Travelling in Europe With a Greek Golden Visa: Schengen 90/180

A Greek residence permit is a document for living in Greece. A common point of confusion is what it allows in the rest of Europe. The short version: you can travel in the Schengen area, but only for short stays, and it does not give a right to settle or work in another country.

What the permit allows

Holders of a valid residence permit issued by a Schengen country, and their included family members, can generally travel to the other Schengen states without a short-stay visa. The stay in those countries is limited to 90 days in any 180-day period. The limit applies to the whole Schengen area together: days in France, Italy and Spain are added up (sources for this general Schengen rule: official EU pages and consultancy guides).

What the permit does not allow

• Living or working in another Schengen state. For that you need that state's own permit.
• Staying beyond 90 days in 180 elsewhere. The permit is a Greek one: long stays in another state need that state's residence status.
• Free movement as an EU citizen. A permit holder is not an EU citizen.

Time in Greece

Days you spend in Greece do not count towards the 90 in other Schengen countries, because you are allowed to live in Greece. The golden visa has no minimum stay in Greece either. See Greek Golden Visa.

How to count the days

The rule is a rolling window: look back 180 days from each day of your stay and count the days spent in the Schengen states other than Greece. Use our Schengen 90/180 calculator to see the days used and left for a planned trip.

Practical tips

1. Carry the residence card and passport on every trip.
2. Keep records (tickets, stamps) in case the number of days is checked.
3. If you plan to live part of the year in another EU country, look at that country's own routes: which golden visas still exist.
4. Citizens of some countries need a visa to enter Greece the first time: see the pages for Turkey, China and Ukraine.

This material is informational and is not legal advice. Check the current rules on the official EU and Greek pages before you travel.