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GREECE
After completion of the sentence, the same court may, on the above-mentioned grounds, grant
the foreigner the right to temporarily reside in Greece until departure is possible. The foreigner’s
residence is subject to police control measures. The law does not specify any limits regarding the
length of the foreigner’s residence.
Expulsion cannot be enforced on:
Minors whose parents legally reside in Greece;
A parent of a Greek minor;
Persons older than 80 years of age.
Detention
If the foreigner is considered dangerous, the expulsion or deportation decision may include the
order for his/her detention, which cannot exceed three months. In this case, the foreigner shall be
detained on the premises of the appropriate police authority that bears responsibility for the
safety of such special premises.
Asylum seekers generally remain in “the waiting zone” of the point of entry where they arrived
for the whole period of examination of their asylum application. This cannot exceed 15 days.
The waiting zone is considered to be the area that extends from the point of embarkation/disembarkation
to the point of passport control.
Eleven reception facilities for asylum seekers, the so-called “Temporary Stay Centres” have
been established throughout Greece, including in selected border areas.
2. ASSISTED VOLUNTARY RETURN
There is no specific voluntary return policy and consequently no structured assisted voluntary
return programmes operating in Greece. Nevertheless IOM has effected some assisted voluntary
returns on an ad hoc basis for the Greek government, e.g. to Afghanistan.