‘Tech Visa’ – national entry visa and residence title type ‘Z.13A’ for employment in enterprises listed in the National Registry of Start-up Companies (Elevate Greece)
Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | Τίτλος διαμονής κατηγορίας «Ζ.13Α» – «Tech Visa» (εργασία σε επιχειρήσεις του Εθνικού Μητρώου Νεοφυών Επιχειρήσεων) as of 2026-02-06[1][3] |
|---|---|
| Official name (English) | 'Tech Visa' – national entry visa and residence title type 'Z.13A' for employment in enterprises listed in the National Registry of Start-up Companies (Elevate Greece) as of 2026-02-06[1][2][3] |
| Legal basis | Migration Code (L.5038/2023) Art. 79A, added by Art. 23 L.5275/2026; National Registry of Start-up Companies under Art. 47 L.4712/2020 as of 2026-02-06[1][3] |
| Instrument type | national visa as of 2026-02-06[1][3] Art. 79A(1): a national entry visa (residence title 'Z.13A'); Art. 79A(3) confirms no separate residence permit is issued. |
Who can apply
| Nationals not served by this route | EU, EEA as of 2026-02-06[1][3] |
|---|---|
| Criminal-record condition | Yes as of 2026-02-06[1][3] General entry conditions of Art. 8 apply; Art. 79A(5) applies the Art. 23 consequences on breach. |
Permit terms
| Initial duration | 12 months as of 2026-02-06[1][2][3] Art. 79A(1): national entry and residence visa of twelve months. No separate residence permit is issued (Art. 79A(3)). |
|---|---|
| Renewable | No as of 2026-02-06[1][3] Art. 79A(6): the holder cannot use the Art. 12 change-of-category mechanism, except that Art. 79A(7) allows an application for an E.1 EU Blue Card before the visa expires if employment with the same enterprise continues and the salary condition is met. |
| Maximum total duration | 12 months as of 2026-02-06[1][3] |
| Work rights | own activity only as of 2026-02-06[1][3] Art. 79A(3): immediate access to dependent employment, exclusively with the registered start-up that signed the contract. Art. 79A(5) forbids changing employer during the visa; on termination other than employer breach the holder must leave Greece immediately. |
Permanent residence and citizenship
| Counts toward permanent residence | Not established from a qualifying source Art. 144 requires five years of lawful continuous residence; whether time on a Z.13A national visa counts is not addressed in Art. 79A and no official guidance was located. |
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Requirements
| Job offer required | Yes as of 2026-02-06[1][3] Art. 79A(2)(b): a dependent-employment contract of at least twelve months. |
|---|---|
| Salary threshold | |
| Labour-market test | No as of 2026-02-06[1][3] Express derogation from Arts. 26 and 27. |
| Qualification requirement | degree, equivalent experience as of 2026-02-06[1][3] Art. 79A(2)(c): a tertiary education qualification (degree), or high professional skills within the meaning of Art. 4(ng) (experience_equivalent). |
| Employer sponsorship | Yes as of 2026-02-06[1][3] Art. 79A(2)(a): the employing enterprise must be a currently active member of the National Registry of Start-up Companies. |
| Job-search route | No as of 2026-02-06[1][3] |
Family inclusion
| Family members may be included | Yes as of 2026-02-06[1][3] Art. 79A(4), by derogation from Arts. 84, 85, 87 and 88: family members receive a corresponding twelve-month national entry visa as family members of a Z.13A holder. |
|---|---|
| Eligible relations | spouse, minor child, adult dependent child as of 2026-02-06[1][3] Art. 79A(4) refers to family members generally; the Art. 4(le) definition applies. |
| Family may apply at the same time | Yes as of 2026-02-06[1][3] Art. 79A(4): the holder may be accompanied by family members; Art. 79A(8) lets them apply for a residence permit under Art. 42 once the principal applies for an E.1 permit. |
| Family members' work rights | Not established from a qualifying source Art. 79A(4) is silent on the family members' access to the labour market during the twelve-month visa; no official guidance was located. |
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 | 4 |
|---|---|
| of which official (tier 1) | 1 |
| Oldest as-of date | 2026-02-06 |
| Newest as-of date | 2026-02-06 |
| 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 and transposition of Directive (EU) 2024/1233
EY Greece · law firm · Tier 2 · Published 2026-02-06 · Accessed 2026-08-04 - [3] 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 - [4] L.5275/2026: what changes for residence permits
Plati Law Firm · law firm · Tier 2 · Published 2026-02-06 · Accessed 2026-08-04