Update on Travel from North America to Greece

 

The Greek government’s policy has shifted and the legal barriers to entry will be slightly lower than previously announced. Please note, however, that only your airline can confirm whether they will actually fly you here. Travel remains restricted until June 15, when Greece will begin to welcome tourists and other non-essential travelers. Depending on where you are traveling from, you will be subjected to a slightly different regime at the border.

If your travel originates in an area considered at low risk for COVID transmission, you will not be required to quarantine on arrival after June 15 (and will be subject only to random virus tests for statistical monitoring). Between June 15 and July 1, however, if your flight to Greece originates in an area with high COVID risk, you will be tested for the virus and placed in a hotel for the night. If the test is negative, you will be released but required to self- isolate at home for seven days (no longer 14). After July 1, the same system is likely to apply to travelers coming from areas with especially high COVID risk, but the specific measures as well as the list of relevant countries will be announced later in June.

In fact, however, it is not the country but the region of origin that is meant to determine whether you are required to self-isolate for seven days. Unsurprisingly, most of Canada and the United States are considered areas of high risk. Thus, if you are traveling from Ontario or Quebec or from Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia, or Washington, you will be required to take the test and isolate for seven days even if the result is negative. If your travel originates from a state or province not listed, however, you will supposedly be allowed to enter without health screening.

Please note that it is the origin of your travel that matters, rather than nationality.

For further details, please see the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ press release.