Negative self-test results for Covid-19, as of Monday, July 5, will no longer be accepted as a document for adults to board a ferry to travel to the Greek islands from the mainland, the Greek authorities announced on Thursday (1st July).
Speaking during a Covid-19 media briefing, Greek Civil Protection Deputy Minister Nikos Hardalias announced updated rules for travel to the Greek islands from the mainland. All rules will be in force from Monday, July 5.
Traveling to an island
Adults in Greece (residents and foreign visitors) will be allowed to travel from the mainland to the Greek islands by ferry only if they have one of the following:
– a vaccination certificate or a recovery certificate
– a negative PCR test performed less than three days (72 hours)
– a negative rapid antigen test taken 48 hours prior to travel.
Young people, minors
– Young people aged 12 to 17 may present any test, including self-tests, to embark on a ferry.
– Minors up to 12 years old travel can travel on a ferry without presenting a test.
Returning to the mainland
Passengers returning to the mainland (e.g. back to Athens) from an island are recommended to conduct a self-test (the recommendation is for all passengers over the age of 12).
Negative self-test results must be filled out on the self-test declaration form on the self-testing.gov.gr platform found in self-testing.gov.gr (in English and Greek).
Exempt from the above rules are:
– passengers traveling from the mainland to the islands of Evia, Lefkada, and Salamina.
– people who travel between different island regional units for work purposes on a daily basis and already present a negative Covid-19 self-test every week.
– people who travel between islands that are in very close distance to one another or on ferries that connect the mainland with nearby islands. Those traveling daily for work purposes will continue to present a negative Covid-19 self-test every week. Individual travelers, traveling for whatever reason, must present a negative self-test before boarding a ferry.
Pre-boarding Health Form
It is reminded that all ferry passengers must fill out a health declaration questionnaire before traveling from the mainland to the Greek islands.
The online pre-boarding questionnaire can be found in sea.travel.gov.gr in both Greek and English and can be submitted online.
It is noted that the questionnaire on the ministry’s site that can be downloaded and printed is still accepted by port authorities. (Is available in Greek and in English.)
Passengers returning to the mainland (e.g. back to Athens) from an island will again have to fill out the pre-boarding questionnaire. Passengers traveling between islands (e.g. Mykonos to Santorini) are not required to fill out the questionnaire.
The pre-boarding health declaration questionnaire is also available via ferry operators.
Air travel: Flying domestic to the islands
The aforementioned rules for travel from the Greek mainland to the islands will also be in force for people traveling on domestic flights from Monday, July 5. An announcement by the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA) should be released over the weekend.
Greece’s rules for travel from the mainland to the islands are part of the Greek government’s efforts to curb the spread of the Covid-19 in the country.