How to Hire Caregivers from Abroad in Greece (2026 Guide)

7 min

The Caregiver Shortage in Greece and What You Are Up Against

Elder care facilities, private nursing homes, and care agencies across Greece face a severe structural shortage of qualified workers. The combination of a rapidly aging population, low domestic supply, and significant emigration of domestic healthcare staff has left employers in major urban centers like Athens, Thessaloniki, and Patras struggling to maintain required staffing ratios. The shortage is equally acute in regional areas and island municipalities where local labor markets are too small to support year-round elder care infrastructure.

Historically, private households and care providers relied on informal domestic hiring. Today, institutional care operators and licensed home care agencies must operate within strict legal boundaries to avoid steep financial penalties from labor inspectors. Hiring non-EU staff via the formal Metaklisi (invitation) mechanism is currently the primary legal pathway to bring caregiver and elderly care staff into Greece when domestic candidates are unavailable.

Recruiting from abroad is not a quick solution. It requires advance planning, strict adherence to Greek administrative procedures, and administrative patience. However, for organizations willing to build a reliable hiring pipeline, it offers a stable and legal path to fill essential caregiving positions.

The Legal Framework: Metaklisi and the Single Permit Route

The recruitment of non-EU caregivers is governed by the Greek Immigration Code (Law 5038/2023). The central legal mechanism for non-EU hiring is Metaklisi, an employer-led process managed through the regional Decentralized Administration (Apokentropoimeni Dioikisi) and oversight by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum (Ypourgeio Metanastefsis kai Asylou).

Under this system, the Greek government publishes a Joint Ministerial Decision every two years setting regional worker quotas based on labor shortages. Employers must apply within these limits or apply for vacant positions approved under seasonal or specific skilled worker quotas. Always verify the current open quota lists with your local Decentralized Administration or a qualified immigration lawyer before filing.

The step-by-step process requires specific administrative action by the employer:

Job Position Approval: The employer files an application with the Decentralized Administration detailing the job position, salary, and proof that the role cannot be filled locally.
Document Submission: The employer provides tax clearances, proof of operational legitimacy, and a formal employment contract committing to full-time employment.
Consular Clearance: Once the Decentralized Administration approves the application, the authorization is transmitted to the Greek Embassy or Consulate in the candidate's country of origin.
National Visa (Type D): The candidate attends an interview at the Greek Consulate to receive an entry visa.
Residence Permit Filing: Upon arrival in Greece, the employer and worker complete the submission for a single work and residence permit via the Ministry of Migration online portal.

Qualification Recognition and Regulatory Requirements

Care roles in Greece fall under distinct legal categories, depending on whether the work takes place in a private home, an assisted living facility, or a licensed medical nursing home. Employers must ensure candidates meet the appropriate regulatory standards for their specific setting.

General Caregivers (Frontistes): Staff hired for personal care, assistance with daily living activities, and basic non-medical elder care generally do not require professional medical licensing. Secondary education certificates translated and legalized (via Apostille or consular authentication) are usually sufficient.
Healthcare Assistants (Voithoi Nosilefton): Positions that involve basic medical care in residential facilities require recognition of foreign vocational diplomas. This is handled by the National Organization for the Certification of Qualifications and Vocational Guidance (EOPPEP). The process can take several months, so institutional employers often hire candidates initially as general care support staff while their qualification recognition is pending.
Language Proficiency: While Greek law does not strictly mandate a formal language certificate for basic entry-level care roles, practical workplace integration requires a functional understanding of Greek or basic English. Facilities typically manage this by pairing new arrivals with bilingual staff during their onboarding period.

Realistic Timelines: Decision to Day One

Hiring a non-EU caregiver via the official Metaklisi framework takes between 6 and 10 months. Employers should never plan on a candidate starting within a short timeframe. Bureaucratic processing times vary significantly depending on the specific Decentralized Administration in Greece and the backlog at the Greek consulate in the worker's home country.

A typical timeline moves through four primary phases:

Months 1 to 3: Application filing with the Decentralized Administration in Greece, document verification, and initial regional approval.
Months 4 to 6: Transmission of approval files from Greece to the Greek consular office in the candidate's home country.
Months 7 to 8: Candidate consular interview, submission of criminal background checks, medical clearances, and issuance of the Type D visa.
Months 9 to 10: Worker arrival in Greece, issuing of the tax number (AFM) and social security number (AMKA), and completion of biometric data collection for the final residence permit.

Wages, Social Security (EFKA), and Employer Obligations

Employers hiring non-EU caregivers in Greece must comply fully with national labor laws and statutory wage regulations. Pay and working terms must match those offered to Greek citizens doing the same work.

Statutory Wages: Caregivers must be paid at least the national gross minimum wage (currently set at approximately 830 to 900 EUR monthly for standard entry positions, depending on the exact year and national adjustments). Care facilities bound by sectoral collective agreements must pay the corresponding higher minimum scales.
14-Month Payment Structure: Greek labor law mandates 14 monthly payments per year. This includes a full month extra salary as a Christmas bonus, half a month as an Easter bonus, and half a month as a vacation allowance.
Social Security (EFKA): Employers are required to register workers with the e-EFKA national insurance fund. Employer social security contributions are approximately 22.3% on top of the gross salary, while employee contributions (around 13.8%) are withheld from gross pay.
Working Hours and Rest: Standard working hours are 40 hours per week across a 5-day or 6-day schedule. Mandatory rest days, night shift supplements, and Sunday premiums must be calculated and declared via the ERGANI digital labor registry system.
Housing Obligations: If hiring domestic or live-in caregivers, providing suitable, private, and hygienic accommodation alongside basic sustenance is customary and legally required. For institutional settings where workers live independently, providing initial temporary accommodation (such as 1 to 2 months in a rented apartment or staff lodging) is highly recommended to ensure successful onboarding.

What This Costs You, Roughly

Budgeting for international recruitment in Greece involves several direct costs outside of standard wages. Below are realistic expenditure ranges per worker:

Metaklisi Administrative Fee (Paravolo): 200 EUR paid to the Greek state upon application.
Consular Visa Fees and Legalization: 150 EUR to 300 EUR depending on the country of origin.
Translation and Certification of Documents: 100 EUR to 250 EUR for official Greek translations of background checks and diplomas.
Inbound Travel: 300 EUR to 800 EUR for one-way flight tickets to Greece.
Initial Relocation and Housing Support: 400 EUR to 1,000 EUR for short-term lodging or initial setup assistance.

Under Greek law and international labor standards, a legitimate employer never asks a worker to pay for their own recruitment, processing fees, or visa fees. Charging candidates for job placement is illegal in Greece and subjects the employer to severe administrative fines and legal prosecution. Employers are fully responsible for all filing fees associated with the Metaklisi process.

How to Search the Workuro Registry for Caregivers

Workuro operates an open registry where caregivers from non-EU countries publish their professional profiles, skill sets, and language capabilities specifically to find opportunities in Europe. Employers in Greece can use the Workuro directory to identify and evaluate prospective staff directly.

Because Workuro is not a recruitment agency, there are no placement fees, success commission rates, or per-hire charges. You access candidate profiles, review their experience in elderly care, and contact them directly to conduct interview evaluations and extend employment offers. Once an agreement is reached, your organization manages the Metaklisi filing locally or through your existing legal counsel.

Please note that the Workuro registry is young and growing. You will not find thousands of candidates available instantly for every region in Greece. Instead, you will find a focused group of individuals who have actively stated their desire to relocate to Europe for caregiving work, allowing you to establish early contact and initiate your legal hiring process without middleman markups.