Citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Jordan, Moldova and Brunei will be allowed to enter Greece without being subject to testing or quarantine requirements, as Greek authorities have estimated that the situation of COVID-19 in these countries has improved. Such a decision was confirmed by the Greek Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which revealed that the current NOTAM ban has been extended until 8 July. This NOTAM does not include permanent residents of the European Union and Schengen countries.
Citizens of the following countries are also excluded from entry restrictions upon arrival in Greece: Albania, Bahrain, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Canada, Israel, China, Japan, Kuwait, Montenegro, Lebanon, New Zealand, Qatar, Northern Macedonia, Rwanda, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Serbia, South Korea, Ukraine, Thailand, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, United States of America.
All travelers from the above-mentioned countries must present a certificate issued by the competent authorities of their country, confirming that they have been vaccinated against the disease at least two weeks before arrival. Travelers may also experience a negative COVID-19 PCR test, not older than 72 hours, or a rapid negative test, not older than 48 hours, upon entry into Greece.
Greece opens unrestricted borders to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Jordan, Moldova and Brunei.
Earlier this month, the Greek government announced that the country was now accepting rapid COVID-19 antigen tests to facilitate the travel process. Greece has a total of 423.185 cases of COVID-19 infection since the beginning of the pandemic, according to figures released by the World Health Organization. The same source reveals that over 12.700 people in the Hellenic Republic have died so far from Coronavirus.
In an effort to stop the further spread of COVID-19 and its new strains, especially the Delta variant, the Greek government has decided to impose double testing requirements for travelers coming from Russia. From 30 June, Russian passengers traveling to Greece will be required to test negative for the COVID-19 test and take another test upon arrival in the Hellenic Republic.
However, Greek restrictions imposed to stop the further spread of the virus have profoundly affected the tourism industry. According to a recent report published by the European Union's statistical office Eurostat, Greece's tourism fell by 74% from April 2020 to March 2021.
In addition, the Eurostat report revealed that, in addition to Greece, other European countries such as Malta, Spain, Portugal and Hungary were the most affected by Coronavirus in terms of tourism. Although passenger traffic at Greek airports increased by 673.4% in May 2021, the figures decreased by 97,2% compared to the pre-pandemic period.