Visa & Invitation Letters

Do I need a visa?

It depends on your nationality. Citizens of the European Union and of the Schengen area travel with an identity document. Nationals of many other countries enter without a visa for a short stay. Everyone else needs a short-stay Schengen visa, type C, for a conference visit.

The rule that governs the length of the stay is the same for all short stays: up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole Schengen area, which today comprises 29 countries. The European Commission publishes the authoritative list of countries and of the nationalities that need a visa.

Visa requirements, by nationality, opens in a new tab

Membership, the 90/180 rule and visa requirements published by European Union: country profile, Greece, opens in a new tab and European Commission: visa policy, opens in a new tab, read on 19 September 2026. Prices and opening hours change: check the operator before travelling.

Applying for a Schengen visa

A conference visit is a short stay; the application is lodged with the consulate of the country of main destination, Greece for AES 2027.

Where

The Greek consulate responsible for your country of legal residence, or the consulate or visa centre representing Greece there

When

Normally no earlier than six months before the journey, and at least fifteen days before it

Fee

€90 for an adult, €45 for a child aged 6 to 12; a visa centre may add its own service fee

Biometrics

Fingerprints are taken, unless they were recorded in the Visa Information System within the previous 59 months

Decision times are set by each consulate and the official sources do not agree on a single figure, so none is published here. Appointment availability varies far more than the decision itself. Apply as early as the six-month window allows, and before buying a non-refundable ticket.

Procedure, deadlines and fees published by European Commission: applying for a Schengen visa, opens in a new tab and Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Schengen visas, opens in a new tab, read on 19 September 2026. Prices and opening hours change: check the operator before travelling.

What the consulate asks for

The list below is the one published by the Commission and the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A consulate may ask for more.

• a passport valid for at least three months after the date you intend to leave the Schengen area, issued within the previous ten years, with at least two blank pages;
• the completed application form and a photograph to the ICAO standard;
• travel medical insurance covering emergency medical care, hospitalisation and repatriation, for at least €30,000, valid throughout the Schengen area and for the whole stay;
• proof of the purpose of the journey: for AES 2027, the invitation letter below, and the acceptance of your paper if you have one;
• proof of accommodation, of sufficient means for the stay, and of the intention to return: a return ticket, and evidence of employment, self-employment or study;
• where an inviting body in Greece covers part of the costs, a letter from that body.

Required documents and the insurance minimum published by European Commission: applying for a Schengen visa, opens in a new tab and Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Schengen visas, opens in a new tab, read on 19 September 2026. Prices and opening hours change: check the operator before travelling.

Invitation letters

Issued on request to registered participants and to authors of accepted papers.

1. 01
   Write to the organisers

   Use the button at the top of this page; the subject line is prepared.

2. 02
   Include what the letter must state

   Your full name exactly as in the passport, your affiliation and postal address, your passport number and nationality, the dates you intend to travel, and, if applicable, the title of your accepted paper and your role in the programme.

3. 03
   Receive a signed letter

   A signed PDF confirming the conference, its dates (16–19 March 2027), the venue (War Museum of Athens, Athens) and your role. Print it for the application and keep it for the border.

An invitation letter is a statement of fact about your participation. It is not a guarantee that a visa will be issued, it does not commit the conference to paying any cost, and it is never issued for anyone who is neither registered nor an author.

ETIAS, for travellers who do not need a visa

ETIAS is the European travel authorisation planned for nationals of visa-exempt countries, among them the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Australia, Brazil, South Korea, Israel, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and Mexico.

At the time of writing it is not in operation, and the European Union states that it will announce the start date several months before the launch. No date is published here for that reason. If ETIAS has started by March 2027, the authorisation costs €20, is valid for three years or until the passport expires, and covers stays of up to 90 days in any 180 days in the thirty European countries that take part.

The official ETIAS page, opens in a new tab Who will need an authorisation, opens in a new tab

The status, fee and validity of ETIAS published by European Union: ETIAS, opens in a new tab and European Union: who needs ETIAS, opens in a new tab, read on 19 September 2026. Prices and opening hours change: check the operator before travelling.

What the conference cannot do

Visa and entry decisions belong exclusively to the Greek authorities and to the consulate handling the file. The organisers cannot influence a decision, expedite an application, intervene in a refusal or correspond with a consulate on a participant’s behalf. Holding the documents required to enter Greece and the Schengen area remains the traveller’s responsibility.

If a visa is refused, send the refusal notice to the organisers as soon as you receive it: requests received before the cancellation deadline follow the cancellation terms on the registration page, and later cases are examined individually.

Registration Venue and travel FAQ