Greece Entry Policy and ETIAS

Processing Steps

Online Application

Form is received and reviewed.

Receive Document

Receive the approved document.

Arrive in Greece

Present the document upon arrival.

Greece Entry Policy Details

According to the Greece visa policy, citizens of a select group of nations do not need to have a visa to enter the Schengen Area by air, land, or sea for stays of up to ninety days (approximately 3 months) during one hundred and eighty days (approximately 6-month period).

Citizens of a select few nations need to have a visa while traveling to Greece. To understand Greece’s visa policy, it is best to first understand the Schengen region visa policy. The Schengen region’s visa policy is a component of the European Union’s broader area of freedom, security, and justice policy. Apart from Ireland, it applies to the Schengen Area, including Greece and all other E.U. members.

The twenty-three E.U. member states and the four EFTA members, non-EU nations of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, make up the Schengen Area. The right to enter and reside in each other’s countries is legal for citizens of E.U. single market nations in addition to being exempt from visa requirements. This rule applies to Greece as well. However, as specified by E.U. treaties, these nations’ freedom of movement within each other’s nations may be restricted in certain circumstances.

Visa-Free Entry to Greece

As per the Greece visa policy, the holder of a valid Schengen visa can travel freely within the country and the Schengen region. If a visitor is a national of a nation outside of Europe and is not from a visa-exempt county, then they are qualified to apply for a Schengen visa for Greece. There are various limits depending on the type of visa issued, depending on the purpose of the trip as well as other factors.

Citizens holding ordinary passports from the following countries enjoy visa-free access to Greece:

• Peru
• Hong Kong (Special Administration Region)
• Switzerland
• Albania
• Croatia
• Sweden
• Barbados
• Andorra
• Belgium
• Hungary
• Czech Republic
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Bulgaria
• Cyprus
• Argentina
• Bosnia-Herzegovina
• Guatemala
• France
• Armenia
• Costa Rica
• Brazil
• Australia
• Macao (special administrative region)
• Denmark
• Finland
• China
• Italy
• Germany
• Brunei
• Chile
• Grenada (Visa-free entry for ninety days)
• Austria
• Colombia
• Ireland
• El Salvador
• Mongolia
• Georgia
• Bahamas
• Montenegro
• Israel
• Estonia
• The U.K.
• Marshall Islands
• Canada
• Monaco
• U.A.E
• The Vatican (Holy See)
• Micronesia
• Dominica
• Mexico
• Japan
• Malta
• Honduras
• Maldives
• Tunisia
• Latvia
• Kiribati
• Portugal
• Lithuania
• North Macedonia
• Timor Leste
• Spain
• Mauritius
• Slovakia
• Nicaragua
• Poland
• Slovenia
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Solomon Islands (visa-free for ninety days)
• Iceland
• Tonga
• New Zealand
• Panama
• Serbia
• Luxemburg
• U.S.A.
• Tuvalu
• South Korea
• Taiwan
• Liechtenstein
• San Marino
• Ukraine
• Netherlands
• United Kingdom
• Turkey
• Samoa
• Uruguay
• Paraguay
• Seychelles
• Malaysia
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines
• Palau
• Singapore
• Romania
• St. Lucia
• Vanuatu
• Norway
• Venezuela
• St. Kitts and Nevis

The Greece visa policy stipulates that British nationals, as well as British Overseas citizens (including British subjects who do not have a right of abode in the United Kingdom and British protected persons), are granted visa-free entry to the country. Visa to Greece is not required by British Overseas Territories citizens who do not have the right of abode in the U.K. It is advised to get in touch with the embassy of the country or check with Greek consular authorities to learn more about visa-free entry to the country.

Travelers holding ordinary passports from the following countries require a Greek visa to enter the country:

• Laos
• Comoros
• Philippines
• Namibia
• Lesotho
• Sao Tome and Principe
• Tajikistan
• Haiti
• Nauru
• Benin
• Guyana
• Congo (Democratic Republic)
• Algeria
• Comoros
• Bahrain
• Cote D’Ivoire
• Republic of Congo
• Afghanistan
• Dominican Republic
• Ethiopia
• Cuba
• Egypt
• Bangladesh
• Angola
• Belarus
• Azerbaijan
• Mozambique
• Belize
• Iran
• Cambodia
• Ecuador
• Indonesia
• Gabon
• N. Korea
• Bhutan
• Cape Verde
• Bolivia
• India
• Guinea Bissau
• Central African Republic
• Equatorial Guinea
• Pakistan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Botswana
• Mongolia
• Eritrea
• Mali
• Oman
• Chad
• Kuwait
• Guinea
• Niger
• Fiji
• Kenya
• Nigeria
• Morocco
• Jamaica
• Burkina Faso
• Liberia
• China
• Lebanon
• Gambia
• Moldova
• Libya
• Myanmar
• Burundi
• Nepal
• Syria
• Rwanda
• Suriname
• Madagascar
• Qatar
• Swaziland
• Jordan
• Kazakhstan
• Papua New Guinea
• S. Sudan
• Iraq
• Sri Lanka
• Cameroon
• Djibouti
• Sudan
• Mauritania
• S. Africa
• Ghana
• Uzbekistan
• Somalia
• Malawi
• Turkmenistan
• Senegal
• Thailand
• Uganda
• Yemen
• Russia
• Palestinian Authorities
• Togo
• Zimbabwe
• Saudi Arabia
• Tanzania
• Zambia
• Vietnam
• Kosovo (United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244/10.06.1999)

Individuals holding diplomatic or service passports should get in touch with the embassy or consulate of Greece to inquire whether they require a visa to enter the country. Refugees and Stateless persons require a visa to enter Greece.

