.jpg "Study Abroad in Greece with Arcadia University")
Ready to Go to Greece
Visa Information
In order to study in Greece for the semester or year, all students will be required to obtain a visa. These instructions are for semester and full-year students only. Please read this entire page very carefully.
What is a Schengen Visa?
Agreed upon in 1985, the Schengen Agreement created a zone of free travel throughout Western Europe, which today has expanding to include 30 European countries. The Schengen Visa Process requires students to apply for a visa from their primary country of destination. Please read this entire page very carefully. While Arcadia University is prepared to assist you with the visa application process, you are responsible for staying informed about the specific requirements of your study visa and lodging the appropriate application materials with the Italian Consulate.
Please refer to the instructions listed and example materials in this section when completing the study visa application.
Most consulates will not allow you to apply more than 90 days in advance of your departure. We highly recommend that you start to work on your materials as soon as you receive your acceptance. You will then be ready to submit you application at the 90 day mark.
top
Greek Consulates
The visa process in Greece is administered in the US by a series of consulate offices located throughout the country. Each consulate office administers student visas in a slightly different way. Therefore, it is important that you review the specific requirements carefully, as the visa process is not uniform across the country. Most consulates require that you appear in person to submit your application. However, there are some exceptions. Be prepared for the fact that some students must travel a great distance to apply. Please refer to the instructions listed on the consulate webpage to determine whether you must submit your application in person.
top
Video
| View a video presentation detailing requirements for your Greece visa. |
Get Flash to see this player. |
Some content in this video refers to insurance coverage applicable only to students currently abroad. For those students attending programs from summer 2009 and thereafter, health and accident insurance information is available here.
top
Step by Step Greek Visa Process in Detail
Phase I – Initial Process (responsibility of the student)
Step 1.
Be sure you have a valid passport that will be good for at least six months following the completion of the program. Make sure that your passport is signed.
Step 2.
Submit a photocopy of the photo page of your passport to Arcadia.
Step 3.
Based on your permanent place of residence, determine which Greek Consulate you must apply to for your visa. Example, if you go to school in Chicago, IL, but your home address is in suburban Philadelphia, you should use the New York Consulate and not the Chicago Consulate. Please refer to “Consular Affairs” on the Greek Embassy website to locate your appropriate consulate.
Step 4.
Be certain to contact your Greek Consulate and double check with them about the visa application process. This is necessary because each Consulate follows slightly different rules. These rules may change without notice and it is your responsibility to know exactly what is expected of you at your particular Consulate.
Phase II – Acquire FBI Identification Record & Doctor’s Letter
Step 5.
The Greek consulate will require students to secure an FBI Identification Record. This process can take approximately 3–4 weeks and should be requested immediately. See the “FBI Identification Record Request” in the Online Visa Kit or go to the FBI website for more information and all necessary forms using the following link: FBI Identification Record.
Have yourself fingerprinted at your local police station. Please indicate a “date needed by” (approximately 45 days from the date of submission) both on your FBI Identification Record request and on the outside of the envelope and mail this with your fingerprints and money order or credit card request to the FBI as directed on their website instructions. It is strongly recommended you send your request via US Post Express Mail or UPS, so you are able to track your letter and confirm when it arrived to the FBI. Be certain to save this tracking information.
Step 6.
You must obtain a letter (on doctor’s letterhead) from a medical doctor indicating that you are in good health. The letter must state that you are “free of yellow fever, cholera, the plague, drug addiction and mental illness and not suffering from any transferable or contagious diseases.”
Phase III – Obtain Documentation from Greek Authorities (responsibility of Arcadia)
Step 7.
The Arcadia Center in Athens will apply for the necessary visa documentation from the immigration authorities in Athens.
Step 8.
Once they have been received, Arcadia will send you the following documents:
- your Nomarchia document (provided by the authorities in Athens)
- Certification letter from the Arcadia Center in Athens
- Certification Letter from Arcadia University in Pennsylvania
- HTH Worldwide insurance verification letter
*These above items will be sent to you via UPS
Phase IV – Applying for Greek Visa (responsibility of the student)
Step 9.
Please refer again to “Consular Affairs” on the Greek Embassy website to locate your appropriate consulate. Contact your Greek Consulate Office again to double check the visa application process. Do you need an appointment? Is the visa department open on the day you plan to visit? What are the hours of the visa section? How much is the visa, since the price can fluctuate? Does the Consulate require payment, if so by money order or cash?
Step 10.
Collect or acquire all the documents listed in Column One of the “Visa Checklist,” which is part of the Online Visa Kit. Submit them to your Greek Consulate.
Here’s how:
- Complete the “Application for a Schengen Visa” form using the directions provided.
- The Schengen Application can be downloaded using the following link: SCHENGEN VISA APPLICATION FORM.
Do not visit the Consulate without this application and the other requirements in Column ONE of the “Visa Checklist” (in the Online Visa Kit ) as the Consulate will not accept your application and you will have to make a new appointment and try again. This will delay the process.
- Prepare a copy of the photo page of your passport to submit with your application.
Step 11.
Please confirm with your Consulate the proper method of returning your passport and visa to you. Many times you must provide a business-sized, self-addressed and stamped US Postal Service Express envelope with appropriate postage and completed air bill for your passport to be returned to you. Some Consulates, however, requires visas to be picked up in person.
Other important notes:
- All student visas are valid for a period of 90 days which will not cover the entire semester abroad.
- Upon arrival in Athens, the staff at the Arcadia Center will help you get an extension to this visa. This two step process involves registering with the proper authorities and applying for an extension of your 90 day visa.
- If you are traveling to other countries before your stay in Greece, please alert Arcadia. You should inquire about the entry requirements permitted with this visa. Please make sure that you keep some verification of your arrival in Greece -- your boarding pass or a copy of your e-ticket -- and please contact the Resident Director in Athens (sanders@arcadia.edu) with any additional questions.
- Passports must be left at the Consulate for processing. This processing time varies depending on the Consulate, but please allow a minimum of 30 days for processing.
- Please take into account any holidays (including Greek holidays) that may occur around the time you hope to submit your visa for processing.
- Please retain at least one photocopy of all the documents presented to the Consulate.
- Please note that the visa is simply a sticky label that is affixed to the inside of your passport.
Phase V – Visa Requirements After Arrival (responsibility of the student):
- Submit €150 (local visa registration fee) to the Arcadia Center staff for submission to the immigration authorities in Athens.
- Visit local health center for a chest x-ray, accompanied by an Arcadia Center staff member. A chest x-ray will cost you approximately €7 to €10.
- Submit your residence permit application at the appropriate office, accompanied by an Arcadia Center staff member.
Phase VI - Visa Requirements After Arrival (responsibility of Arcadia)
- Accompanying students to the hospital for their x-rays and to the government office for submission of the residence permit applications.
Final Step
Once all of the above steps are complete, you will receive a Greek document stating that the student has followed all regulations correctly and can now legally stay in Greece. This document must be photocopied by the Arcadia Center and then kept in the student’s passport. When you depart Greece for the U.S. at the end of the program, you will show this document at passport control.
top
