FAQ for Ukrainian citizens who arrived in Greece

This article was developed using the below pages as resources:

Check some Frequently Asked Questions below and find the information you need for your registration and your rights in Greece.

Pre-registration and Provision of Temporary Protection

Ukrainians who arrived in Greece after the 26th of November 2022 are entitled to get the Temporary Protection status on the online platform for pre-registration for the application for Temporary Protection of Displaced Ukrainians. The platform is available on the Ministry of Migration and Asylum website, through which you are able, by filling in your personal details, to schedule an appointment (date and time of arrival), in one of the Regional Offices of the Asylum Service:

If your temporary protection card is lost, stolen, or damaged, please find relevant information in the article: Lost, damaged or expired documents.

How will I get medical care before receiving temporary protection?

With the presentation of your passport or the relevant service note from the Greek Police that you received upon your arrival in Greece, you have access to medical and nursing care in all public hospitals, nursing homes, municipal clinics, primary health care facilities, and Rehabilitation and Social Care Units for prescribing medicine, therapeutic operations and diagnostic examinations (circular of the Ministry of Health, Α.Π. Γ2δ / Γ.Π.οικ.17033, ΑΔΑ: 6ΥΟ0465ΦΥΟ-7ΕΕ). For your convenience and the best quality service provided by the medical staff, please make sure to be accompanied by someone who speaks Greek or English if you have the opportunity.

If you hold a Temporary Protection status, you can use the Social Security Registration Number (your AMKA number) noted on the card to access medical care in Greece.

My spouse has a third-country passport. Can he/she come with us?

Will he/she receive temporary protection? The following categories of persons displaced from Ukraine on 24 February 2022 or later as a result of the military invasion by the Russian Armed Forces, shall receive temporary protection status:

Ukrainian nationals residing in Ukraine before 24 February 2022
Third-country nationals or stateless persons legally residing in Ukraine before 24 February 2022 as beneficiaries of international protection status or equivalent national protection
Family members of the persons mentioned in the above-described cases

Can someone come from another entry point and not from the border post of Promachonas?

Holders of Ukrainian passports with biometric characteristics can enter Greece from all points of entry (land and air). Holders of a Ukrainian passport without biometric features (old type) can enter Greece from all points of entry with the necessary transit visa.

Can I enter Greece with an expired passport?

For your entry to Greece, Ukrainian citizens who do not carry travel documents, or carry an expired passport, can enter from the Passport Control Department of 2 Promachonas (Greek-Bulgarian border), (tel. 0030-23230 41079) where you will be issued a service note by Greek Police personnel.

Is there any time limit for me to stay in Greece?

The maximum stay from your crossing at land or air border in Greece is 90 days. When you receive the temporary protection status, you will have the right to stay in Greece until the 4th of September 2023 and then for another 6 months until the 4th of March 2024. and get access to work and medical care in accordance with Directive 2001/55 of the Council of the European Union, which was incorporated by Presidential Decree 80/2006 into Greek law.

Does the asylum service transport refugees from entry points?

No. The Greek authorities do not undertake the movement of displaced persons from the points of entry into the country.

Can an application for temporary protection be submitted from Ukraine before the person enters Greece?

No. The application and performance of the temporary protection status are implemented only after entering Greece, exclusively by the person themselves and not through a representative or an authorized person.

What documents should I carry to come to Greece with my children if I only have an identity card and not a passport?

Ukrainian citizens who do not hold travel documents can enter only through the Passport Control Department of Promachonas (Greek-Bulgarian border). There you will be given an official transit note by the Greek Police. If you have children with you, you will need to present a certificate of marital status or birth certificate. In case you do not have any of these documents, you will have to fill in and submit an affidavit declaring the number of children and their name, surname, sex and date of birth.

Will I receive accommodation and food?

Yes. To be able to help you, please fill in the form that you will find at: https://migration.gov.gr/accomodation-ukraine/

The Ministry of Migration and Asylum will immediately provide you with accommodation and food in its accommodation facilities. To facilitate and expedite your housing process, please include in your request the number of family members, their names, gender and age, as well as any special needs (vulnerabilities) (serious illness, disability, pregnancy).

Find here the options you have to get accommodation.

What is the procedure for obtaining permission for children (nephews and nieces) from Ukraine to stay in Greece as long as necessary, with their parents remaining in Ukraine?

If the children enter the country unaccompanied, then the National Mechanism for Detection and Protection of Unaccompanied Minors of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum is activated for the transfer of children to special emergency accommodation facilities. Then the identification procedure is followed (if identification is required).

For more information, you can call: 0030 2132128888 (24-hour line), send an e-mail to ssuam.tracing@migration.gov.gr

How do I start/complete the COVID vaccination?

