Questions employers and individuals ask before the first move

Usually several months end to end, and it depends on the route — metaklisi takes longer than most because of the quota and the consular stage. You get a dated timeline for your case after the route check. The stages that add time:

• The employer's application (for metaklisi, its approval)
• National visa at the consulate
• Residence permit application in Greece

It depends on salary, qualifications, whether it's an in-group transfer, and length of stay. The common routes:

• EU Blue Card — highly qualified roles above the salary threshold
• Intra-corporate transfer (ICT) — moves inside the same group
• National work permit via Metaklisi — the standard employment route
• Digital nomad permit — remote work for employers outside Greece

No. Approval rests solely with the competent Greek authorities. Mazi's role is to prepare a precise, complete file — with licensed Greek counsel handling the legal work and filing where required — to reduce the risk of delays or rejection.

A complete, well-prepared file is the best protection against a rejection, but rejections still happen — usually over quota exhaustion, incomplete documentation, or contract terms that don't match the declared salary. When it happens, we review the stated reasons with you and, where an administrative appeal or a corrected re-application is the right move, we handle it. We can't guarantee an outcome — that decision sits with the Greek authorities — but you won't be left figuring out next steps alone.

Transparent fixed fees quoted before you sign, with government charges passed through at cost. No hourly billing, no month-end surprises. Volume rates for employers moving several people a year.

All official state fees and translation costs are passed through directly at cost, with receipts.

Mazi is a coordination platform, not a law firm — Mazi prepares the file, and licensed Greek immigration counsel handles the legal work and filing where required. Mazi's own team handles housing, tax (AFM) and social security (AMKA) numbers, banking and schools. One accountable partner instead of two vendors to manage.

Provide employment details and company documents once, then approve. Document chasing, appointments and deadline tracking happen in the Mazi platform, with live case status.

Book a 20-minute intro call. We map route, timeline and cost, and you get a written summary afterwards either way.

Both — the same legal counsel and the same platform handle individual, family and employer-sponsored cases.

It depends on where your income comes from, whether you'll work in Greece, your nationality and who is coming with you. That's the first thing we establish on the intro call — and if a simpler route works, we'll say so.

We work on fixed fees, not hourly billing, and pass government charges through at cost with receipts. You'll have a written figure for your case before you engage us. If an employer is relocating you, our fee is usually part of their relocation package — check with your HR team.

In most categories yes, including the Golden Visa where family members can be included in the same application. Spouses often gain labour market access depending on the sponsor's status. We prepare family cases in parallel with the main applicant rather than afterwards.

Yes — renewals, permit type changes, status corrections and family reunification are handled as part of the service. Come to us early if a permit is close to expiry.

Generally, spending more than 183 days in Greece in a year creates tax residency, with consequences for worldwide income. Some incentives exist for new residents. This needs proper advice for your situation before you move, not after.

If you're taking up employment or business activity in Greece and transferring your tax residence here, Article 5Γ of the Greek Income Tax Code (Ν. 4172/2013) can exempt 50% of your Greek-source income from income tax, for 7 tax years. It's cumulative on several conditions — not being a Greek tax resident for 5 of the previous 6 years, transferring residence from an EU/EEA state or a state with a tax cooperation agreement with Greece, and declaring intent to stay at least 2 years. We check eligibility and prepare the application alongside your permit case. Note: this generally applies to routes involving Greek-source employment or business income — such as the Blue Card or Metaklisi — not to Financially Independent Person or remote-income Digital Nomad status, which don't involve Greek employment.

Once your residence permit application is filed in Greece, you receive a blue receipt (βεβαίωση κατάθεσης) that legalises your stay while the case is pending. Whether it also lets you work depends on the permit category, so this is confirmed for your case before you start. We track the case and flag anything that needs your attention before a decision is made.

Sofia, our AI assistant, answers routine questions in multiple languages. Anything that needs a person goes to our Athens team, who work in Greek and English — for key appointments like biometrics or the tax office, we can often arrange interpretation.

Yes. We never sell or rent your personal data. Access to your documents and details is limited to the people working on your case — our team and, where relevant, the reviewing lawyer. We share data only as described in our privacy policy: with the service providers that run the platform, and with the competent Greek authorities where the process requires it.

Athens in person. The rest of Greece, including Thessaloniki and the islands, remotely with local partners for viewings and appointments.