How much time does the global recruitment process actually take: a detailed timeline

Timing is the critical variable in the recruitment of foreign workers. The most frequent cause of delay is not the rejection of an application, but poor timing: businesses that initiate the process two months before their peak season often find that the workers arrive only after the period of greatest need has already passed. It is therefore essential to understand the various stages of the process and who controls the timeline at each step.

Before any individual application can be filed, there is a state-level cycle that must take place. According to a ministerial decision published in May 2026, the Minister of Labor convenes consultations during the final quarter of each year with the Public Employment Service (DYPA), chambers of commerce, and employer associations. The purpose is to estimate the number of positions to be filled by foreign workers in the coming year, which then culminates in the issuance of an annual Act of the Council of Ministers. Consequently, the quota for the year in which a business intends to submit an application has already been set months in advance.

Finding the candidates

The process does not begin with paperwork; it begins with people. Before an application file can be compiled, specific candidates must be identified—individuals who hold a valid passport and have a clear intention to come and fill the designated position. Working with a specialized firm covers precisely this: a network in the countries of origin, pre-selection based on the specific expertise required by the employer, verification of documents, and preparation of the candidate for the subsequent steps. This stage takes up to twenty days on average, depending on the number of individuals and their specific professional qualifications.

Preparation of the Application File

The application file is typically prepared by the specialized firm handling the recruitment/invitation process; this stage is fully overseen by us. Requirements include an employment contract with a certified signature, tax documentation proving sufficient income, the identification pages of the candidate’s passport, a formal declaration (sworn statement) addressed to the competent consular authority, and proof of payment of the required administrative fee. A complete file can be compiled in just a few days. A file that is submitted correctly the first time will not be returned; conversely, any return of the file adds weeks to the process.

Submission and Review

The application is submitted electronically via the Ministry of Migration and Asylum portal. It is then automatically routed to the competent “One-Stop Service” of the Decentralized Administration under which the business falls—determined by the municipality where the company is headquartered or where the work is to be performed. The department reviews the supporting documents and, crucially, verifies the availability of a position in the specific specialty, in accordance with the applicable Act. The process may take anywhere from a few days to a month, depending on the workload of the local office and the completeness of the application file.

Approval and transmission to the consulate

Upon approval, the deed of transfer is transmitted electronically, together with the signed employment contract, to the competent Greek consular authority, the one stated in the employer’s declaration. The step is administratively simple, but choosing the wrong consular authority in the declaration means correction and delay.

The national entry visa

Here the control goes outside Greece and the biggest variation is found. The employee comes to the consulate, signs the contract, pays the consular fee and receives the national entry visa, type D visa. The duration varies from two to four months, depending on the country and the workload of the competent authority at that particular time. No company can speed up this stage, but it must budget for it.

Arrival, residence permit and recruitment

Entering the country does not mean that the worker can be employed immediately. In order to be hired, the residence permit certificate must first be granted, as well as the tax ID, AMKA and AMA issued. This process takes about two weeks. Then the recruitment announcement is made and the application for the initial granting of the residence permit is submitted digitally, with the biometric data taken during life. These two weeks are often omitted from the calculation.

The case of seasonal employment

In seasonal work, the logic is the same, but the margins are narrower, as the process is linked to a specific period of employment. Because all businesses in the industry move in the same window, congestion is a given, and a few weeks’ difference in submission can translate into months’ difference in arrival.

What ultimately determines duration?

Four factors account for almost all the difference between a fast and a slow recall: the completeness of the file, the workload of the competent Decentralized Administration one-stop service, the consular authority of the country of origin and the season. The first two are manageable with proper preparation. The third party is not affected by the business. The fourth is completely predictable, as applications always accumulate in the same periods. If there’s one rule, it’s this: planning doesn’t start from the submission date, but from the date you need the man in place, and you count backwards from there.

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