You have the right to start or complete your vaccination free of charge at any vaccination centre within the country after receiving the special temporary protection card that will be given to you by the Asylum Service and which will indicate your AMKA (Social Security Registration Number).

At which Regional Offices of the Asylum Service can one make an appointment? What is the process?

From March 28, 2022 there is a special self-registration platform on the website of the Ministry, through which you will be able, by filling in your personal details, to schedule an appointment (date and time of arrival) in one of the Regional Offices of the Asylum Service:

Please note that the Asylum Services do not currently reissue new Temporary Protection cards in case of loss or theft but only issue a document certifying the fact.

What must one do to stay permanently in Greece?

On the website of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum you can find information on the categories of residence permits of third-country nationals, as well as the required documents. The temporary protection status that you will receive according to the required procedures automatically, after your entry in Greece, covers your legal residence in Greece for at least one year.

I travel with my pet. Will I have a problem entering Greece?

The Greek authorities will make sure that you are provided with every possible facility for the safe entry of your pets into the country. It would be helpful to show the animal health certificate.

Is the 90-day stay cumulatively calculated upon entry in any Schengen area country or in each country separately?

The 90-day deadline applies only to the country in which you consider to reside. Therefore, it starts upon your entry into Greece and stops when you leave. Please note that this deadline expires once you apply for, and receive temporary protection status. From that moment on, you will have the right to stay in Greece for at least one year.

Will my Ukrainian passport be kept in the Asylum Service when I apply for temporary protection?

Will I be issued a travel document? No. The Asylum Service will not keep your passport when issuing you the temporary protection card, nor will you be issued another travel document.

When I receive temporary protection, will I be able to travel to other European countries?

According to the first and official announcement of the Greek Government, if you hold a passport, you can travel. The Ukrainian Nationals having a Temporary protection status and the temporary card issued, have the right to travel and move freely inside the EU-Schengen area, even after the first 90 days of the acquisition of the temporary protection status.

The Greek state has added the Temporary Protection Residence Permit to Annex 22 of the List of Residence Permits Issued by Member States. This means that Ukrainian nationals with Temporary Protection Status can travel from Greece to any Schengen Area country and stay longer than 90 days legally.

Note that Schengen Area countries are: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

When I receive temporary protection, will I be able to travel to Ukraine and return to Greece, or will I have to stay in Greece until it expires?

You can return to Ukraine whenever you wish, and you can return to Greece with your temporary protection document valid until its expiration date. The period of your stay in Ukraine is not limited. The period of your stay in Ukraine is not limited .

If I have recently arrived in Greece and 90 days have passed without me being granted temporary protection or asylum, will I be deported?

No. The Greek authorities will not deport you. You will be able to apply for temporary protection status before the expiration of 90 days from your entry to Greece (if you have entered from November 26th, 2022 and later).

How can I enroll my child in school?

Find on the RI website, information about the education system in Greece and the registration procedures here.

You can also check the site of the ministry.

Where are the Ukrainian Embassy and Consulate located in Greece?

The Ukrainian Embassy is located in Athens at Stefanou Delta 2, Filothei, ZIP 152 37. ?The Ukrainian Consulate is located in Thessaloniki, at Admiral Kountouriotou, ZIP 546 25.

I have come to Greece by my car. For how long can I move freely (without paying for tolls/road fees)? Is my driver's license valid and accepted in your country?

For a 6-month period after your entry in the country, you may move freely with your vehicle. However, during this period you will be informed about the procedure of extension.
Driving licenses issued in Ukraine are accepted for driving throughout Greece (Greece and Ukraine are parties to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic).

About the usage of Ukrainian driving licenses in Greece.

This subject is regulated by EU Regulation 2022/1280 of the European Parliament of July 18, 2022, which establishes specific and temporary measures, taking into account the war in Ukraine, about driving documents issued by Ukraine following its legislation.

I have a Ukrainian driving license and am granted temporary protection in the EU. Do I need to do anything with my driving license?

Driving licenses issued in Ukraine will be recognized in the EU for the entire period of temporary protection. In this context, no action is required. Under certain conditions, you can also prove your driving license with a digital license in the DiIA system.

I have a Ukrainian driving license and am granted temporary protection in the EU. My driver's license is old-style, in Cyrillic, and I cannot return to Ukraine to get an international driving permit (IDP). What can I do?

For the duration of temporary protection, you do not need an international driving license or certified translation. It is enough to have a Ukrainian driver's license with you. However, law enforcement agencies may require an additional document to confirm the holder's identity.

Can I get a Greek driving license with temporary protection in Greece?

Unfortunately, there is no clear guidance on this issue at the moment, but the RI team will be closely monitoring updates on this subject.