A short stay type C Schengen Visa is for any person who plans to visit Greece and remain in the Schengen area for up to 90 days over a period of 180 days (6 months) (You will find information on how to calculate your visa travel days on this page in the category Travel Days Calculator).  The purpose of travel could be Tourism, Business, Visiting Family or Friends, Cultural and Educational, Sports, Medical reasons, Studies, Airport transit, Seafarers and Other. A visa application may now be lodged six (6) months before and not later than fifteen (15) calendar days before the date of the intended visit.

Every applicant, including children/infants, has to submit their Schengen visa application in person and by appointment only on their appointment date, which needs to be booked online. Please click here.

Please note that to be eligible to submit an application, it is necessary to have a permanent or temporary residency permit valid for at least 1 month after the intended date of return to Iran. in order to apply. In any other case the Greek Consular Authorities will not be able to process your application.

The visa applications may be submitted at the Visa Application Centres for Greece in Tehran.

All applications will be assessed by the Embassy of Greece - Consular Office - Visa Section. The Visa Application Centres for Greece offer the option of courier service for the return of your submitted documents, directly at your doorstep. You may be required to appear before a Visa Officer for a personal or Skype interview at the Consular Office of the Greek Embassy in Tehran, prior to a decision being made regarding your application and this may cause delays in the visa process, which applicants accept responsibility for.

Important - Visa applications may take up to 15 calendar days to process. For certain nationalities (see list here) the visa application needs consultation from the other Schengen countries and therefore the minimum processing time takes 3 weeks. Some applications may require further processing, which could take up to 45 days. Please, click here to find more information regarding the processing time.

Important Note to Applicants: Please be informed that the standard processing time of a visa application, in accordance with the Schengen Code, amounts to fifteen (15) calendar days after the application has been lodged. In case the application has been submitted at a VAC outside Tehran, additional time has to be taken into consideration.
However, we are currently experiencing a very high demand for travel to Greece, and as a result, there is a possibility that your application may take longer than 15 calendar days to be processed at the Consulate. Therefore, you are strongly advised to apply well in advance of your trip to Greece allowing a longer period than the standard 15 calendar days.
If, however, you decide to apply for a visa within the said 15 calendar days from your departure date of your trip, you are at risk of your application not being processed in time for the issue of a visa for the requested time period. For any enquiries, you are advised to contact VAC or the Consular Office.

When lodging the application at the Visa Application Centres for Greece, applicants shall pay the Visa Fee and Service Fee, which may only be paid in EUR, and present the following Basic Documents:

1	Visa application form	-Fully completed and signed by the applicant
2	Two recent passport-sized pictures	- In colour, 3.5 x 4 cm (approx. 1.2 x 1.6 inch) - Facing forward, white background
3	Passport	- Valid for at least three months after date of return to U.K. - Containing at least two blank visa pages - Issued within the previous ten (10) years -1 copy of the identification page and 1 copy of all visa pages
4	Medical insurance (holders of diplomatic passports are exempted)	-Minimum coverage 30,000 EURO, for medical costs and medical repatriation, valid in all Schengen countries during the whole validity of the issued visa.

Additionally, and according to the purpose of the journey, applicant shall present the necessary required documents.

The VAC Visa Application Centres for Greece are authorised by the Diplomatic and Consular Authorities of Greece in Iran. to collect visa applications on their behalf. The VACs for Greece are only responsible for collecting/ retrieving visa applications, and play no part in the decision making process of visa applications.

Holders of ordinary passports who wish to apply for a Visa are kindly requested to carefully read the information on this website. The guidelines listed on this website are to help you prepare your documents as accurately as possible. This will reduce the risk of your application being incomplete or unnecessarily delayed.

Holders of Diplomatic, Service and Public affairs passports are welcome to submit their applications through the Embassy/ Consular Office - Visa Section in Tehran.

The Consular Authorities of Greece reserve the right to ask for additional documents and may call the applicant for an interview.

To download the visa application form, please click here.

