# Need Explanation, Please help



## TheNomad1111 (Nov 27, 2011)

I am an American, moving to Greece in February I cant find the answers I need online so hoping someone can shed some light. I prefer to move and not have to do all of the paper work involved. Since I normally live in South America or Mexico it has never been a problem. I dont need work as I own a Real Estate business in America. Im going to Chania how difficult will it be to rent a place there?? Will they ask for tons of documentation or does money talk?? Another question I have is will I be able to get a decent place for a long term 12 month lease if I arrive in Feb right before the vacation season?? The prices seem to jump alot but Im hoping since Im looking for long term I can find a nice place for 500-600 Euros??

How strict are the police in crete?? In america they hide on every corner waiting to get you for anything, I hate that. Ive gotten use to Mexico where I can have a beer in the car and the cops never pull you over to know if they do they dont care as long as your not to drunk. 

Thank you in advance for any information you can provide.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

TheNomad1111 said:


> I am an American, moving to Greece in February I cant find the answers I need online so hoping someone can shed some light. I prefer to move and not have to do all of the paper work involved. Since I normally live in South America or Mexico it has never been a problem. I dont need work as I own a Real Estate business in America. Im going to Chania how difficult will it be to rent a place there?? Will they ask for tons of documentation or does money talk?? Another question I have is will I be able to get a decent place for a long term 12 month lease if I arrive in Feb right before the vacation season?? The prices seem to jump alot but Im hoping since Im looking for long term I can find a nice place for 500-600 Euros??
> 
> How strict are the police in crete?? In america they hide on every corner waiting to get you for anything, I hate that. Ive gotten use to Mexico where I can have a beer in the car and the cops never pull you over to know if they do they dont care as long as your not to drunk.
> 
> Thank you in advance for any information you can provide.


:welcome: 
if I understand correctly, you want to know if you can just move to Greece without a formal permit - if so, what you are proposing is simply illegal

as a US citizen you can only stay for 90 days at a time in Greece (I think out of every 180) without a resident permit - if caught overstaying you could find yourself deported & potentially banned from Europe for a period of time (or even forever) - not just Greece. 

why not get in touch with the Greek consulate in the US & find out exactly what the requirements are to do it legally - as far as I know you have to apply from your home country - it can't be done after you arrive in Greece

I don't live in Greece so can't comment with authority about the legalities of drinking while driving - however it's illegal in many other European countries & I don't imagine Greece is any different


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## TheNomad1111 (Nov 27, 2011)

Well seeing as how you dont live in Greece I wasn't really looking for your opinion and Im aware of the law which stipulates you must leave every 90 days and since I travel often my re-entry allows me another 90 days each time. DWI is also illegal here so is weed however its loosely monitored I was curious to know how strict the police are in general there as I enjoy beer and getting high.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

TheNomad1111 said:


> Well seeing as how you dont live in Greece I wasn't really looking for your opinion and Im aware of the law which stipulates you must leave every 90 days and since I travel often my re-entry allows me another 90 days each time. DWI is also illegal here so is weed however its loosely monitored I was curious to know how strict the police are in general there as I enjoy beer and getting high.


as I said - I don't live in Greece, but I do live in Europe & the rules are pretty much the same Europe wide, with slight 'local' variations - hopefully a local will be able let you know how strictly the drink driving law is applied


as far as living in Greece in the first place, in fact you have to leave after 90 days & can't return for another 90 days/3 months, so I can't see how you would manage to legally stay for a longer stretch of time with applying for a proper resident permit - that's Europe/Schengen wide - so I don't need to live in Greece to tell you that - & it's not my opinion - it's fact


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

TheNomad1111 said:


> Well seeing as how you dont live in Greece I wasn't really looking for your opinion and Im aware of the law which stipulates you must leave every 90 days and since I travel often my re-entry allows me another 90 days each time. DWI is also illegal here so is weed however its loosely monitored I was curious to know how strict the police are in general there as I enjoy beer and getting high.


