Applicants who wish to apply for a Visa are kindly requested to carefully read the provided information. The guidelines listed on this website are to help you prepare your documents as accurately as possible, on the basis of the common list of supporting documents to be presented by applicants for short stay Schengen visas in Russia. This will reduce the chances of your application being incomplete or a delay in being processed.
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.
Please note that for non-Russian passport holders to be eligible to submit an application, it is necessary to have a permanent or temporary residency permit valid for more than 3 months after the intended date of return to Russia 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 either at the Visa Application Centers for Greece in Russia or directly at the Consulates General of Greece in Russia, as part of Art. 17 (5) Visa Code. You may submit your visa application at the Visa Application Center for Greece based on your residence address or based on your temporary residence address along with an official registration. Please click here.
All applications will be assessed by the Consulates General of Greece in Moscow, St. Petersburg or Novorossiysk - Consular Office - Visa Section. The Visa Application Centers 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 Consulate General of Greece in Moscow, St. Petersburg or Novorossiysk, prior to a decision being made regarding your application and this may cause delays in the visa process, which applicants accept responsibility for.
Important - Consulates General of Greece in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Novorossiysk have taken all necessary measures to ensure issuance of visas the soonest possible. In practice the Consulate General may process the application in 2 working days, however the logistic time of returning the passport may depend on the location where you apply. Please get in touch with the VAC staff to check the approximate logistic time for your application.
Important - Once you receive your visa, please check immediately the following checklist.
When lodging the application at the Visa Application Centers for Greece, applicants shall pay the Visa Fee and Service Fee, which may only be paid in RUB, 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 Russia - 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
| Copy of the Internal Passport's Pages with applicant's biodata | |
| 5 | 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 GVCW Visa Application Centers for Greece are authorised by the Diplomatic and Consular Authorities of Greece in the Russian Federation 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 Consulates General of Greece in Moscow, St. Petersburg or Novorossiysk/ Consular Office - Visa Section.
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.
You are kindly advised to check the list of required documents before submitting your application. This will minimize the chances of your application being delayed or declined due to inadequate or incorrect submission of documents.
You will need to prepare a separate application pack of supporting documents and Visa Application Form for each applicant (e.g. in case parents travel along with their children, confirmation of accommodation has to be given separately for every application pack). Documents in A4 format are accepted only.
Please, look through the following Memos prepared by the Greek Consular Services which will help you to prepare necessary documents for submission. For those applying in VACs within the Consulate General of Greece in Moscow jurisdiction, please click here. For those applying in VACs within the Consulate General of Greece in St. Petersburg jurisdiction, please click here. For those applying in VACs within the Consulate General of Greece in Novorossiysk jurisdiction, please click here.
From 14 September 2015 applying for a Schengen visa entails the capturing of biometric data. For this reason, applicants must visit a Visa Application Center for Greece in person.
Upon approval from the Consulate, for subsequent applications within next 59 months the fingerprints may be copied from previous application file of the VIS.
You may submit your visa application at the Visa Application Center for Greece based on your residence address or based on your temporary residence address along with an official registration.
Submission of visa application and collection of passports can be done by the applicant in person in case of individual applications or by the accredited Travel Agents in case of group. Submission through notary authority letter is not allowed.
Collection of passports can be done through representative. Kindly check here for the procedure. For families, at least one member should visit the VAC (original of supporting document of relationship proof is a must).
Please, consult the following links for more info on the above subjects.
- Common Information Sheet
- List of required documents
- Detailed explanations to the general harmonized list of documents for the applicants applying for a visa in Moscow, please click here.
- Detailed explanations to the general harmonized list of documents for the applicants applying for a visa in St. Petersburg, please click here.
- Detailed explanations to the general harmonized list of documents for the applicants applying for a visa in Novorossiysk, please click here.
In addition to the list of documents photocopies of Travel document are required (only pages containing any information, visas, stamps, even if it's not visible well).
Important note: Pursuant to the Visa Code Article 12, it is also a requirement that the travel document is valid for at least three months after the intended date of departure from the Schengen area, and that it has been issued in the past ten years. In case of a new Travel document, photocopies of old Travel document are required (first page and visas for the last 3 years). You are also requested to have old or annulled Travel document available with you for submission at the Visa Center. Please be informed that period of grace of 15 days of validity of the visa is normally added by Consulate General of Greece to the visa validity requested, without increasing actual number of days of stay specified in the visa.
Please note that you may be required to appear before a Visa Officer at the Consulate General of Greece prior to a decision being taken on your application.
