International destination listing

Senders should determine import restrictions from the country's authorities before posting:

• albuminoidal substances including modified starches, glues and enzymes
• antiques must be at least 100 years old; are subject to a duty of 8%
• arms and ammunition
• articles of stone, plaster, cement, asbestos, mica or similar materials
• beverages, spirits and vinegar
• books
• ceramic or glass products
• bees, leeches and silkworms
• cigarette (or equally fine) paper
• cereals
• clocks and watches
• clothing and footwear
• cocoa and cocoa preparations
• coffee, tea, maté and spices
• consignments of opium, mophine, cocaine
• computer, fax machines and furniture are subject to a duty of 18%
• electronics are subject to a duty of 35%
• electrical items are subject to a duty of 23%
• essential oils and resinoids
• explosives
• feathers and down
• fertilisers
• furniture
• fruits and vegetables
• headgear
• inorganic and organic chemicals
• leather
• live animals
• medica or surgical instruments
• metals
• milled products such as malt, starches, inulin and wheat gluten
• mineral products
• musical instruments
• narcotics
• nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances
• nuts
• ores, slag and ash
• paper and paperboard
• pharmaceutical products
• photographic or cinematographic products
• plants and plant products
• plastics
• precious stones, pearls and jewelery
• products of animal origin
• raw hides, skins and furs
• rubber
• salt, sulphur, earth, stone, plastering materials, lime and cement
• silk cocoons
• soap
• sound recorders and other electrical machinery
• sugar and sugar confectionery
• tanning or dyeing extracts
• television receivers
• tobacco leaf.
• toys, games and sports accessories
• rugs are subject to a duty of 30%
• tins of condensed milk if they bear a label indicating the instructions for use in Greek.
• umbrellas, walking-sticks, seat-sticks, whips, riding-crops and parts thereof
• wood and articles of wood
• wool, textile fabrics, wadding, carpets
• works of art, collector’s pieces and antiques

Meat, meat products, milk and milk products must be accompanied by a veterinary certificate from the country of origin.

All items, including gifts, are subject to customs duty.

Gifts

Articles consigned as "Unsolicited Gifts" are acceptable and will be allowed entry free of any duty or VAT providing the shipment is valued at less than 45 EURO, originated from and consigned to an individual, and are individually wrapped. Multiple gifts can be consigned in one shipment so long as the individual parcels enclosed are individually tagged with the recipients name, are individually wrapped and the value does not exceed the per person limit of 45 EURO. Shipments consigned to companies as gifts for an individual may be denied entry as gifts. They will be subject to full duty and VAT. Generally, most articles can be consigned as gifts, except those articles noted prohibited or restricted for import (see General Import Prohibitions and Restrictions).

Prohibited Items

In addition to items considered non-mailable matter, the following are prohibited:

• all forms of asbestos fibers
• Atlantic red tuna (Thunnus Thynnus) originating from Belize, Panama, or Honduras
• bank notes
• certain U. S. Beef Hormones
• coins, metals and valuables
• dry ice
• fresh plants and plant parts
• furs
• hashish
• lottery tickets and related items
• l-trytophane and any items having L-trytophane as an ingredient
• live animals and plants
• matches
• medical thermometers containing mercury intended for human use
• meat and meat products
• non-commercial wireless phones
• playing cards
• petroleum oil, heavy oils
• publications of a seditious nature
• rubber erasers that are similar in appearance to food products that are easily ingested
• saccharine
• salt
• seditious articles, newspapers, and printed matter
• snuff
• taxidermy items
• tobacco or tobacco products in letters
• toys, playing cards and games containing copper sulphate
• transport of live metal caps and cartidges for portable firearms, non-explosive parts of artillery fuses
• weapons.

Documentation required

Information regarding Customs can be found in "Customs Requirements" of the Canada Postal Guide.

In addition, used clothing, dress materials, footwear, old papers and packing materials mailed to Greece require a Certificate of Disinfection.

Commercial goods

Many commercial goods require the addressee to hold an import licence. Senders must attach a commercial invoice to customs documentation.

Document requirements

Several different forms of documentation may be required for shipments to Greece. Exporters are required to present two commercial invoices, one bill of lading and three copies of a certificate of origin for all shipments. Other certificates are necessary for exporting pharmaceutical goods, foods, live animals and some medical goods. Some of the documentation required may be:

Import licenses

Certain products require special documents: food products need a certificate of health in Greek; electric materials and construction equipment/machinery need a certificate of conformity to EU directives; grapes, alcoholic beverages and tobacco need a certificate of authenticity. Certificates of origin may also be required if the origin can in any way be attributed to a country subject to quantitative or other restrictions

Importers apply for import licenses at the Ministry of National Economy or the respective agency that controls the commodity. A commercial invoice that includes freight and insurance, the C.I.F. price, net and gross weight, and an invoice number must accompany the license application. Customs accepts commercial invoices by fax. The license, once granted, is normally valid for six months but may be extended if adequate justification is provided.

