Greece asks for no visa from travellers from the UK, the EU, the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand, and island hopping involves no border checks at all. This guide was checked in October 2026 against the UK Foreign Office advice, the EU's official Travel Europe site and Canada's travel advice for Greece.
No visa needed: Greece is in the Schengen area, so citizens of the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand can visit without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, for a holiday, to see friends or family, or for business meetings. The allowance is shared across all Schengen countries: days spent in Croatia, Italy or Spain in the previous 180 days count towards it.
EU citizens: you can travel on a valid passport or national identity card. The 90-day rule, the border registration and the authorisation described below are for non-EU visitors.
The Entry/Exit System (EES): since 12 October 2025, non-EU visitors are registered digitally at the Schengen border instead of having their passport stamped, which can include fingerprints and a photo. It is free and there is nothing to do before you travel. For UK travellers, the Greek authorities have told the UK government that they will not take fingerprints or photos as part of EES, so expect a lighter check in Greece than elsewhere; follow what the officers on the day ask you to do.
ETIAS is not running yet: the EU's travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors is not in operation and no applications are being taken, so you do not need one for Greece at the time of writing (October 2026). The EU says it will announce the start date several months before launch, when it will cost €20, and the UK government warns that any website selling ETIAS now is doing so fraudulently.
Other nationalities: if your passport is not on the EU's visa-exempt list, you need a Schengen short-stay visa from a Greek embassy or consulate before you travel. The fee is €90 for adults at the time of writing (October 2026).
If you hold a UK, US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand passport there is nothing to apply for in advance. Everything happens at passport control in Athens, or wherever you first enter the Schengen area.
The quickest way to see the exact rules for your passport is to check your requirements with Sherpa, which keeps track of the latest entry changes for you.
Here is the 1 trip we run in Greece.
Once you are through passport control, Greece is yours: there are no permits to get and no border controls between the mainland and the islands. The one thing to watch is a hop out of the Schengen area, such as a ferry from the eastern islands to Turkey or from Corfu to Albania, which means a full exit and re-entry check. Our 9-day Backpacking Greece: Island Hopping starts in Athens and finishes on Santorini, so you will most likely fly home from Santorini (JTR); if that flight leaves the Schengen area, allow time for the exit check there. If you are combining Greece with Croatia, both trips come out of the same 90-day allowance: see our Croatia visa guide and the wider Europe visa guide. For when to go, read our Greece weather guide.
Check the latest visa requirements:
No. British citizens can visit Greece without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, and so can US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand passport holders. EU citizens need only a valid passport or national ID card.
Not at the time of writing (October 2026). ETIAS is not in operation and no applications are being taken. The EU will announce the start date several months in advance, and it will cost €20 when it begins. Any website selling ETIAS now is not the official one.
Non-EU visitors are registered in the EU's Entry/Exit System, which can include fingerprints and a photo. The Greek authorities have told the UK government they will not take biometrics from UK travellers as part of EES; other nationalities should expect them. Either way it is free and needs nothing before you fly.
Up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period, shared across every Schengen country, so recent days in Croatia, Italy or Spain count too. Our 9-day island-hopping trip uses nine of them.
It must have been issued less than 10 years before the day you arrive and be valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave the Schengen area. Check both dates: a British passport renewed before 1 October 2018 can be in date but still too old to use.
Overstaying the 90-day limit can lead to a ban from the whole Schengen area for up to three years. If a serious, unforeseen event such as a medical emergency keeps you in Greece, ask the Greek police aliens' office about an extension at least 15 days before your 90 days end.
Check the two dates in your passport, keep your return flight on your phone, and the paperwork is done before the first ferry leaves Piraeus. Check before you travel, as rules change. Check out our Greece backpacking tours.
We run one trip in Greece, and 31 more countries besides. Your next adventure is waiting.
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