Important Note for those applying at the Visa Centers under the Jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Greece in Moscow and under the Jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Greece in St. Petersburg: Consent of the parental authority or legal guardian DULY NOTARIZED is required if the minor travels with both parents/legal guardians or alone or only with one parent/legal guardian. The notarized consent form must be issued in the same year of the submission of the minor's documents, it must have a QR code and all countries of the Schengen Area must be mentioned in the form. Old consent forms without a QR code are not accepted. Consent of the parental authority or legal guardian is not required only if the single parent with whom the minor is to travel holds the parental authority alone (i.e. in cases where the other parent has deceased or been deprived of custody, e.g. a death certificate of the other parent or a court degree vesting custody exclusively in the parent who is signing the application would be requested). – In case applicants are applying for a multiple entry visa for the minor, please note that the date/period of permit specified in the consent form must be for the entire period and not just for the first entry. Furthermore, due to the pandemic, the period specified in the consent form must be increased by 15 more days compared to the total period of visa specified in the application form (period in the consent must cover at least the exact period of the trip + 15 more days).
Important Note for those applying at the Visa Centers under the Jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Greece in Novorossiysk: Consent of the parental authority or legal guardian DULY NOTARIZED is required only if the minor travels alone or only with one parent/legal guardian. The notarized form of the consent must have a QR code and all countries of the Schengen Area must be mentioned in the form. Old consent forms without a QR code are not accepted. Consent of the parental authority or legal guardian is not required only if the single parent with whom the minor is to travel holds the parental authority alone (i.e. in cases where the other parent has deceased or been deprived of custody, e.g. a death certificate of the other parent or a court degree vesting custody exclusively in the parent who is signing the application would be requested). – In case applicants are applying for a multiple entry visa for the minor, please note that the date/period of permit specified in the consent form must be for the entire period and not just for the first entry. Hence the total period of visa specified in the application form must match with the period specified in the consent form. In case period on the consent form is less than the period in the application form, then the visa period validity will be limited to the period indicated in the consent form.
Important Notice: As per the New Russian Law on Personal Data Protection – this will be observed from 23 May 2011 – All Applicants who are applying themselves or through a Courier Representative need to ensure that the below Form is signed by each Individual Applicant and submitted along with their Application. To download the Form for Moscow Visa Application Center for Greece, please click here. To download the form for regional Visa Application Centers for Greece please click here.
CONSULAR SCHENGEN VISA (C) FEE:
The below rates are applicable and they may vary at any time:
| Visa Type | EUR | RUB | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schengen Short stay (Type C) for nationals of Russian Federation | 80 | 6960 | ||
| Schengen Short stay (Type C) | 80 | 6960 | ||
| Schengen Short stay (Type C) for nationals of Gambia | 120 | 10440 | ||
| Schengen Short stay (Type C) for nationals of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Kosovo | 35 | 3045 | ||
| Schengen Short stay (Type C) for nationals of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine holders of non biometric passports* | 35 | 3045 | ||
| Children under 12 years old | Gratis | |||
| Spouses, children (including adopted), parents of citizens of Greece / of EU & Swiss citizens | Gratis | |||
| Students, pupils, postgraduate students and accompanying teachers/ professors when on study/ educational trip | Gratis | |||
| Researchers traveling for the purpose of carrying out scientific research | Gratis | |||
| Youth up to 25 years old who are to participate in seminars, conferences, sport, cultural or educational events, organized by non-profit organizations and youth up to 25 years old, who represent non-profit organizations in the above events | Gratis | |||
* Note: Citizens of: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine holders of biometric passports do not require Schengen visa. Please consult here for nationals of countries with which the EU has concluded Visa Facilitation Agreements.
SERVICE FEE:
The Service Fee amounts to RUB 3060 per application over and above the Visa Fees.
The following category is exempt from paying Service fee:
- Disabled persons (1st and 2nd group).
PLEASE NOTE:
All the above mentioned fees in RUB are as per the current exchange rate at the time of submission of application at the Visa Application Center for Greece and are subject to change without notice. EURO currency mentioned above is for reference only.
All the above mentioned fees can be paid in cash or credit/ debit card at the Visa Application Centers.
As of 14 September 2015 all applicants applying for a Schengen visa will be required to present their biometric data - ten fingerprints and a digital photo. Biometric data will be stored in the Visa Information System (VIS), which is a central database for the exchange of data on short-stay visas (for stays up to 90 days in any 180-day period) between Schengen States. The main objectives of the VIS are to facilitate visa application procedures and checks at external border as well as to enhance security.
Therefore, as of 14 September 2015 all visa applicants will have to appear in person at the Visa Application Center for Greece, when lodging the application, in order to provide their fingerprints. Upon approval from the Consulate, for subsequent applications within next 59 months the fingerprints may be copied from previous application file of the VIS.
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 Center 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 Center for Greece when the injury has healed.
If you have a temporary decoration, such as mehndi, you should advise the Visa Application Center 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 Consulate General of Greece.
Before submitting Schengen Visa photos make sure that they are absolutely in a high quality form in order to make their reproduction easy – something needed when facial biometrics applies in the ID Document of the visa holder. The applicants should present two recent (not more than 6 months old) passport-sized photos that should be:
- 3,5 x 4 cm (approx. 1.2 x 1.6 inch)
- with a light background (white or off-white) so that features are distinguishable and contrast against the background
- in color and with facing forward
- with the forehead and ears visible, without heavy jewelry
- full face, non-smiling (without sunglasses, a hat/ cap or other head covering, unless the applicant wears such items because of their religions belief or ethnic background)
- of high quality and printed on normal photographic paper (camera print), preferably not glossy
Please click here for the specifications.
