Alcohol regulations in Greece

Licences needed

Distillery / spirit-making operating licence (Άδεια λειτουργίας αποσταγματοποιείου / ποτοποιείου), Suitability Report / Technical Approval of stills and workshop premises from the General Chemical State Laboratory (GCSL), and Tax Warehousekeeper Authorisation (Άδεια εγκεκριμένου αποθηκευτή / φορολογικής αποθήκης) from Customs.

Authority

Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE / GCSL and Customs) and the Regional Directorate of Development.

Documents

Application / solemn declaration, facility layout blueprints detailing distillation equipment/stills and storage tanks, environmental/fire approvals, operating licence from the Regional Directorate of Development, ownership/lease deeds, criminal record clearance, tax clearance, and bank financial guarantee for the tax warehouse.

Fees

Statutory administrative application/inspection fees plus mandatory bank guarantee securing excise duty liability (exact administrative fee not confirmed).

Time to obtain

not confirmed (typically 3 to 6 months depending on facility inspections and bonding)

Who can import

Any business enterprise registered in Greece or the EU holding an active Greek tax/VAT number (AFM) and EU Economic Operators Registration and Identification (EORI) number; for holding duty-suspended goods, entity must be an Authorised Warehousekeeper or Registered Consignee.

Licences or registrations

EORI number, registration in the Excise Movement and Control System (EMCS / SEED database) for intra-EU duty-suspended movement, and registration of the operator and products in the AADE electronic alcohol tracking system (EMOP / LOTify).

Authority

Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE / IAPR) - Directorate General of Customs and Excise.

Documents

Single Administrative Document (SAD) for non-EU imports, commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading / CMR, electronic administrative document (e-AD) for intra-EU excise goods, Certificate of Origin, and chemical certificate of analysis if requested.

Fees

No specific statutory import license fee; standard customs broker, clearance processing, and cargo handling fees apply.

Time to obtain

EORI registration takes 1 to 3 business days; routine customs clearance takes 1 to 3 business days upon arrival.

Required

yes

Process

Greece does not operate a pre-approval label certification scheme (such as US COLA), but legally mandates pre-market product traceability registration: under Greek tax and anti-contraband law, all producers and importers must register every lot of alcoholic beverages electronically in the AADE Electronic Register of Alcoholic Beverages (EMOP / LOTify platform) prior to market circulation.

Authority

Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE / IAPR) - General Chemical State Laboratory (GCSL) and Customs.

Documents and samples

Digital filing of brand name, product category, lot identification number, ABV, container volume, origin, and commercial movement data via the LOTify platform; laboratory samples are drawn post-market by GCSL inspectors rather than required as an upfront filing condition.

Fees

None for digital EMOP / LOTify declarations.

Renewal

Declared per imported or manufactured batch/lot prior to commercial dispatch.

Time to obtain

Immediate upon digital submission into LOTify / EMOP.

Spirits imported from non-EU countries require customs clearance by an Importer of Record holding an EORI number via a Single Administrative Document (SAD). Commercial shipments must enter an authorised excise warehouse or be cleared under immediate payment of customs/excise/VAT. Movements under excise suspension require EMCS. Fiscal paper tax stamps are not required for spirits in Greece, but mandatory electronic batch declaration in the LOTify system and lot numbers on packaging are strictly enforced. There is no state import monopoly.

0% for distilled spirits under HS heading 2208 (under the European Union Common Customs Tariff / TARIC MFN rate, spirits such as whisky, vodka, gin, rum, and brandy enter free of customs duty, though excise duty and VAT apply).

Excise duty: €2,450 per hectolitre of absolute ethyl alcohol (€24.50 per litre of pure alcohol, equivalent to ~€6.86 per 700ml bottle at 40% ABV). A 50% reduced excise rate of €1,225/hl pure alcohol applies specifically to ethyl alcohol used in the distillation of ouzo, tsipouro, and tsikoudia. Standard VAT rate: 24% applied to the customs value plus duty.

Private retail model: supermarkets, grocery stores, and licensed specialty beverage stores ('kava' / κάβα) sell spirits for off-premise consumption. On-premise sales occur in restaurants, bars, cafés, and entertainment venues licensed by municipal authorities (Dimos). Vending machine sales are strictly prohibited. Retailers must register their product categories in the AADE national retail registry. Venues hosting private gatherings involving minors must notify authorities via a digital registry.

allowed, but subject to stringent age-verification controls: e-commerce retailers must verify that purchasers are 18 or older using the national digital verification protocol (such as Gov.gr Wallet QR code verification) during checkout, and delivery couriers must ensure alcohol is not handed over to minors.

Complies with EU Regulation 2019/787 and EU Regulation 1169/2011: mandatory items include the legal sales name, net volume in metric units (standard fill sizes per Directive 2007/45/EC), alcoholic strength by volume (% vol), batch/lot identifier preceded by 'L', name and address of the EU manufacturer/bottler or EU-based importer, and allergen declarations (e.g. sulphites if >10 mg/L) in Greek. Physical excise strip stamps are not used in Greece.

Regulated under the Audiovisual Media Services Presidential Decree, Law 5216/2025, and the Greek Advertising Code of Conduct (SEE / ENEAP / SEAOP rules): advertising targeting minors or portraying minors consuming alcohol is strictly prohibited; advertisements must not link alcohol with driving, sexual prowess, social success, or enhanced performance; marketing must carry responsible drinking messages (e.g., 'Enjoy Responsibly'); social media influencers promoting alcohol must be at least 25 years old and clearly disclose commercial content.

Governed by EU Regulation (EU) 2019/787: minimum ABV is 40% for whisky/whiskey; 37.5% for rum, gin, and vodka; 36% for brandy; 37.5% for ouzo; 40% for tsipouro/tsikoudia; and 96% for agricultural neutral ethyl alcohol.

No dry municipalities exist in Greece. However, the Mount Athos autonomous monastic region maintains distinct religious governance (the avaton) prohibiting entry by females and imposing strict monastic community rules that ban commercial bars and recreational night entertainment.

• Enactment of Law 5216/2025 in July 2025 establishing comprehensive bans on alcohol sales, supply, delivery, and entertainment venue entry for minors under 18, introducing €500–€10,000 fines and criminal liability for servers.
• Rollout in late 2025 and March 2026 of three national digital tools: a Gov.gr Wallet QR-based age-verification platform for in-person and e-commerce alcohol transactions, an online registry of retail points of sale, and a mandatory notification register for private youth events.
• Full implementation of AADE's LOTify / EMOP digital platform enforcing electronic tracking and registration of all alcoholic beverage lots to eliminate contraband and illicit spirits across supply chains.

Greece's massive inbound international tourism and expanding cocktail culture offer prime commercial opportunities for premium craft spirits, aged rums, super-premium gins, and whiskies. Overseas exporters succeed best by partnering with established Greek distributors integrated into the AADE LOTify digital tracing framework and bonded warehouse networks.

• Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE / IAPR)
• General Chemical State Laboratory (GCSL / ΓΧΚ)
• Ministry of Health (Greece)
• Ministry of National Economy and Finance

1. Gov.gr - Alcohol and Alcoholic Beverages Subject to Excise Duty
2. Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) - General Chemical State Laboratory
3. EU Single Market EUGO Greece - Pure Alcohol & Spirits Licensing
4. WHO - Greece Enacts Law 5216/2025 to Protect Minors from Tobacco and Alcohol
5. Euronews - Greece Launches Digital Age Verification System to Curb Alcohol Sales to Minors
6. US TTB - International Alcohol Regulations: Greece / EU Requirements