Greece to Introduce New Changes on COVID-19 Recovery Certificate for Domestic Travel
The Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority has informed that the validity of the COVID-19 recovery certificates will change from 30 days to 14 days from the day of the first positive coronavirus test result.
It means that the certificates issued after 2 weeks from the date of positive testing will not be accepted for domestic travel within Greece anymore.
The validity period of the recovery certificate has been shortened by the Greek authorities as a response to the increasing number of coronavirus cases recorded in the country.
Domestic travel within Greece is also possible with a vaccination certificate or a negative COVID-19 test result (a rapid antigen or PCR test).
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Documents for domestic travel in Greece
The Greek residents, as well as international travelers aged 12 and older, need one of the following documents for domestic travel within Greece:
- vaccination proof confirming that it has elapsed 14 days from receiving the completed COVID-19 vaccination series (international visitors need to have its certified translation in French, English, Spanish, Italian, Russian, or German; it must include personal data of a traveler, and coronavirus vaccination type with the number of doses administered).
- EU Digital Covid Certificate or any other similar document in case of non-EU countries confirming immunity status (it may be used as an alternative to the vaccination proof)
- a recovery certificate (it must be issued 14 days after being tested positive for COVID-19; it needs to be translated into one of the same languages as in the case of vaccination proof, i.e. French, English, Spanish, Italian, Russian, or German).
- a negative COVID-19 test result (a PCR test cannot be older than 72 hours, while a rapid antigen test needs to be taken maximally 48 hours prior to the departure time).
Greek Passenger Locator Form
In May 2021, the Greek authorities implemented the new safety measure in the form of the passenger locator form. The Greek PLF is an online health declaration that is obligatory to complete by every person planning to visit Greece.
Thanks to the details provided in the form, it is possible to immediately notify the travelers about the potential COVID-19 infection risk and undertake appropriate protective actions like starting quarantine.
The Greece PLF should be completed within 72 hours up to maximally 24 hours before the intended arrival time in Greece (according to the Greek time zone).
Every traveler will receive an individual QR code that will be checked upon entry to Greece.
Current COVID-19 situation in Greece
Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, over 1, 105,800 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Greece, of which over 20,500 people have died during this period, according to the data provided by the WHO.
The same source informs that within the last few days, over 61,500 people have been tested positive for the coronavirus, while over 500 have died.
Despite the ongoing and unceasing COVID-19 pandemic, Greece is one of these countries in Europe and in the world that has been visited by foreign visitors most frequently during 2021. The Greek tourism industry generated over 10 billion euro last year.
