Information for Members

This section is designed to help you prepare for living in Greece, whether you are making a short trip to use the libraries or preparing for the year-long academic program. While much of the information is designed for students, even experienced visitors will find useful information here.

All Members of the School (students and senior scholars alike) who plan to be in Greece for their research should familiarize themselves with the current residence policies.

Any non-European Union citizen coming to Greece for more than 90 days (including stays in other European countries) will need to apply for a residence permit. This is a three-step process which begins with making an application for a visa from the Greek authorities in your home country, ensuring that your passport receives a stamp from the frontier police at your first point of entry into the Schengen zone, and finally applying for the residence permit itself once you arrive in Greece.  For detailed information click here.
 

Please note that there is a new process for resident permits, as of June 2024:

1) The School will send you a pre-approval document once you have submitted your passport to visa-application@ascsa.edu.gr. You may also upload your passport securely on Submittable, here. Please note that all pages of your passport need to be scanned and saved as PDF. Once we receive your scanned passport and the information submitted on the "Visa Application Form", we will forward it to the Directorate for Aliens & Migration of Athens in order to receive your pre-approval document. You will then take this form with you to your local consulate to apply for the visa in person.

2) In addition to the FBI background check, birth certificate, and visa application form, note that the Greek consulates have the right to ask for more documents (i.e., W-2 forms). See their website for the most up-do-date information.

3) Some Greek Consulates have a long waiting list for visa appointments, it is good to apply at least 1 to 1.5 months in advance of when you are leaving for Greece.

4) Once the Visa is added to your passport, based on the latest law, you will need to enter Greece, coming from U.S. or any other non Shengen country, the next day, following the
date written on your passport.

*New Travel Requirements Starting in 2025*

BE AWARE that starting in mid-2025, most people will need travel authorization to enter most European countries (including Greece). There are 30 European countries that require visa-exempt travelers to have an ETIAS travel authorization (this includes entry into Greece). Also, nationals of about 30 listed countries need to apply for ETIAS travel authorization into the EU.

The process to apply for travel authorization should be relatively quick, as long as you have the correct documents on-hand. The process to apply will cost 7 euros. The system is not yet live.