I just hope you're not coming on the forum asking for advise on how easy it is to break the law in Greece. Cos the answer is it doesnt matter - if its breaking the law then the advise is DONT - END! Cannabis apparently is illegal in Greece

Jo xx


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## wka (Sep 18, 2009)

TheNomad1111 said:


> Well seeing as how you dont live in Greece I wasn't really looking for your opinion and Im aware of the law which stipulates you must leave every 90 days and since I travel often my re-entry allows me another 90 days each time. DWI is also illegal here so is weed however its loosely monitored I was curious to know how strict the police are in general there as I enjoy beer and getting high.


Hi, I'm American and I live in Greece permanently.

You must get a residence permit, you cannot use your passport. If you use your passport, you must leave for a full 90 days out of every 180. You can't get a "new 90 days" by leaving for less than 90 days. It doesn't work that way in Greece, sorry.

The police are EXTREMELY strict with marijuana. Drinking & driving is very rare here so I'm not sure how strict they are - but marijuana is treated more seriously than in the US. Getting drunk is culturally taboo in Greece but if you stay in the touristy areas, it's expected, a lot of British and other Europeans come here and get drunk in some very specific areas (Chania isn't one of them but other areas in Crete like Malia are). This is not to say that Greeks never get drunk, but it's considered shameful to be unable to "hold your liquor" and to be seen drunk in public, and it spills over into the idea that you shouldn't drink and drive - but of course it happens and since Greek roads (Crete included) are rather horrendous, the fatality rate is higher than it should be considering how rare it is to drink and drive. Marijuana is culturally more acceptable but legally, you don't want to get involved.

Greece may not be the right fit for you for those reasons.

Also to get a residence permit as an American is EXTREMELY difficult. You will probably need to invest around €60,000 here and there are no guarantees. I did it twice "under my own steam" before I got married to a Greek (which is a relatively straightforward process). Those two times, it was based on very special circumstances. I wouldn't have been able to do it just because I wanted to. So first you'll need to make sure you even qualify.

As far as paying someone to handle the paperwork, all I can say is good luck finding someone. Almost all of the initial legwork will have to be done by you in the US (FBI clearance, embassy interview, getting health insurance, securing employment here and getting proof of that and of a place to live, etc etc). It's not easy... it takes several months just to get permission (while still in the US) to apply for a permit - which usually takes more than a year to be approved. Mine took 11 months the last two times.

I'm not trying to be negative, I just don't want you to have misconceptions, which will just cost you time and money and frustration later on.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

wka said:


> Hi, I'm American and I live in Greece permanently.
> 
> You must get a residence permit, you cannot use your passport. If you use your passport, you must leave for a full 90 days out of every 180. You can't get a "new 90 days" by leaving for less than 90 days. It doesn't work that way in Greece, sorry.
> 
> ...


thanks for replying wka - an 'on the ground answer, as it were


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## TheNomad1111 (Nov 27, 2011)

xabiachica said:


> thanks for replying wka - an 'on the ground answer, as it were


Well thank you very much, that really helped. Please understand Im not a drunk I just enjoy a beer when I drive and im in my 20's so I like going out sometimes. I will change my plans and stay there for three months then and go somewhere else afterwards.....Do you feel its best to just arrive and find a place to rent for 3 months, what areas do you suggest I would like a nice villa or apartment with a ocean view and furnished I can also pay everything upfront if it helps. Once again thank you for the advise after I live in a few European countries I think Latin america might be a better fit for me long term.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

TheNomad1111 said:


> Well thank you very much, that really helped. Please understand Im not a drunk I just enjoy a beer when I drive and im in my 20's so I like going out sometimes.


You sound exactly like a drunk to me. There are very few countries in the EU or anywhere else that condone 20 year olds getting behind the wheel of a car with a beer simply because they enjoy it! thats a very immature and selfish attitude. 

I'm closing this thread as its going nowhere and you're simply trying to find someone and somewhere that will tell you its ok to act in a childish, irresponsible and illegal fashion.

Jo (moderator)


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