On 6.2.2026, Law 5275/2026 was published in the Government Gazette (FEK A΄17), introducing significant amendments to the Immigration Code (Law 5038/2023). Beyond transposing Directive (EU) 2024/1233 on the single residence and work permit, the new law substantially reformed the procedure for the "calling-in" of third-country nationals, i.e. the procedure by which a Greek or foreign employer invites a worker located abroad to come to Greece to take up employment.
The legislature's aim was to meet the needs of the labour market in sectors such as tourism, construction and the agricultural economy, while at the same time safeguarding the system against abuse.
The legal framework, before and after
Calling-in continues to be based on articles 26 and 27 of the Immigration Code, which have, however, been entirely redrafted, as well as on article 61, which specifically concerns the "E.4" type residence permit (employment following calling-in). The basic logic remains the same: each year, by Act of the Council of Ministers, following a recommendation of the Minister of Labour, the maximum number of job positions per sector of employment is determined ("admission volume"), based on the European classification of occupations, ESCO. This decision may now provide for an increase of up to 15% in the number of positions for urgent needs, the designation of specific third countries of origin, and a maximum number of persons called in per country, based on criteria such as the national interest, bilateral relations, and the administrative capacity of the consular authorities to process requests.
The procedure
The procedure still begins with an application by the employer, through the electronic services of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, to the Directorate for Aliens and Migration of the competent Decentralised Administration. The competent authority is the one within whose jurisdiction the employer's registered office or branch, or the place where the work is to be performed, falls. This arrangement makes things easier for businesses with several places of operation. The application must now be accompanied by an employment contract of a minimum duration of six months (instead of one year as previously required), with remuneration at least equal to the statutory minimum wage or daily wage, as well as by tax documents proving the employer's financial capacity to pay that remuneration.
Following approval, the decision is forwarded to the competent Greek consular authority, which invites the person concerned to appear in person to sign the contract and be issued a national entry visa. The consular authority must notify the one-stop service within thirty calendar days, and the latter must notify the employer within fifteen days. After entering the country, the worker applies for an "E.4" type residence permit, which is now valid for three years, while its renewals are valid for five years, provided the requirements continue to be met.
The main innovations
First, the law seeks to protect workers' rights against abusive practices by employers and provides for specific measures and mechanisms to curb them, in line with the European regulatory framework.
Second, a minimum age of eighteen years is introduced for calling-in for employment, expressly aimed at preventing abuse of the legislative framework. The provision protects minors from exploitation through sham employment contracts.
Third, a special, fast-track calling-in regime is provided for businesses carrying out major strategic projects, public works, or projects of particular economic, social or national importance, regardless of the company's turnover. In these cases, the entity may apply to call in up to five hundred third-country nationals per project, with priority examination of the application, paying a fee of four hundred euros per person (compared with two hundred euros under the ordinary procedure). At the same time, the law adds a special category of national visa ("Z.13") for specialised technical personnel entering under a contract for the construction of industrial, technological or pharmaceutical infrastructure worth more than ten million euros.
Finally, for the first time, calling-in through Temporary Employment Agencies is introduced. A Temporary Employment Agency may act as the direct employer of the person called in, placing them with a third, indirect employer, under strict conditions.
Safeguards in favour of the worker
A worker who enters under an initial "E.4" permit is, in principle, bound to remain with the employer who called them in, for the entire duration of the first contract, subject to express exceptions, but not beyond six months; if the contract is longer, the restriction is lifted after the first six months have elapsed. An early change of employer is permitted in the event of a serious breach of the terms of employment by the employer, in the event of termination of the employment relationship by mutual consent, or in the event of dismissal by the employer. Unemployment of up to three months (or six months for holders of a permit of more than two years) does not, by itself, constitute grounds for revocation of the permit. It is, however, clear that, during the initial three-year residence permit, the worker is required to be employed in the sector of employment for which they were called in. Otherwise, they are deemed to have breached the terms of the Act of the Council of Ministers determining the available job positions, and risk revocation of the residence permit granted.
Sanctions
In the event of a breach by a Temporary Employment Agency of the terms and obligations arising from the calling-in procedure, the sanctions of article 23 of the Labour Law Code apply, while employers who breach the principle of equal treatment are subject to sanctions imposed by the Labour Inspectorate, with the possibility of an anonymous or named complaint by the worker themselves.
Gaps
What is missing, however, from otherwise modern and updated provisions is any legislative measure addressing the practical issue of improving and speeding up the procedures where real difficulties genuinely exist. Specifically, there is no provision for specific measures, mechanisms or deadlines to speed up the procedure and to ensure the principles of good administration and transparency of administrative bodies, at the stage of issuing the entry visa by the consular authorities.
The significant delays in processing times for entry visa applications, the very high rates of unexplained rejection of applications (up to 95% at certain consulates), and the exhausting bureaucracy make the procedure unpopular both for employers and for the workers themselves, who bear the costs of gathering and submitting the required documents, without ultimately obtaining the visa applied for, for reasons that are not adequately explained, or not explained at all.
Conclusion
Law 5275/2026 keeps the rationale of calling-in as a tool for controlled lawful labour migration, but modernises it and adapts it to the needs of specific sectors of the economy. The safeguarding of the rights of workers called in, in harmony with the requirements of Directive (EU) 2024/1233, with specific mechanisms of prevention and control, the introduction of a minimum age requirement, and the special regime for strategic investments are the most substantial changes. It remains to be seen in practice whether the new rules will genuinely speed up approval times and curb the abuses recorded under the previous regime. Given, however, that there are no specific measures to improve the procedure before the consular authorities, professionals in the field are not particularly optimistic that the intended acceleration and improvement will be achieved in practice.