Knowing and meeting properly these requirements is essential, as only if in the needed format, the biometric recognition of the applicant and perfect reproduction can be authorised correctly.
Note:
Please follow these instructions carefully. If photographs presented do not meet these requirements, your application will be considered incomplete.
Pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (Article 15) of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009”, which entered into force on April 5 of 2010, applicants must purchase a travel insurance product before they apply for a travel visa. Purchasing adequate travel insurance is one of the requirements of the Schengen visa.
The requirements for Schengen travel insurance:
- The travel insurance should include medical evacuation/ repatriation. The minimum coverage shall be EUR 30,000 (denominated in Euros).
- The insurance company must have a representative office in European Union countries.
- The insurance must be valid for duration of stay in the Schengen countries.
Regulation (EU) No 610/2013 of 26 June 2013, amended the Convention Implementing the Schengen Agreement, the Schengen Borders Code and the Visa Code and – among others – re-defined the concept of "short stay" for third-country nationals in the Schengen area which is a fundamental element of the Schengen acquis.
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".
After you submit your application we strongly encourage you to use our online service provided in order to track your application online and to check whether your passport is ready for collection. It is a secure procedure that is designed to help you to better plan and save your time.
In order to track your application you need to know the application ID, which is on the Payment Receipt given to you during the submission, and the applicant's passport number.
After having tracked online whether your passport is ready for collection, you can collect your passport in person at the end of the visa application process. Please note that in order to collect your passport in person you need to bring your ID and the Payment Receipt given to you during the submission which will be collected from you as a proof of delivery of your passport.
As Visa Application Centers for Greece continue operating in Moscow, Novorossiysk, St. Petersburg, Ekaterinburg, Arkhangelsk, Krasnodar, Murmansk, Petrozavodsk, Pskov, Rostov-on-Don, Kazan, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Ufa, Voronezh, Kaliningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Saratov, Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Perm, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok and Pyatigorsk, protecting the health of applicants and our employees during these times is of utmost importance. We are following the recommendations of the Health and Governmental authorities and have put in place best practices to minimize the possible exposure of applicants and employees to the coronavirus. In order to avoid a return to the VAC, the passport return for applicants that have submitted their applications in Moscow VAC is only via the courier service at an additional cost that will be kept to the minimum. Applicants in all other Visa Application Centers in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Novorossiysk Jurisdictions are also highly recommended to have their passports returned via the courier service.
Passports may be collected at the VACs after prior arrangement:
| PASSPORT COLLECTION HOURS | |||||
| Moscow Jurisdiction | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| Moscow | Passport return via courier delivery | ||||
| Ekaterinburg | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 |
| Irkutsk | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | - | - |
| Kaliningrad | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | - | - |
| Kazan | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 |
| Khabarovsk | 09:00-14:00 | 09:00-14:00 | 09:00-14:00 | - | - |
| Krasnoyarsk | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | - | - |
| Nizhny Novgorod | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | - | - |
| Novosibirsk | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 |
| Omsk | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | - | - |
| Perm | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | - | - |
| Samara | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | - | - |
| Saratov | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | - | - |
| Ufa | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | - | - |
| Vladivostok | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 |
| Voronezh | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | - | - |
| Novorossiysk Jurisdiction | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| Novorossiysk | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 |
| Krasnodar | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 |
| Rostov-on-Don | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 |
| St. Petersburg Jurisdiction | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| St. Petersburg | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 | 12:00-14:00 |
| Arkhangelsk | 09:00-14:00 | 09:00-14:00 | 09:00-14:00 | - | - |
| Murmansk | 09:00-14:00 | - | 09:00-14:00 | - | - |
| Petrozavodsk | 09:00-14:00 | - | 09:00-14:00 | - | - |
| Pskov | 09:00-14:00 | - | - | - | - |
Please click here for passport collection times at the Moscow Consular Jurisdiction Visa Application Centers for Greece of your choice.
Please click here for passport collection times at the St. Petersburg Consular Jurisdiction Visa Application Centers for Greece of your choice.
Please click here for passport collection times at the Novorossiysk Consular Jurisdiction Visa Application Centers 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:
- Original Payment Receipt of the applicant(s)
- The original ID proof of the relative
- The original 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:
- Original Payment Receipt of the applicant(s)
- An original signed notarial letter
- The original ID proof of the authorized person
In case of minors, the authorized person will need to bring:
- Original Payment Receipt of the applicant(s)
- An original signed notarial letter by both the mother and the father
- The original ID proof of the authorized person
- The unabridged birth certificate
The authorized Travel Agent will need to bring:
- Travel Agent representative authorization letter (please click here)
- The original Agency ID proof of the Travel Agent
INFORMATION SHEET TO VISA HOLDERS
Please check your visa sticker. It is your responsibility to notify the Consulate General immediately for any incorrect data printed on it, in order to avoid problems or extra costs when using your visa.
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.
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.
