Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 20, 2025

Greece working on vaccine passport deals with 10 nations, including UK

Flights bringing visitors from some European countries, Israel and the United Kingdom will begin in April and from mid-May, more countries will be added to the list of those who do not need to quarantine upon arrival.

As the European Commission gets ready to present a proposal to allow vaccinated people to freely travel across the bloc, countries such as Greece have already started working on their own vaccine passports.

Determined to open tourism to foreign visitors in the spring, a pilot phase of flights bringing visitors from some European countries, Israel and the United Kingdom will begin in April.

From mid-May, more countries will be added to the list of those who do not need to quarantine upon arrival.

Instead, they will need a vaccine certificate, an immune certificate or a negative COVID-19 result.

The Greek Ministry of Tourism has signed a “green pass” agreement with Israel and is working on similar bilateral agreements with 10 more countries; the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Serbia, Russia, Ukraine, China, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

“The plan is to allow both vaccinated and unvaccinated people with negative tests to be able to travel to Greece, with everyone subject to random testing upon arrival," said Harry Theoharis, Greece's tourism minister.

"Of course, for everybody's peace of mind, people working in tourism will be vaccinated and at the same time, people that are found positive will be isolated in quarantine hotels. Other than that normal rules will apply and a smile is mandatory," he added.

Greece hopes that the European Union will adopt a “vaccination certificate” to allow free travel for all those that have received the jab.

But if not, the country will proceed on its own, accepting tourists who have been vaccinated, even with the Russian and Chinese vaccines.

Theoharis explained that “we are very glad that our proposal about the "green pass" has been adopted by the European Commission and we hope for a swift resolution of this initiative, ensuring that both the legal and the technical sides are up to speed to save the summer".

"If not Greece will have to adopt its own rules and of course recognise the vaccination certificate of each and every European country."

Meanwhile, with its new slogan “All you want is Greece” those working in the tourism industry say they are fully prepared for the special requirements that the pandemic is imposing.

Hotels, which are opening their doors in May, are following the strict hygiene protocols that were applied last year.

By then the vaccination of the 300,000 employees of the tourism sector will have started and the health protocols for hotels will be updated.

“In 2020, Greek hoteliers proved they could effectively implement health protocols. We strictly followed all the rules. So, just a handful of coronavirus cases were detected in hotels. Demand for Greece is very high, although reservations have not been made yet,” said Grigoris Tasios, President of Greek Hoteliers.

Greece hopes to recover at least half of its pre- Covid-19 tourism traffic to help deal with the financial impact.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
×