For visa applicants' rights in case of rejection due to registration in the Schengen Information System or the National Record of Undesirable Foreigners, please click here.  

For information request form about personal data processed in the National SCHENGEN Information System(N-SIS), please click here.

To apply for a visa at a VAC for Greece or directly to a Greek Consulate and your travel plans include more than one Schengen Member State, your stay in Greece must exceed the length of time to be spent in any other Member State. In case of equal duration of stay, Greece should be the first country of entry.

Family applications involve individual applications: a separate application must be submitted with a separate set of required documents for each member of a family or group applying. Please note that for each person applying for a visa, including for children travelling with their parents, a separate application form with a separate set of accompanying documents should be submitted.

Minor/ children application: BOTH parents should be present at the appointment except when only one parent exercises parental authority or is the legal guardian (established by law or by a court decision or the relevant competent authority, according to the national law of the country where the minor resides).

Before selecting a visa category, applicants are advised to read the requirements under Overview (see here) to check eligibility for visa categories.

You are kindly requested to complete the application form and submit it along with the travel document (passport) and the documentation required for your purpose of travel to the VAC for Greece in Iran. For VAC locations click here. The VACs for Greece accept visa applications upon online appointment. You may book your appointment here.

Under the new visa system implemented by all Schengen Missions in Iran as of November 20, 2015, all VIS visa applicants must submit their application in person in order for their biometric data (10 fingerprints and digital photo) to be taken. Please note that appearance in person for all applicants regardless of age is mandatory for biometrics.

Important Note to Applicants regarding processing time:
Please be informed that the standard processing time of a visa application, in accordance with the Schengen Code, is fifteen (15) calendar days after the application has been lodged.  For certain nationalities (see list here) the minimum processing time is 3 weeks because the processing of a visa application requires consultation with other Schengen countries. Some applications may require further processing, which could take up to 45 days.
However, we draw attention that we are currently experiencing a very high demand for travel to Greece, and as a result, there is a possibility that applications may take longer than 15 calendar days to be processed at the Consulate. Therefore, applicants are strongly advised to submit their applications well in advance of travelling to Greece allowing a longer period than the standard 15 calendar days.
Accordingly, applications submitted strictly within the said 15 calendar days from a scheduled departure for Greece run the risk of not being processed timely, meaning that a visa may not be issued in time for the intended visit.  For any enquiries, you are advised to contact VAC or the Consular Office.

Please, click here to find more information regarding the processing time.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING DOCUMENTATION TO BE PRESENTED AT THE VAC FOR GREECE:

• Family Applications are Individual Applications: a separate application must be submitted with a separate set of required documents for each member of a family/ couple/ group of applicants (e.g., couples/ families applying on the same day must submit the application form and the supporting documentation separately).
• Minor/ children application: BOTH parents should be present at the appointment except when only one parent exercises parental authority or is the legal guardian (established by law or by a court decision or the relevant competent authority, according to the national law of the country where the minor resides).
• All required documentation submitted must be recent, i.e., not older than 1 month from the date of the application.
• Applicants must always present original documents as well as submit 1 photocopy of the original documents, when visiting the VAC for Greece. 
• Travel Insurance must cover the whole Schengen area regardless of which country/countries are to be visited.
• A receipt / invoice or payment confirmation must be presented demonstrating that round-trip flight tickets for travel to and from Greece are fully paid with a valid receipt.
• Copies of the previous Schengen visas should be provided, highlighting the recent or valid ones.
• The employment letter (and not employment contract) submitted must be recently dated, i.e., not older than 1 month from the date of the application.
• Long-term National type D visa: applicants must attend their appointment knowing the category under which they are applying as the officers are not allowed to advise.
• To apply as a family member of EU/ EEA/ Swiss citizen applicants must travel together with the spouse or partner or child.

For EEA/ EU and Swiss national family member, please click here.

For Minors, please click here.

NOTE: Kindly be advised that the list of required documents is not an exhaustive list of required documents, and the applicant may always be requested to provide additional information/ documents, if desired by the Mission.

