Greece travel insurance: plans from $62.72, entry rules and what to compare
What US, UK, Canadian and Australian visitors need to enter Greece, the plan open to every nationality, and the lines to check before you buy.
Greece travel insurance is not required to enter on a US, UK, Canadian or Australian passport, only for travelers who need a Schengen visa. It is still the one thing that pays if you are hurt on an island: Medicare does not pay abroad, Australia has no healthcare deal with Greece, and the UK GHIC skips private clinics and flights home. SafetyWing Nomad Insurance, open to every nationality, starts at $62.72 for 4 weeks for travelers aged 10 to 39.
Greece travel insurance plans: SafetyWing Nomad Insurance compared
Many travel insurers sell only to residents of their own country, so the plan that suits you depends on where you live. The plan below can be bought online from the US, the UK, Canada, Australia or anywhere else, for any dates, and covers emergency medical care and evacuation while you are in Greece. It is a travel medical plan, not a package with cancellation cover.
Nomad Insurance Essential
Price
From $62.72
Per 4 weeks, ages 10 to 39. The price rises with age, the quote shows yours
- Who it is for
- Any nationality, from 14 days old to 69, traveling outside their home country
- Trip length
- From 5 days to 364 days at a time, renewable until you turn 70
- Medical expenses
- Up to $250,000 overall, with no deductible
- Evacuation and repatriation
- Evacuation to a better-equipped hospital up to $100,000 over your lifetime. Return home for medical reasons is included
- Good to know
- Pre-existing conditions are excluded. Scooters over 50 cc need the Adventure Sports add-on ($10 per 28 days), quads are excluded. The US is not covered without the US add-on.
Price in US dollars for 4 weeks, ages 10 to 39, read on safetywing.com on November 11, 2026. Limits and exclusions from the Nomad Insurance page, FAQ and policy wording read the same day. Prices for ages 40 to 69 are shown only in the quote.
What to compare in a travel insurance policy for Greece
If you compare SafetyWing with a plan from a broker in your country, look at these lines in the policy wording, not on the sales page. The right column shows what SafetyWing Essential says on each one.
| Line to check | Why it matters in Greece | SafetyWing Essential |
|---|---|---|
| Medical limit | Covers the clinic, the hospital stay and the surgery. Private care is paid up front. | $250,000 overall, no deductible |
| Medical evacuation | From a small island to Athens or Heraklion, or home. Air ambulance flights cost tens of thousands of euros. | $100,000 lifetime maximum |
| Scooter and moped | Tourists are often hurt on scooters on the islands, says Canada's travel advice. | Covered with a valid licence and a helmet. Over 50 cc: Adventure Sports add-on |
| Quad and ATV | Rented all over Santorini and other busy islands. | Excluded, even with the add-on |
| Scuba diving | Dive centres operate on Crete, Santorini and many other islands. | Covered with a valid certification, to the depth of your licence |
| Pre-existing conditions | Asthma, heart conditions, diabetes: an exclusion here can void a claim. | Not covered |
| Time back home | Matters if the plan carries on after the trip. | 30 days per 90 days of cover, 15 days for US residents |
| Trip cancellation | Illness before departure on a prepaid trip. Usually priced on the cost of the trip. | Compare plans sold in your country if this is your main risk |
Two lines matter most in Greece. The first is evacuation: SafetyWing caps it at $100,000 over your lifetime, while several trip plans sold in the US list $500,000, so a traveler with a health condition or a long island-hopping trip may want more. The second is what you will ride or do: a quad, a scooter without the right licence or a dive beyond your certification can void the whole claim, whatever the medical limit.
Do I need travel insurance for Greece?
Greece applies the Schengen rules. The EU visa code asks visa applicants to hold travel medical insurance valid in the whole Schengen area for the whole stay, covering emergency treatment, hospital care and medical repatriation, with a minimum of €30,000 (Regulation 810/2009, article 15). Travelers who do not need a visa, which includes Americans, Britons, Canadians and Australians for a stay of up to 90 days, are not asked for a policy at the border.
