Greek licence to practise (βεβαίωση άσκησης επαγγέλματος)

It is the document that lets you work in your profession in Greece. The old name, licence (άδεια), was replaced by certificate (βεβαίωση), which is why both words appear in job adverts and forms. It is the Greek form of a licence to practise, and it comes after academic recognition, not instead of it.

• Doctors: since 2019 PIS is the competent authority to grant, suspend and revoke the certificate to practise medicine and medical specialty titles (Government Gazette B 1373/2019).
• Nurses: the certificate to practise as a nurse is issued by the Region's public health service, after you register with ENE.

With a degree from outside the EU, your qualification must first be recognised by DOATAP. For medicine, DOATAP says recognition of a non-EU degree follows compulsory exams under Article 312 of Law 4957/2022, held twice a year in Athens. Nursing degrees are compared with a Greek programme and may need compensatory measures. You also need the right Greek certificate, a residence and work permit, and in practice an AFM.

1. Apply on the PIS platform with the application form and two colour photographs.
2. Attach your passport, your foreign degree with its translation and the DOATAP equivalence decision.
3. Add your licence to practise from the country where you trained and a solemn declaration about criminal convictions.
4. Third-country nationals without EU rights add their residence permit and work permit.
5. Pay the €80 fee set in Government Gazette B 3775/2021.

On language, the PIS rules ask EU citizens and those with EU rights for Greek at B2, and exempt anyone whose DOATAP equivalence was obtained after exams.

1. Register with your ENE regional section. Non-EU graduates submit the apostilled and translated degree, the DOATAP decision, a Greek certificate at level C1 if they are not Greek citizens, their passport and licence from home, two photos and the €35 registration fee.
2. Apply to the Region with the ENE certificate, your degree and recognition, a criminal record extract or declaration, two photos and the €8 state fee (more in some Cyclades units).

PIS must issue the certificate as soon as possible and within one month of your application. If it has not been issued within three months, the doctor may start working. The nurse procedure has a three-month deadline, after which practice is presumed allowed, though the authority can still stop you if the conditions are not met. The nurse certificate has no expiry date.

• Greek level mismatch. ENE asks non-Greek citizens for C1, while the Region's form refers to B2 for EU nationals. Check with your ENE section before booking an exam.
• Translations. Documents need official translation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs service or a lawyer, with the apostille translated too.
• Permit timing. PIS asks third-country doctors for a residence and work permit, which your employer's application starts.