PROFILE / THE IMMIGRATION COMPLICATIONS OF PARTICIPATING IN A GREEK S.A. COMPANY

A legal representative of a Greek S.A. company who is also a member of its Board of Directors of the Greek entity needs first to acquire a residence and work permit in order to be able to live and work within the country. The person in question must have adequate means (a minimum of sixty thousand euros that must be deposited to a bank account in his/her name) to be able to exercise an "independent economic activity", which must contribute to the development of the Greek National Economy. Then, the person needs to submit an application for the granting of a special entry visa, as well as an economic/technical report before the Greek Consulate in the country in which he/she resides. The application is then forwarded to the competent department of the District which shall decide on the application within a month. If the District rejects the person's application, he/she is not able to submit another application, before one year passes.

However, if the following prerequisites exist, there exists a simpler way for a legal representative to acquire a residence and work permit if the company under formation is either an affiliate company or a branch office of a foreign company which must operate legally in Greece. Then, the person needs to submit an application before the Greek Consulate of the country in which he/she resides, in order to acquire a special entry visa, with which he/she can enter Greece and proceed with all the necessary actions in order to get a residence and work permit. The granting of a residence and work permit following this procedure will take around two months, but does not require any capital to be deposited in advance.