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Covid-19 Travel Guidelines for Entry to Greece Updated

The Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA) on Wednesday updated a series of aviation directives (NOTAMs) for to travel to Greece, which include guidelines for travelers.

All directives, which have been issued as part of the Greek government’s efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19) in the country, will remain in effect through to September 30 at midnight.

More specifically, according to the new guidelines:

– From Friday September 18 until Wednesday September 30, those traveling to Greece by air from Hungary will be allowed to enter the country only by presenting a negative Covid-19 test result. The test must be taken 72 hours before arrival.

– The suspension of flights between Greece and Turkey has been extended until September 30 at midnight.

– The aviation directive that sees all flights to and from Greece from Albania and North Macedonia operating only through Athens International Airport (AIA) has been extended until September 30 at 23:59. There will be no routes to any other Greek airports.

– The aviation directive that states that all travelers visiting Greece by air from Bulgaria, Romania, the United Arab Emirates, Malta, Belgium, Spain, Albania and North Macedonia, will be allowed admission into Greece only by presenting a negative Covid-19 test result, has been extended until September 30. The test must be taken 72 hours before arrival.

– Travelers to Greece from Sweden will be subject to sample testing for Covid-19 upon arrival until September 30.

– The aviation directive that bans entry to Greece for non-EU Citizens has been extended until September 30. Citizens from the following 11 countries are excluded from the ban: Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay and the United Arab Emirates.

– The aviation directive concerning travelers from Israel has been extended until September 30. According to the directive, all travelers entering Greece from Israel are obliged to present a negative molecular test result (PCR) for coronavirus, taken 72 hours before arrival. All permanent residents of Israel entering Greece will be subject to testing again. Only 5,000 people per week are allowed to enter Greece on flights from Israel arriving to the airports of Athens, Thessaloniki, Heraklion, Corfu and Kos, excluding arrivals at other airports in the country.

– The temporary suspension of all passenger flights between Greece and the region of Catalonia in Spain has been extended until September 30.

– It is reminded that the aviation directive concerning travelers from Russia is valid until September 21. According to the directive, all travelers entering Greece from Russia are obliged to present a negative molecular test result (PCR) for coronavirus. All permanent residents of Russia entering Greece will be subject to testing again. Only 500 people per week are allowed to enter Greece on flights from Russia arriving to the airports of Athens, Thessaloniki and Heraklion.

Greek repatriation programs are excluded from all the aforementioned directives.

PLF is mandatory to travel to Greece

The Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority also informed that the mandatory submission of the Passenger Locator Form (PLF) by all passengers of international flights to Greece, has been extended until September 30. The PLF can be found here.

It is noted that before accepting passengers for boarding, airline staff must check:
a) the PLF submission confirmation document (dated at least one day before the flight).
b) the correspondence with the QR code and the PLF.

Airlines that do not comply with this mandatory inspection will be responsible for the repatriation of passengers at their own expense.

*ATTENTION: All guidelines reported have been obtained by the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA) and are subject to change based on the evolution of the coronavirus pandemic, government decisions, and European Union directives.

* Regulations concerning countries allowed entry are subject to change after 14 days, when renewed assessments are made based on epidemiological data from country of origin.

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  1. Freddy Goossens Reply

    vanaf 1/10 geen corona test meer voor de Belgen ?

  2. eric dubois Reply

    We are flying from Brussels to Rhodos on October 3rd
    Does the presentation of a negative molecular test result (PCR) still apply (it seems that this ends on Sept. 30) ?

  3. Fontijn Reply

    I was already tested last month before entering Greece from Belgium and I felt save and have no problem to do it again, only wonder why The Netherlands are not on the list anymore, they have more positive cases than Belgium the last weeks !

  4. Philip Hill Reply

    Glad to hear that Sweden has been removed from the list of countries where a negative test must be produced before travelling. I’m due to travel on Oct 3rd. I hope the rules will not change before then again. I cant see it, since the rates in Sweden are consistantly low.

  5. Gen May Reply

    What about the UK? The UK is no longer in the EU. I think the author has mistakenly assumed that the UK is still in the EU.

    • GTP editing team Reply

      We are very well aware that the UK is no longer in the EU. The UK is not mentioned in the article as it is not on the specific aviation directives released by the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA) that we have published.
      According to the travel advise on GOV.UK, at the moment travel to Greece from the UK is subject to entry restrictions, which includes travelers having to fill out a Passenger Locator Form (PLF) at least 24 hours before travel. Further information is available on GOV.UK.

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