FBI background check for Greece: digital nomad visa, Golden Visa and residence permits

Last reviewed: 2026-11-07

If you have lived in the United States and are applying for a Greek visa, residence permit or citizenship, you will often be asked for a US criminal record certificate: the FBI background check (officially, the Identity History Summary). Here is when you need it and how to get it accepted in Greece.

When Greece asks for one

Greek national visas and residence permits, such as the digital nomad visa, the financially independent person (FIP) visa and residence for investors (the Golden Visa), generally ask for a criminal record certificate from your country of nationality or the countries you have lived in during recent years. For the US, that is the FBI background check. Greek citizenship applications also ask for criminal record certificates from abroad.

Whether it is needed, and for which years, depends on the permit and on the consulate or Greek office handling your case. Some investor applications only need it at the visa stage. Always check the current list with the consulate, the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, or your lawyer.

The steps

1. Fingerprints: a technician takes your fingerprints to the FBI standard at one of our offices, including in Greece. You do not need to travel to the US.
2. FBI result: your fingerprints are sent electronically and the result usually arrives within 24–48 hours.
3. Apostille: the result gets a Hague apostille from the US Department of State. Greek authorities only accept the translation of a foreign document that already carries its apostille.
4. Translation into Greek: the certificate and the apostille are translated officially (see below).

Translation into Greek: three accepted routes

Ask the office receiving your file which of these it accepts. Tell us your case when you book and we will tell you how we can help with the translation.

• The Translation Service of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• A certified translator listed in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs register of certified translators.
• A Greek lawyer: under the Greek Lawyers Code, lawyers can translate documents from a foreign language, and their translations are accepted by most Greek authorities.

Timing

Many Greek consulates and offices only accept a certificate issued in the last 3 months. Request your FBI check close to your appointment or filing date, not months ahead. Our 90-day calculator below shows the window for your date.

Questions

Can I get FBI fingerprints in Greece?

Yes. Our technicians take FBI-standard fingerprints in Greece and send them electronically, so you do not need to travel or post paper cards to the US.

Is a Greek police certificate enough?

No. The Greek criminal record (Αντίγραφο Ποινικού Μητρώου) only covers Greece. For the years you lived in the US, the Greek authorities ask for the FBI background check.

Do I need the apostille before the translation?

Yes. In Greece a foreign public document is translated only once it carries its apostille, and the apostille is translated together with the certificate.

General information, not legal advice. Requirements change: always check the current list of the office handling your application.