There are more than 145,000 young people aged 18 and 19, who will receive this year the financial support of 150 euros, as part of the Youth Pass 2024. In more detail, there were 69,825 young people aged 18 who submitted the relevant application by the deadline on May 15, 2024 and for whom the cost of the aid amounts to 10,473,750 euros. In addition, 19-year-olds who had already applied in the previous year automatically receive the same aid, and their applications amount to 75,863, with the total aid reaching the amount of 11,379,450 euros.

It is recalled that during the first year of implementation of the program, until the end of 2023, approximately 140,000 young people received aid that reached a total of almost 21 million euros.

Responsible for the planning and implementation of the Youth Pass are the Ministers of National Economy and Finance Kostis Hatzidakis, Interior Nikis Kerameos, Digital Governance Dimitris Papastergiou and the Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance Thanos Petralias, according to the Joint Ministerial Decision (Government Gazette B’ 5420/ 14.09.2023).

Aid crediting procedure

The credit of the 150 euro aid is done in the form of a digital debit card, which will be sent to credit institutions by Friday, May 31. It is noted that there may be a delay of 1-2 working days until the beneficiaries receive the aid. The credit institution or financial organization informs the beneficiary of the first activation of the card and the crediting of the amount of money via text message (sms) or e-mail with an embedded link to activate the digital debit card.

Beneficiaries can then use the amount of aid to make purchases or receive services from businesses active in the fields of tourism (e.g. in tourist accommodation), culture (e.g. to attend theater performances or concerts, to buy books etc.) and transport (taxi, buses, trains, ferry – plane tickets or for the rental of cars or pleasure boats etc.). In more detail, the digital debit card can be used to make purchases or receive services in the following business categories:

Merchant Category (MCC) Activity Description

3000 to 3350 airlines, air transport

3351 to 3500 car rental

3501 to 3999 hotels/accommodations

4111 transfers

4112 rail passenger transport

4121 taxi services

4131 bus services

4411 sea transport / coastal ferries

4457 sea boat rental

4511 other air transport

4582 airports / air stations

4722 travel agencies

4789 other transfers

5551 boat rental

5561 rental of caravans etc

5815 e-books, movies, music

5942 Bookstores

7011 other hotel businesses / accommodation

7032 recreational and sports camps

7033 camping

7512 other motor vehicle rentals

7832 cinemas

7911 dance halls, schools, studios

7922 Theater companies, ticket agencies

7929 orchestras and bands

7991 exhibitions and tourist attractions, museums

7997 gym services

7999 other leisure services

It is recalled that the Youth Pass is a permanent measure to support young people. In this context, the special application https://vouchers.gov.gr/youthpass will accept applications from April 1st to May 15th of each year. The aid for all beneficiaries will be paid once a year by May 31 of each year.

Beneficiaries of the Youth Pass are:

  • tax residents of Greece,
  • who have turned 18 or 19 within the year preceding the application and
  • apply to the platform.

It is emphasized that there are no property or income criteria.

The application is submitted once and is not resubmitted after the beneficiary turns 19. However, if for any reason a young person does not apply when they are 18, they can do so when they turn 19, receiving the benefit only for the second year and not retrospectively.

The Youth Pass action is implemented by the Information Society (KtP MAE) and is financed by the Regular Budget. The development of the platform was carried out by the National Network of Technology and Research Infrastructures (EDYTE SA – GRNET), a supervised body of the Ministry of Digital Governance, in collaboration with the General Secretariat of Information Systems and Digital Governance.