Asylum & International Protection · Greece
Speak to an asylum lawyer in Greece about your case
Asylum and protection work in Greece is carried out by lawyers who must belong to a Greek Bar Association and who are bound by professional secrecy. Tell us briefly what has happened and we match you, free of charge, with a lawyer whose practice covers this field. The decision to instruct remains entirely yours.
- Lawyers admitted to a Greek Bar Association
- Free matching, with no obligation to instruct
- Profiles of lawyers who handle asylum and protection work
Free matching service. We are not a law firm and we do not provide legal advice.
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Asylum law in Greece
Finding representation you can rely on
If you are seeking protection in Greece, the legal steps can feel unfamiliar, especially when the language and the paperwork are new. An asylum lawyer in Greece works with people who have arrived from other countries and need representation, explanation and a clear plan for what comes next. Greek lawyers are admitted to a local Bar Association and are entitled to represent clients before courts, authorities and public services, so your representative can deal with the institutions involved in your case while you focus on your own account. Through europeanlawyerfinder.com you describe your situation once, in your own words, and we match you with a lawyer who handles asylum and international protection work. The matching service is free, there is no obligation to instruct, and you decide how the relationship continues.
Greece in practice
How legal work is organised in Greece
Greece follows the continental civil-law model, so a lawyer’s role, fees and legal aid are governed by statutes and by the Code of Lawyers rather than by binding precedent. The points below explain how the profession, the courts and public authorities work in Greece. The table then lists the general civil, employment and succession timelines fixed by Greek law, so you can see the kind of time-critical work Greek lawyers handle; your representative will confirm which periods apply to your own matter.
Who may practise as a lawyer in Greece
Membership of a Bar Association is compulsory in order to practise law in Greece. Under Article 4 of Law 4194/2013, the Code of Lawyers, a person acquires the status of lawyer by passing the nationwide bar examinations, obtaining a ministerial appointment published in the Government Gazette, taking the statutory oath and being entered in the register of a Bar Association.
A lawyer who acts before authorities, not only before courts
Under Article 1 of the Code of Lawyers, a lawyer represents and defends clients before every court, authority and public service, and provides legal advice and opinions. The same provision describes the lawyer as a public functionary whose office supports the rule of law, and binds the lawyer by professional secrecy. That is why a Greek representative can correspond with public bodies on your behalf.
Where a case sits in the Greek court structure
Greek courts are organised in three jurisdictions: civil, criminal and administrative. The Court of Cassation, the Areios Pagos, heads the civil and criminal side and reviews the legal correctness of lower decisions rather than the facts, while the Council of State heads the administrative branch. Your lawyer will confirm which branch and which instance your own matter belongs to.
Fees, written agreements and VAT
A lawyer’s fee in Greece is freely determined by written agreement with the client and may cover the whole proceedings, part of them or specific acts, under Article 58 of the Code of Lawyers. Where no written agreement exists, the statutory scale based on the value of the matter applies. Professional fees are subject to 24% VAT, so ask about both points at the outset.
Legal aid for people on low incomes
Free legal aid in criminal, civil and commercial cases is provided by Law 3226/2004, as amended by Law 4274/2014. Low-income applicants whose annual family income does not exceed two thirds of the minimum annual personal income under the National General Collective Labour Agreement may qualify; a disability of 67% or more qualifies regardless of income. EU citizens and third-country nationals or stateless persons lawfully resident in the EU may qualify.
The language used in Greek proceedings
Greek is the language of the courts in Greece, so documents and hearings are conducted in Greek. If your own account, statements or supporting evidence are in another language, your lawyer will explain what has to be translated or interpreted for your file and which documents you need to sign or provide.
All country information on this page is taken from official Greek and European Union sources — the Greek Ministry of Justice, the Greek Bar Associations, the Ministry of Labour, the independent authority for public revenue (AADE) and the European e-Justice Portal — consulted in 2025.
