Procedure after family reunification decision (positive or negative) The family reunification procedure following the issuance of the family reunification decision is set out briefly and schematically in the table below. POSITIVE FR DECISION NEGATIVE FR DECISION The FR1402 file is sent by the Asylum Service or Hellenic Police to the Greek MFA (DC4Directorate for the Asylum Service / DSt3 for the Hellenic Police) 10 days to submit an appeal before the competent administrative authorities (Article12 par.2 P.D. 131/2006-5&18 of the Directive) - No free legal aid is provided After approximately 2-3 months the FR file is sent to the competent Greek Consulate In case the appeal is rejected, an Application for Annulment can be lodged before the competent Administrative Court of First Instance within 60 days from the service of the decision (art 46 P.D. 18/89). The competent Greek Consulate conducts an interview with the refugee family members and requires again all the documents as if the FR procedure in Greece had never existed. In addition to this, fees, penal record, medical certificates, travel insurance are also required. Positive Court Decision - the Authority that issued the negative FR decision, after its annulment is reexamining the case and has the right to issue once more a negative decision (as it happened after the issuance of court decision ΔΠΑ 59/2018 that resulted in the issuance of ΔΠΑ 861/ 2022). The Greek Consulate issues FR visas or negative FR visa decisions that can be appealed before the First Instance Administrative Court of Athens within 90 days (Article 15(1) L. 3068/2002in conjunction with Articles 46(3) and 41(3) P.D. 18/89). If the family members enter Greece, they must, within a month of their arrival, submit in person an application for the issuance of a residence permit as refugee family members. 1403 Refugees’ children reaching the age of majority Refugee family members who enter Greece through family reunification and for whom the Asylum Service is the competent authority cannot apply for the renewal of their residence permit if they reach the age of majority (18), despite the fact that P.D. 131/2006 explicitly provides for a special one-year residence permit until they reach the age of 21. 1404 Unlike the Headquarters of the Hellenic Police, the Asylum Service refuses to comply with the law and does not proceed to the renewal of residence permits of refugees’ children until the age of 21. A suspension and an annulment application was filed in February 2025 and April 2025 respectively,1405 before the Administrative Court of First Instance of Athens, challenging a decision refusing the renewal of the residence permit of a family member of a recognised refugee who had entered Greece through family reunification as a minor and reached adulthood. Despite repeated efforts, the hearing date for the annulment application remains pending, while the hearing for the suspension application was eventually scheduled for 27 May 2026. On 18 February 2026, the Administrative Court of First Instance of Athens granted a temporary order in the context of the suspension proceedings for this case. This appears to be the first case of its kind brought before the Greek 1402 1403 1404 1405 FR: abbreviation for Family Reunification. Article 15(2) P.D. 131/2006. Article 11(1) P.D. 131/2006. Application for Annulment No ΑΚ131/2025 and Application for Suspension No ΑΝΔ338/2025 274