{"id":12754,"date":"2026-09-07T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.penguintravels.gr\/?p=12754"},"modified":"2026-09-07T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T07:00:00","slug":"ees-etias-what-greek-travellers-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.penguintravels.gr\/en\/ees-etias-what-greek-travellers-need\/","title":{"rendered":"EES and ETIAS: What Actually Applies to Greek Travelers"},"content":{"rendered":"

We get the same question almost daily: “do I need an ETIAS to travel to Italy?” The short answer is no \u2014 and it’s worth explaining why, because the misinformation around Europe’s new border systems has got out of hand.<\/p>\n

The short answer<\/h2>\n

If you hold a Greek passport or ID card, neither EES nor ETIAS applies to you<\/strong>. Both systems are aimed at non-EU nationals. As an EU citizen you continue to travel within the Schengen area exactly as before.<\/p>\n

What EES is<\/h2>\n

The Entry\/Exit System is the automated registration system replacing passport stamps. It electronically records every entry and exit of non-EU nationals travelling for a short stay \u2014 up to 90 days in any 180-day period \u2014 at the external borders of 29 European countries, Greece included.<\/p>\n

On the first crossing the traveler provides a facial image and fingerprints; on later crossings it’s only a verification, which is faster. Children under 12 do not have their fingerprints scanned.<\/p>\n

The progressive rollout finished on 9 April 2026. Since 10 April 2026 the EES has been fully operational<\/strong> at all external border crossing points.<\/p>\n

What ETIAS is \u2014 and why you haven’t applied for one<\/h2>\n

ETIAS is a travel authorisation for visa-exempt non-EU nationals (the USA, Canada, the UK, Serbia, Albania and dozens more). It costs \u20ac20, is valid for up to three years or until the passport expires, and is tied to that specific passport.<\/p>\n

The crucial point: ETIAS is not yet in operation and no applications are being collected.<\/strong> The EU will announce the start date several months in advance.<\/p>\n

That means any website asking you for money today to “issue an ETIAS” is selling something that does not exist. The same holds after launch: applications are made only through the official website or the official app.<\/p>\n

Where it does touch you<\/h2>\n

There are three situations where the new border rules affect you, directly or indirectly:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • You’re travelling with a non-EU national.<\/strong> A partner, friend or relative holding a US, UK, Serbian or other third-country passport will go through the EES process \u2014 a different queue, and a little more time on the first crossing. Factor it in, especially on tight connections.<\/li>\n
  • Airport queues.<\/strong> Cameron Hewitt of the Rick Steves team, who went through EES four times during 2026, describes isolated significant delays at some airports but, for the vast majority, a few extra minutes \u2014 nothing like the scenes circulating on social media. His practical advice: when you get off the plane head straight to passport control, and if your connection is tight, politely say so to the staff.<\/li>\n
  • You’re travelling outside Schengen.<\/strong> This is where things genuinely change \u2014 and it’s the part most people overlook.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The UK ETA: this one really does apply<\/h2>\n

    For the United Kingdom, a Greek traveler does need<\/strong> an Electronic Travel Authorisation. The essentials:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • It costs \u00a320<\/strong>, and you apply only at gov.uk or through the official UK ETA app.<\/li>\n
    • A decision usually arrives within a day, but it can take up to three working days<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
    • It lasts two years<\/strong> or until your passport expires, with unlimited trips and stays of up to six months each.<\/li>\n
    • You need one per person<\/strong> \u2014 babies included.<\/li>\n
    • You need one for transit<\/strong> too, if you pass through passport control at a UK airport.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Don’t leave it to the last minute, and don’t apply through third-party sites \u2014 they charge more without speeding anything up.<\/p>\n

      Your pre-departure checklist<\/h2>\n
        \n
      • A valid Greek passport or ID card \u2014 nothing else for Schengen.<\/li>\n
      • A UK ETA if Britain is on your itinerary or your route.<\/li>\n
      • A check on whether any of your travel companions are third-country nationals.<\/li>\n
      • A little extra time on connections \u2014 not panic.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Lost in the changes?<\/h2>\n

        At Penguin Travels & Tours<\/strong> we track travel documentation by destination and tell you what you actually need \u2014 no unnecessary fees, no surprises at check-in.<\/p>\n

        \n

        Planning a trip and not sure what you need?<\/strong> Stop by our office in Kalamata (Vasilissis Olgas 4) or call us at +30 27210 80701<\/strong> \u2014 we’ll sort it out in five minutes.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        EES has been fully operational since April 2026 and ETIAS has not launched. Here is what affects you as an EU citizen and what you really need.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":12775,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_title":"EES and ETIAS: What Applies to Greek Travelers","rank_math_description":"EES has been fully operational since April 2026 and ETIAS has not launched. Here is what affects you as an EU citizen and what you really need.","rank_math_focus_keyword":"EES, ETIAS, European borders, UK ETA","footnotes":""},"categories":[436],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-updates-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.penguintravels.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.penguintravels.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.penguintravels.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.penguintravels.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.penguintravels.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12754"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.penguintravels.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12754\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12799,"href":"https:\/\/www.penguintravels.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12754\/revisions\/12799"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.penguintravels.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.penguintravels.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12754"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.penguintravels.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12754"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.penguintravels.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}