Official Covid restrictions for Greece until December 2021

Here are the Covid restrictions which will be in place in Greece until in 2021. Includes everything you need to know for vaccination passports and recovery certificates in Greece.

Covid restrictions in Greece for December 2021 

This article will no longer be updated. Here is all the information you need for Covid measures in Greece in 2022 and Greece relaxes Covid measures summer 2022. 

Here is a summary of the Covid restrictions in Greece which are in place for adults:

Supermarkets, food markets, pet shops, pharmacies and urban public transportation are accessible to everyone, without the need of a certificate or test.

Indoor cafes, restaurants, bars, clubs, gyms, cinemas, theatres, museums, stadiums will only be accessible with a certificate of vaccination / recovery.

All other indoor venues, outdoor cafes and restaurants and inter-regional transport can be accessed with a certificate of vaccination / recovery, OR PCR / rapid test, taken max 72 / 48 hours before visiting.

Many thanks to “Paros Life & Naxos Life” for translating this official table

In all venues where a certificate is needed for adults, children and teenagers aged 4-17 can enter with a PCR test / rapid test / self-test, taken max 72 / 48 / 24 hours before their visit. Children under 4 years old do not need to produce any documents.

All customers will need to show their documents as described above, along with their ID or other proof of name and age. 

Masks remain mandatory in all indoor venues and in all outdoor areas. There are exceptions for restaurants and gyms, when exercising. This applies for everyone aged 4 and above, whether they have been vaccinated or not.

Masks are also mandatory in private cars, unless the passengers belong to the same family (1st and 2nd degree relatives) or live in the same household.

People visiting supermarkets or using public transportation (buses, metro, tram and long distance buses) will need to use either a double mask (medical + plain mask) or a FFP2 / N95 mask.

Fine for not wearing a mask is 150 euro.

These restrictions are valid until 3 January, at which point they will be reviewed, so feel free to return to this article.

EU and non-EU Covid certificates 

A certificate of vaccination is considered valid when 14 days have elapsed since the last dose of vaccination. You can find the latest list of accepted vaccines on the official Greek travel website. Among others, they include Pfizer, Moderna, Astra Zeneca, Johnson + Johnson etc.

If a fully vaccinated person contracts Covid-19, the vaccination certificate becomes invalid for 14 days after the day the person was found positive to Covid. On the 15th day, it becomes valid again. 

Documentation checks for Greek and other EU certificates are usually made with a special app, called the Covid-Free app. You can have your certificate in either paper, or digital form, along with your ID.

Tip: If you are an EU-vaccination certificate holder, you can download the Covid Free Wallet app, and keep all your family’s certificates in one place. You will still need to show proof of ID.

If you have been vaccinated outside the EU, the Covid-free app will not scan your documents. In this case, the employee will check them visually instead. It’s best to bring them in paper (rather than digital) form alongside proof of your ID.

Despite what the store employee might say, non-EU certificates are perfectly valid. If for some reason you are not allowed entry, ask to see the manager, and point out the below statement from the Government Gazette, where these restrictions are officially published. 

Rough translation: “Alternatively, if the above certificates are displayed by a non-EU citizen, the employees shall verify the certificates in paper form, while also checking the holder’s ID”. Try to persist, until the message comes across.

In addition, you can point out this helpful link (in Greek), saying the same thing. While I can’t guarantee this will work, hopefully it will gradually educate store owners. 

Certificate of recovery from Covid

The validity of certificates of recovery has now changed, as follows:

Recovery certificates issued from 24.6.2021 to 31.10.2021: the certificates are considered valid if the person was tested positive with Covid-19 (PCR or rapid antigen test) in the past 30 to 180 days / until 31.1.2022 at the latest.

Recovery certificates issued from 1.11.2021 to 4.12.2021: the certificates are considered valid if the person was tested positive with Covid-19 (PCR or rapid antigen test) in the past 30 to 90 days.

Recovery certificates issued after 4.12.2021: these certificates are considered valid if the person was tested positive with Covid-19 (PCR test only), in the past 30 to 90 days.  

If a person who already has a recovery certificate performs a second PCR test after 90+1 days have passed and is found positive again, they will no longer be provided with a new recovery certificate.

PCR / rapid antigen tests

Customers who do not have a certificate of vaccination / recovery can use a negative PCR / rapid antigen test to enter some (but not all) venues.

A PCR test is valid for 72 hours, normally costs 40-60 euro, and you can take it at medical labs.

A rapid antigen test is valid for 48 hours, costs 10 euro, and you can take it at medical labs and most pharmacies, some of which might ask you for an appointment.

Note that, in order for the test result to be registered officially, you will need to have an AMKA / pAMKA / PLF. 

Covid restrictions for people over 60 years old

People over 60 years of age will only be considered fully vaccinated if they have taken the booster dose. If a period over 7 months has passed since their last vaccination dose, their vaccination certificate will be considered invalid.

