August 2, 2026
Greece operates a door visa scheme for Turkish passport holders arriving by sea at a defined list of islands. It is not a Schengen visa and it is not a shortcut into mainland Europe, but for a short island break it removes the consulate step entirely. The scheme was extended again from 1 April 2026 for a further year.
Which islands are covered
Twelve islands take part: Rhodes, Kos, Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Symi, Kastellorizo, Kalymnos, Leros, Patmos, Limnos and Samothrace. Each is reachable by ferry from a Turkish port, and the pairing matters when you plan: Bodrum to Kos, Cesme to Chios, Kusadasi to Samos, Marmaris to Rhodes, Ayvalik to Lesvos, Kas to Kastellorizo.
What the visa allows
The permission is short and narrow. It is valid for up to seven days, for a single entry, and only for the island where it was issued. It does not allow onward travel to the Greek mainland or to another Schengen country, and it does not accumulate into Schengen days in the way a standard visa does.
In practice this makes it a tool for a specific trip: a long weekend on one island, arriving and departing through the same port.
The fee
The official state fee is 60 euros. Ferry operators and agencies handling the paperwork add a service charge, so the amount travellers actually pay is generally in the 80 to 85 euro range per person. The exact total depends on the operator, and it is worth asking for the breakdown when you book rather than at the counter.
What you need at the port
A passport with sufficient validity, the ferry ticket and the completed application handled by the operator. Processing happens on arrival, which is why operators ask for passport details at booking. Families should note that each traveller is charged individually, including children who hold their own passport.
The catch worth knowing
Because the visa is island-specific, an island-hopping plan does not work under this scheme. Moving from Kos to Kalymnos on the same trip means leaving the terms of the door visa behind. Anyone building a multi-island route should look at a standard Schengen visa instead; the routes themselves are covered in our island hopping guide.
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Peak season practicalities
August is the heaviest month on these crossings and ferries sell out days in advance, particularly on the Bodrum and Cesme routes. Meltemi winds can cancel sailings at short notice in the Aegean, so a same-day return plan carries real risk. Booking the outbound and return legs with the same operator makes rebooking simpler when the weather closes the route.
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