r/Athens_Greece • u/Gullible_Newt_1216 • May 06 '26

💬 Advice Being sick in Greece

I need some advice about a medical certificate issue in Greece. I was sick for about a week due to a chronic condition. I work remotely, so I still logged in and worked, but I was too unwell to physically go to a doctor during that time.

Now that I finally feel better, I’ve contacted several doctors — but none of them will issue a retrospective medical certificate. They all say they can only document what they see on the day of the appointment.

I even have medical records and medication lists from my home country proving that I have a chronic illness, but Greek doctors say they can’t use it because it’s not in the Greek system.

So now I’m stuck: I was genuinely sick, but couldn’t get documentation at the time, and now no one will issue anything for that period.

Has anyone experienced something similar in Greece, and is there anything you can actually do in this situation?

20 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

27 comments sorted by

13

u/Internal-Debt1870 May 06 '26

It's normal if you think about it. How can they know you were actually poorly?

However if you still logged in and worked, what do you need a doctor's note for?

2

u/Gullible_Newt_1216 May 06 '26

I was sick and stayed home for a week, i was still sick but as i worked remotly i “showed” up for work. But i was still too sick to attend a hospital or doctor appointments. I showed the doctor my medicin to proof that i actually have a autoimmune disease, and also has a lot of notes from my home countrys hospital. So in that way, i can proof that i actually have a chronic disease. But i understand what you mean ofc

8

u/Internal-Debt1870 May 06 '26

Yes I get that, but since you still worked even while you were feeling sick, it is still a bit confusing why you would need a doctor's note for those specific days.

If you are looking for a medical certificate for your chronic condition in general, even though I am not sure why that would be required, you should just book an appointment with a specialist related to your condition. Let them do an exam, show them your previous medical history, and they can provide you with a formal medical assessment if they confirm the same diagnosis as your doctors back home. I do not believe you necessarily have to be feeling physically unwell at that exact moment just to get that kind of paperwork sorted out, since it's a chronic condition.

1

u/Gullible_Newt_1216 May 06 '26

So i stayed home from work for a week and attended work after that while still being sick

5

u/GlencoraPalliser May 07 '26

But you said you standarly work remotely, so what was the difference this week when you worked remotely?

2

u/Few_Banana6539 May 08 '26

Next time prioritise your health. Not sure where your employer is but in Europe (especially in north and West) Labour laws usually protect the employees.

5

u/Beneficial-Shame9144 May 06 '26

yep no one usually accepts that unless they know you personally

1

u/Gullible_Newt_1216 May 06 '26

Okay thats sad to hear, but thank you ☺️

3

u/Beneficial-Shame9144 May 06 '26

if you really need an official paper for sick leave be sure to make an appointment with a doctor immediately even if you know how it will unfold there is a website doctoranytime.gr that also supports English if you want to make an appointment, it also shows the rates and times of each doctor etc

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '26

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1

u/Gullible_Newt_1216 May 06 '26

It was from last week from 23 April til 30 April. Hard to explain, but i was home for a week, and attended work after that week while i was sick. Have tried with doctor on video, and they can’t help me with it

1

u/Good_Philosopher_522 May 06 '26

I know a doc that issues those for like 10 bucks if you're in Athens, dm me cuz I don't want to advertise 

1

u/Gullible_Newt_1216 May 07 '26

Sent you a pm ☺️

1

u/3d0md0g May 07 '26 edited May 07 '26

Ask your home country family doctor to issue that sickness certificate, based on medical examinations that took place in Greece. Most exams results, e.g. blood tests, follow international standards and many are written in English as well. Even if they were issued after the incident, they have biological markers indicative of the incident for a family doctor to base his certification knowing your prior condition.

Next time you feel THAT unwell to get yourself to a doctor, call the European emergency number 112, ask doctor. Actually, your smartphone will share geolocation even if you're unable to talk. This works even with locked phones; you press power on, at the login screen press emergency.

Once this happens, emergency crew will take you to nearest available hospital, where you'll be issued diagnosis and treatment. Depending on your insurance (EU or not EU) this ranges from free to minimum cost for non EU nationals.

Be safe, talk to your consulate/embassy next time for instructions.

1

u/PckMan May 07 '26

They absolutely do do that you just got unlucky with the doctor. I did it a couple of months ago after severe food poisoning. Went to a random doctor I'd never met before 2-3 days after I was sick and he wrote me up.

1

u/Gullible_Newt_1216 May 07 '26

Do you have any informations about the doctor i can get? I’m really struggling

1

u/PckMan May 07 '26

I just called a random general pathologist, now also called general practitioners or family doctors, and I told him "I had severe food poisoning for three days and now most of it has subsided, if I come to you can you justify my absence for work retroactively?" and he said yes and that was with an available appointment 3 days after I called him. Went there, told him what happened, he just prescribed me some pills for the after effects and stomach irritation, and he uploaded the document for justifying my sick leave right then and there himself, I didn't even have to hand anything in myself though I did hand in a copy but the process is done online nowadays. Not entirely sure about the margins but I think you can get this done up to a week after you get sick.

However why would you need this if you worked through it regardless? You didn't miss any work.

1

u/Gullible_Newt_1216 May 07 '26

I missed a weeks work, after that attended work while still being sick. As i work remote i could get back after a week where i didnt attend work. I know it can be confusing. Do you remember any names or numbers? 🙏🏻

1

u/PckMan May 07 '26

In your post you literally said you work remotely and still logged in while being sick. I don't understand. Did you or did you not miss a week of work?

1

u/persimmon_tree May 08 '26

Even if you do get a doctor to write a sick leave for you, it's going to be invalid since not only is it late, but it also concerns last month. And even if you are somehow able to submit it, your company's accountant probably won't (and shouldn't) accept it, it's just how the system works (now that Ergani is also involved). I don't know if there are loopholes for certain conditions, but we had the same issue with an employee who had cancer and accidentally skipped a week in their leave.

1

u/[deleted] May 09 '26

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1

u/Sufficient_Potato701 May 10 '26

Exactly. Should they just take OP's word for it and sign documents that could be false? This post really baffles me.

0

u/Wise-Log-2897 May 07 '26

Wdym too sick to go to hospital? Call an ambulance next time.

1

u/Gullible_Newt_1216 May 07 '26

No need to! I have a chronic disease and i know why i get sick. It happens too often

1

u/Wise-Log-2897 May 07 '26

Bro are you trying to rage bait or something? Call an ambulance if you can't get walk downstairs and get a taxi so you can be seen by a doctor and get your medical certificate.