Application for permits must be made to the local police ( Astynomia) or at the Aliens’ Bureau ( Grafio Tmimatos Allodapon) in larger cities such as Athens, Patra, Rhodes and Thessaloniki. Note that offices aren’t common in small towns and in many areas you will need to travel to a regional capital or large city to apply.
Allow plenty of time when making applications, as Greek bureaucracy grinds slowly. EEA residence permits are valid for five years, while residence and work permits for non-EEA nationals are valid for one year and may be renewed for up to five years, after which an application to extend a permit is necessary.
Citizens of certain European Economic Area (EEA) countries, including Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Spain can visit Greece with a national identity card, while others require a full passport. A non-EEA national usually requires a visa to work, study or live in Greece.
When in Greece you must always carry your passport or residence permit (if you have one), which serves as an identity card, which all local nationals must carry by law. You can be asked to produce your identification papers at any time by the police and other officials, and if you don’t have them you can be taken to a police station and interrogated.
Permit infringements are taken very seriously by the authorities and there are penalties for breaches of regulations, including fines and even deportation for flagrant abuses.