Greece

It is unclear whether Greece imposes restrictions on entry of people living with HIV.

According to UNAIDS and the US Department of State, Greece does not have any HIV-related restrictions on entry.

The Embassy of Greece in Washington provides a list of supporting documents that should be included with the Schengen visa applications and none of those documents makes reference to HIV.

However, the national visa includes as a required document a ‘medical certificate issued by a recognised state or private institution, showing that the person concerned does not suffer from a disease which may constitute a risk to public health, according to the international data of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union acquis, as well as other infectious, contagious or parasitic diseases, imposing the taking of measures to protect public health.’ It is not clear if such health certificate includes HIV disclosure or testing.

The visa application form published by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not contain questions or fields in relation to any health condition or status. 

We found no evidence of any official restrictions on short-term stay in Greece based on HIV status.

According to UNAIDS and the US Department of State, Greece does not have any HIV-related restrictions on short-term stay.

In 2008, Dr C. Botsi, Head HIV Division, Ministry of Health, Athens, via the Embassy of Greece in Berlin reported that “Foreigners intending to work in Greece are required to perform a health test, including tuberculosis and hepatitis B, but not HIV. Only sex workers are tested for sexually transmittable infections. The tests are mandatory. People with a positive test result are not allowed to work in this area of expertise. They are treated for free. The Migration Law allows sero-positive individuals to extend an expiring visa for humanitarian reasons.”

We found no evidence of any official restrictions on long-term stay in Greece based on HIV status.

According to UNAIDS and the US Department of State, Greece does not have any HIV-related restrictions on long-term stay.

The following summarises available information on access to healthcare for people living with HIV in Greece. There is no evidence that non-nationals are restricted from accessing treatment in the same way as nationals.

According to the AIDS Action Europe report “Accessing HIV prevention, testing, treatment care and support in Europe as a migrant with irregular status in Europe: A comparative 10-country legal survey” published in 2016, “Greece provides HIV testing, diagnosis (test + confirmatory test), treatment and care free of charge for migrants with irregular status. Specifically, a Common Ministerial Decision, (93443 of 18 August 2011) foresees that all people living in Greece, including migrants with irregular status, have access to testing and treatment for HIV and other infectious diseases ‘until their health condition is stabilised’. As a result, migrants with irregular status who do not have access to ARV therapy in their home country are entitled both to treatment and a temporary residence permit for the duration of their treatment.” 

The Greek Parliament has passed Law 4368/2016, which contains a new provision (Article 33) for the right of free access to the services of the Greek Public Health System by all refugees, asylum-seekers and beneficiaries of international protection, as well as those residing in Greece on humanitarian grounds or for exceptional health reasons.

The information provided by Dr C. Botsi, Head HIV Division, Ministry of Health, Athens in 2008 also stated that: antiretroviral medication can be carried, accompanied by a doctor’s certificate. Important: HIV medication is not sold in Greece, but distributed via HIV clinics in hospitals only. Foreigners who are not residents cannot access these drugs. It is not clear if this is still applicable.

• UNAIDS
• US Department of State
• Embassy of Greece in Washington
• Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• AIDS Action Europe