The base fee for a visa on arrival for the Greek islands is 60 €; ferry, port and agency service charges may be added separately. Under the basic arrangement, permission is for a single entry and a stay of up to 7 days on certain Eastern Aegean islands. Because the list of islands, the season and the documents can change, check the authorised agency before making any payment.
Visa on arrival for the Greek islands is a special entry arrangement for short trips by sea from Türkiye to certain Eastern Aegean islands. The base fee is 60 €, but port, agency or application service charges may be added on top. Under the basic rule of the arrangement, permission is granted for a single entry and a maximum of 7 days. Because the list of islands, the season and the application channel can change, you should check the official announcement and the authorised ferry agency before making any payment.
The base application fee for a visa on arrival for the Greek islands is known to be 60 €. This amount is the visa fee for the on-arrival arrangement; the ferry ticket, port services, intermediary agency fee, photographs or courier costs and similar items may be added to the total travel cost separately. For this reason, preparing a budget based only on the visa fee is incomplete.
The payment currency, collection method and scope of additional services can vary by application point. Some procedures are carried out through the ferry company’s authorised agency. Before travelling, it is useful to request in writing the three items: the visa fee, the service fee and the mandatory port charges. This way the ticket price and the visa cost are not confused.
Stating the fee in euros does not mean that the exchange rate and commission applied by your bank or payment point are fixed. Do not treat the 60 € amount as a package price. The current announcement and payment conditions must be verified separately for the island where you are applying.
It is also important to budget per person and per room separately. The visa fee is assessed per passenger, while hotel and some transfer items may vary by room or by booking. It is necessary to ask before processing whether the arrangement is the same for children, group applications and different passport types. In this way, decisions are not made based only on a rounded figure found online.
Do not confuse the visa on arrival fee with the Schengen visa application fee either. The two processes run through different channels and require different documents depending on the travel plan. If you choose the special island arrangement for a holiday, make your booking knowing from the outset the short stay and single-entry limit.
A visa on arrival allows, under the basic arrangement, a maximum stay of 7 days and a single entry. This period is not the same thing as the 90-days-in-any-180-days rule of the Schengen visa. A traveller entering with a visa on arrival must comply with the island and date limits stated on the permit document.
The seven-day period is assessed together with the travel dates stated in the application form and the permission granted by the Greek authorities. If the permission was issued for a shorter date range, the traveller must act according to the date on the document. Exceeding the period or changing the return ticket without documentation may cause problems at border control.
This arrangement does not give its holder the right to move freely across all Greek islands or to travel on to another Schengen country. In particular, those planning to continue from Lesbos to Chios, Samos or Rhodes should not assume that a visa on arrival automatically covers that route. Confirm the inter-island travel separately and, if necessary, consider a standard Schengen visa.
The visa on arrival applies on certain Eastern Aegean islands close to Türkiye and at specific port entry points; not all Greek islands are included in the programme. Since the list of applicable islands and the season, port and ferry company conditions can change, relying on a single old list is not correct.
Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Kos and Rhodes are routes frequently researched by Turkish travellers. However, the fact that an island was included in the programme in the past does not mean the same application channel is open on every date. The current information published by the shipping company, the port agency and the official representations of Greece should be checked together.
Documents usually requested for a visa on arrival before the sea journey include a valid passport, a return ticket, an accommodation document, travel dates and a photograph. The exact document list may differ by island and operator. The guide to visa on arrival for the Greek islands also explains the general logic of the island programme and the application steps.
A visa on arrival and a Schengen visa are not the same document. A visa on arrival is a special entry permit limited to a specific island, port and date range; a Schengen visa, depending on the application decision, provides a short-stay travel framework within the Schengen area. Which document is suitable depends on the route and purpose of the trip.
| Feature | Visa on arrival | Schengen visa |
|---|---|---|
| Where to apply | Can be handled through the authorised island port or ferry agency | Authorised application centre and consulate process |
| Scope | Programme islands, ports and permitted dates | Validity and entry conditions stated on the visa sticker |
| Stay logic | Maximum of 7 days under the basic arrangement | Short stay determined by the visa type |
| Route | Does not automatically allow travel outside the programme area | Travel within the Schengen area according to its rules |
Planning as if a visa on arrival were valid for an island outside the programme, such as Santorini or Mykonos, is risky. If you want to fly to Athens and then travel to a different country, visit several islands or stay for a long period, a Schengen application may be required instead of a visa on arrival. When planning your hotel reservation for a Greek visa, keep the route and accommodation dates consistent with your documents.
