How to Hire Construction Workers from Abroad in Greece (2026)

6 min

1. The construction labor shortage in Greece and your options

Greece is experiencing a severe deficit of construction labor. The combination of major infrastructure projects in metropolitan centers, massive residential developments like The Ellinikon in Attica, and continuous hotel expansion across Crete and the Cyclades has strained the domestic workforce. Thousands of skilled trade workers left the country during the financial crisis of the 2010s, and young domestic entries into the building trades remain low.

If you run a construction firm, manage job sites, or oversee HR in Greece, you already know that recruiting locally for experienced formwork carpenters, masons, ironworkers, heavy machinery operators, and general laborers is exceptionally difficult. As a result, many Greek contractors are looking at recruitment from third countries (non-EU/EEA nationals).

However, bringing construction workers into Greece from outside the EU is not a quick fix. The process is heavily regulated, relies on government quotas, and requires significant advance planning. Hiring directly from abroad via official immigration channels is bureaucratic and slow. If you need ten workers on site next week, direct non-EU recruitment will not meet your deadline. What many Greek employers do instead in the short term is subcontract to larger entities, rely on existing non-EU residents who already hold valid Greek residence permits, or adjust project schedules. For long term capacity, however, initiating formal foreign recruitment is becoming standard practice.

2. The legal route: The Metaklisi system and who files what

The standard legal mechanism for hiring a non-EU construction worker in Greece is known as Metaklisi (invitation/requisition). This system connects non-EU recruitment directly to approved quota limits set by the state.

Every two years, the Greek government issues a Joint Ministerial Decision (JMD) that establishes the maximum number of job positions open to third-country nationals by region and by specialty. This decision is published in the Government Gazette after regional authorities gather demands from local industry groups and labor offices.

Here is how the legal process works and who is responsible for each step:

Step 1: Quota check and application by the employer. You must apply to the Decentralized Administration (Apopkentromeni Dioikisi) governing the region where your project is based (for example, the Decentralized Administration of Attica for projects in Athens, or the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia-Thrace for Thessaloniki). You must prove that the trade position you are seeking exists within the official regional quota for that year.
Step 2: Submitting documentation and guarantees. The employer files the application alongside proof of active business operations, tax clearance, social security clearance, and a formal declaration to employ the worker at standard statutory pay rates. You must also deposit a bank guarantee covering the worker's return transport costs if the employment relationship ends early.
Step 3: Approval and consular notification. Once the Decentralized Administration approves your application, the decision is forwarded to the competent Greek Embassy or Consulate in the worker's country of origin (such as Egypt, India, the Philippines, or Moldova).
Step 4: Visa application by the worker. The worker receives an invitation to attend an interview at the Greek Consulate. They must submit their passport, criminal record check, medical certificate, and signed draft employment contract to receive a National Entry Visa (Type D.1 or D.2 depending on contract duration).
Step 5: Arrival and residence permit application. Upon entering Greece, the worker must apply for a Single Work and Residence Permit (Adeia Diamonis) via the Ministry of Migration and Asylum online portal before their entry visa expires.

Always verify current procedural requirements directly with the Ministry of Migration and Asylum (Ypourgeio Metanastefsis kai Asylou) or your regional Decentralized Administration, as administrative steps and portal requirements update frequently.

3. Realistic timelines: From decision to worker starting on site

Employers frequently underestimate the time required to complete the metaklisi process. You must plan project staffing months in advance. A realistic timeline breaks down as follows:

Preparation and document filing (1 to 2 months): Gathering tax clearances, preparing job descriptions, securing bank guarantees, and filing the initial application with the Decentralized Administration.
Decentralized Administration processing (2 to 5 months): Review times vary significantly by region. High-volume administrative zones like Attica or Central Macedonia often take longer than smaller island administrations.
Consular processing and visa issuance (2 to 4 months): Depend heavily on consular capacity in the worker's country of origin, interview backlogs, and local background check verification.
Arrival and final registration (2 to 3 weeks): Once the worker arrives in Greece, you must complete their tax registration (AFM), register them with social security (EFKA), and submit their residence permit file before they can legally begin physical work on site.

In total, expect the process to take anywhere from 6 to 11 months from the day you decide to hire until the day the worker steps onto your job site. Attempting to rush this process is generally ineffective because processing times depend strictly on public administration backlogs.

4. Pay, housing, and legal obligations in Greece

When you hire non-EU workers in Greece, you must comply strictly with national labor standards, sectoral collective agreements, and social security regulations. The authorities verify these terms prior to issuing work approvals.