Greece Visa Types

Greece offers National visas, Golden Visas, Schengen visas, and visas for visitors from outside Greece. Greek citizens traveling abroad also require visas.

National Visas

According to the relevant national law or European Union law on the residence status of third-country nationals, a Greek National Visa is an authorization given by the relevant authorities in Greece. This is for the entry and stay of nationals belonging to a third country in Greek territory for a period exceeding ninety and up to three hundred and sixty-five days. The Greek diplomatic mission or consulate in whose jurisdiction the applicant is physically located is the competent authority for issuing a national visa.

Schengen Visa for Greece

In general, a Schengen visa is intended for transiting through or staying for short stays up to 90 days (about 3 months) in any 180 days (about 6 months) within the Schengen region. Although a traveler must apply for a Schengen visa from the nation where the primary destination (Greece) is located. A visa issued by one Schengen state such as Greece is valid for travel in every other Schengen state.

The motive for the trip to Greece could be for business, tourism, a family or friend visit, educational or cultural purposes, sports, medical needs, studies, airport transit, or other reasons. It is possible to apply for a Schengen visa for Greece six months in advance and no later than fifteen days before the date of the anticipated visit. Visitors must satisfy the admission conditions set forth by the Greek government to stay longer, work or study, do business, or for any other reason. To find out what kind of visa and/or work permit, if any, they might require, they need to get in touch with the Greek Embassy.

The ninety-day visa-free period is not affected by any time spent in Greece if a traveler is in possession of a residence permit or long-stay visa. It is best to reach out to the Embassy or Consulate of Greece to learn more about the requirements for visas for foreigners traveling to Greece and visas for Greeks traveling abroad.

ETIAS to Greece

By November 2023, travelers from visa-exempt nations will require Greek ETIAS. Greece requires an ETIAS visa waiver as an additional security measure. It is crucial to understand that this applies to all E.U.nations included in the Schengen Area, not only Greece. ETIAS assesses all applications ahead of time, so it should not be confused with a typical travel visa.

Greece International Airports

Greece has a total of fifteen international airports. They are as follows:

• Heraklion 
• Kalamata 
• Zakynthos 
• Mytilene 
• Samos 
• Alexandroupoli 
• Kavala / Chrysoupoli 
• Chania (Souda) 
• Thessaloniki / Mikra 
• Corfu (Kerkira) 
• Kos 
• Lemnos  
• Rhodes 
• Kefalonia 
• Spata/Athens 

Passport Validity and Conditions

Depending on the country of origin and nationality of the visitor, the passport validity and conditions may vary for entering Greece. In most cases, a passport is required if travelers are non-EU citizens and want to enter or leave Greece as well as the E.U. nations. In such cases, travelers must possess the following:

1. A passport that was issued within the last ten years.
2. The passport should be valid for at least three months after the date a visitor intends to depart Greece.
3. Again, depending on the country, a visa may also be required. The consulate or embassy of Greece should be contacted to request a visa. 

Passports should have six months of remaining validity for American citizens traveling to Greece. Remember, travel to other Schengen nations is automatically permitted if the visa is from a Schengen region nation such as Greece. Other supporting documents, such as an invitation letter, accommodation documentation, and a return or round-trip ticket, may be requested by border agents in the E.U. nations. Visitors must reach out to the local Greek consular services for more information on the visa requirements and understand the Greece visa policy in detail to clarify any doubts.

Passport Stamping

For passport stamping, one page per stamp should be available.

USA

The Greek authorities will stamp a visitor’s passport if he/she is a citizen of the United States, and the birthplace is listed as the Northern Republic of Macedonia. The U.S.. passport ought to be accepted as a legitimate travel document if the traveler’s birthplace is listed on it as Skopje or the Republic of Macedonia and if they are citizens of the United States. However, take note:

1. Greek immigration officials will not stamp a passport with an entry stamp if the traveler’s birth country is listed as Macedonia or the Republic of Macedonia at land, air, or sea entry points.
2. A brief form on which travelers will receive the entry stamp will be given to them to fill out.

Throughout their stay in Greece, visitors must keep the form with their passport and present it on leaving. It is advised to get detailed information about the Greece visa policy before visiting the nation. If a traveler misplaces the form, then they must go to a police station and report it before the Greek authorities will let them depart the country. 

What to do if entry is denied?

High and Low Travel Season

The majority of the Greek islands’ summer travel season begins in April (spring) and ends in late October. Early July to the end of August marks Greece’s busiest travel period when tourists from abroad and Greeks alike go to the islands for vacation. The off-season in Greece is winter. Starting in November and lasting through March, there are few visitors. Some islands may even be closed throughout the entire season.

See Greece Visa Policy for a more in depth explanation of the regular visa process. This may include different visa types, steps behind completing an application, and processing times.