Greece Entry Requirements: €63-a-Day Rule, EES and ETIAS

Greece’s €63-a-day financial requirement for certain non-EU visitors is real, but it is not a new November 2026 measure. The increase from €50 was published in December 2025, while the European Entry/Exit System follows a separate timetable. ETIAS, the planned pre-travel authorisation, is not yet operating.

For Australians and other travellers planning a short visit, the important distinction is between proving access to sufficient funds, completing digital border checks and obtaining any visa their nationality requires. None of these should be confused with a compulsory €63 daily payment.

When did Greece’s €63-a-day rule take effect?

Joint Ministerial Decision 70301, signed on 9 December 2025 and published in Government Gazette B’ 6834 on 18 December 2025, set the amount at €63 for each day in Greece. Article 3 says the decision takes effect upon publication.

It also sets a minimum total of €378 for a stay of up to five days. For minors, both amounts are reduced by 50%. The decision expressly excludes foreigners entering with a national visa, such as a Type D long-stay visa.

The rule replaced the earlier 2007 decision. Greek City Times has not identified a separate November 2026 decision introducing this increase.

How much must visitors be able to show?

For visitors covered by the decision, the published amounts work as follows:

• Adult staying one to five days: a minimum total of €378, not simply €63 multiplied by the shorter stay.
• Adult staying seven days: €441.
• Minor staying one to five days: a minimum total of €189.
• Minor staying seven days: €220.50.

The five-day wording establishes a financial minimum; it does not require a visitor to stay for five days. Nor is the daily figure a compulsory spending target, tourist tax or payment collected at passport control.

Some official downloadable Schengen reference lists still reproduce the older Greek figures of €50 a day and €300 for up to five days. The later Greek Gazette decision expressly replaces the previous decision, explaining the conflicting figures travellers may encounter.

Visa-free travel does not remove the funds requirement

Greece’s Foreign Ministry nationality table lists Australian ordinary passport holders as visa-exempt for short visits. That does not exempt them from the other conditions for entering the Schengen area.

Under Article 6 of the Schengen Borders Code, third-country short-stay visitors must justify the purpose and conditions of their visit and have sufficient resources for their stay and return journey, or be able to obtain those resources lawfully. The requirement is not limited to people applying for a tourist visa.

The Code allows assessment using cash, travellers’ cheques and credit cards. Recognised sponsorship or host guarantees may also provide evidence where national law allows. Travellers should follow their Greek consulate’s document guidance; the rule does not mean the full amount must be carried in banknotes.

Greek and other EU citizens are not the target of this third-country visitor rule. EEA and Swiss nationals, and qualifying family members, have separate free-movement protections. Long-stay visa holders and people returning under residence rights should check the requirements for their own status rather than assume a tourist checklist applies. These short-visit rules are also separate from Greece’s digital nomad visa and residence requirements.

EES digital border checks are already in operation

The European Commission says the Entry/Exit System began its progressive rollout on 12 October 2025 and became fully operational on 10 April 2026. Greece’s Civil Aviation Authority also announced full application at relevant Greek airports from 10 April.

EES electronically records entry and exit information for covered non-EU short-stay travellers, whether they need a visa or travel visa-free. It is a border-registration system, not the source of Greece’s financial threshold or a new extension of the usual 90-days-in-180 short-stay allowance.

According to the official EES guidance, visa-exempt travellers have their facial image and four fingerprints stored. Short-stay visa holders’ fingerprints are already in the Visa Information System and are not stored again in EES. Children under 12 do not have fingerprints scanned, although they can still be registered.

EES exemptions include holders of the relevant residence permits and long-stay visas, alongside EU nationals and other specified groups. An EES exemption is not a blanket exemption from every other entry condition.

ETIAS is different — and applications are not open

As checked on 8 November 2026, the official EU ETIAS website says the system is not in operation and no applications are being collected. It says the specific start date will be announced several months before launch.

Once introduced, ETIAS will concern eligible visa-exempt travellers before travel. It is not EES registration at the border, a Schengen visa or Greece’s proof-of-funds requirement. Travellers should rely on the official EU website rather than pay a third party for an authorisation that is not yet available.

Information checked on 8 November 2026. Requirements depend on nationality, travel document, residence status and purpose of travel; confirm individual circumstances with the competent Greek consulate before departure.

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