Greece Issues New Aviation Guidelines for Travel

As part of the Greek government’s efforts to restrict the spread of Covid-19, the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA) issued new guidelines (NOTAM) on Monday, which will remain in effect through to September 15 at midnight, and will apply to the traveling public.

Violations carry fines of 5,000 euros.

More specifically, the new guidelines, which apply to travel to Greece:

– Extend the suspension of all flights between Greece and Turkey,

– The suspension of all flights from Catalonia, Spain,

– All flights to and from Greece from Albania and North Macedonia will be operated only through Athens International Airport (AIA). There will be no routes to any other Greek airports,

– Travelers visiting Greece by air from Bulgaria, Romania, the United Arab Emirates, Malta, Sweden, Belgium, Spain, Albania and North Macedonia, will be allowed admission into Greece only by presenting a negative Covid-19 test result. The test must be taken 72 hours before arrival,

– Entry into Greece is banned for non-European citizens (non-EU Citizens) with the following exceptions: Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay and the United Arab Emirates (requiring test results),

– Passengers traveling to Greece by air from Israel will be allowed admission only with a negative Covid-19 test result. Testing should be done with PCR method up to 72 hours before arrival.

Permanent residents of Israel wishing to visit Greece, will be required to repeat Covid-19 screening. The HCAA has also set a maximum entry limit of 1,200 travelers per week from Israel and only through the airports of Athens, Thessaloniki, Heraklion, Corfu and Kos,

– All travelers on international flights to Greece are required by law to complete the mandatory Passenger Locator Form (PLF) online here, which can also be done one day before arrival,

– Before boarding flights, airline companies are required by law to ensure (a) the PLF submission confirmation at least one day before the flight b) the QR code and PLF in print or on mobile phone.

Airlines that fail to comply will be responsible for the repatriation of passengers at the expense of the company.

According to the HCAA aviation notice, Greeks belonging to repatriation programs are excluded from the above guidelines.

It should be noted, that RT-PCR test result certificates should be written in English and bear the name and passport/national ID number of the traveler. The laboratories performing RT-PCR testing should be: national reference laboratories, national public health laboratories, or private laboratories which are accredited from the respective national accreditation authorities.

*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.