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Every ferry between a Greek island and the Turkish coast crosses an external border of the Schengen area, so the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) applies at the Greek port to anyone who is not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen. ETIAS, the EU’s planned travel authorisation, is not running yet and no start date has been announced. On the Turkish side, UK, German, Dutch, Austrian and Swiss citizens need no visa for a holiday visit.
Short answer
- EES is live: the European Commission says it has been fully operational since 10 April 2026. Non-EU short-stay visitors are registered with passport data, fingerprints and a facial image when they leave or enter Schengen at the Greek island port.
- Not registered: EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, holders of an EU residence permit or long-stay visa, and family members of EU citizens who hold a residence card.
- Children under 12 give no fingerprints, but can be photographed.
- ETIAS is not in operation (as of 16 October 2026). The Commission says no applications are collected and that the start date will be announced several months in advance. Do not pay anyone for it now.
- Turkey: no visa for UK, German, Dutch, Austrian, Swiss, US or Canadian citizens for up to 90 days. Germans, Dutch and Swiss can use a national ID card; UK and Austrian citizens need a passport.
- Turkish citizens need a visa for Greece: a Schengen visa or the seven-day express visa for 12 eastern Aegean islands.
Who needs what
As of October 2026, from the official sources listed at the end.
| Nationality | Entry to Turkey | EES at the Greek port | ETIAS once it starts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany, Netherlands | No visa, up to 90 days; passport or ID card | Not registered | Not needed |
| Austria | No visa, 90 days in any 180; passport only | Not registered | Not needed |
| Switzerland | No visa, up to 90 days; passport or ID card | Not registered | Not needed |
| Other EU and EEA | Check the Turkish ministry’s list | Not registered | Not needed |
| United Kingdom | No visa, 90 days in any 180; passport valid 150 days from arrival | Registered (see the note on fingerprints below) | Needed |
| USA, Canada | No visa, 90 days in any 180 | Registered | Needed |
| Turkey | – | Registered as a short-stay visa holder | Not applicable, a visa is required |
| Non-EU national with an EU residence permit | Depends on nationality | Not registered, show the permit | Not needed |
EES explained
Where it happens
The check happens at Greek passport control in the island port: Mytilene, Chios, Samos, Kos, Rhodes, Kastellorizo and the others. Turkey is not part of EES. GOV.UK’s Turkey page reminds day-trippers that Greece is in the Schengen area and that EES applies to any non-EU national travelling from Turkey into the EU by land, sea or air.
Whether you are based in Bodrum and visiting Kos, or the other way round, the two EES checks both happen in Kos.
What is recorded
According to the European Commission, EES registers non-EU nationals travelling for a short stay each time they cross the external border of the 29 participating countries. It stores name, travel document data, fingerprints and a facial image, plus the date and place of each entry and exit and any refusal of entry. It replaces the old passport stamps.
The Austrian Interior Ministry’s EES FAQ adds that every entry and exit is checked against the system and logged electronically. Under the EES Regulation, records are kept for three years, or five for overstayers.
Who is not registered
The EES Regulation (EU) 2017/2226 does not apply to:
- citizens of EU and EEA countries and Switzerland, and nationals of Andorra, Monaco and San Marino;
- family members of EU citizens who hold a residence card;
- holders of residence permits and long-stay visas issued by a member state.
Each person in a group is checked individually, the Austrian ministry says, so a mixed family may be partly registered. GOV.UK tells UK nationals living in Greece to show their residence documents at passport control. The exemption covers permits issued by an EU member state, not a Turkish residence permit.
Children
Article 17(3) of the EES Regulation exempts children under 12 from giving fingerprints. GOV.UK puts it the same way: children aged 11 or younger will not have their fingerprints scanned, but can be asked to have their photo taken.
UK travellers in Greece
GOV.UK’s Greece page (updated 11 August 2026) says Greek authorities have indicated that they will not collect biometric data from UK travellers, and tells you to follow the officers’ instructions. The same page says you may be asked for biometrics each time you enter or exit, so be ready for either.
A same-day return, step by step
| Step | Where | What happens to a non-EU traveller |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greek island port, outbound | Exit from Schengen recorded in EES (first-time registration if you have no record yet) |
| 2 | Turkish port | Turkish passport control; the German Foreign Office says passports get a dated entry stamp |
| 3 | Turkish port, return | Turkish exit control |
| 4 | Greek island port, inbound | Entry to Schengen recorded in EES |
For EU, EEA and Swiss citizens steps 1 and 4 are an ordinary passport or ID check. GOV.UK says EES may take each passenger a few extra minutes, and one Bodrum tour listing on GetYourGuide warns that each passport check can take 30 minutes or more.
