Greece Opens to Tourism: Who Can Come – Safety Rules
Greek tourism makes its debut today opening its borders by air, sea and road to travelers for the summer months after the Covid-19 health crisis brought global travel to a standstill.
“Greece is taking the next step to restore travel flows, always aiming to protect the health of tourism industry professionals, residents at tourist destinations, and visitors,” said government spokesman Stelios Petsas.
Based on European Union guidelines and health experts’ recommendations, the following apply starting today, July 1, for all travel to Greece:
By Air – Flights
– Starting on July 1, all of Greece’s airports are open handling direct international flights (from countries listed below) with the exception of flights to and from the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Turkey – which according to the newly released NOTAM will apply until July 15.
– Travelers from Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, and Uruguay are allowed into the country, according to an EU decision on Tuesday.
– All residents of EU member states and Schengen zone (based on reciprocity), including Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania as well as Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Ireland can travel to Greece.
– Third-country nationals (with proof of identification and residence) who have a Greek residence permit as well as family members of EU citizens, health workers and researchers, caregivers, border point employees, seasonal workers, sailors, diplomats, international personnel, military personnel, humanitarian aid workers on duty are allowed into the country.
-Non-Europeans (with the exception of the countries listed above) are not allowed into the country.
* Regulations concerning countries on the admission list are subject to change after 14 days, when renewed assessments are made based on epidemiological data from country of origin.
By Land – Road Border Points
Entry into Greece by road can be made only through the Promachonas point on the borders with Bulgaria. All other border points (with Albania, Northern Macedonia and Turkey) allow only incoming visitors only for essential travel purposes.
By Sea – Ports
Admission into Greece by sea is allowed through the ports of Patra and Igoumenitsa.
Security Measures at Points of Entry
ATTENTION: All incoming travelers are required to fill in the Passenger Locator Form (PLF) online here 48 hours before travel and will be provided with bar codes that will be scanned on arrival (at airports, ports and border areas) to determine whether visitors will be allowed to proceed to or be screened.
On EU guidance, Greece will be able to use the information provided to identify potential risks to the health of individual travelers as well as to destinations. Based on the data collected, Greek health authorities will proceed with targeted Covid-19 testing.
“We have made the best possible arrangements … the organized plan to welcome visitors to our country has made no concessions with regard to safety and public health,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said during a cabinet meeting hours before Greece opened its borders to tourists.
Greece is hoping to reach 4 billion euros in tourist revenues down from 18.15 billion euros in 2019. In this direction it is cooperating with travel giant TUI to bring in 1.5 million travelers this year.
*For updates on travel to Greece, follow GTP Headlines. Information reported is based on official press briefings.
ΠΗΓΗ GTP