Therefore, as of 20 November 2015 all visa applicants will have to appear in person at the Visa Application Centre for Greece, when lodging the application, in order to provide their fingerprints.

Under the VIS, mandatory fingerprinting is introduced for all passport categories. Consular sections must collect biometric data – digital photo and fingerprinting often fingers - from all visa applicants. Consequently, all visa applicants, irrespective of nationality, shall be required to present themselves at the Visa Application Centre for Greece at the time of their visa application for the biometric data collection.

(*)[1]Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

The following categories of applicants are exempt from the requirement to provide fingerprints (Article 13(7) of the Visa Code):

• Children under the age of 12;
• Persons for whom fingerprinting is physically impossible. If the fingerprinting of fewer than 10 fingers is possible, the maximum number of fingerprints shall be taken. However, should the impossibility be temporary, the applicant shall be required to give the fingerprints at the following application. The authorities competent in accordance with Article 4(1), (2) and (3) shall be entitled to ask for further clarification of the grounds for the temporary impossibility. Member States shall ensure that appropriate procedures guaranteeing the dignity of the applicant are in place in the event of there being difficulties in enrolling;
• Heads of State or government and members of a national government with accompanying spouses, and the members of their official delegation when they are invited by Member States’ governments or by international organizations for an official purpose;
• Sovereigns and other senior members of a royal family, when they are invited by Member States’ governments or by international organizations for an official purpose.

Basic Procedure:
Biometrics will be collected using a quick, discreet and non-intrusive process that captures a facial image with a digital camera and a 10-digit fingerprint scan with a digital finger scanner.
Your face must be clearly visible for a photograph to be taken. This means that you cannot:

• have hair that covers the eyes
• wear a hat or scarf or any other item that obscures the face, hair or neck (with the exception of religious head coverings detailed below)
• If you wear a head or neck covering for religious reasons you must ensure your face is clearly visible, from the bottom of your chin to above your eyebrows including both cheeks. If possible both ears should also be displayed. You may also need to remove your glasses when the photograph is taken.

If you have cut or damaged your fingertips, you should make an appointment with the Visa Application Centre for Greece when the injury has healed.
If you have a temporary decoration, such as mehndi, you should advise the Visa Application Centre for Greece when booking your appointment to determine whether a scan will be possible.

If you refuse to submit your biometric data, your visa application cannot be processed and you will be referred to the Embassy of Greece.

As from 18 October 2013 for the vast majority of the third-country nationals – irrespective of being visa required or exempt – who intend to travel to the Schengen area for a short stay (contrary to reside in one of the Member States for longer than 3 months) the maximum duration of authorised stay is defined as "90 days in any 180-day period […]". "The date of entry shall be considered as the first day of stay on the territory of the Member States and the date of exit shall be considered as the last day of stay on the territory of the Member States. Periods of stay authorised under a residence permit or a long-stay visa shall not be taken into account in the calculation of the duration of stay on the territory of the Member States."

Contrary to the definition which was in force until 18 October 2013, the new concept is more precise by setting the duration in days, instead of months. Moreover, the term "from the date of first entry" which gave rise to many uncertainties and questions (especially after a judgment of the Court of Justice of the EU from 2006 (Case 241/05 "Bot)) has been dropped from the provision.

The notion of "any", implies the application of a "moving" 180-day reference period, looking backwards at each day of the stay (be it at the entry or at the day of an actual check), into the last 180-day period, in order to verify if the 90 days / 180-day requirement continues to be fulfilled.

Among others, it means that an absence for an uninterrupted period of 90 days allows for a new stay for up to 90 days.
Stays in Bulgaria, Croatia, Ireland, Romania, Cyprus and the United Kingdom shall not be taken into account as they are not (yet) part of the Schengen area without internal borders. At the same time, the non-EU Member States Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland belong to the Schengen area; short stays in these countries count in when assessing the compliance with the 90 days / 180-day rule.
Please note that the change does not apply to the visa waiver agreements concluded between the EU and Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Mauritius, and Seychelles where the old definition ("3 months during a 6 months period following the date of first entry") continues to apply. For citizens of these 7 third countries the calculator is not recommended to be used.