The 90/180 rule on both sides
Schengen and Turkey count separately. Each allows visa-free visitors 90 days in any 180-day period, and days in one do not count towards the other.
Schengen. The Schengen Borders Code treats the day of entry as the first day of stay and the day of exit as the last. A day trip from Kos to Bodrum therefore still counts as a Schengen day. Full days spent in Turkey on a longer trip do not, and EES now records them automatically. The Commission’s short-stay calculator shows your remaining days.
Turkey. For Germans, the Foreign Office says the old practice of leaving for a day and coming back for a fresh 90 days is no longer possible.
ETIAS: status in October 2026
ETIAS will be an online travel authorisation for visa-free travellers from outside the EU, such as UK, US and Canadian citizens, visiting 30 European countries, including Greece, for up to 90 days in any 180.
The Commission’s ETIAS page, dated 6 October 2025 and checked on 16 October 2026, says ETIAS is currently not in operation and no applications are collected. It adds that the EU will announce the specific start date several months before launch. Earlier Commission news items expected ETIAS in the last quarter of 2026 (March 2025) and at the end of 2026 (July 2025). The Commission page gives no date, so treat any date you see elsewhere as unconfirmed. Poland’s government said on 30 September 2026 that ETIAS is planned for 2027, without giving a month; the European Commission has not confirmed a date.
What is known:
- Fee: EUR 20 once ETIAS is running, according to the Commission’s July 2025 announcement. Travellers under 18 or over 70 will not pay.
- Who: under the ETIAS Regulation, nationals of countries on the EU’s visa-free list, for stays of up to 90 days in any 180. EU citizens are outside its scope; Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are Schengen members themselves. Holders of residence permits, long-stay visas or Schengen visas are excluded.
- Where to apply: the Commission links travel-europe.europa.eu as the official ETIAS website. Applications are not open, so any site taking ETIAS payments today is not official.
Turkey’s side: visas and documents
UK citizens
GOV.UK (updated 15 October 2026) says British citizens can visit Turkey without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180 days for tourism or business. The passport must be valid for at least 150 days from your arrival date and have at least one blank page. Other types of British passport need a visa.
When you sail back to the island, GOV.UK’s Schengen rules apply: a passport issued less than 10 years before you arrive and valid for at least three months after you plan to leave the Schengen area.
German, Dutch and Swiss citizens
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists visa-free stays of up to 90 days for ordinary passport holders from Germany and Switzerland, and 90 days in any 180 for the Netherlands. All three countries are on the ministry’s list of nationalities allowed to enter with a national ID card. The German Foreign Office also accepts a Kinderreisepass, and documents that expired up to a year ago, but you re-enter Greece the same day, so carry a valid one.
Austrian citizens
Austria has visa-free access for 90 days in any 180, according to the Turkish ministry, but it is not on the ID card list. Bring a passport.
Other nationalities
The Turkish ministry lists visa exemption for up to 90 days in any 180 for ordinary US and Canadian passports. Otherwise, check your nationality on the ministry’s visa page. Turkey’s official e-Visa site is evisa.gov.tr, and the ministry says an e-Visa is only valid for tourism or commerce. Turkish law requires a passport valid at least 60 days beyond your permitted stay; the ministry’s visa page asks visa applicants for six months’ validity from arrival.
Turkish citizens visiting the islands
Turkish passport holders are not visa-exempt for Greece. Besides a normal Schengen visa, they can use the express visa for 12 eastern Aegean islands, including Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Kos, Rhodes and Kastellorizo. It allows up to seven days, and To Vima reported on 31 March 2026 that the EU had extended the scheme for one year from 1 April 2026. Ertürk, one of the ferry operators, says the visa is valid only for the island it was approved for, and that arrival involves a short fingerprint and document check at the port.
As short-stay visa holders, Turkish visitors are registered in EES at the island port, and ETIAS will not apply to them. The ferry companies arrange the express visa; see our ferry operators overview and route guides such as Bodrum to Kos or Çeşme to Chios.
Practical tips for the port
- Book with your exact document details. Tour operators collect passport or ID numbers in advance, and the name must match the document you carry.
