Within 30 days of receiving the application, Greek authorities will have to set a date for the meeting, during which their biometric data (user’s photo and fingerprints) will be recorded so it can be entered on the card’s electronic chip. The chip can also store electronic proof of identity and a qualified electronic signature.

The card will also show whether the holder has the right to work in Greece.

All European member-states are obliged to introduce the electronic residence permit based on a regulation first passed in 2002 and then updated in 2008. The aim is to design a uniform residence permit for the EU. Several other countries, such as Germany which rolled out its residence cards in September 2011, have already completed the process.