Authorities in Greece have intensified their efforts to continue the visa-on-arrival program throughout 2025 for citizens of Türkiye visiting ten Greek islands.
The program, set to expire by the end of this year, facilitates short-term stays (1-7 days) for Turkish nationals, and it is faster than the Schengen visa application process, Schengen.News reports.
The Hellenic Republic’s Northern Aegean Regional Governor Konstantinos Moutzouris proposed to expand the program for non-Schengen visitors, including those from Türkiye, for 2025, according to a report from Hürriyet Daily.
The recommendation from local authorities has been endorsed by the Greek government. Greece expects to initiate discussions on the matter in the near future.
However, the increase in the number of Turkish visitors to Greece is leading to a decrease in the number of visitors to Türkiye.
The head of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB), Firuz Bağlıkaya, told Hürriyet Daily that the difference in accommodation types between Greek islands and Türkiye also has an impact on pricing strategies.
According to Bağlıkaya, while islands in Greece are famous for their boutique hotels, smaller and more personalised, which are often at high prices, Türkiye has large-scale resorts designed for mass tourism, allowing for economies of scale that make it easier to offer more competitive prices.
This contrast in infrastructure impacts how tourism services in the two regions are priced.
According to him, during the peak summer season, the Greek islands offered approximately 30 per cent cost advantage.
Over 35,000 Turkish Tourists Visited Greece Through Visa-On-Arrival Program Until August
On April 1, 2024, Greece introduced the special visa program for Turkish nationals, following the agreements made by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The visa-on-arrival program permits Turkish nationals to enter the following ten Greece islands by only holding this single-entry visa, without the need to apply for a Schengen visa, at a cost of €60:
• Rhodes
• Chios
• Kos
• Lesbos
• Samos
• Kalymnos
• Leros
• Kastellorizo
• Symi
• Limnos
Since its introduction, the program has attracted a significant number of Turkish nationals. According to the figures from the Greek Citizen Protection Ministry, a total of 182,000 Turkish nationals visited Greece for a period from January until the first week of July, thus making a significant contribution to the Hellenic Republic’s economy.
The same reveals that of the total, 35,000 Turkish nationals entered Greece through the visa-on-arrival program until the beginning of August 2024.
Source: https://schengen.news/greece-seeks-to-continue-visa-on-arrival-program-for-turkish-nationals-in-2025/
