Greece to Introduce Cruise Passenger Fee Starting July 2025

Blue domed churches on a Greek island
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Starting July 1, 2025, Greece will introduce a new tax for cruise ship passengers disembarking in the country, according to reports from Greek media.

The new levy stems from legislation passed in 2024 and was initially unveiled in 2023. It is designed to alleviate overcrowding in popular tourist areas while also generating funds for tourism and cruise-related infrastructure improvements.

As reported by iEidiseis, the fee will be charged per passenger and per port call, with rates varying by destination and time of year.

Among the most affected will be Mykonos and Santorini, where visitors will incur a 20-euro fee during the peak travel season from July 1 through September 30. This rate will decrease to 12 euros during the shoulder months of April, May, and October.

In the off-season—from early November to the end of March—the charge will drop to four euros for these same destinations.

For other Greek ports, winter visitors will be charged one euro per call, with the rate increasing to five euros during the summer high season and three euros in the shoulder months.

iEidiseis also noted that details about how the tax will be collected and which agencies will enforce it are still being finalized.

Revenue from the fees is expected to support both local municipalities that receive cruise ships and Greece’s Ministries of Shipping and Tourism.

Projections suggest that the country could generate between 50 and 100 million euros annually through this new system.

This initiative was led by Vasilis Kikilias, Greece’s Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, as part of broader efforts to manage tourism sustainably.

Greece remains a top cruise destination in the Eastern Mediterranean, drawing millions of passengers each year.

“Greece does not have a structural overtourism problem … Some of its destinations have a significant issue during certain weeks or months of the year, which we need to deal with,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated during a 2024 press briefing.