Important information compiled by UNHCR for those who are in Ukraine can be found here.
Information regarding displaced persons from Ukraine to Greece is available in this website and on the following websites of other actors:
Dedicated webpage by the Greek Ministry for Migration and Asylum: English / Ukrainian / Greek
Ukrainian Embassy to Greece: English / Ukrainian / Greek
Refugee.Info website for asylum-seekers and refugees in Greece: English
European Commission’s information page for those fleeing the war in Ukraine: English / Ukrainian
Ukraine is Home, a portal with information about the rights and continued stay in host countries of Ukrainian refugees, addressing questions and explaining opportunities regarding voluntary return home, and promoting access to the support needed to recover and rebuild.
Useful Helplines and services in Greece for Ukrainian refugees: English, Ukrainian.
1. Entry and stay for displaced persons from Ukraine
As indicated by the Greek Ministry for Migration and Asylum (https://migration.gov.gr/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Information-for-Displaced-People-from-Ukraine.pdf), displaced persons from Ukraine may enter Greece through the following procedures:
1. Holders of a Ukrainian biometric passport may enter through all entry points (land and air) with a maximum stay of 90 days.
2. Holders of a Ukrainian passport without biometric features (old type) may enter from all entry points; a transit visa is required with a maximum stay of 90 days.
Attention: for the above cases, the Greek Police will stamp your passport with the date of entry
3. Ukrainian citizens who do not have travel documents may enter only from the Passport Control Department in Promachonas (tel. 0030 23230 41079) where you will be issued a document by the staff of the Ukrainian Embassy in Greece. This procedure allows you to stay for a maximum of 90 days.
4. In case your children do not have travel documents, the Greek Police officials will note under the entry stamp on your own passport the number of minor children you are accompanying.
Attention: in this case, you will have to show a certificate of marital status or a birth certificate of your children. If you do not have either of these documents, you must complete and submit a solemn declaration stating the number of children, their first name, surname, gender and date of birth.
Ukrainian nationals exiting from Greece to Bulgaria will need to inquire beforehand with the Bulgarian Consulate about the entry requirements (entry visa), if they are not holders of a biometric passport.
2. Accommodation, health and education
The Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum offers the possibility of short-term accommodation in the open structure of Sintiki for those who wish, until the process of issuing travel documents – where required – is completed.
Those who wish to be accommodated for a longer period of time may submit a request to: https://migration.gov.gr/accomodation-ukraine/
Ukrainian refugees are entitled to access for free the services of public hospitals and medical centers, including mental health and physical rehabilitation facilities, even if they have not been provided yet with a social security number (AMKA). If not yet provided with AMKA, Ukrainian refugees can access public health by showing their passport or, if they do not have it, a document issued by the police.
Those seeking health and mental health support in Athens and Thessaloniki can also approach the Multi-Functional Centers of the Hellenic Red Cross.
Ukrainian children can enroll in public schools. For support with this, see the dedicated webpage of the Greek Ministry of Education, containing a guide also in Ukrainian.
3. Temporary protection in Greece
According to a decision by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, the Residence Permits of Temporary Protection that expire on 4 March 2025 are extended for one year, until 4 March 2026.
Unless you need to travel to another European Union Member State (see below point 4), you do not need to obtain a new residence permit card: the previous ones are still valid, despite indicating an older expiry date.
The following groups of persons who have been displaced to Greece from Ukraine on or after 24 February 2022 are eligible to temporary protection (as per Ministerial Decision 131035/04.03.2022):
- Ukrainian nationals who resided in Ukraine before 24 February 2022.
- Stateless persons and nationals of third countries other than Ukraine who benefited from international protection or equivalent national protection in Ukraine before 24 February 2022.
- Family members of the persons referred to in the first two categories, even if they are not Ukrainian nationals, provided that the family existed and resided in Ukraine before 24 February 2022. Family members are considered 1) the spouse or his or her unmarried partner in a stable relationship duly attested, 2) the minor unmarried children, 3) other close relatives of 1st and 2nd degree who lived with the beneficiary as a family unit.
- People in the above categories who fled Ukraine after 26 November 2021 as tensions increased or who found themselves in the territory of the EU (e.g. on holidays or for work reasons) and, as a result of the armed conflict, cannot return to Ukraine.
In Greece, the following categories are not eligible for temporary protection, but can apply for international protection (asylum):
- Anybody who fled Ukraine before 26 November 2021
- Third country nationals or stateless persons residing in Ukraine with permanent residence permits before 24 February who cannot safely return to their country of origin.
Eligible persons applying for it will be granted Temporary Protection within 90 days from arrival, for an initial period of one (1)-year.
This status is provided by the Asylum Service of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum and gives the right of access to the labor market and to medical care.
