Is the Greece visa application in the UK handled by VFS Global?

No. The Embassy of Greece in London has outsourced visa applications to Global Visa Center World (GVCW), at uk-gr.gvcworld.eu, with centres in London, Manchester and Edinburgh. The consular office of the embassy in London decides.

How much money do I need for a Greek visa from the UK?

GVCW’s checklist asks for three months of statements from the UK current account your salary goes into, with a closing balance no older than 30 days of at least £40 for each day of your stay in the Schengen Area.

Can I use a flight reservation for a Greek visa from the UK?

No. GVCW asks for a receipt, invoice or payment confirmation showing that the return flights are fully paid, and accepts tickets from a travel agency only if the agency is based in Europe.

Why are there no Greece appointments in the UK?

GVCW says the Greek consular authorities in London set the number of appointments each month and it cannot add more, so a month can fill up completely, as May 2026 did. If you cannot find a date, GVCW asks you to call its call centre.

What is the refusal rate for Greece Schengen visas in the UK?

In 2025, the consulates of Greece in the UK refused 24.5% of the short-stay visa applications they decided, against 10.5% across all Schengen countries in the UK, according to the European Commission’s visa statistics. They received 36,089 applications, the 3rd most of any Schengen country.

How to Apply for a Greece Schengen Visa from the UK

On this page

Where you apply
Step by step
Documents
Fees and processing time
Applications and refusals
What applicants reported
Getting the appointment
Questions
Sources

Greek short-stay visas for UK residents are decided by the consular office of the Embassy of Greece in London. The applications are taken not by VFS Global but by Global Visa Center World (GVCW), to which the embassy has outsourced them, at its centres in London, Manchester and Edinburgh, by appointment.

Visa Catcher does not track Greece appointments in the UK, so there is no free channel or paid alert for it. This guide covers the GVCW centres and their booking rules, the online form, the Greek checklist for the UK (fully paid flights, £40 a day in the bank) and the fees. For the general rules, see how to apply for a Schengen visa from the UK.

Where you apply

Apply to Greece if it is your main destination: where you stay longest or, with equal stays, where you first enter the Schengen Area. The embassy says Greek visa applications must be lodged through GVCW, which only collects them and your fingerprints; the visa section of the consular office in London assesses every file. Greece also has a Consulate General in Manchester, but applications from all three centres go to London.

London: 66 Wilson Street, EC2A 2BT. Applications 09:00 to 13:00 on weekdays; passports are collected from 16:00 to 17:00.
Manchester and Edinburgh: 50 Devonshire Street North, M12 6JH, and 1 Rennie's Isle, Leith, EH6 6QT. Applications 09:00 to 14:00; passports come back by courier only. Files travel to GVCW London first, so GVCW asks you to allow five extra days.

GVCW accepts applications only with a UK residence permit valid at least a month after you return; a UK visitor (C) visa is not accepted. Everyone applies in person, and each applicant, children included, needs a separate application.

Step by step

1
Fill in the form on GVCW
Create an account on GVCW's site, complete the Schengen form there, then print and sign it. GVCW says to use only its website; postal applications are not accepted. Print its “Data Protection Information” sheet too, which GVCW says must be handed in with the file.
2
Book and pay the service fee
On GVCW's booking page, at the centre for your address. Since September 2024 the service fee is paid online by card to confirm the slot. Print the appointment letter.
3
Gather the documents
Originals plus one photocopy of each; GVCW asks for documents no more than a month old.
4
Attend the appointment
Hand in the form and documents, give fingerprints and pay the visa fee. The consular office may call you for an interview, in person or by video.
5
Wait for the decision
GVCW gives a minimum of 15 calendar days, three weeks for nationalities whose files other Schengen countries must see, and up to 45 days for some; track it online with the application ID on your receipt.

Documents

The country's own checklist is the one that counts. The core of it:

Passport issued within the last ten years, valid at least three months after you leave the Schengen Area, with two blank pages.
Proof of your UK immigration status, such as your eVisa and a share code, valid beyond your return.
The signed application form and a photo to the ICAO passport standard.
Travel medical insurance with at least €30,000 cover, valid in every Schengen country for the whole trip.
Recent bank statements, and a letter from your employer or proof of studies or self-employment.
A flight reservation, and hotel bookings or an invitation letter.

