Can You Work on a Greece FIP Visa? Does Remote Work Count?
No. The law is direct: the FIP permit (Law 5038/2023, art. 163 §8, category I.8) gives no right to dependent work in Greece and no right to independent economic activity of any kind, and that applies to the main applicant, the spouse or partner and the accompanying family alike. Remote work for an employer abroad, or managing your own company abroad, is not carved out in the text. It cannot be assumed to be "not work"; the handling lawyer assesses your actual arrangement before anything is filed. Pensions, rent, dividends and a salary paid abroad can all count as resources, but where the money comes from and what you do while living in Greece are two separate questions. To take a job in Greece, use the work residence route; if you live on remote work, look at the digital nomad visa first.
What the law says
| Activity | Rule |
|---|---|
| A job with a Greek employer | Not allowed |
| Self-employment, a shop, local clients or running a business in Greece | Not allowed: "independent economic activity of any kind" |
| Spouse, partner and accompanying children | The same bar applies to them |
| Receiving a foreign pension, rent from abroad, dividends | Allowed: these are what the permit rests on |
| Remote work for an employer abroad, managing a company abroad | No exemption written into the law; assessed case by case |
Basis: Law 5038/2023, art. 163 §8(γ).
Why remote work is a grey area
The premise of this permit is that you have enough to live on and do not need to work in Greece. Someone who lives in Greece and works every day for an employer abroad is paid from abroad, but the work itself is performed in Greece, so it cannot simply be assumed to fall outside the bar. Online sources contradict each other here, some saying it is fine and others that it is forbidden, because the statute says what is prohibited and never addresses remote work on its own.
The safe course is to state it plainly before filing: whether you work, for whom, from where, and how the contract and the income are set up. The handling lawyer then judges whether this route holds, or whether the digital nomad visa or work residence is the right one. Keeping quiet and sorting it out after the card arrives only moves the risk to the renewal, when the resources have to be proven again.
Can a salary from abroad prove the income?
The benchmark is €3,500 net a month for the main applicant, plus 20% for a spouse and 15% for each child. Periodic income such as a pension, rent from abroad, dividends or a salary paid abroad can all be assessed.
But listing a salary as a resource also tells the consulate that you have a job. The next question is whether you keep doing it once you are in Greece, and how. So an applicant who relies on a salary needs a clear account of the working arrangement after the move; for someone already retired and living on a pension or rent, the question is at its simplest.
If you need to work: which route
| Your situation | The route that fits |
|---|---|
| A Greek employer and a job in Greece | Work visa and residence (the employer invitation, metaklisi) |
| A living from remote work for employers or clients abroad | The digital nomad visa, with conditions of its own |
| A pension, rent, dividends or savings, and no work | FIP residence |
| No wish to meet an income test, willing to make a qualifying investment | The Golden Visa; note that it is not a work permit either |
What happens if you work anyway
A residence permit depends on continuing to meet the conditions it was issued on. Working or trading in Greece means no longer meeting the conditions of this permit, and the consequence is a refused renewal or revocation. Where false or misleading information is established, no residence application of any kind may be filed for 5 years.
Common questions
No. The bar on employment and on independent economic activity applies equally to the spouse or partner and the accompanying family. A spouse who wants to work needs a permit category of their own that allows it.
Dividends are a resource that can be assessed, and holding shares and receiving dividends is not work in Greece. Running or managing the company yourself while living in Greece is not exempted in the law, so have the lawyer assess your actual role first.
Do not plan on FIP as a way to arrive first and look for work afterwards. Work residence starts with a Greek employer applying for the work approval and has its own conditions and procedure; a change of permit category needs its own assessment.
No. "Retirement visa" is a market name. Younger applicants can apply too, provided they can explain a life in Greece that does not involve working there, and where the resources come from.
- Law 5038/2023, art. 163 §8: residence permit for persons with sufficient resources (I.8, the FIP permit), its three-year term and the bar on work
- Ministry of Migration and Asylum: joint ministerial decision KYA 225679/2024 (FEK B' 5223/17.09.2024), the amount of sufficient resources and the family uplifts
- Law 5038/2023, art. 15: when a residence permit is refused, revoked or not renewed
General information, not legal or investment advice for a particular case. Any transaction depends on the lawyer's checks and the law at the time.