Also, from 16 January 2022, anyone over 60 years of age who is not vaccinated, will be facing a fine of 100 euro / month. This will be traced through the national Greek Taxis system.

Let’s break down the three different types of venues in Greece:

A. Venues where no certificate / test is needed

Customers can visit the following venues and businesses with no vaccination certificate or test:

• Supermarkets
• All other grocery stores (e.g. bakeries, butchers, fishmongers)
• Food markets, e.g. the Varvakios market
• Take-away cafes / restaurants / bars
• Kiosks
• Pet shops
• All urban transportation, e.g. the Athens metro, tram and buses

Moreover, no documents are needed to visit any open-air archaeological sites, like the seven ancient sites in Athens, Ancient Epidaurus, Ancient Mycenae or Ancient Delos. If you are visiting with an organized group tour, check with your tour company as they may have further rules in place.

Note that, in order to visit museums and other enclosed spaces within the archaeological sites, you will need to produce your certificate of vaccination / recovery. Tests are not adequate for adults.

As an example, you can visit the open-air site of the Ancient Agora in Athens without any document, but in order to visit the museum in the Stoa of Attalos you will need a certificate.

Ski resorts can be visited without a certificate. Note, however, that you will need the appropriate certificate to enter shops renting equipment, chalets with indoor / outdoor sitting areas, or guest houses / hotels. 

B. Venues only accepting customers with certificate of vaccination / recovery

Some indoor venues will only accept adults with a certificate of vaccination / recovery. This means that rapid / PCR tests will not be accepted in these venues, for adult customers.

This applies for the following types of venues:

• Museums, galleries, archaeological sites with enclosed spaces
• Indoor cinemas, theatres, stadiums, music stages
• Indoor cafes, cafe-bars, tavernas and restaurants, including the ones in shopping malls and chalets at ski centers
• Nightclubs
• Indoor play centers for children 
• Gyms and sports facilities
• Conferences / Trade fairs
• Casinos
• Internet cafes
• Escape rooms
• Pool and bowling venues
• Christmas parks

Children and teenagers 4 – 17 years old can also visit these venues with a negative test, as described above.

Here are some ideas for museums and free museums you can visit in Athens.  

C. Venues accepting customers with either a certificate or test

All other venues will be accessible to people with either a vaccination / recovery certificate, or people who can show a negative rapid antigen / PCR test, taken in the last 48 / 72 hours. This applies for the following venues:

• Public services, including KEPS and courts (with the exception of an emergency, esp. a visit to a police station)
• Banks, post offices, all utility services (e.g. DEH, EYDAP)
• Churches and religious spaces
• Outdoor tavernas, restaurants, cafes and cafe-bars, including outdoor chalets at ski centres 
• Outdoor children’s playgrounds
• All commercial stores, including the ones in malls and those renting skiing equipment
• Hair salons, nail salons, beauty parlours
• Zoos and national parks (this probably refers to ticketed ones)
• Amusement parks
• Hotels and guest houses *
• Inter-regional public transportation (more on this below)

*Hotel residents who have not been vaccinated / contracted Covid might need to take more than one tests, to cover the duration of their stay. This is not clear from the Gazette, so you will need to check with your hotel.

Children and teenagers 4 – 17 years old can also visit these venues with a negative self test, as described above.

Hospitals and medical centres

People who are going for a routine visit or routine check (e.g. blood checkup) will not need to produce any of the above documents. 

If you are going to the hospital for an operation, you will need to produce a certificate of vaccination / recovery or Covid test, as described above. This does not apply in a medical emergency.

The same applies for vets (as opposed to pet shops, where no documents are necessary). 

Employees / workspace

Employees who have not been vaccinated will need to take two rapid tests per week at private medical labs. Rapid tests are priced at 10 euro.

Note that those people will not be able to take advantage of the free rapid tests that are administered around the country (link in Greek).

School students will receive 2 free self tests per week. University students who have not been vaccinated will need to take 2 rapid tests per week, at their own expense.

Commercial events and gatherings

According to the official Gazette: It is forbidden to carry out any form of ticketed events, with a physical presence of a crowd of over twenty (20) people, in a private, non-commercial venue.

Travelling around Greece

In order to travel between different Regional Units in Greece, passengers over 4 years old should carry with them either a vaccination / recovery certificate, or a negative PCR / rapid test taken max 48 / 72 hours before travel.

Children aged 4-17 can also take a self test, valid for 24 hours.

The above applies for ferries, trains, planes, inter-regional KTEL buses, and tourist buses / coaches. If you are travelling with a travel company, it’s always best to ask them if they have any additional rules.

Here is more information about travelling to and around Greece.

Hello! I’m Vanessa from Athens and I’ve been following Covid restrictions in Greece since spring 2020. This article has last been updated on 24 December 2021, with information from the official Gazette (ΦΕΚ) no 6214B/23.12.2021. I will be updating this article throughout December 2021, so feel free to bookmark it and refer to it from time to time. You can also follow my FB page, where I post all information about Covid restrictions in Greece.