Greek Islands with a Residence Permit: Which Permits Count

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This page is for holders of a Turkish passport who live in a Schengen country, most often Germany, with a residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel). If you have a valid residence permit issued by a Schengen state, you do not need a visa on arrival or a Schengen visa to visit the Greek islands. With your passport and your residence permit card you can take the ferry from the Turkish coast, travel between the islands and fly on to Athens. The limit is a maximum stay of 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen countries. This is a different situation from the visa on arrival, which is for Turkish citizens without any Schengen permit and ties you to one island for seven days; that page covers the visa on arrival, this one covers the residence permit.

This page was written for Turkish citizens who live in Germany (with notes for Austria, the Netherlands and other Schengen countries, and for people with UK or US documents, which do not count) and who visit family on the Aegean coast in summer and want to cross to an island too. We say clearly where we could not verify something in the sources.

Short answer

• Visa: A residence permit or a national D visa issued by a Schengen country allows you to stay up to 90 days within 180 days in all Schengen countries, including Greece (Auswärtiges Amt, the German Federal Foreign Office).
• No visa on arrival needed: The visa on arrival is for people without a Schengen visa or a residence permit. With a residence permit you are not tied to one island, and there is no 7-day limit.
• What to carry: A valid passport and a valid residence permit card. The European Commission requires non-EU citizens’ passports to be valid for at least 3 months after the date of leaving the EU and to have been issued within the last 10 years.
• Exit fee: Turkish citizens who hold a residence permit abroad on the date of departure are exempt from Turkey’s foreign travel exit fee; you need to document this (GİB, the Turkish Revenue Administration).
• EES: The EU’s Entry/Exit System does not apply to holders of residence permits and long-stay visas (EU Regulation 2017/2226).
• Fiktionsbescheinigung: We could not verify in an official source whether you can travel to Greece with this document. Ask your Ausländerbehörde (foreigners’ authority) before you travel.

Greece with a residence permit: the 90/180 rule

According to the Auswärtiges Amt’s FAQ page on entering the Schengen area, holders of a residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel) or a national “D” visa issued by a member state can stay in the whole Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The European Commission’s Your Europe portal also states that the visa requirement for entering Schengen does not apply to holders of a valid residence permit or long-stay visa.

In practice this means:

• You can cross from Bodrum to Kos, go on from there to Rhodes and then return to Marmaris. You do not have to leave from the island you entered.
• You can fly from the island to Athens or to another Schengen country.
• A one-week family holiday is far below the 90-day limit. Still, count your days if you will go back and forth between Greece and Turkey all summer.

The same rule applies to people living in Austria and the Netherlands: the Auswärtiges Amt’s wording covers a residence permit from any Schengen member state.

Which residence permits count, and which do not

The legal basis is Article 6(1)(b) of the Schengen Borders Code (Regulation (EU) 2016/399): a third-country national must hold a valid visa if one is required, “except where they hold a valid residence permit or a valid long-stay visa”. Article 2(16) defines a residence permit as, first of all, “all residence permits issued by the Member States according to the uniform format”, plus residence cards issued to family members of EU citizens under Directive 2004/38/EC and other documents the Member States have notified; temporary permits issued while a first application is examined are excluded. “Member States” here means the countries applying the Schengen rules. According to the European Commission, the Schengen area has 29 countries: 25 EU Member States plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein; Bulgaria and Romania were the last to join, on 1 January 2025.

The rule looks at the document, not at where you live: a Turkish citizen who lives in the UK and holds no Schengen permit is treated like one arriving from Turkey, while a Turkish citizen with a valid German card who spends the summer in Turkey still enters Greece on the card. The permit must be valid on the day you enter Greece; carry it on the way back too, because you show it again when you leave Greece and when you re-enter Turkey.

Which documents count

• Residence permit card: The electronic residence permit cards issued by Germany (such as the Aufenthaltserlaubnis, Niederlassungserlaubnis and Blaue Karte EU) are the documents the Auswärtiges Amt calls an “Aufenthaltstitel”. Check the expiry date on the card.
• National D visa: If you have only just moved to Germany and hold a D visa rather than a card, according to the Auswärtiges Amt this visa also allows travel within Schengen under the 90/180 rule. Make sure the visa covers your travel dates.
• Old-style sticker in the passport: We could not find a separate explanation about older residence permits stuck into the passport. If your sticker has not expired and you are unsure, ask the Ausländerbehörde.

