Greece simplifies entry procedure for tourists

The Greek authorities have accelerated the procedure for issuing a QR code. Now the QR code comes immediately after submitting the PLF form, which all travelers must complete before traveling to Greece on travel.gov.gr

Previously, the publication of the document took place at about 00:00 on the current day, which created a lot of problems, since not everyone has the opportunity to demonstrate the document on a smartphone, and they still need to have time to print it.

In addition to simplifying the issuance of a QR code, the rule for filling in the PLF no later than 24 hours before entry * was canceled. Passengers flying to Greece, who for any reason did not fill out the PLF form in advance, can do so directly at the airport of departure, right before the flight. The QR code will be received immediately after the formation of the document to the e-mail indicated in the form.

Why this could not have been done earlier is unclear …

How is a tourist trip to Greece going now?

The first thing the employees of the Greek airline pay attention to is the tourist visa, which is now issued only with a ticket… Naturally, this must be a valid Schengen: not necessarily Greek, but holders of multivisa issued by states of other countries of the Schengen zone are asked the final purpose of the air travel. This is due to the fact that the common EU border is closed for Russians, so transit from Athens to other European countries is limited.

From June 30, 2021, Greece requires all persons over 12 years of age arriving from the Russian Federation to have a negative PCR test for COVID-19, done no earlier than 72 hours before arrival, or a rapid antigen test (done no earlier than 48 hours before arrival), regardless of the presence of a certificate of vaccination against COVID-19 or a certificate of recovery from a coronavirus infection.

Therefore, at the registration desk, they are required to present a certificate of passing one of the two above tests, the journalist says. ATORwho recently traveled to Greece from Russia. Many passengers showed the original of the certificate with a “live” blue seal, but some tourists also had black and white printouts of the test certificate.

Both options are accepted: test certificates can be either in Russian or in English. If the test certificate is in English, then the owner’s name and surname must be written as in the passport.

IMPORTANT NOT TO FORGET ABOUT PLF

Passengers, with the exception of persons traveling through Greece for a transit purpose, must fill out a special form PLF (passenger locator form) at the link: https://travel.gov.gr/#/… This can be done directly at the airport *.

After successful completion of the form, a confirmation with a QR code is received by e-mail, which must be presented at check-in for the flight. The form can also be filled out via the mobile app VISIT GREECE…

In PLF, you must indicate the destination, flight number (also indicate if the flight is private), airport of arrival, personal and contact information, address of stay in Greece, history of previous trips, and also note one of the antiquarian documents with which the traveler will enter Greece … For Russians, this is now a PCR test or an antigen test.

One PLF is filled per family. In addition, other people (brothers / sisters, grandparents, friends) who fly together to Greece on the same flight can be added to one PLF, but it is better to do this separately.

After entering all the details of the questionnaire, a notification will be sent to the mail that the PLF is completed.

You will immediately receive a confirmation letter and a link to a unique QR code to the email specified in the PLF. Therefore, it is important to write your email correctly when filling out the PLF and, if necessary, have access to the Internet, for example, at the airport, to download the QR code and show it at check-in. If, for some technical reason, the link with the QR code does not come, you will be asked to show a letter notifying you that the PLF has been completed earlier.

PLF WITH QR CODE MUST BE SHOWED THREE TIMES

The unique QR code in the printed form or on the screen of a mobile device will have to be shown three times.

The first time – when checking in for a flight at the airport.

The second time – already upon arrival in Greece. At the entrance to the Athens airport terminal, passengers are greeted by border officials: they visually check the PLF with a QR code, and only then are travelers allowed to enter passport control. Everything is as usual there: they scan the passport and put a stamp.

For the third time, PLF with a QR code will be required during testing for COVID-19 (rapid antigen test). At the Athens airport, special boxes are equipped (they cannot be bypassed), to which passengers are directed by airport employees.

Our Aegean flight was serviced by a team of 10 people, the Greek paramedics are polite and helpful. They ask to show a QR code: they scan it and give the name of the person who will take the antigen test.

Important: only a traveler for whom PLF is filled out takes the express test. In our case, three people were entered in one PLF: two adults and a child under 12 years old (he does not need to take the test), and only one person from the family (the one for whom the PLF was issued) was subjected to express testing.

The procedure for taking a smear itself is very fast, on average, no more than one and a half minutes is spent per person. A swab is taken from the nose. There were no queues for the delivery of the analysis, the process was put on stream by the Greek side.

DO NOT SEND TO THE DRIVE AFTER THE EXPRESS TEST

After express testing, passengers go to baggage claim. There are no accumulators after the test, where you would have to wait for its result, and there is no Athens airport.

According to the sanitary protocols, after receiving a negative result of the express test, the passenger will be able to leave the airport and go to the resting place. The result of the express test is sent via SMS. In our case, 35 minutes passed from the moment of passing the test to the arrival of the SMS notification, and by that moment most of the passengers who were tested in parallel with us had already left the airport.

According to the protocols, in case of receiving a positive test, passengers must be in quarantine under supervision for 10 days at the place of residence / temporary stay (a confirmed hotel reservation is required).

MASKS ON THE STREET ARE NOT NEEDED

In Greece, all tourists are advised to wear masks (indoors) and maintain social distance during their holidays. With masks strictly during the flight and stay at the airport. All Greeks conscientiously wear masks in shops and other public places such as churches. On the beach, masks and on the street, of course, are not needed.

More information about the situation in Greece and protection measures can be found in the section Coronavirus news…

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