If you do need a visa, check that the insurer states its plan meets the Schengen rules. SafetyWing says on its own FAQ that visa acceptance is not guaranteed, so it is not the plan to rely on for a visa application.
Greece travel insurance from the USA
Medicare says that in most situations it will not pay for care outside the US. Medigap plans that include foreign travel emergencies stop at $50,000 over a lifetime, and many employer and Marketplace plans pay abroad only partly, if at all. Ask your insurer in writing before you leave. With SafetyWing, note the home country rule: once you are back in the US, cover lasts 15 days per 90 days, against 30 for other nationalities.
UK travelers: what the GHIC covers in Greece
A GHIC or a valid EHIC gives you medically necessary care in Greek public hospitals on the same terms as a Greek resident. The UK Foreign Office is clear that it is not an alternative to travel insurance: it does not pay for private clinics, for care that is not urgent or for medical repatriation to the UK. It also warns that some private doctors may refuse to treat you without insurance, and that some islands are short of ambulances.
Canadian and Australian travelers
Australia has no reciprocal healthcare agreement with Greece: Smartraveller says tourists pay for all medical care, including a hospital stay or an evacuation. Canada's travel advice for Greece asks visitors to take insurance that covers hospital care and medical evacuation, and notes that patients on small islands may be moved to a larger hospital. Check in writing what your provincial plan pays abroad before you go.
ETIAS and EES: no insurance check at the Greek border
The Entry/Exit System has been fully running since April 10, 2026: at your first Schengen border, it records your fingerprints and a photo instead of a passport stamp. ETIAS, the online travel authorisation, is still not in operation on November 11, 2026 and the EU has not announced a start date, so ignore any site that charges you for one. Neither asks for proof of insurance. Our Greece trip planner covers the other entry steps.
Medical evacuation from the Greek islands
Care on the smaller islands is limited, and Canada's travel advice warns that a serious case may be moved to a larger hospital, often on the mainland. The UK Foreign Office adds that some islands are short of ambulances. AXA Assistance UK, quoted by the travel trade body ABTA, put an air ambulance from Europe to the UK at €25,000 to €30,000 in 2023, and a long-haul one at €75,000 to €85,000.
For a trip from North America or Australia, the second figure is the one to keep in mind. SafetyWing covers evacuation to a better-equipped hospital up to $100,000 over your lifetime, and lists a return home for medical reasons among its benefits. Wind and strikes also cancel ferries, which is a travel problem rather than a medical one: the Greek ferries guide explains how to leave a spare day before your flight.
Scooter, quad and ATV rentals: what Greece travel insurance covers
Canada's travel advice notes that tourists are often hurt on scooters and mopeds on the islands, and a missing licence or helmet is the classic reason a claim is refused. The UK Foreign Office says that to hire a moped you need a valid licence with at least category A1: a UK category P or a provisional licence is not enough. Riders and passengers must wear a helmet, and riding without one can void your insurance. Greek law sets the minimum age at 16 for category AM and 18 for A1, up to 125 cc.
- A scooter up to 50 cc is covered by SafetyWing Essential if you hold the right licence and wear a helmet.
- A scooter or motorbike over 50 cc needs the Adventure Sports add-on, at $10 per 28 days, sold with the monthly subscription.
- A quad or ATV is excluded by SafetyWing, even with the add-on. The UK Foreign Office says quads are treated as an extreme sport and excluded on many policies.
On Santorini, where quads are rented on every corner, a small car is the insured option: our Santorini guide covers buses, car hire and the licence rules.
Scuba diving in Greece and travel insurance
SafetyWing Essential covers scuba diving if you hold a valid certification from PADI, NAUI, SSI or BSAC, and only to the depth your licence allows, or the depth your instructor is licensed for on a course. A try dive with an instructor in Crete or Santorini falls under that second case.