Fiktionsbescheinigung or an expired residence permit

If you applied to extend your residence permit before it expired, your old permit counts as valid in Germany until a decision is made, and you are often given a Fiktionsbescheinigung. An information sheet from the Esslingen Ausländerbehörde distinguishes two cases:

• Fiktionsbescheinigung under § 81 Abs. 4 AufenthG: It is possible to leave the country and return to Germany, but only if the document is still valid. The same sheet says other countries may have different rules and that it has no information on this.
• Document under § 81 Abs. 3: If you leave the country, you cannot re-enter Germany.

We found no official source showing how the Greek border police treat this document. If your card has expired and you only have a confirmation of your application or a Fiktionsbescheinigung, ask your own Ausländerbehörde in writing before crossing to an island. If you are unsure, going with a visa on arrival this summer may be less risky; but the visa on arrival also ties you to a single island and 7 days.

Passport

According to Your Europe, a non-EU citizen’s passport must be valid for at least 3 months after the date you plan to leave the EU and must have been issued within the last 10 years. The page does not say separately whether this rule applies in the same way to residence permit holders; go by the strictest rule.

On their own pages, the ferry companies usually ask Turkish citizens for a passport valid for at least 6 months. Although this requirement is written for visa-on-arrival and Schengen-visa passengers, asking the company when you buy the ticket whether it applies the same rule to residence permit holders is the easiest way to avoid problems.

The Turkish ID card is not a travel document for Greece. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ consular portal says the ID card can only be used for travel to visa-free countries with which an agreement has been made, and that a passport is required for other countries.

Crossing by ferry from the Turkish coast

The steps for crossing with a residence permit are the same as with a visa on arrival, but shorter:

1. Buy the ticket. As you are not applying for a visa on arrival, you do not need to send documents a few days in advance. Still book early to get a seat at the summer peak and during the bayram holidays. Routes and companies are on the ferry map.
2. Prepare the exit-fee exemption. Details below.
3. Leaving Turkey. Passport control and customs. Keep your residence permit card ready together with your passport.
4. Entering Greece. You show your passport and residence permit card. As residence permit holders are not covered by EES, no fingerprint and photo registration is expected; but you may wait in the same queue as the visa-on-arrival passengers on the same ship. In summer 2026 there were reports of long queues at Kuşadası port; go to the port early.

At the Turkish port, step by step

The order is the same at Ayvalık, Çeşme, Kuşadası, Bodrum, Marmaris, Fethiye and Kaş; the times come from the companies’ own pages and their replies to us in October 2026.

Port fees are included in the ticket on most routes: Yeşil Marmaris Lines and Bodrum Sea Lines confirmed this for Marmaris–Rhodes and Bodrum–Kos (e-mails of 25 October 2026). On Kaş–Kastellorizo, Meis Ferry Lines told us that a 5 € Kastellorizo fee and a 200 TL Kaş port tax are collected on top of the ticket (e-mail of 24 October 2026). These fees are paid by every passenger regardless of nationality; only the exit fee depends on your documents. Port-by-port details: Ayvalık, Çeşme, Kuşadası, Bodrum, Marmaris, Kaş.

Turkey’s exit fee: residence permit holders are exempt

Turkish citizens pay a fee every time they leave Turkey; in 2026 the amount is 1,250 TL. According to the Revenue Administration’s guide and the General Communiqué on the Foreign Travel Exit Fee, people who hold a residence permit abroad on the date of departure and children under 7 are exempt from this fee. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ consular portal states the same exemption.

• Documentation: The communiqué says that a person using the exemption must document their residence permit abroad. The text does not say separately which document is accepted; carry your valid residence permit card so you can show it on departure.
• Your spouse and children: The exemption is personal. Every adult in the family must have their own residence permit. Children aged 7 and over also need a residence permit card; if a child has no card, the fee may have to be paid.
• If payment is needed: According to GİB, the fee can be paid via the Digital Tax Office, GİB Mobile, online and mobile banking, tax offices and PTT. According to the consular portal, payment is made with the Turkish ID number or passport number.

If your card has expired or you only have a Fiktionsbescheinigung, we could not verify whether the Turkish police will accept this for the exemption.

EES: residence permit holders are not covered

The EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) has been fully operational since 10 April 2026 and has replaced passport stamps. The system registers non-EU citizens coming for short stays. Article 2 of the EES Regulation (EU) 2017/2226, however, excludes holders of residence permits within the meaning of the Schengen Borders Code and holders of long-stay visas. So no EES registration should take place when you enter an island with a German residence permit; relatives arriving with a visa on arrival or a Schengen visa are registered.

Visa on arrival or residence permit?

If family members with a residence permit travel together with relatives coming from Turkey, the rules differ from person to person:

For the details of the visa on arrival, the island list and application times, see our visa on arrival guide.

