legal and social conditions for asylum seekers and refugees in ...

GREECE
LEGAL CONDITIONS
The legal basis
– The Geneva Convention of 1951 and New York Protocol of 1967;
– The Constitution of the Hellenic Republic, Section 5(2) of which states that “the extradition of
aliens prosecuted for their action as freedom-fighters shall be prohibited”;
– The Act No. 1975/1991 of 4 December 1991 as amended by Act No. 2452/1996 of 31
December 1996 (the Aliens Act);
– The Presidential Decree No, 61/1999 on the refugee status recognition procedure, revocation of
the recognition and deportation of an alien, entry permission for family members and mode of cooperation
with the UNHCR representative in Greece;
– The Presidential Decree No. 189/1998 of 25 December 1998 on the conditions and procedures
for the granting of a work permit or any other assistance for occupational rehabilitation to
refugees recognised by the state, to asylum seekers and to persons granted temporary residence
on humanitarian grounds;
– The Presidential Decree No. 266/1999 on the Centre for refugees in Lavrion in the Attika region
as well as the medical care for asylum seekers, refugees and persons with humanitarian status;
– The Schengen Agreement (in force since March 2000) and the Dublin Convention.
Refugee status
The only refugee status granted in Greece is Convention status.
Convention refugees are issued with a refugee identity card, which enables them to receive a
residence permit which is valid for five years. This permit is then renewable on a five-year basis,
unless withdrawn in accordance with the provisions of the Geneva Convention.
Quota refugee
There are no provisions for the reception of quota refugees within Greek legislation.
Other types of residence permit
Residence permit for humanitarian reasons
According to Section 8 of the Presidential Decree No. 61/99, which refers to Section 25(4) of the
Aliens Act as amended in December 1996, an asylum seeker whose application has been finally
rejected may be granted temporary permission to stay in Greece for humanitarian reasons. Such
reasons may be, in particular, that is not practicable to remove the alien to his/her country of
origin due to serious health conditions, an international embargo imposed on that country, a civil
war followed by mass violations of human rights, etc., or the possible violation of the
requirements for non-refoulement provided by Article 3 of the European Convention on Human
Rights.
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Greece