Greece visa requirements for Chinese citizens

Authorization system

None operational yet (ETIAS delayed)

Greece is part of the future European ETIAS system (a travel authorization for nationalities exempt from a Schengen visa). As of the verification date, ETIAS is NOT operational. Once launched: cost €20, validity 3 years, applicable to passport holders from countries exempt from a Schengen visa.

What ETIAS is, who it will affect and when it starts →

Fee

Doesn't apply until ETIAS is operational. For consular Schengen visas, the fee depends on the visa type and hasn't been verified specifically for Greece.

Processing time

Where the trip requires a Schengen visa, the consulate must decide within 15 calendar days of an admissible application being lodged. That period may be extended to a maximum of 45 calendar days in individual cases, particularly where the application needs closer examination; in justified urgent individual cases the decision is taken immediately (Regulation (EC) 810/2009, Art. 23). An application may not be lodged more than six months before the intended trip and, as a rule, no later than 15 calendar days before it; where the consulate requires an appointment, it is normally given within two weeks of being requested (Art. 9).

Required documents

• A valid passport or travel document, issued within the previous ten years and valid for at least three months beyond the date you plan to leave the Schengen area (Regulation (EU) 2016/399, Art. 6(1)(a))
• Documents backing up the purpose and conditions of your stay: an accommodation booking, an invitation from your host, or your travel itinerary (Regulation (EU) 2016/399, Art. 6(1)(c) and Annex I)
• Funds of €50 per person per day, with a floor of €300 for stays of up to five days (Joint Ministerial Decision No 3021/22/10-f of 24 December 2007)
• If you are travelling with children, the amount required for each of them is halved (same Ministerial Decision)
• A return ticket, or evidence that you can pay for the journey home

Vaccinations

• No mandatory vaccines for entry: no international certificate of vaccination (yellow fever included) is required under the International Health Regulations.

Health insurance

Mandatory to apply for the Schengen visa: minimum coverage of €30,000, valid across the whole Schengen area and for the entire length of the stay (Regulation (EC) 810/2009, Art. 15).

Which policies meet the €30,000 requirement →

Transit rules

Schengen rule: a maximum stay of 90 days within any 180-day period across the whole Schengen area.

Why isn't your passport being stamped? The EES system →

Customs limits

Cash

Declare to Greek Customs if entering or leaving the EU with €10,000 or more in cash (or the equivalent in another currency), an EU-harmonized regime.

Alcohol

Arriving from outside the EU (age 17+): 1 liter of spirits over 22% alcohol, or 2 liters under 22%; plus 4 liters of still wine and 16 liters of beer. These limits are the same by air/sea and by land.

Tobacco

By air: 200 cigarettes (or 100 cigarillos, or 50 cigars, or 250 grams of smoking tobacco). By land or sea: a reduced limit of 40 cigarettes (or 20 cigarillos, or 10 cigars, or 50 grams of smoking tobacco).

Overstay penalties

Law 3386/2005 (Art. 73, paragraph 5) penalizes third-country nationals who exceed their legal period of stay with an administrative fine of €600 if the overstay is up to 30 days, or €1,200 if it exceeds 30 days. An entry ban of up to 4 years from the date the fine was imposed is also applied, registered in the national database; once 4 years have elapsed, the ban is considered expired and is automatically removed. Exemptions from the fine include, among others, minors, persons of Greek origin, spouses or parents of Greek citizens, and those who miss the deadline due to force majeure if they leave the country within 30 days of that cause ceasing.

What happens if you stay past 90 days →

Common reasons for denial

• Producing a false or falsified travel document, or reasonable doubts arising about the authenticity of the supporting documents submitted or the truthfulness of their content (Regulation (EC) 810/2009, Art. 32(1)(a)(i) and 32(1)(b)).
• Failing to justify the purpose and conditions of the intended stay (Art. 32(1)(a)(ii); the same entry condition appears in Art. 6(1)(c) of Regulation (EU) 2016/399, so it is also checked at the border).
• Failing to provide proof of sufficient means of subsistence for the whole intended stay and for the return to the country of origin or residence, and not being in a position to acquire such means lawfully (Art. 32(1)(a)(iii)).
• Having already used up the 90 days of stay within the current 180-day period on the territory of the Member States (Art. 32(1)(a)(iv)).
• Being the subject of an alert in the Schengen Information System (SIS) for the purpose of refusing entry (Art. 32(1)(a)(v)).
• Being considered a threat to public policy, internal security, public health or the international relations of any Member State (Art. 32(1)(a)(vi)).
• Failing to provide proof of adequate and valid travel medical insurance, where applicable (Art. 32(1)(a)(vii)).
• Reasonable doubts arising about the reliability of the statements made or about the applicant’s intention to leave the territory of the Member States before the visa applied for expires (Art. 32(1)(b)).