For a visa on arrival, a valid passport, a biometric photograph, an accommodation document, a return ferry ticket and application documents showing the travel dates are generally required. The passport validity period and blank page requirement should be checked from the outset; the exact list is determined by the authorised agency handling the process or the relevant Greek representation.
The name on the accommodation document must match the name in the passport and the travel dates. If several people are travelling, a separate document may be requested for each passenger. As additional documents such as a parental consent letter may come up for children travelling, family applications should be enquired about separately.
Timing of the application also matters. Going to the port very close to the ticket time in the expectation that the application can be processed there may lead to missing the trip if documents are incomplete or if there are queues. Ask the ferry company in writing about the document submission deadline, the office opening hours and the method of passport collection before buying a ticket.
A visa on arrival is not automatically approved simply because the documents have been submitted in full. The visa decision belongs to the competent Greek authorities. Orjinaltur can support the document and planning process; no intermediary can guarantee the visa outcome.
When planning a trip with a visa on arrival, first match the permitted entry island, then the ferry date, and finally the accommodation. The safest plan is to book accommodation on the same island, valid until the return ticket. If the date or island needs to change, confirm with the agency how this affects the visa document.
In the example of Lesbos, the arrival at Mytilene port and the return dates should be clearly visible in the accommodation document. If there is a plan to move to another island, do not make any payment until it has been confirmed that this transfer is suitable in terms of both the ticket and the entry permit. Booking a hotel on an island not covered by the visa on arrival may make the travel plan inconsistent with the document.
Consider the choice of accommodation together with the access to the port, ferry times and a safety margin on the return day. On short one-night trips, staying in an area far from the port can increase the risk of transport delays. For longer plans approaching seven days, read the cancellation and date change conditions. When comparing hotels in Greece, also check whether the booking document meets the application requirements.
Once the visa application and hotel booking are ready, keep digital and printed copies of the ticket, passport and accommodation documents together. You can expand your travel plan through the destinations page; however, in the case of changing visa rules, the final word always rests with the latest announcement of the competent Greek authorities.
Four checks should be made before applying: whether the island you are going to is on the current programme, through which agency the application is made, what the total fee consists of, and whether the permitted stay covers your return ticket. Confirming these four pieces of information in writing before paying reduces last-minute problems.
First, check the validity and entry requirements of your passport. Then find out from the ferry operator the deadline for submitting documents and the time you must be at the port. When asking about the fee, ask not only about the 60 € visa fee but also about service or port charges. Finally, make sure the hotel booking is on the permitted island and for the correct dates.
Because rules and island lists may be updated from time to time, this article is not a decision document. The European Commission’s visa policy page shows the general Schengen framework, and the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ visa pages show the official application channels. For the special island arrangement, also check the current announcement of the authorised ferry agency.
If you would like to review your documents and accommodation plan for a visa on arrival application, you can submit a consultation request through Orjinaltur. The visa decision belongs to the consulate and the competent Greek authorities.
Cover photo: Wolfgang Weiser / Pexels
Yes. The 60 € is the base visa fee; the ferry ticket, the authorised agency’s service, port procedures and payment commission may be charged on top. Before applying, ask the agency to confirm the total amount in writing and what each item is for.
No. A visa on arrival is a limited entry permit for certain Eastern Aegean islands and ports. For Athens, Santorini or any other Schengen route, a standard Schengen visa may be required depending on your travel plan.
Under the basic arrangement, the permit is for a maximum of seven days and a single entry; no extension should be assumed. Keep to the last exit date on your document, and consider a Schengen visa before travelling if you want a longer holiday.
The application channel and the final date for submitting documents depend on the ferry operator. Do not assume that the application will be accepted at the port on the day of travel; submit your passport, photograph, hotel and return ticket documents by the date the operator requires.
The refund conditions depend on the ferry operator’s ticket rules, regardless of the visa decision. Read the cancellation, change and no-visa conditions before buying a ticket; visa approval cannot be guaranteed.
