Travel Document
Once you receive refugee status or subsidiary protection in Greece, you can apply for a Travel Document. You don’t have to wait until you get your Residence Permit.
If you have refugee status, your Travel Document will look like this:
If you have been granted subsidiary protection, you can use your national passport. But if you are unable to get a passport from your country of origin, you can also apply for a Greek Travel document.
If you have subsidiary protection, your Travel Document will look like this:
Travel Documents are valid for 5 years.
How to apply
Ask for your Travel Document in person at the Asylum Office that processed your case.
You can apply as soon as you get your asylum decision and before you get your Residence Permit.
Travel Documents cost €85.
What happens after you apply
- The Greek Asylum Service will review your application.
- The Greek Police will do national and international criminal background checks on you.
- If you pass the background checks, the police will send your case to the Asylum Service director for final approval.
- Every week the Greek Asylum Service releases a list of all the Travel Documents that are ready. You can find the latest list here.
How long it takes
The Greek Asylum Service says you should expect to wait 2 to 5 months for your Travel Document because the criminal background check takes a long time.
Your Travel Document is as valid a form of identification as a Residence Permit. However, we suggest you carry both documents with you, especially when traveling outside Greece.
Rights
With a Travel Document, you have the right to:
- Travel to some other EU countries as a tourist for up to 3 months without a visa
- Travel to some other EU countries as a tourist for up to 3 months with a visa (Check before you travel to learn whether you need a visa to enter your destination country.)
- Travel to non-EU countries with a visa
Keep in mind:
- If you go to another EU country for 3 months, you must come back to Greece for at least 6 months.
- If you ask for asylum in another EU country, it may not give you legal status and it may send you back to Greece.
- If you have refugee status (full asylum) and travel to your country of origin, you may lose your status in Greece.
Your Travel Document does not give you the right to:
- Stay permanently in another European country
- Work in another European country