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

The permit route for Colombians

Greece's work-permit system runs on an annual quota, set out in a Joint Ministerial Decision (Koini Ypourgiki Apofasi), that fixes how many non-EU workers each region and sector can take on - mostly agriculture, tourism and construction. Your employer in Greece has to secure a position inside that quota first, through the regional Decentralised Administration, before you apply for the National Visa (D) for employment at the Greek mission covering Colombia. Even a strong offer does not help if the quota for your sector and region closed earlier in the year.

Greece has no bilateral labour agreement with Colombia, and the distance makes this a costly route to attempt without real certainty of a quota slot. Spain, with its shared language and much larger Colombian community, is usually the more realistic option for the same trades.

A Greek seasonal permit is normally tied to one specific contract and one season rather than a year-round stay, and renewing it the next year means a fresh quota application, even with the same employer. The EU Blue Card is built for highly skilled, well-paid roles needing a university degree, and it almost never covers driving, welding, construction or hospitality work, so do not plan around it.

Since the employer's own quota application has to clear first, how fast you move matters less than how early they applied - ask them directly for a current status update before committing to costs on your side.

Check whether Greece maintains a resident embassy in Bogota; Latin America is not where Greece keeps its densest diplomatic network, so you may be directed to the nearest Greek embassy or visa centre serving Colombia, possibly in another country. Confirm this before committing to the cost of travel. The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs website lists current missions and visa centres and is worth checking directly rather than relying on secondhand advice from a previous applicant.

Documents, and the apostille route

• Contract: a signed contract or binding written offer.
• Passport: valid for your stay.
• Police clearance: a recent Colombian judicial or police clearance certificate.
• Qualification proof: evidence of trade qualification or experience.
• Health insurance: valid in Greece.
• Biometrics: taken at your application appointment.

Colombia is part of the Hague Apostille Convention, so your police certificate and civil documents can be apostilled by the competent Colombian authority rather than fully legalised. Still budget real time for the apostille and for certified translation into Greek, done by a translator Greek authorities actually recognise, since work from outside that circle can be rejected and has to be redone. Scan every original document before sending it off for apostille or translation, so you have a backup if anything is lost in transit.

What this costs

Greece sets its own fees and these can change, so verify with the embassy - roughly, the national visa fee runs approximately 75 to 90 euros, with the process, tied to the quota timeline, often taking several months.

On the Colombian side, expect roughly 50,000 to 150,000 COP for the police certificate, a similar range for a medical check, 150,000 to 400,000 COP for apostille and certified translation together, and a flight to Greece that commonly costs 700 to 1,200 euros given the distance. Book that flight only once the visa is actually in hand, not on a promised approval - a non-refundable ticket bought too early has cost other workers real money when a decision was delayed.

The Greek employer carries the cost of recruiting you, not you - confirm this rule with the Ministry of Migration and Asylum before paying anyone. Be wary of agencies in Colombia advertising a guaranteed Greek island job for an upfront fee - this scam shape has specifically targeted Colombian jobseekers eyeing European tourism work, and a real employer never needs your money to hire you.

Where the real jobs are

Agriculture is Greece's biggest legal channel for foreign labour, taking on seasonal harvest workers every year under the quota. Tourism and hospitality hire heavily across the islands and coast for the summer season. Construction also draws some foreign tradespeople, though in smaller numbers. Port and shipping-adjacent work around Piraeus occasionally needs manual labour as well, though that market is smaller and far less predictable than seasonal farm work.

Myths vs facts

• Myth: Spanish is widely useful across Greek workplaces. Fact: Greek jobs run on Greek or English - Spanish rarely helps here, even alongside other Latin American workers on the same site.
• Myth: A tourist visa can be converted into work rights after arrival. Fact: the quota-linked work visa must be approved before you travel.
• Myth: Latin American trade qualifications are automatically recognised. Fact: recognition depends on the trade and employer - check rather than assume.
• Myth: Paying extra to an agency speeds up a quota decision. Fact: no payment changes a government quota outcome, and legitimate recruitment costs sit with the employer, not the worker.
• Myth: A seasonal permit renews automatically if the employer wants you back. Fact: each season needs a fresh quota application and a fresh visa, no matter how the last season went.

Before you sign

• Confirmed quota slot: make sure the employer's position is approved within the current quota, not just offered.
• Written contract: get pay, hours and season dates in writing before you travel anywhere.
• Right office: identify the correct Greek embassy or visa centre given Greece's limited presence in Latin America.
• Translations: line up a translator Greek authorities actually accept before you need one, and confirm this early given how far Colombia is from Greece.
• Apostille early: start your apostille and translation process early, since distance already adds delay.
• Who pays: put the recruitment-cost arrangement in writing before anyone starts the paperwork on either side.
• No upfront fees: refuse any processing fee requested before a signed contract, no matter how official it sounds.
• Season end: ask what the plan is for your permit and travel once the season or contract ends.

Put it on your Workuro profile

Set out your target route on your profile - National Visa for seasonal or trade work in Greece, the sector and season, and how ready your apostilled documents are. Employers looking for Colombian agricultural or hospitality workers want to see you already understand the quota system and the distance involved. Note any English you speak alongside Spanish, and mention any previous seasonal work abroad, since that experience matters to an employer filling a short window, especially given the real distance you are travelling to get there. Workuro is free for workers - employers pay to search the register, and nobody may charge you for a job.