Protocol for Arrivals in and Departures from Greece

Welcome to Greece!

All travellers must complete their PLF until the day before entering the country and leaving the country, providing detailed information on their point of departure, the duration of previous stays in other countries, and the address of their stay while in Greece. In case of multiple stays, they are required to provide the address for the first 24 hours at least. One PLF should be submitted per family.

• Travellers will receive a confirmation email upon submission of the PLF.
• Travellers will receive the PLF with their unique Quick Response (QR) code on the day of their scheduled arrival in Greece and will be notified via email (the QR code will be provided in a link in the confirmation email).
• Travellers boarding or embarking on the previous day of the arrival will be allowed to do so upon showing the confirmation email, since they will receive their QR code during their flight or voyage.

The PLF can also be found on the Visit Greece app and at travel.gov.gr. It is strongly recommended that all visitors download the Visit Greece app (GDPR compliant) for free, prior their arrival in Greece.

Dear Traveler,

We welcome you to Greece and hope you enjoy a wonderful and unforgettable holiday experience.

On behalf of the Greek Government and the Greek Ministry of Tourism, we would like to inform you that we have done everything in our power to make sure you stay safe during your stay in Greece. Your health is our absolute priority.

On May 14, Greece opened its borders in a safe and attainable manner.

In the paragraphs follow, we provide a step-by-step guide on how to prepare before travelling to Greece as of May 14th.

These guidelines are in place to ensure the protection of your health, as well as the health of your loved ones and all those involved in offering you a safe hospitality experience:

- As of May 14th, travelers arriving in Greece are required to have a negative PCR certificate from a testing laboratory, for a Covid-19 test taken no later than 72 hours before arrival.
This test is mandatory for all tourists (including children over the age of 5), regardless of the epidemiological situation in the country of departure.

- Proof of a negative test is not required however for all travelers that have completed their vaccination (i.e., 14 days have elapsed since the last vaccination, depending on the doses required) and hold a vaccination certificate.

Acceptable vaccines are: Pfizer BioNtech, Moderna, Astra Zeneca/Oxford, Novavax, Johnson + Johnson/Janssen, Sinovac Biotech, Gamaleya (Sputnik), Cansino Biologics, Sinopharm.

- Proof of a negative test is not required if the traveler has recovered from COVID in the past 9 months. This can be proved through a certificate of recovery issued by a public authority or a certified laboratory. Another option is a certificate of a positive PCR molecular test result, confirming that the holder recovered from the SARS-CoV-2 virus infection, performed at least 2 months before arrival, and no later than 9 months before arrival.

- Every traveler who arrives in Greece, regardless of the certificate in their possession, may undergo a random health screening. If you are selected, please keep in mind that the screening is mandatory. In case of refusal, authorities reserve the right to refuse entry into the country. The selection is made through a targeted sampling system ”EVA” used also in the summer of 2020.

- Important clarification: Entry of tourists in Greece is not subject to vaccination. Presenting a vaccination certificate greatly facilitates the procedures upon arrival. However, in no case is a vaccination or antibodies certificate considered a "passport".

- The countries from which entry is allowed, under the aforementioned conditions, without the requirement for subsequent self-isolation are: EU & Schengen Area countries, USA, UK, Israel, Serbia, UAE, New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, Thailand, Rwanda, Singapore, the Russian Federation, North Macedonia, Canada, Belarus, Bahrein, Qatar, China, Kuwait, Ukraine, and Saudi Arabia.
- Non EU citizens are strongly advised to choose direct flights to Greece. In any other case, travelers should abide by the stop-over country requirements.
Passengers are allowed to enter the country through all international airports and the ports of Patras, Igoumenitsa and Corfu.
Travellers are allowed to enter from the land borders through the entry gates of Promachonas and Ormenio in a 24h basis and Evzonoi from 07:00 to 23:00.
Cruising and yachting is allowed. Maritime connections with Albania and Turkey are temporarily restricted.

REQUIREMENTS FOR VISITORS

Before arrival:
- Tourists must fill in the Passenger Locator Form (PLF) no later than 23:59 (11.59 PM) of the day before arriving in Greece. For more information, please click here.

Prior to departure, all travelers must ensure that they carry an acceptable form of certification of their health condition. Acceptable documents include:

- A negative PCR molecular test result from a laboratory; the test must be taken up to 72 hours before entry.
- A vaccination certificate issued by a certified authority.
- A certificate of recovery from the SARS-CoV-2 virus infection issued by a public authority or a certified laboratory.
- A certificate of a positive PCR molecular test result, confirming that the holder recovered from the SARS-CoV-2 virus infection, performed at least 2 months before arrival, and no later than 9 months before arrival.

All certificates must include the critical information (i.e. number of doses and their respective dates) in English, German French, Italian, Spanish, Russian and the person’s full name must match the name on the passport or any other recognized travel document.

Upon arrival:

Travelers arriving in Greece are subject to:

- Sampling RAPID antigen tests at the entrance gates for selected individuals drawn from a targeted sampling system, based on the ”EVA” system.

- Mandatory isolation if they test positive for SARS-Cov-2, following a sampling test. In this case, the travelers and their travel companions are accommodated in quarantine hotels, where they will undergo further PCR testing to confirm the initial diagnosis. Guests will stay in seclusion hotels for at least 10 days. The expenses of the accommodation in quarantine hotels are covered by the Greek state.

Compliance with the health protocols during transport and throughout your entire stay in Greece is the key factor that will allow all of us to stay safe and return to normality.

We appreciate your understanding and apologize in advance for any additional inconvenience.

We extend a warm thank you for the cooperation, and for choosing our country for your holidays.

We look forward to welcoming you to Greece.