Wages and daily rates: Construction pay in Greece is structured around daily rates (imeromisthio) and monthly base rates set by statutory minimums and construction sector agreements. As of 2026, general construction laborers earn a base daily rate starting around €40 to €48 gross. Experienced tradespeople (masons, formwork carpenters, steel fixers) command between €55 and €85 gross per day, depending on experience and location. Monthly earnings for full-time site workers typically range between €1,050 and €1,800 gross. You cannot pay a foreign worker less than the legal minimum wage established for local workers in the same category.
Social Security (EFKA): Every construction worker must be registered with the e-EFKA system. In Greece, construction work carries specific insurance stamps (ensema) based on daily site attendance. Employer social security contributions in construction add approximately 25 percent to 28 percent on top of the worker's gross daily wage. Failure to report proper ensema carries severe administrative fines from the Labor Inspectorate (SEPE).
Housing obligations: Under metaklisi requirements, employers bringing third-country nationals into Greece are legally required to ensure the worker has adequate housing that meets local health and safety standards. If you provide company-owned or rented accommodation, the housing conditions must be documented. Rent deductions from wages are strictly controlled and must not exceed standard statutory limits or reduce net pay below mandatory thresholds. In seasonal hot spots like the Cyclades or Crete, securing worker housing is often the employer's single biggest operational bottleneck.
Regulated trades and professional qualifications: Standard site laborers, masons, and formwork carpenters do not require formal qualification recognition to work on a Greek job site. However, specialized trades such as certified electricians, plumbers, and heavy equipment operators fall under regulated framework supervised by the Ministry of Development and regional Industry Directorates. If you hire machinery operators or specialized technicians, their foreign technical certificates must undergo equivalence review by EOPPEP (the National Organisation for the Certification of Qualifications and Vocational Guidance) or the relevant ministry before they can legally operate specialized equipment.

5. What this costs you, roughly

Budgeting for international recruitment involves several distinct expenses. You should anticipate the following realistic cost ranges per worker when bringing non-EU personnel to Greece:

State administrative fees (Paravolo): €100 to €150 per application submitted to the Decentralized Administration.
Consular entry visa fee: €90 to €180 paid at the Greek Embassy or Consulate abroad.
Bank guarantee for repatriation: €300 to €800 held by a bank (cost varies depending on the country of origin to cover potential return travel).
Inbound travel expenses: €300 to €700 for one-way airfare or transport to Greece.
Initial housing setup and amenities: €200 to €500 initial setup per worker, plus ongoing rent costs if subsidized by the employer.
Legal or administrative consultancy (optional): €300 to €800 per worker if you hire a local labor lawyer or relocation specialist to handle the metaklisi paperwork.

6. Protecting your business: Legal requirements on recruitment fees

Greek law and international labor standards prohibit recruiters or employers from charging workers fees for recruitment, placement, or visa processing. As an employer in Greece, maintaining full oversight of your recruitment pipeline is critical for legal compliance.

If a third-party intermediary, local agent, or agency abroad demands money from a job applicant in exchange for a contract or visa in Greece, that practice constitutes illegal fee charging and potential human trafficking. Under Law 4251/2014 (Greece's Immigration and Social Integration Code) and subsequent updates, employers who utilize labor obtained through fraudulent or abusive placement schemes face severe consequences. Penalties include heavy fines from the Labor Inspectorate (SEPE), mandatory payment of back wages, revocation of metaklisi quotas, and potential criminal liability.

Ensure that your hiring process makes it explicitly clear to candidates that they do not have to pay anyone to secure a job with your firm. You should cover administrative and travel fees directly to maintain compliance and protect your business from liability.

7. Finding construction workers on the Workuro registry

Finding qualified candidates who are genuinely willing to relocate to Greece for work can be difficult. Workuro operates a open candidate registry where workers from non-EU countries create profiles outlining their experience, trade skills, and destination preferences.

Employers in Greece can use the Workuro platform to search directly for construction workers who have specified Greece as a target country for work. You can filter profiles by trade skill, such as concrete workers, formwork specialists, block layers, or site laborers, and view details about their practical work history and language abilities.

Workuro is not a recruitment agency. We do not charge per-hire fees, we do not take a commission on worker salaries, and we do not participate in employment negotiations. Employers subscribe to access candidate profiles and communicate with workers directly to discuss job terms, evaluate qualifications, and begin formal metaklisi procedures.

Our candidate registry for Greece is relatively young and growing steadily. While you will not find thousands of profiles for every trade immediately, the platform offers a direct, transparent way to connect with non-EU construction workers who want to work in Greece, without paying agency markups or relying on unverified third-party recruiters.