Working in Greece from Egypt: Visa, Permit, Costs (2026)

If you are an Egyptian worker with skills in construction, agriculture, driving, hospitality, or manual trades, Greece offers real legal pathways for work. Recent labor agreements between Egypt and Greece have opened structured routes for Egyptian citizens, especially for farm labor and seasonal contracts. However, moving abroad to work requires following official steps so you do not lose your money or end up working illegally.

This guide explains the exact process for traveling from Egypt to Greece for work. You will learn about the visa process, where to submit your papers in Cairo or Alexandria, what costs to expect, and how to protect yourself from dishonest brokers.

The Legal Work Route: Metaklisi and the National Work Visa

To work legally in Greece as an Egyptian national, you cannot simply travel on a tourist visa and look for a job. You must obtain a Greek National Work Visa (Type D visa, subcategory D.1.1 for dependent employment or D.3.1 for seasonal work). The process relies on a system known in Greece as Metaklisi.

In the Metaklisi process, the employer in Greece always acts first. You cannot apply for a work visa by yourself without an approved Greek employer. Here is how the sequence works:

• Step 1: Employer Request in Greece. Your Greek employer submits a formal request to the Decentralized Administration (Apokentroponi Dioikisi) in their local Greek region, proving they want to hire you and setting out your wages and job conditions.
• Step 2: Greek Regional Approval. The Greek authority reviews the request. Once approved, they send an official approval document directly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Greek diplomatic mission in Egypt.
• Step 3: Worker Visa Application in Egypt. Only after the Greek Embassy receives this official approval can you schedule your visa interview and submit your documents in Egypt.

Egypt and Greece signed a dedicated bilateral labor agreement focused on seasonal workers in sectors like agriculture. This framework makes the approval path clearer for Egyptian nationals compared to workers from many non-EU countries, but the employer must still initiate every step in Greece.

Where You Submit Your Application in Egypt

You do not mail your original passport or travel to Greece to apply. You submit your application in person inside Egypt.

Applications for a Greek National Work Visa (Type D) are handled through the official Greek consular services in Egypt. Submissions take place at the Embassy of Greece in Cairo or through an authorized visa application center serving Egypt, such as the Global Visa Center World (GVCW) centers located in Cairo and Alexandria.

When your approval arrives from Greece, you must book an appointment at the nearest designated centre. You will attend in person to submit your original documents, register your biometric data (fingerprints and photo), and complete a short consular interview.

Trades in Demand in Greece

Greece relies on foreign workers to fill specific labor shortages across key industries. These three trades have active hiring needs for Egyptian workers:

• Agriculture and farm work: Greek farms require thousands of workers each year for fruit and olive harvesting, crop cultivation, and greenhouse maintenance under seasonal work agreements.
• Construction and building trades: Qualified welders, masons, carpenters, and general construction workers are in strong demand for housing, hotel renovations, and civil infrastructure projects across Greece.
• Hospitality and food service: Hotels and resorts on the Greek islands and mainland hire kitchen assistants, cleaners, and maintenance staff to handle busy tourist seasons.

Required Documents and Legalization in Egypt

Preparing your paperwork correctly in Egypt is essential. Missing stamps or unverified documents cause long delays or visa refusals. You will need to present the following key documents:

• Valid Egyptian Passport: Your passport must be valid for at least three months beyond the end date of your requested visa and must contain at least two blank pages.
• Signed Work Contract: A legally binding employment contract signed by your Greek employer and approved by the Greek labor authorities.
• Police Clearance Certificate: An official criminal record certificate (Fish wa Tashbeeh) issued by the Egyptian Ministry of Interior, showing a clean record.
• Medical Examination Certificate: A health clearance certificate issued by an approved medical facility in Egypt, confirming you do not carry infectious diseases listed under international health regulations.
• Proof of Professional Skills: Certificates, trade test results, or former employment letters proving you can do the job you were hired for.
• Travel Health Insurance: Coverage for medical emergencies and hospitalization valid for your initial entry period into Greece.

Document legalization is mandatory. Because Egypt uses a traditional legalization chain for documents going to Greece, your Egyptian documents (such as your police certificate and medical form) must first be attested by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). After MOFA stamps your documents, they must be translated into Greek or English by an accredited translator, and then super-legalized by the Greek Embassy in Cairo or the consular section before submission.

Official Fees and Real Costs in Egypt

You should understand the difference between official government fees and the local expenses you will pay in Egypt to get your paperwork ready.

• Official Visa Fee: The Greek National Visa (Type D) fee is set by Greek authorities and is approximately 75 EUR to 150 EUR, payable in Egyptian Pounds (EGP) at the consular exchange rate on your appointment day.
• Processing Time: Once your employer receives approval in Greece and you submit your papers in Cairo or Alexandria, visa processing typically takes approximately 3 to 8 weeks.
• Local Egyptian Expenses: These are out-of-pocket costs on the Egypt side. Expect to pay approximately 150 to 300 EGP for your police clearance certificate, approximately 2,000 to 4,500 EGP for required medical checks and blood tests, approximately 2,500 to 6,000 EGP total for certified translations and Egyptian MOFA attestation stamps, and approximately 10,000 to 22,000 EGP (200 to 450 EUR) for your single flight ticket to Greece once the visa is granted.

Under European and Greek labor regulations, no recruiter, agency, or employer may legally sell you a job or charge you a placement fee for hiring you. The Greek employer pays the official fees for work authorization in Greece. Beware of brokers in Egypt asking for tens of thousands of Egyptian pounds or thousands of Euros for a guaranteed visa. These are illegal processing fee scams targeting workers.

Myths vs facts

Many Egyptian workers fall victim to false information spread by unlicensed brokers. Here are the facts you need to know:

• Myth: You can fly to Greece on a tourist visa and convert it to a work permit after finding a boss.
  Fact: Greece does not allow tourist visa conversion to a work permit inside the country. You must return to Egypt and apply for the Type D work visa through the proper Metaklisi process.
• Myth: Paying an agent in Cairo 3,000 Euros guarantees you a valid Greek work visa.
  Fact: No agent can guarantee a visa. Buying visa approvals is illegal, and using fake documents results in an official travel ban across the entire European Schengen zone.
• Myth: Seasonal agricultural work permits allow you to stay in Greece permanently.
  Fact: Seasonal work permits allow you to work for a specific period (usually up to 9 months per year) after which you must return to Egypt before you can apply for the next season.
• Myth: You do not need to speak any foreign language to work safely in Greece.
  Fact: While you do not need fluent Greek for manual roles, understanding basic occupational English or conversational Greek is vital for reading safety rules and understanding your supervisor.

Before you sign

Never leave Egypt or hand over your passport until you complete this safety checklist:

• Check your contract terms: Ensure your employment contract states your monthly salary, weekly working hours, overtime terms, and whether food or housing is provided by the employer.
• Verify Greek approval: Ask the employer for the official reference number of the approval issued by the Decentralized Administration in Greece before booking your visa appointment in Egypt.
• Confirm who pays travel costs: Check whether your contract includes your flight ticket or if you are expected to pay for your travel upfront.
• Keep original copies: Make clear photocopies or digital phone scans of all signed contracts, police checks, medical reports, and your visa before you hand originals to the consular center.
• Verify emergency contacts: Write down the phone number and address of the Embassy of Egypt in Athens so you have official support after arriving in Greece.

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