- Arrive early. Our day-trip guides give each operator’s check-in time; allow extra time for EES in summer.
- Children travelling with one parent: several tour listings ask for written consent from the other parent.
- Clocks: Greece moves back an hour on 25 October 2026 and Turkey does not, so check which time your return ticket shows. Our day trips to Turkey hub explains this.
For the trips themselves, see Kos to Bodrum, Rhodes to Marmaris and Samos to Ephesus, or, from the Turkish side, Kos from Bodrum and Rhodes from Marmaris.
Organised tours
An organised day trip does not change the border rules, but the operator collects your document details in advance and times the boat for you. A plain ferry ticket works just as well if the timetable fits.
From Kos: Independent Day Trip to Bodrum
Boat ticket and travel paperwork with about five hours of free time in Bodrum; no guide.
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Rhodes: Marmaris Day Trip by High-Speed Boat
Return fast boat from Rhodes Town; you send your passport or ID details before the trip, and the international port tax is included.
Check price & availability
Bodrum: Roundtrip Ferry to Kos with Hotel Pickup
For holidaymakers based in Bodrum: return ferry with optional hotel transfer; the listing warns that passport checks on both sides take time.
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FAQ
Do I need to register for EES before I travel?
No. There is no application and no fee. Registration happens at the border the first time you cross after EES started, and only if you are not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen or otherwise exempt.
Do I need ETIAS for a trip to Greece now?
No. As of 16 October 2026 the European Commission’s ETIAS page says it is not in operation and no applications are collected. The EU has said it will announce the start date several months before launch.
Does a day trip to Turkey give me extra Schengen days?
No. Under the Schengen Borders Code the day you leave and the day you return both count as days of stay, so a same-day trip still uses that day.
Will my child’s fingerprints be taken?
Not if the child is under 12. The EES Regulation exempts them from fingerprints, but a photo may be taken.
I am British and live in Greece. Am I registered?
Holders of a Greek or other EU residence permit are outside EES. GOV.UK advises showing your residence document at passport control so you are not registered.
See also our customs guide, the ferry map and island hopping from Turkey.
Timetables, prices and entry rules change; check the official source before you travel.
Sources
- European Commission – Entry/Exit System (accessed Oct 2026)
- European Commission – European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), page dated 6 Oct 2025 (accessed Oct 2026)
- European Commission – Revised timeline for EES and ETIAS (6 Mar 2025) (accessed Oct 2026)
- European Commission – ETIAS will cost EUR 20 (17 Jul 2025) (accessed Oct 2026)
- Government of Poland – Introduction of ETIAS in 2027 (30 Sep 2026) (accessed Oct 2026)
- European Commission – Short-stay calculator (accessed Oct 2026)
- EUR-Lex – Regulation (EU) 2017/2226 establishing the Entry/Exit System (accessed Oct 2026)
- EUR-Lex – Regulation (EU) 2018/1240 establishing ETIAS (accessed Oct 2026)
- EUR-Lex – Regulation (EU) 2016/399, Schengen Borders Code (accessed Oct 2026)
- Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior – Entry/Exit System FAQ (accessed Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK – Greece entry requirements (accessed Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK – Turkey entry requirements (accessed Oct 2026)
- Auswärtiges Amt – Türkei: Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise (as of 16 Oct 2026) (accessed Oct 2026)
- Republic of Türkiye MFA – Visa information for foreigners (accessed Oct 2026)
- Republic of Türkiye MFA – Countries whose citizens can enter Türkiye with national ID cards (accessed Oct 2026)
- Republic of Türkiye MFA – Passport validity requirements (accessed Oct 2026)
- Republic of Türkiye e-Visa (accessed Oct 2026)
- Ertürk – Gate visa conditions (Turkish) (accessed Oct 2026)
- timeanddate.com – Clock changes in Athens (accessed Oct 2026)
- To Vima – EU extends express visa programme for Turkish visitors (31 Mar 2026) (accessed Oct 2026)
- GetYourGuide – From Kos: Bodrum Day Trip by Ferry with Transfer (t628760): no longer available (checked 23 Oct 2026)
- GetYourGuide – From Kos: Independent Day Trip to Bodrum (checked 23 Oct 2026)
- GetYourGuide – Bodrum: Roundtrip Ferry to Kos with Hotel Pickup (accessed Oct 2026)
- GetYourGuide – Rhodes: Marmaris Day Trip by High-Speed Boat (accessed Oct 2026)
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