Greece and the Schengen Area
Greece is a member of both the European Union and the Schengen Area, so the rules for entering Greece are the common Schengen rules. A Schengen visa issued by Greece is valid for the other Schengen countries, and a visa issued by another Schengen country is valid for Greece. Once you are inside the area there are normally no passport checks between member countries, although you should always carry your passport or ID card: ferry companies and airlines check identity at boarding, and hotels register guests.
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can enter with a valid passport or national identity card and do not need a visa, EES registration or ETIAS. Everyone else should read on.
Who Needs a Visa
Citizens of a long list of countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, can visit Greece without a visa for short stays. The limit is 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole Schengen Area, not per country. Days spent in Italy, France or Croatia count against the same allowance as days spent in Greece.
The 180-day window is rolling: on any given day, count back 180 days and add up every day you were in the Schengen Area. If the total would exceed 90, you have overstayed. The European Commission publishes a short-stay calculator on its Home Affairs website, which is the easiest way to check a complicated itinerary.
Travellers from countries that are not visa-exempt need a Schengen short-stay visa (type C). If Greece is your main destination, or your only destination, you apply to Greece, usually through a Greek consulate or the visa application centre it uses in your country. The standard visa fee is 90 euros for adults and 45 euros for children aged 6 to 12. Applications can be lodged up to six months before travel and should go in at least 15 days ahead; in practice, apply as early as the rules allow before summer, when appointments are scarce.
Passport Rules
For non-EU visitors, the passport must be valid for at least three months after the date you plan to leave the Schengen Area, and it must have been issued within the previous ten years. Both conditions are checked. A passport that is technically valid but was issued eleven years ago can lead to refused boarding. Check the issue date as well as the expiry date before you book.
The Entry/Exit System (EES)
The EU's Entry/Exit System began operating on 12 October 2025 and was rolled out progressively at external borders, with full operation from 10 April 2026. It replaces passport stamps for non-EU short-stay visitors with a digital record of each entry and exit.
On your first entry under EES, border officers register your passport details, a facial image and fingerprints. Children under 12 are exempt from fingerprinting. On later trips the system checks your existing record, which is usually quicker. The record also counts your days automatically, so overstays of the 90/180 limit are detected at exit. Allow extra time at the border on your first trip after the system went live, especially at busy airports in summer.
EES does not cost anything and you do not apply for it in advance. Websites that offer to "register you for EES" for a fee are not official.
ETIAS: Not Yet Required
ETIAS, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, is a separate pre-travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors. It is not in force as of October 2026, so you do not need it for a trip to Greece now. The EU has said the start date will be announced several months in advance and that a transition period will follow.
When it does start, visa-exempt travellers will apply online before travelling. The announced fee is 20 euros, and an authorisation will be valid for up to three years or until the passport expires. Applicants under 18 and over 70 will be exempt from the fee. The only official sources are the EU's travel-europe.europa.eu site and the official ETIAS application channels it links to; ignore third-party sites selling ETIAS "applications" today.
Fees You Pay Once You Are in Greece
Two Greek charges catch visitors by surprise:
- Climate resilience fee. Hotels, rooms and short-term rentals charge a per-room, per-night fee that replaced the old accommodation tax in 2024 and was raised from 2025. In the April–October season it ranges from 2 euros a night for 1–2 star hotels and rented rooms to 10 euros for 4-star and 15 euros for 5-star hotels and villas; short-term rentals pay 8 euros. Rates are lower from November to March. It is usually paid at the property, even if you prepaid the room.
- Cruise passenger fee. Since July 2025 cruise passengers pay a fee for each Greek port call. At Santorini and Mykonos it is 20 euros per passenger from June to September, with lower rates at other ports and outside peak season. Cruise lines normally add it to your onboard account.
Staying Longer Than 90 Days
The 90/180 rule cannot be extended by leaving for a few days and coming back. To stay longer you need a national long-stay (type D) visa or a residence permit. Greece offers several, including a digital nomad visa for remote workers employed or self-employed outside Greece and a financially independent person permit. These have income thresholds and paperwork requirements that change, so check the current conditions with the Greek consulate before planning around them.