Check two things with the dive centre before you book: the maximum depth of the dive and whether it is a course or a guided dive. If the dive goes deeper than your certification, the claim can be refused, decompression treatment included.
Healthcare in Greece for tourists: doctors, hospitals and pharmacies
In an emergency, call 112, or 166 for an ambulance. Visitors from outside the EU, and UK visitors in private clinics, pay the bill and claim it back from their insurer, so keep every receipt and the medical report.
Call your insurer's assistance line before a planned treatment or a transfer when you can: many policies ask for approval first, and the assistance team can point you to a clinic.
Greece travel insurance cost
SafetyWing Nomad Insurance costs $62.72 per 4 weeks for ages 10 to 39 on November 11, 2026, and the price rises with age (the quote shows the 40 to 49, 50 to 59 and 60 to 69 brackets). Adding the Adventure Sports cover costs $10 per 28 days. Plans that add trip cancellation are usually priced on the cost of your trip and your age: the US comparison site Squaremouth puts the average Greece policy sold through its site at $396 (November 3, 2026).
A travel medical plan suits a trip where the flights and rooms can be changed. If you have paid a lot up front for a cruise or a package, cancellation cover matters more than the medical limit. For the rest of the trip budget, from the best time to visit Greece to staying connected with a Greece eSIM, each step has its own guide.
Greece travel insurance: questions people ask
Do I need travel insurance for Greece?
Not to enter, if you hold a US, UK, Canadian or Australian passport: Greece asks for travel medical insurance only from travelers who need a Schengen visa, with at least €30,000 of cover. It is still worth having. Medicare does not pay abroad, Australia has no healthcare agreement with Greece, and the UK GHIC does not pay for private clinics or for flying you home.
What is the best travel insurance for Greece?
The one that covers what can go wrong on your trip: emergency medical costs with a high limit, evacuation from an island to a mainland hospital, and the scooter, boat or dive you plan. SafetyWing Nomad Insurance costs $62.72 per 4 weeks for travelers aged 10 to 39 (November 11, 2026), with a $250,000 medical limit and no deductible. If you need trip cancellation or a higher evacuation limit, compare plans sold in your own country on those two lines.
How much is travel insurance for Greece?
SafetyWing Nomad Insurance starts at $62.72 for 4 weeks for ages 10 to 39, and the price rises with age. The Adventure Sports add-on, needed for a scooter over 50 cc, costs $10 per 28 days. Plans that add trip cancellation are usually priced on the cost of the trip, so they cost more on an expensive package.
Can Americans get healthcare in Greece?
Yes, in public hospitals and private clinics, but they pay for it. In most situations Medicare does not pay for care outside the US, and Medigap plans that include foreign travel emergencies stop at $50,000 over a lifetime. A travel medical policy is what pays the clinic or the evacuation.
Is it free to see a doctor in Greece?
Not for most visitors from outside the EU. UK travelers with a GHIC get medically necessary care in the public system on the same terms as Greek residents, but not in private clinics. US, Canadian and Australian travelers pay the doctor or the hospital, then claim from their insurer.
Does travel insurance cover renting a quad in Greece?
Often not. The UK Foreign Office warns that quad biking is treated as an extreme sport and excluded on many policies, and SafetyWing excludes all-terrain vehicles even with its Adventure Sports add-on. Scooters are a different case: SafetyWing covers them with a valid licence and a helmet, and above 50 cc only with the add-on.
Does SafetyWing cover me if I fly home from Greece?
Only for a short time. For every 90 days of cover you get up to 30 days in your home country, or 15 days if your home country is the US. Travel to the US is not covered at all unless you add US cover, which only non-US residents can buy.
Is ETIAS required for Greece, and does it need insurance?
Not yet. On November 11, 2026, ETIAS is still not in operation and the EU has not announced its start date, so no one can apply. The Entry/Exit System has been fully running since April 10, 2026: it takes your fingerprints and photo at the border but asks nothing about insurance.
