Pursuant to Ministerial Decision No. 14119/2020 of the Minister for Migration and Asylum (FEK 1654/B/04-05-2020), residence permits and blue certificates that have already expired during 2020 (and could be legally renewed) or will expire by 30/06/2020, may be renewed at any time until 31/12/2020; their validity is automatically (ex officio) extended until the date of submission of the application for renewal, i.e. the validity of residence permits and of blue certificates is automatically extended until 31/12/2020 the latest.
Specifically, according to the aforementioned Ministerial Decision:
- Residence permits, issued pursuant to Law 4251/2014 and to Presidential Decree 106/2007 respectively, which expired during the period between 01 December 2019 and 11 March 2020 and were to be renewed in accordance with the provisions of Law 4251/2014 and of Presidential Decree 106/2007, and residence permits that expire(d) during the period between 12 March 2020 and 30 June 2020, may be renewed by 31 December 2020.
- The certificates (“blue attestations / blue certificates”) issued in accordance with articles 8 and 9 of Law 4251/2014 and the specific attestations of legal residence referred to article 25 of Law 4251/2014, which expired prior to 12 March and which were to be renewed in accordance with relevant provisions, and those expiring during the period between 13 March 2020 and 30 June 2020, may be renewed by 31 December 2020.
- For the time period between the expiry of the above legal titles of residence and the date of submission of application for their renewal, the respective legal titles are considered to be ex officio extended.
- Third-country nationals holders of a national VISA (type D VISA) who are under the obligation, during the period between 12 March 2020 and 15 May 2020, to submit an application for the award of an initial residence permit, are entitled to submit the relevant application no later than 30 September 2020.
Pursuant to Joint Ministerial Decision of the Minister of Interior, the Minister of Health and the Minister for Migration and Asylum No 3332/7.4.2020 (FEK 1297/B/10-04-2020), the operation of services requiring the reception of public in all units of aliens and immigration has been suspended until 15 May 2020, i.e. no applications for the award of an initial residence permit, for the renewal of a residence permit or for the renewal of a blue certificate can be submitted until 15 May 2020.
