Greece

If a permanent return to Ukraine is communicated to the Greek authorities, the Temporary Protection status will be cancelled. You can reapply for temporary protection in case you change your decision to stay in Ukraine, but you must return in Greece in order to be able to do so.

The temporary protection permits that have been issued in Greece are valid until 4 March 2026. You will be able to return to Greece as long as temporary protection is in place. Upon your return, you will automatically continue to benefit from temporary protection for as long as your permit is valid.

If you are still in Greece, you should inform the Regional Asylum Office that issued your temporary protection residence permit. You can find the addresses of regional asylum offices here. If you are in Ukraine, you should inform the Asylum Service via e-mail. You must return your residence permit to the Greek authorities.

It is possible to inform the competent authorities (Regional Asylum Offices) via email, but the Temporary Protection residence permit must be returned to the Greek authorities. You can find the addresses of asylum offices here.

If you are living in a reception facility under the responsibility of the Ministry for Migration and Asylum, you must inform the manager of the facility about your decision to return to Ukraine permanently.

If you simply want to visit Ukraine, you must seek relevant permission from the manager of the facility in order for you not be considered as having abandoned the reception facility.

If a permanent return to Ukraine is communicated to the Greek authorities, the temporary protection status will be cancelled. You can re-enter Greece for the purpose of short stay. If you want to stay for a long term, you must regularize your presence by applying again to the Greek Asylum Service for temporary protection status.

If you are not a citizen of Ukraine and you are staying in Greece with a visa, you can return to Ukraine using your residence permit in Ukraine. If your residence permanent permit in Ukraine has expired, you should contact the Ukraine authorities in Greece to verify whether you need to extend your resident permanent. The contact details are as follows: 

The Embassy of Ukraine to the Hellenic Republic

greece.mfa.gov.ua

2, Stephanou Delta Str. – 152 37 Filothei

Ukrainian citizens can enter Ukraine with one of the following documents:

1. Passport of a citizen of Ukraine for travel abroad (International passport)
2. Diplomatic passport of Ukraine
3. Service passport of Ukraine
4. Seaman’s identity card
5. Crew member’s certificate

The internal passport (ID card) is not included in this list. Therefore, it cannot be used to return to Ukraine. Instead, it is necessary to issue either an international passport or a certificate for returning to Ukraine. The conditions and deadlines for the production of these documents vary.

A certificate for returning to Ukraine grants the right to enter Ukraine. This document is issued by diplomatic missions or consular institutions of Ukraine abroad.

A certificate for returning to Ukraine is issued by a foreign diplomatic institution (embassy/consulate of Ukraine abroad) on the day of application. The production of this document is usually a paid service.

An international passport can currently be issued at the Embassy of Ukraine to the Hellenic Republic. However, when ordering this service, it should be noted that the process of producing and issuing an international passport lasts from 3 to 6 months. The production of this document is a paid service.

If you or your relatives plan to return to Ukraine, but do not have a valid passport (the passport has expired, lost your passport or arrived in Greece only with an internal passport or birth certificate), then you need to obtain a document from the consulate of Ukraine that will allow you to cross the border.

To do this, you need to contact the nearest consular office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and issue a certificate of return to Ukraine (the so-called “white passport”). The Embassy of Ukraine in Greece is located in Filothei.  The list of documents that you need to apply in order to get the certificate of return to Ukraine can be found at the following link.

Health records in Greece can be found at the link. The user should have Taxisnet codes or FAY codes (Health Insurance File codes). In case you have been hospitalised in Greece you need to request your hospitalisation file from the relevant health care facility.

If you have received documents certifying your disability in Greece, you will have to go through the process of confirming your disability in Ukraine to have them recognized in Ukraine. For more information you can click here. 

The parent or guardian must contact the child’s school of enrolment to inform them about the termination of attendance and request a certificate of enrolment. This document is issued immediately by the school, in Greek only, and is available in both hard copy and electronic format.

Ask for an official document acknowledging your child’s educational achievement that will facilitate recognition of the qualifications in Ukraine. More information on what information the document should include can be found on the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science’s webpage.

An unaccompanied child (below 18) may not travel from Greece to Ukraine on their own without adhering to specific legal requirements.

For Children Aged 14 and Above:

Airlines generally allow children aged 14 and above to travel unaccompanied if they possess all necessary legal documentation, such as a valid passport and any required travel authorizations or visas. However, the child must not be considered unaccompanied within Greece (e.g., not under state care or guardianship). In such cases, authorities need to be informed and notified.

For Children Aged 14 and Below:

Children under 14 cannot travel independently. They must inform the relevant authorities, and a best interest assessment must be conducted. Following the assessment, the return process must be arranged through inter-state cooperation to ensure the child’s safety and well-being and to coordinate the return to comply with international child protection standards. The child must have all necessary legal documentation, including a passport, travel consent from their legal guardian(s), and any required permits.

Please check FAQ ‘On return to Ukraine’ for services available in Ukraine.

Before returning to Ukraine, you need to visit your bank and close your bank account. If you want to retain your bank account in Greece, the bank will inform you of the conditions required.

Currently there is no bilateral agreement between Greece and Ukraine regulating mutual recognition of social insurance contributions. Therefore, social insurance contributions in Greece will not, in principle, be taken into account by the competent Ukrainian authorities.

You need to submit a tax declaration for the previous year (e.g. if you return to Ukraine in April 2025, for the year 2024) during the submission of tax declarations period (15 March-15 July 2025) and also for the period of the year of departure for the months that you were residing in Greece (e.g. for January-April 2025, during the tax declarations submission period of 2026).

You need to submit to the tax authorities a request to change your fiscal residence from Greece to Ukraine, from 1 January until end of February of the year following your departure (e.g. if you return to Ukraine in April 2025, you need to change your fiscal residence during January-February 2026. For more information, please check the pages of the Independent Authority for Public Revenue and the National Register of Administrative Procedures (in Greek only).

If your pet is registered in the Register of Pet Animals, you can issue a copy of the pet health booklet. You can find more information at the link. Otherwise, please contact you veterinarian.