Athens Visa for Indians: Required

Key Information

Key Requirements

• Under the EU short-stay rule, your passport must remain valid at least 3 months after leaving Schengen; it must have been issued within the previous 10 years and contain at least 2 blank pages. The Greek India checklist uses different expiry wording; see the notes below.
• Travel medical insurance of at least €30,000 for all Schengen states, covering emergency medical treatment and medical repatriation during the intended stay; confirm the accepted insurer and coverage dates with the visa centre.
• Evidence of funds and income, including the current India checklist’s 3 months of bank transactions and 2 assessment years of income-tax acknowledgments, with employment, sponsorship or retirement documents as applicable.
• Return or round-trip flight reservation, accommodation evidence for each Schengen destination, and documents explaining the travel plans. Private-host accommodation can be documented instead of hotel bookings.

Step-by-Step Application Process

1. 1

   Apply through Greece when it is the sole or main Schengen destination by trip purpose or length of stay; if no main destination can be identified, apply through the country of first external entry. Normally apply where you legally reside.

2. 2

   Use the GVCW India service linked by the Greek Embassy, select the visa centre for your residence, complete the online application and print it for submission.

3. 3

   Book an appointment and prepare a separate, signed application and supporting-document pack for each traveller, including children; GVCW requests A4 documents and its data-protection information sheet.

4. 4

   Plan to attend the visa centre in person: GVCW India currently requires attendance at all ages. Children under 12 do not give fingerprints; fingerprint exemptions do not automatically remove the local attendance requirement.

5. 5

   Pay the applicable visa and service charges in INR. GVCW’s current India schedule lists no visa fee for children under 12; other exemptions and separate service charges apply.

6. 6

   Track passport readiness using the application ID and passport number. The Greek Consular Office in New Delhi decides the application and may request an interview or further documents; collection does not imply approval.

7. 7

   When your passport is returned, check the name, passport number, validity dates, permitted entries and granted stay before travelling.

Documents Required

• Passport, previous passport if applicable, and copies of the first and last pages plus visa and stamp pages; check the passport-validity wording noted above.
• Completed, signed Schengen application, two recent colour passport photographs on a white background meeting the current photo specifications, and a cover letter explaining the visit.
• Schengen travel medical insurance with at least €30,000 cover; confirm the accepted insurer and coverage dates described in the notes.
• Return or round-trip flight reservation; for a multi-country journey, intra-Schengen transport evidence and accommodation for each destination, or the relevant private-host/sponsorship evidence.
• Original personal bank statements showing the last 3 months of transactions, stamped and signed by the bank, plus attested Indian income-tax return acknowledgments for the last 2 assessment years.
• Where applicable: last 3 months of payslips, employment contract and approved leave; company registration for business owners/self-employed applicants; or pension statements for 3 months and evidence of regular property/business income for retired applicants.
• If sponsored, the required sponsorship/private-accommodation form and the sponsor’s financial documents in each applicant’s pack; provide relationship evidence when relevant.
• For children, check the complete current consent and parent-document requirements, including notarised consent for one-parent/unaccompanied travel or specified parent-availability situations, and school ID for students/trainees.
• Tourism plans, such as an organised-tour confirmation or other suitable itinerary evidence; originals must be accompanied by copies, and the Embassy may request more documents.