Essentials of Travelling to Greece with your Pet

Exploring Greece with your pet can be an enriching experience filled with new sights and adventures. It's essential to be prepared with your pet's documentation and to research the specific requirements before jetting off to Greece with your furry friend. Here's what you need to know and must have, to make your trip from your hometown to the Greek wonderland smooth and enjoyable.

Travel documentation and requirements

In line with European Union rules, if you’re travelling to Greece with your pet dog, cat, or ferret, they must:

• be microchipped;
• have a valid rabies vaccination (and in some cases a rabies antigen check);
• have a valid animal health certificate; and
• have a valid European pet passport, when travelling from an EU country or Northern Ireland, OR an EU animal health certificate, when travelling from a non-EU country.

If you are travelling from Andorra, Switzerland, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Greenland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, or Vatican City State, your pet can also enter the EU with a pet passport issued in one of these countries or territories.

Pet Travel Regulations

In addition to the basic travel documents and requirements outlined above, individual airlines and ferry and rail operators may have different policies on travelling with animals, so it’s important to check with your carrier to confirm their specific rules and requirements for transporting your pet.

If you’re bringing your pet to Greece by private transport, whether that’s a car, yacht or aircraft, you’ll have to enter the country through an authorised border inspection post (BIP). These can be found at the Athens and Thessaloniki international airports, the ports of Piraeus and Thessaloniki, and the railway entry points at Eidomeni and Neos Kafkasos (on the border with North Macedonia) and Promachonas (on the border with Bulgaria). Additional BIPs can be found at border crossings at Evzonoi (border with North Macedonia), Kakavia (border with Albania), and Peplos (border with Turkey), as well as Ormenio and Promachonas (border with Bulgaria). If you arrive through a non-EU country, you’ll also need to check the individual requirements for that country plus any relevant requirements for re-entry into the EU.

Authorised island entry points include Syros in the Cyclades island chain; Kalymnos, Kos, and Rhodes in the Dodecanese; Chios, Lesvos, Limnos, and Samos in the North Aegean; Corfu and Kefalonia in the Ionian Sea; and Heraklion and Chania on Crete. BIPs can include airports and/or ports depending on the island, so always contact authorities at your point of entry to confirm.

In essence, travelling to Greece with your pet requires careful preparation and adherence to specific regulations, so it's crucial to verify requirements beforehand. By ensuring compliance with all requirements and thorough planning, you and your furry companion can embark on a smooth and enjoyable journey exploring the wonders of Greece.