You can find information on the overall procedure and all the steps for the asylum application on the official website of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum HERE.

If you have not been registered in Reception and Identification structures and you wish to submit a request for international protection in Greece, you can register your asylum application at the designated registration centers on the mainland in Malakasa (Athens) and Diavata (Northern Greece). You can choose between the two depending on your location. To schedule your registration and get an appointment, you will need to fill in the form HERE.   

Please note that to submit an application you will need to declare a contact email address. When you finalize your application, you will be assigned an appointment (day & time) for your attendance at the registration point you choose, and you will receive a relevant proof to the email you registered. The appointment is common to all members of the application. You can include up to 8 family members in your request, filling in the number of adults and the number of minors separately. 

In the event that it is not possible for you to go to the registration point after a scheduled appointment, you have the possibility to reschedule it 2 more times, without the possibility of further extension.  

The registration process will last from 1 to 25 days and for this period your stay in the structure may be required. During your stay, interpreters will be available to support you throughout the registration process. Food will be provided three times a day.  

For more information about the services and facilities in the two centers, you can check the website of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum for RIC Malakasa HERE and/or for RIC Diavata HERE in Greek and English.

After the registration process, you are provided with an asylum applicant’s card. The timeframe within which the card needs to be renewed varies depending on the country of origin and other factors. On the bottom of every physical asylum applicant’s card you can find the card’s validity period, as well as information on when it needs to be renewed.

You can also check to see when you need to renew your card by clicking on the option “Renewal of International Protection Cards” of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum website HERE and typing in your case number.

To renew your card, you can contact via email the asylum service that has issued your card. You can find the contact details of every asylum unit/department in Greece HERE. 

You can find the overall information on the interview step of the asylum procedure HERE.

If you wish to postpone or expedite your appointed interview, you can click on the option “Application to Postpone/Expedite the Interview Date” HERE and complete the form for your request.

You may find information on the procedure of issuance and/or renewal of residence permits on the website of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum in various languages HERE while you can find the announcements of the issued and/or renewed residence permit based on your case number HERE.

Please note that the Passport Offices of the Greek Police are the competent authorities to receive applications for issuance and /or renewal of residence permits.

Step by step procedure is also described HERE.

For information on how to apply for travel Documents in Greece, please visit the Ministry and Migration Webpage available HERE in 8 languages. 

Please note that the Passport Offices of the Greek Police are the only authorities with the competency to receive applications for travel documents of refugees in Greece.  

You can regularly check whether your travel document is ready for delivery on the website of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum HERE, by using your asylum case number.  

For step-by-step information about the relevant procedures please also see HERE. 

Please note that DYPA (previously OAED) is the competent service for the issuance of the unemployment card.​ Migrant Integration Centre (KEM) can also support you with this.

You can find more information on access to welfare in Greece HERE.

You can find information about the types of Residence Permit categories for Third Country Citizens & Documents to be submitted HERE and HERE.

The main way through which a foreign national residing in Greece can acquire Greek citizenship is through naturalization. The exact requirements can be found in the relevant legal provisions (Code of Greek Citizenship) and include – but are not limited to – legal & permanent residence in Greece for a certain number of years (depending on the type of residence permit) & successful participation in the examinations for the “naturalization certificate” verifying the adequate knowledge of Greek language, history, culture etc. (the examinations takes place twice a year), as well as certain income requirements and other evidence of integration into the Greek society. There are other requirements as well, which may vary – to an extent – for each category of applicants. Moreover, Greek citizenship may be acquired through a facilitated procedure by children/young adults who have been born and/or participated in the Greek education system – under certain requirements. 

The Ministry of the Interior/General Secretariat for citizenship is the competent authority for all relevant information and procedures, through the Citizenship Departments and Regional Directorates for Citizenship located in most major cities in Greece. 

Please note that all above mentioned links to the Ministry of Migration & Asylum can be also found in Greek language.

All of the e-services provided by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum can be found HERE. In case you wish to book an appointment with the Asylum Service for any reason, you can proceed through the online form HERE.

For any additional information, you can also visit UNHCR Greece Help website HERE, UNHCR Greece Information Point on Facebook HERE and the Guide for asylum-seekers and refugees in Attica HERE (Greek-French-Turkish-Somali) and HERE (Arabic-English-Farsi-Urdu).