The length of stay of non-EU citizens traveling with a visa issued in accordance with the visa facilitation agreements concluded by the EU and certain third countries is to be calculated according to the new calculation method as there is reference in these agreements to "90 days per period of 180 days".

USER MANUAL FOR SHORT-STAY SCHENGEN CALCULATOR

TRAVEL DAYS CALCULATOR

Please click here for passport collection times at the Visa Application Center for Greece of your choice.

If collecting in person is not possible, you may authorize another person to collect your passport on your behalf.

If the authorized person is a relative of the applicant, the relative will need to bring:

1. Original Payment Receipt of the applicant(s)
2. The original Government identification proof of the relative
3. A photocopy of the Government identification proof of the relative
4. The original document that proves the family relationship with the applicant
   (marriage certificate, birth certificate)
5. A photocopy of the document that proves the family relationship with the applicant (marriage certificate, birth certificate)

If the authorized person is not a relative of the applicant, the authorized person will need to bring:

1. Original Payment Receipt of the applicant(s)
2. An original signed and certified authorization letter from the applicant (please click here)
3. The original Government identification proof of the authorized person
4. A photocopy of the Government identification proof of the authorized person

In case of minors, the authorized person will need to bring:

1. Original Payment Receipt of the applicant(s)
2. An original signed and certified authorization letter from the minor's father and mother (please click here)
3. The original Government identification proof of the authorized person
4. A photocopy of the Government identification proof of the authorized person

Upon collection of passports, applicants are advised to immediately check that the visa granted meets their intended travel schedule and that all the information it contains is correct.

INFORMATION SHEET TO VISA HOLDERS

You have been issued a visa for the territories of the Schengen States.
As soon as you receive your short-stay visa, make sure that all the information it contains is correct.
Check the following:

• Your passport has a passport number. This number is also indicated on the visa sticker. Make sure that these numbers are the same.
• You applied for your visa for a specific period or periods. Check that your air ticket corresponds with the entry and exit dates indicated on the visa sticker.
• Check that the number of entries you applied for (one, two, or multiple) corresponds with the number of entries indicated on your visa sticker.
• Check that your name is spelled correctly.
• Do this yourself in order to avoid any problems or extra costs arising when using your visa. If you think that the information on the visa is incorrect, tell the consular authority immediately, so that any errors can be corrected.

How to read the visa sticker:   

DURATION OF STAY.........DAYS indicates the number of days, you may stay in the Schengen area. The days should be counted from the date you enter the Schengen area (the entry stamp) to the date you exit the Schengen area (the exit stamp), i.e. both days included.

The period of time between “FROM ...UNTIL” is usually longer than the number of days printed in the “DURATION OF STAY” field. The difference in period is meant to give you flexibility to plan your entry into and exit from the Schengen area, but your stay in the Schengen area must never exceed the exact number of days in the “DURATION OF STAY ...DAYS” field. No matter how many days you have stayed in the Schengen area, you must leave no later than the date printed in the “UNTIL” field."

Controls at the border

Your short-stay visa allows you to travel to Greece and usually to other Schengen States. But it does not automatically entitle you to enter the Schengen area. So you may have to provide certain information at border or other controls. You may, for instance, have to provide information on your means of support, how long you intend to stay in Greece and in the Schengen area, and why you are visiting. In some cases, such checks may result in a refusal for the visa holder to enter Greece or the Schengen area.
It is therefore recommended that you carry with you copies of the documents which you presented when you applied for the visa (e.g. letters of invitation, travel confirmations, other documents stating the purpose of your stay). This will help to make the border control procedure easier and avoid delays at the border.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

You must keep to the period of stay allowed by your visa. Misuse and overstay may result in you being expelled and banned from obtaining a new visa for a certain period of time.