only as of 2023-04-01[3][5] Art. 105(2)(a) and Art. 106(1): a national entry visa for study purposes is required before the permit application; Art. 107(6) as amended allows moving from undergraduate to postgraduate or doctoral study by renewal, without leaving Greece for a new visa. |
|---|---|
| Statutory processing time | 60 days as of 2023-04-01[3][5] Art. 106(6): the permit is granted within 60 days of a complete application. |
| Fees |
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| Quota |
Physical presence
| periodic reporting | 2 years · to keep the permit as of 2026-02-06[1][2][3][5] Not a day-count. Art. 107(3)(c) as amended requires the holder of a programme-length permit to file, every two years, a certificate of enrolment and examination participation plus a transcript or progress report; failure within two months of that deadline leads to revocation, as does an institution's notification that studies have been interrupted. |
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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.
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Verification
| Sources cited | 8 |
|---|---|
| of which official (tier 1) | 6 |
| 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] JMD 225679/2024 – sufficient resources amounts under L.5038/2023 (Government Gazette B' 5223/17.09.2024)
National Printing House (et.gr) · gazette · Tier 1 · Published 2024-09-17 · Accessed 2026-08-04 - [5] 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 - [6] JMD 225679/2024 – determination of the level and means of proof of sufficient resources under L.5038/2023 (Gazette B' 5223/17.09.2024), copy hosted by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum
Hellenic Ministry of Migration and Asylum · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2024-09-17 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy - [7] Residence permit of a highly qualified employee ('E.1') following admission with a uniform visa or visa-free regime – initial granting
National Registry of Administrative Procedures (Mitos), Hellenic Republic · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy - [8] L.5275/2026: what changes for residence permits
Plati Law Firm · law firm · Tier 2 · Published 2026-02-06 · Accessed 2026-08-04