Greece

Marijuana is illegal in Greece, and penalties for possessing, using, or trafficking any illegal drugs are severe.

Convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines.

Verified Jul 5, 2026

Cannabis is illegal in Greece, and travelers can be arrested for possessing even small amounts. Under article 29 of drug law 4139/2013, buying, possessing or using drugs exclusively for personal use — including growing a few cannabis plants — is a criminal offence punishable by up to 5 months in prison, and there is no published quantity threshold you can rely on: courts judge "personal use" case by case. Amounts a court finds beyond personal use are treated as felony trafficking, with a minimum 8-year sentence. Greek law makes no exception for travelers who are only passing through: article 20 lists importation, exportation and transit among the trafficking acts that carry a minimum 8-year sentence.

Personal-use procurement, possession, use, or small-scale cannabis cultivation: imprisonment up to 5 months (Law 4139/2013 art. 29(1)); the court may deem an entirely occasional act unpunishable (art. 29(2)), and convictions under art. 29(1) are not entered on criminal-record copies (art. 29(3)). Quantities not justified as personal use are prosecuted as trafficking — which expressly includes import, export and transit: at least 8 years' imprisonment and a fine up to EUR 300,000 (art. 20), rising in aggravated cases to at least 10 years or life and fines of EUR 50,000–1,000,000 (arts. 22–23). Driving under the influence of narcotics: at least 5 months' imprisonment, a EUR 1,000–15,000 fine, and 2–5 years' licence deprivation (art. 25).

Verified Aug 31, 2026

Carry prescription medication in its original packaging with your doctor's prescription and check with the Greek embassy before travel; medications must be for personal use and approved for use in the United States.

Medicines without proper documentation may be held or cause problems at customs.

Verified Jul 5, 2026

It is illegal to bring mace, pepper spray, guns, ammunition, or even spent shells or casings into Greece.

These items will be confiscated and police may arrest or detain you.

Verified Jul 5, 2026

Cash of EUR 10,000 or more (or equivalent) must be declared when entering or leaving Greece / the EU.

Undeclared or incorrectly declared cash is subject to penalties and may be detained.

Verified Jul 5, 2026

Greece's smoking-ban law never once mentions e-cigarettes - but a second law reaches over and applies that ban to them by name. So vaping is prohibited wherever smoking is: workplaces, bars, restaurants, waiting areas, stations, taxis, and any car carrying a child under 12.

Because article 24(2) of law 4419/2016 applies article 3 of law 3730/2008 to the electronic cigarette, the vehicle penalty in that article reaches a vaper on its own terms: EUR 1,500 on the occupant who uses the device in a car carrying a minor under 12 whether or not that person is driving, doubled to EUR 3,000 where the user is driving a public-use vehicle, plus withdrawal of the driver's licence for one month per violation even where a passenger and not the driver committed it. Enforcement is by police officers. The general enclosed-space fine is set by joint ministerial decision G.P. oik. 104720/2010 (Gazette B 1315) article 3, which article 24(2) also makes applicable to the electronic cigarette; that decision was not read this run, so no figure from it is published here.

Verified Sep 13, 2026

Watch the rental car. Smoking in ANY car carrying a child under 12 costs the smoker EUR 1,500 - EUR 3,000 in a taxi or hire car - and the driver loses their licence for a month even if it was a passenger who lit up. Indoors the ban is total, and a taverna terrace with a sliding or retractable roof counts as indoors.

Read verbatim in the statute: for smoking in a car carrying a minor under 12, an administrative fine of EUR 1,500 on the occupant who smokes, whether or not that person is the driver, DOUBLED to EUR 3,000 where the smoker is driving a public-use vehicle. In addition the driver of such a vehicle has their driving licence withdrawn for one month for each violation EVEN IF the driver did not commit the violation but a passenger on board did. Violations are established and these penalties imposed by police officers. Separately, for the outdoor and enclosed sports and minors venues under article 2(1)(f), the fine is EUR 200 on the person smoking unlawfully and EUR 500 on the manager of the space. The general enclosed-space smoker fine sits in joint ministerial decision G.P. oik. 104720/2010 (Gazette B 1315), which was not read this run, so no figure from it is published here.

Verified Sep 13, 2026

Greece's drink-drive limit is 0.5 mg/ml of blood for standard drivers, dropping to 0.2 mg/ml for novice, professional, motorbike and moped drivers.

Over 0.5 mg/ml: 200 euro fine, 5 licence points and a 6-month licence withdrawal; over 0.8 mg/ml rises to 700 euro and more points.

Verified Jul 5, 2026

Unauthorized photography of law enforcement, military personnel, or military installations is prohibited and may lead to arrest, and removing anything (even rocks) from archaeological sites is strictly prohibited.

Arrest possible for unauthorized photography of security/military sites

Verified Jul 5, 2026

Leave the US walkie-talkies at home. Greece's national frequency plan gives 460-470 MHz to defence systems and licensed PMR only, and carries no licence-free exemption anywhere for the 462/467 MHz that American FRS/GMRS radios use - the only licence-free UHF voice band is PMR446 (446.000-446.200 MHz). Signal jammers are separately banned from being sold or used. And since September 2024 the regulator can fine ANY person, not just a dealer, up to EUR 60,000 for non-compliant radio equipment.

Presidential Decree 98/2017 art. 44, as replaced by Presidential Decree 53/2024 art. 1(9) (Government Gazette A' 152, 25.09.2024, in force that day): EETT may impose a recommendation or "Prostimo eos exinta chiliades (60.000) evro" - a fine of up to EUR 60,000 - by specially reasoned decision after a hearing. The 2024 replacement deleted the economic-operator gateway that had confined the 2017 version to traders, so the fine now attaches to infringements of the decree generally. A payment within 30 days reduces the sum to two thirds (Law 4727/2020 art. 138(7)). Separately, Law 4727/2020 art. 116(4) puts the duty to remove interference immediately on the HOLDER OR USER of the equipment. NOT applicable to a private traveller: the criminal frequency offence in art. 138(8) (at least six months plus a heavy fine, with seizure and confiscation of equipment) is textually addressed to "epicheiriseis" - undertakings. Obstructing public telecommunications is separately criminal under Penal Code art. 292E: at least one year plus a fine, but only where the disruption is on a large scale or of long duration and the installation serves the public.

Verified Sep 12, 2026

There are no legal restrictions on consensual same-sex sexual relations; same-sex marriage has been legal since 2024 and anti-discrimination protections apply, though social discrimination persists in rural areas.

Verified Jul 5, 2026