The practical result for a mixed family: as your relatives’ visa on arrival is tied to one island, plan the route around their island if you travel together, and all return from the same island.

Island hopping and Athens

With a residence permit you can cross from Turkey to one island and return from another. Examples:

• Marmaris to Rhodes, from there a day trip to Symi, returning from Rhodes again or to Fethiye.
• Bodrum to Kos, from there by boat to Kalymnos.
• Kuşadası to Samos, Çeşme to Chios, Ayvalık to Lesvos.

The season and frequency of inter-island routes vary; see the ferry season calendar and the island guides: Rhodes, Kos, Samos, Chios, Lesvos, Kastellorizo. If you cannot decide which island suits you, the which island page helps. If you want to fly straight from Germany to an island, see getting from Germany to the Greek islands.

With a German-registered car

The only regular routes on which you can take a car to an island are Ayvalık–Lesvos and Çeşme–Chios. The other routes carry foot passengers. Routes, car fares and required documents are on the taking a car to the Greek islands page.

Your German-registered car counts as temporarily imported into Turkey. The Turkish Ministry of Trade’s page on vehicles brought in by travellers (10 August 2026) gives three important rules on this:

• Residence abroad: You must have been abroad for at least 185 days in the 365 days before entry and be resident abroad. Turkish citizens resident abroad, dual citizens and holders of the Turkish Blue Card (Mavi Kart) can keep the car in Turkey for up to 730 days.
• Leaving and returning with the car: If you leave Turkey with the car before your time runs out, the car re-enters on return with the unused time. According to the Ministry, the 185-day condition must be met at every entry.
• Leaving the car in Turkey and crossing to the island on foot: This is what people do most often, and it is also the rule most often overlooked. According to the Ministry, to leave Turkey without the car you must either place the car under customs supervision through the nearest customs directorate or give an undertaking via the Foreign-Registered Vehicle Procedures (YPTI) application. If you leave without the car and without informing customs, a fine of 11,952 TL applies for 2026. If you do not place the car under supervision, your time keeps running.

For the Greek side, carry your vehicle registration document and your green card; the ferry companies ask for green card insurance at customs. Have your insurer confirm that your German insurance is valid in both Turkey and Greece.

Dual citizens and Turkish Blue Card (Mavi Kart) holders

• German and Turkish dual citizens: As a German citizen you are an EU citizen. According to Your Europe, EU citizens can travel to another EU country with a valid ID card or passport. When you show your German ID card or passport on entering Greece, no visa and no EES apply. We found no official explanation of which document you must show when leaving Turkey; carry both.
• Exit fee: The fee is payable by Turkish citizens. As the exemption is defined through a “residence permit abroad”, we could not see in an official source how it applies to dual citizens who are German citizens and have no residence permit. Paying the fee or asking GİB is the safest option.
• Mavi Kart: The Mavi Kart is the card Turkey issues to former Turkish citizens who gave up their citizenship with permission, and to their descendants; it has nothing to do with the EU Blue Card work permit. If Mavi Kart holders are German citizens, the EU-citizen rule above applies. The communiqué defines the person liable for the fee as a Turkish citizen; we found no separate explanation of the fee for Mavi Kart holders.

Customs on the way back

When you return from the island to Turkey, Turkish customs allowances apply: 600 cigarettes, 1 litre of spirits and 2 litres of wine or beer, and gifts worth €430 per person. Dairy and meat products, including cheese, cannot be brought in. Details are on the Greece–Turkey customs allowances page.

When going to the island and when returning from Turkey to Germany at the end of the summer, the EU’s entry allowances apply; these are different from the Turkish limits and are explained on the same page with a European Commission source.

For your budget see the trip cost calculator, for money and mobile internet money and mobile data on the Greek islands, and for travelling with children the Greek islands with kids.

Accommodation and car hire on the island

With a residence permit you can stay on the island within the 90/180 rule. For accommodation we have a separate hotel guide for each island; for the night before the ferry you can also look at the guides to the coastal towns.

• Where to stay in Lesvos · Where to stay in Chios · Where to stay in Samos
• Where to stay in Kos · Where to stay in Rhodes · Where to stay in Kastellorizo

Crossing with a German-registered car is explained above; for those arriving without a car, renting a car on the island is an option:

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Frequently asked questions

Do I need a visa on arrival with a German residence permit?

No. A valid residence permit lets you enter Greece without a visa. The visa on arrival is for people without a Schengen visa or a residence permit.

How long can I stay in Greece with a residence permit?

Up to 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen countries. You can island-hop and go on to Athens or another Schengen country.

Is a Blue Card or Niederlassungserlaubnis also valid?

