Greece is easier than its geography suggests. No import permit, no quarantine, no tapeworm treatment — but the islands mean entry is channelled through named border inspection posts, and that detail catches ferry travellers more often than flyers. Chip, then rabies vaccination, then a titre test with 90 days behind it. Pixel's route in was simpler than the ferry timetable.

Bringing a pet to Greece requires three documents in the right order: a microchip, a rabies vaccine within the destination's wait window, and a government-endorsed health certificate. The table below lays out exactly what's required, what's not, and where each rule comes from.

How Greece handles your pet

Key points

  • Young animals cannot enter Greece
  • For arrivals from OUTSIDE the EU the bar is absolute: "Young dogs, cats and ferrets cannot be moved into the EU from a non-EU country or territory for whatever purposes." For intra-EU movement each Member State decides, and Greece has notified "No" under both Article 9 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/131 and Articles 54/56 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688 ("Greece No No" on the Commission's table), where "No" means "I refuse the introduction of young dogs, cats and ferrets into my territory"
  • A "young" animal is one under 12 weeks and unvaccinated, or 12-16 weeks old and vaccinated but not yet fully protected
  • Separately, animal health certificates drawn up under the old Annex IV of Implementing Regulation (EU) 577/2013 remain valid for entry only if they were ISSUED before 1 October 2026

Each fact comes straight from the operator’s published policy. Tap the to read the exact wording; the opens the source page.

Health & documents

Microchip · Required Yesverified 2026-10-27
Microchip · StandardISO standard 11784verified 2026-10-27
Microchip · Tattoo accepted Yesverified 2026-10-27
Microchip · Must be done before vaccination Yesverified 2026-10-27
Quarantine · Typenone_if_compliantverified 2026-10-27
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Required Yesverified 2026-10-27
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Minimum level iu ml0.5verified 2026-10-27
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Approved laboratory required Yesverified 2026-10-27
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Waiting period after test days90 daysverified 2026-10-27
Rabies titer test (FAVN) · Test must follow vaccination days30 daysverified 2026-10-27
Health certificate · Required Yesverified 2026-10-27
Health certificate · Endorsed bythe competent authorityverified 2026-10-27
Health certificate · Validity days10 daysverified 2026-10-27
Health certificate · Original required Yesverified 2026-10-27
Health certificate · Government endorsed Yesverified 2026-10-27
Rabies vaccination · Required Yesverified 2026-10-27
Rabies vaccination · Booster required Yesverified 2026-10-27
Rabies vaccination · Waiting period after vaccination21 daysverified 2026-10-27
Rabies vaccination · Min age at vaccination12 weeksverified 2026-10-27
Tapeworm treatment · Required Noverified 2026-10-27
Internal parasite treatment · Required Noverified 2026-10-27

Other rules

Pets accepted Acceptedverified 2026-10-27

Timing chain

Day -90 microchip implant · Day -21 rabies vaccine deadline · Day -10 health certificate issued · Day 0 arrive at customs

Conditional requirements

These rules apply only to some travellers — where the pet is departing from, where it has been, or who is travelling with it. Most people can ignore them, but if one applies to you it can change what you need, or mean denied entry if you skip it.

Pet arriving from, or recently in, a third country or territory NOT listed in Annex I or II to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/636 — If your pet has been in one of 154 higher-risk countries in the last 6 months:

  • Rabies titer (blood) test: Rabies antibody titration test >= 0,5 IU/ml, on a sample taken by an authorised veterinarian at least 30 days after the primary vaccination and not less than 90 days before the animal health certificate is issued, performed in a designated laboratory (Del. Reg. (EU) 2026/131; model certificate Annex III to Impl. Reg. (EU) 2026/705, point II.3.1).

Ports of entry (23)

  • Athens International Airport (Spata)
  • Piraeus Port (N. Ikonio - Perama)
  • Thessaloniki Port
  • Thessaloniki Airport (Macedonia)
  • Eyzoni (road - North Macedonia border)
  • Eidomeni (railway - North Macedonia border)
  • Neos Kafcasos (North Macedonia border)
  • Kakavia (road - Albania border)
  • Peplos (road - Kipi Bridge - Turkey border)
  • Ormenio (road - Dikaia - Bulgaria border)
  • Promachonas (road/railway - Bulgaria border)
  • Rhodes port and airport
  • Kos port and airport
  • Kalimnos
  • Mitilini port and airport
  • Mirina (Limnos) port and airport
  • Chios port and airport
  • Samos port and airport
  • Ermoupolis (Syros)
  • Argostoli port
  • Iraklio (Crete) port and airport
  • Chania (Crete) port and airport
  • Corfu port and airport

verified 2026-10-27

The date of administration of the vaccine does not precede the date of identification or reading of the microchip. That condition is what the certificate attests, and it is checked against the passport at the border. A vaccination that pre-dates the chip cannot be certified at all. Compare the implant date and the vaccination date before any appointment is made.
Entry is through authorised border inspection posts, and Greece designates a long list of them: Athens and Thessaloniki airports and ports, Piraeus, the land and rail crossings at Evzoni, Eidomeni, Neos Kafkasos, Kakavia, Peplos, Ormenio and Promachonas, and the port and airport pairs on Rhodes, Kos, Lesbos, Limnos, Chios, Samos, Crete and Corfu. Confirm the arrival point appears on that list.
The certificate is valid for 10 days from the date of issue by the official veterinarian until the documentary and identity checks at the points of entry designated by each EU country. A multi-leg island route spends part of that window in transit. Count the days to the first designated entry point rather than to the final island destination.
Greece asks for very little beyond the standard EU sequence, but it does ask that you arrive somewhere specific. Check the entry point against the designated list before booking a ferry, then work backwards from the 90-day titre wait. Once those are settled, put the dates into the plan builder and it will place the vet appointment inside the ten-day window.
Get YOUR personalized plan for Greece →

Glossary

ISO chip
ISO 11784/11785 — the universal microchip standard.
FAVN
Fluorescent Antibody Virus Neutralization — a rabies serology test required by rabies-free destinations.
Brachycephalic
Snub-nosed breeds (French Bulldogs, Pugs, Persians, Himalayans) with restricted airline acceptance due to heat-stress risk.
AVIH
Animal Vehicle In Hold — IATA's term for cargo pet shipment, with fees that vary by carrier and route.