- European e-Justice Portal — National justice systems: Greece
- Plenary of the Presidents of the Greek Bar Associations
- Athens Bar Association — the legal profession
- European e-Justice Portal — Costs of proceedings in Greece
- Greek Civil Code — Ministry of Justice
- Greek Ministry of Labour — termination of an open-ended contract
- AADE — inheritance tax for Greeks abroad and non-residents
- AADE — tax obligations arising from loss of life
What makes it hard
Why people look for help before they look for anything else
A case in Greece usually fails on details rather than on facts: a document that was never sent, a letter nobody explained, a period that quietly ran out.
The procedure feels invisible
You have arrived, you have told your story, and now you wait without knowing which office holds your file or what happens next. Without a representative who can follow the case, every letter is a guess.
Language becomes a barrier
Forms, notifications and decisions arrive in Greek, and one misunderstood line can change your position. Explaining your own history in a language you do not fully command adds a second layer of difficulty exactly when precision matters most.
Time passes while you wait
Days turn into months, and information reaches you late or not at all. A lawyer who handles asylum work can keep the file moving, answer official correspondence and tell you plainly what stage you have reached.
How we help
Matching you with the right lawyer for Greece
One request, a shortlist of lawyers whose practice covers your type of matter, and no charge for the introduction.
Specialists in asylum and protection work
We match you only with lawyers who handle asylum and international protection matters, so the first conversation starts from your situation rather than from a general introduction to the subject.
Free and without obligation
You describe your case once and we pass it to a suitable lawyer. The matching service costs you nothing, and you are free to decide whether to instruct that lawyer or to keep looking.
Lawyers regulated by a Greek Bar
Every lawyer we work with is admitted to a Bar Association in Greece, is subject to the Code of Lawyers, is bound by professional secrecy and answers to the disciplinary bodies of their own Bar.
One request instead of many letters
Instead of writing to office after office, you submit a single request and we identify lawyers whose practice covers your type of matter. You can then ask each of them directly which languages they work in.
Where our clients come from
Requests we handle across Europe
People reach Greece from many directions, and the need for a lawyer who understands both the Greek system and your own background is not limited to one border. If you are still outside the country, we can take your request and match you with a lawyer practising in Greece.
Common questions
Questions about legal representation in Greece
How do I find an asylum lawyer in Greece I can trust?
Start from the fact that the profession is regulated there: a lawyer must belong to a Bar Association, and that status follows the nationwide bar examinations, a ministerial appointment, the statutory oath and entry in the Bar register. We match you with lawyers who handle asylum and protection work, and you can verify their Bar membership yourself.
Can a lawyer in Greece act for me before public authorities?
Yes. Under Article 1 of the Code of Lawyers, a lawyer represents and defends clients before every court, authority and public service, and also gives legal advice and opinions. The same law describes the lawyer as a public functionary bound by professional secrecy and answerable to the disciplinary bodies of the Bar.
Is free legal aid available in Greece?
Greece provides free legal aid in criminal, civil and commercial cases under Law 3226/2004, as amended. Eligibility depends on income, measured against two thirds of the minimum annual personal income under the National General Collective Labour Agreement, and a disability of 67% or more qualifies regardless of income. EU citizens and third-country nationals or stateless persons lawfully resident in the EU may also qualify.
How are lawyers’ fees set in Greece?
A fee is freely agreed in writing and may cover the whole proceedings, part of them or individual acts, under Article 58 of the Code of Lawyers. Where there is no written agreement, the statutory scale based on the value of the matter applies. Fees carry 24% VAT, so ask about the agreement and the VAT position in advance.
Will proceedings in Greece be in English?
Greek is the language of the courts in Greece, so documents and hearings are conducted in Greek. Your lawyer will explain what has to be translated or interpreted in your file and which documents you need to sign or supply.
What does the matching service cost?
Nothing for you. You send us a short description of your situation, we identify lawyers who handle asylum matters in Greece, and you decide whether to contact them. We are not a law firm and we do not give legal advice.
Next step
Tell us about your case in Greece
Describe what has happened in a few lines, in whichever language you write comfortably, and we will match you with a lawyer who handles asylum work in Greece. There is no charge for the introduction and no obligation to instruct anyone.