The temporary protection residence permit is cancelled before the expiration date in the following cases: 1) if the EU Council adopts the decision to end the temporary protection, 2) when a transfer of the beneficiary is made from one EU Member State to another, 3) when a transfer of the beneficiary is made from one EU Member State to another in case of maintaining family unity and 4) in case a residence permit is issued for the beneficiary by another EU Member State.
To submit an application for temporary protection, please visit the following pre-registration platform at the website of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum at this website: English / Ukrainian / Greek.
Once you have finalized your application, you will be given an appointment (date and time) at the location that you chose for your registration, and you will receive a receipt to the e-mail address you have provided. The appointment is the same for all members listed in the application. You will need to have with you your appointment number, your passport/identity documents/Police Note and any documents establishing the family links with the other members listed in the application.
The appointment will take place in one of the five relevant Regional Asylum Offices (RAO), located in Athens (Katechaki), Alimos, Thessaloniki, Patras and Heraklion (Crete).
If you wish to have more information on the procedure, please contact the Ministry of Migration and Asylum via email: ukraine@migration.gov.gr
New Residence Permits of Temporary Protection will continue to be issued to displaced people from Ukraine who enter Greece for the first time.
From the moment of registration and obtaining temporary protection status you have following rights:
- residence and free movement in Greece
- to access labour market
- to access state medical services
- to access state education
For more information see: https://bit.ly/4jrOZ7E
4. Can beneficiaries travel to other EU countries?
If you hold temporary protection status, you have the right to travel to other European Union Member States for 90 days within a 180-day period. For more information, please see section 2 (“Right to move freely”) at the following document:
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52022XC0321(03) 
As of 17 February 2025, temporary protection status holders in Greece who hold residence permits with expiration dates of 4 March 2023, 4 September 2023, or 4 March 2024 and wish to travel abroad have to visit the asylum offices of Attica, Thessaloniki, Western Greece (Patras), Crete or Rhodes at least 15 days before the departure date, in order to renew their residence permits so as 4 March 2026 to be reflected on it as expiry date. They need to have with them their tickets printed out or in electronic format.
Please note that the residence permit of temporary protection does not constitute a travel document. Thus, beneficiaries of temporary protection need also to hold valid national passports in order to travel.
5. Asylum application
Ukrainian nationals and third country nationals or stateless who are not included in the categories listed above as eligible for temporary protection can apply for international protection (asylum) in Greece.
Beneficiaries of temporary protection can also apply for international protection at any point they wish to, without their residence permit of temporary protection being revoked.
6. Children traveling alone or separated from their parents
In the case of unaccompanied minors, the National Mechanism for the Identification and Protection of Unaccompanied Minors of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum is activated for the transfer of the children to special emergency accommodation facilities; thereafter, the relevant identification (if necessary) and guardianship procedure is followed.
All Ukrainian citizens residing in Greece who are going to receive and provide care for their minor relatives from Ukraine arriving in Greece, are kindly requested to receive them from the entry points. Specifically, the adult relatives should be present at the entry points (e.g., Promachonas Border Station) during the minors’ arrival holding the necessary legal documents that prove their family relationship. Additionally, they should also hold the documents that prove the consent of the minor’s parents concerning the assignment of the custody to the adult relative in Greece. Upon assessment by the Greek authorities and the Implementing Partners of the National Emergency Response Mechanism for Unaccompanied Minors in precarious living conditions, the adult relatives will be able to undertake the care/ custody of their minor relative.
Contact Information:
Work Hours: Monday – Friday 08:00 – 22:00, Saturday 11:00 – 19:00
Telephones: 0030 2132128888, 0030 6942773030, via WhatsApp or Viber
Email: sg.vp.tracing@migration.gov.gr
7. Risk of human trafficking
Criminals may attempt to exploit the vulnerability of refugees or lure them with promises of free transport, accommodation, employment or other forms of assistance. This exploitation of vulnerable people for their bodies and labor is called human trafficking.
If you believe that trafficking might be taking place, you can contact the dedicated helpline by A21 in Greece by calling the number 1109.
8. Referrals to enter Canada, the USA, and other non-EU countries
UNHCR in Greece does not conduct referrals for resettlement to third countries such as the USA, Canada or the United Kingdom. The decision on admission and entry to one of those country is taken solely by the responsible national authority of the country of destination.
Please find information on options to go to Canada for people affected by the conflict in Ukraine on the Canadian embassy’s website. For the United Kingdom’s visa support for Ukrainians, click here. For more information on opportunities to travel and reside outside of the European Union, see here.
9. Private support
If you wish to make a financial donation to support the humanitarian response to the Ukraine emergency, we encourage you consider donating to UNHCR: English / Greek
10. Contacting UNHCR
To get in touch with UNHCR about your individual case, please click “Contact us” to the left (or at this link) to fill out the dedicated form.