Goods that are shipped to a Greek customs area without proper import licenses or declarations are usually subject to considerable delay and may run up substantial demurrage charges. Prior to making shipments, exporters should ensure that the importer has obtained the necessary licenses.

Sanitary certificates -

Pharmaceutical certificates-Pharmaceutical imports require a special approval that is granted by the National Pharmaceutical Organization. New-to-market food products require similar approval by the General State Laboratory.

Certificates of origin - Certificates of Origin are required for the importation of any Textile products valued at over 45 Euro. Exceptions from this requirement include marked and mutilated samples; luggage made up of textile materials, canvas bags, and bona-fide gifts. A Certificate of Origin is recommended to be provided for every commodity subject to import licensing and /or quota restrictions from some origin countries and is required for all textile products imported into Greece that originate in Hong Kong, Macao, or Singapore regardless of the value.

Certificate of origin form A - A Certificate of Origin Form A may be required for goods under formal entry claiming preferential duty or exemption under the various agreements of Generalized System of Preferences. It should be produced at the time of entry and must be in the possession of the Importer at the time of entry. Origin of the goods must be detailed on the commercial invoice.

EUR 1 form import - An EUR 1 form may be required for goods under formal entry claiming preferential duty or exemption under various bilateral agreements by the European Union countries and some specific countries or groups of countries. It should be produced at the time of entry and must be in possession of the Importer at the time of entry. Origin of the goods must be detailed on the commercial invoice.

EUR 1 form export - An EUR 1 form from the European Union to some countries is used to claim preferential duty or exemption under the various agreements as per the above paragraph.

Quotas - Quotas have been assigned by the European Union to specific countries for specific products, which allow for the controlled importation of specific products.

Commercial invoices - Invoices are required for all dutiable shipments relating to commercial transactions between companies and companies, companies and individuals, regardless of the value. Commercial invoices should show freight, insurance and similar charges as separate items when applicable, regardless of the INCOTERM used on the transaction. It must be in Greek for export shipments or accompanied by a translation. It can be in any official language for import shipments and, if required by customs, must be accompanied by a translation. A party who is knowledgeable of the transaction, must furnish translation, if requested.

Specific invoice details are required for a number of commodities including the following:

• textiles - the fabric breakdown, whether knit or woven and, for clothing articles, the gender
• marked/mutilated samples - the words "mutilated samples" or " marked samples, not for resale" as applicable
• software on CD's and floppy disks - The value of software must be shown separately from software support.

Dangerous goods certification - Some goods will, in addition to the standard documentation noted above, require DG certification. Examples: Perfumes, liquor, chemicals, etc.

Declaration of antiquity - A declaration must be shown on the invoice for goods over 100 years old. The statement must include the words " circa date" followed by the year of manufacture whether known or estimated.

Customs valuation

All goods categorized, as non-document commercial goods shipped to Greece must have a proper value declared and proper description provided which should convey the shipper's intent related to the goods as well as any special processing requirements that exist for the goods shipped. Everything has a value, whether or not a transaction took place. Failure to properly document value of any goods will result in delays and or additional fees as deemed necessary in addition to warehouse fees.

A Shipper’s Export Declaration (SED) is required for all US export shipments (including Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands) if any single commodity value is greater than US $2,500

Value Added Tax (VAT)

The Import One-Stop-Shop (IOSS) is a program that allows the seller to collect the Value Added Tax (VAT) at the time of purchase, rather than have VAT collected by the recipient at the time of delivery. Under the IOSS program, VAT is remitted monthly by the seller directly to the European Union (EU) tax authority using an online portal. The IOSS can only be used for shipments with a value of less than €150. For shipments over €150, there are no changes to the collection of VAT, duties or other applicable fees on imported goods. The IOSS program also cannot be used for goods subject to excise duties (such as tobacco or alcohol) or gifts. More information on the program can be found here.

In order to register for an IOSS number, a business must have an address in one of the EU member states or hire an IOSS intermediary. If you sell through an online shipping platform or marketplace, you can contact them to see if they are registered for the IOSS program and have their own IOSS number.

If using the IOSS program, the IOSS number must be included when creating the electronic shipping label, entered in the “Tax ID” field (sender.identification.reference). This will allow for the number to be sent electronically. If the number is not present in the electronic data, VAT may be collected from the recipient at the time of delivery. The following Canada Post shipping systems can be used to capture and transmit the IOSS number:

• EST Desktop 2.0
• SnapShip
• Shipping Manager

The IOSS number cannot be transmitted electronically when using a retail location. IOSS numbers start with IM, followed by 10 numeric digits (ex: IM0123456789). When using the IOSS program, a minimum 6-digit Harmonized System (HS) code is required. To find the right HS code, visit the Canada Post HS Lookup tool.