On top of that, GVCW's tourism checklist for the UK asks for:

A copy of your UK eVisa and a share code for visa purposes, valid at least 30 days after you leave the Schengen Area.
Three months of statements for the UK personal current account your salary goes into, with a closing balance no older than 30 days and at least £40 for each day in the Schengen Area.
A letter (not a contract) from your employer's HR department, stamped, signed and addressed to the Mission, giving your start date and position, plus your last three payslips. The self-employed bring their last tax return and a letter from an accountant, solicitor or bank manager.
Proof that your return flights are fully paid: a receipt, invoice or payment confirmation. Tickets from a travel agency are accepted only if it is based in Europe.
A confirmed hotel booking in your name, and copies of your Schengen visas from the last three years.
Two colour photos, 3.5 × 4 cm, no more than six months old.

Fees and processing time

Visa fee, adults: €90, paid in pounds: £76.50 on GVCW’s table (GVCW, November 2026)
Children under 12: Free on GVCW’s fee table (the EU standard for ages 6 to 11 is €45)
GVCW service fee: €30 including VAT, charged in pounds at the day’s ECB rate and paid by card when you book (GVCW, November 2026)
Processing: At least 15 calendar days, up to 45; five days more from Manchester or Edinburgh (GVCW)

The embassy says the visa fee is paid in cash or with a UK-issued debit or credit card. GVCW adds that the pound amount follows the exchange rate on the day you apply, and that the fee is not refunded if the visa is refused.

Applications and refusals

In 2025, the consulates of Greece in the UK received 36,089 short-stay Schengen visa applications: 7.0% of all those lodged in the UK, and the 3rd most of any Schengen country. They refused 24.5% of the applications they decided; across every Schengen country in the UK the rate was 10.5%, according to the European Commission's visa statistics.

Applications, 2025: 36,089
Rank in the UK: 3rd of 28 Schengen countries
Refused: 24.5%
All Schengen countries in the UK: 10.5% refused

The Commission counts applications where they are lodged, not by nationality, so these are residents of the UK of many nationalities. A refusal rate is an average over every applicant and says little about any one file; and the country you apply to is set by your main destination, not by its refusal rate.

What applicants reported

49 applicants in the United Kingdom have reported their Greece visa to Visa Catcher's statistics. The median time from appointment to passport back was 10 days.

Reports: 49
Appointment to passport back (median): 10 days; typically 7–16 days
Approved: 94% of 49 with a known outcome
Validity granted (median): 3 months
Multiple entry: 67%

See every Greece report from the United Kingdom · how the statistics work

Getting the appointment

The form is the easy part. The hard part is a free date with Global Visa Center World: when demand is high the calendar can stay empty, and new dates go quickly when they appear.

These are the ways to get a date:

Check the Global Visa Center World portal yourself

Free

Who books: You

Log in, choose the centre and category, and look at the calendar. New dates appear when the centre releases them or someone cancels, so this means checking again and again.

Visa CatcherOur service

Not tracked

Who books: —

We do not track Greece appointments in the UK, so there is no free channel, alert or auto-booking for it. Our free channel covers Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands.

Every route we do track is on the UK appointment board page. For how the booking systems work, see how to book a Schengen visa appointment in the UK.

Questions

Is the Greece visa application in the UK handled by VFS Global?: No. The Embassy of Greece in London has outsourced visa applications to Global Visa Center World (GVCW), at uk-gr.gvcworld.eu, with centres in London, Manchester and Edinburgh. The consular office of the embassy in London decides.
How much money do I need for a Greek visa from the UK?: GVCW’s checklist asks for three months of statements from the UK current account your salary goes into, with a closing balance no older than 30 days of at least £40 for each day of your stay in the Schengen Area.
Can I use a flight reservation for a Greek visa from the UK?: No. GVCW asks for a receipt, invoice or payment confirmation showing that the return flights are fully paid, and accepts tickets from a travel agency only if the agency is based in Europe.
Why are there no Greece appointments in the UK?: GVCW says the Greek consular authorities in London set the number of appointments each month and it cannot add more, so a month can fill up completely, as May 2026 did. If you cannot find a date, GVCW asks you to call its call centre.
What is the refusal rate for Greece Schengen visas in the UK?: In 2025, the consulates of Greece in the UK refused 24.5% of the short-stay visa applications they decided, against 10.5% across all Schengen countries in the UK, according to the European Commission’s visa statistics. They received 36,089 applications, the 3rd most of any Schengen country.

Sources

Rules and fees are set by the consulates and their visa centres and can change; check the official pages above before you apply. Our coverage, prices and release statistics on this page are live. Visa Catcher is an independent appointment-tracking service, not affiliated with any visa centre, embassy, consulate or government.

How to apply for a Greece Schengen visa from the UK