Yes, these are also residence permits issued by Germany (Aufenthaltstitel). Check the card’s validity. According to the Auswärtiges Amt, a national D visa also allows travel in the same way.

Can I go to the island with a Fiktionsbescheinigung?

We could not verify this in an official source. An Ausländerbehörde information sheet says that returning to Germany is only possible with a valid document under § 81 Abs. 4 and that other countries may have different rules. Ask your own Ausländerbehörde before you travel.

Will I pay the 1,250 TL fee when leaving Turkey?

If you have a valid residence permit abroad on the date of departure, you do not pay; you need to document the permit. Children under 7 are also exempt.

Will my fingerprints be taken when I go to the island?

According to EU Regulation 2017/2226, EES does not apply to residence permit holders, so no EES registration is expected. Visa-on-arrival passengers are registered.

I live in the UK with a Turkish passport. Can I use my UK residence permit?

No. Only a residence permit or long-stay visa issued by a Schengen state counts under Article 6(1)(b) of the Schengen Borders Code, and the United Kingdom is not a Schengen state. You need a Schengen visa, or the visa on arrival on the listed islands.

Does a US Green Card help?

No. A US permanent resident card has no effect on the Schengen visa requirement for a Turkish passport; the same applies to a US visa.

My residence permit is from Austria, the Netherlands, Bulgaria or Romania. Same rules?

Yes. Any residence permit issued by a Schengen state works, and Bulgaria and Romania have applied the Schengen rules in full since 1 January 2025. For Cyprus we could not confirm, because its internal border controls have not yet been lifted; for Ireland the answer is no.

Can I enter on one island and leave Greece from Athens?

Yes. With a residence permit you are not tied to the island of entry. You can take a domestic ferry or flight to Athens and fly home to Germany from there; your 90/180 count continues while you are in Greece.

Do I pay port fees even though I am exempt from the exit fee?

Yes. Port fees are set by the companies and ports and apply to every passenger; on most routes they are included in the ticket. The exit fee is a Turkish state charge and is the only item your residence permit exempts you from.

Timetables, fares and entry rules can change; check with the official source before you travel.

Sources

• Auswärtiges Amt: Schengen entry, 90/180 days with an Aufenthaltstitel and D visa (accessed October 2026)
• European Commission Your Europe: travel documents for non-EU nationals (last checked 19 August 2026) (accessed October 2026)
• European Commission Your Europe: travel documents for EU citizens (last checked 16 June 2026) (accessed October 2026)
• EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2016/399, Schengen Borders Code, consolidated text, Articles 2(16) and 6(1)(b) (accessed 26 October 2026)
• European Commission: The Schengen area (29 countries; Bulgaria and Romania since 1 January 2025; Cyprus and Ireland) (accessed 26 October 2026)
• EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2017/2226, Entry/Exit System, Article 2 (accessed October 2026)
• European Commission: Entry/Exit System (accessed October 2026)
• Landratsamt Esslingen: information sheet on Fiktionswirkung (PDF) (accessed October 2026)
• Turkish Revenue Administration (GİB): foreign travel exit fee guide (January 2025, PDF, in Turkish) (accessed October 2026)
• General Communiqué on the Foreign Travel Exit Fee, version of 1 January 2026 (Lexpera, in Turkish) (accessed October 2026)
• Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs consular portal: frequently asked questions (in Turkish) (accessed October 2026)
• NTV: 2026 foreign travel exit fee 1,250 TL (31 December 2025, in Turkish) (accessed October 2026)
• Medyascope: published in the Official Gazette, exit fee 1,250 TL (31 December 2025, in Turkish) (accessed October 2026)
• Turkish Ministry of Trade: vehicles brought in by travellers, FAQ (10 August 2026, in Turkish) (accessed October 2026)
• Turkish Ministry of Trade: passenger allowances (3 March 2026, in Turkish) (accessed October 2026)
• Uğur Jale Lines: crossings with a car (accessed October 2026)
• Ertürk: visa on arrival conditions and fee (accessed October 2026)
• Meis Express: Kaş–Kastellorizo visa on arrival (accessed October 2026)
• Jalem Tur: general conditions (all passengers at the port two hours before departure, in Turkish) (accessed October 2026)
• Ertürk Lines, e-mail, 25 October 2026 (Çeşme port office hours); Yeşil Marmaris Lines, e-mail, 25 October 2026 (office opening, port fees); Bodrum Sea Lines, e-mail, 25 October 2026 (port fees); Meis Ferry Lines, e-mail, 24 October 2026 (Kaş port tax, Kastellorizo fee)
• Ensonhaber: long queue in Kuşadası (2 July 2026, in Turkish) (accessed October 2026)