Transit Time Guide
Shipping from Portugal to Greece
No customs — EU single market. 1–2 days express, 5–8 days economy road. Island delivery adds 1–3 days.
No customs — EU single market. 1–2 days express, 5–8 days economy road. Island delivery adds 1–3 days.
Greece is a full EU member state and Eurozone member — no customs clearance is required. Road routing from Portugal to Greece is complex due to geography: shipments travel through France, Italy, and then by ferry to Greece (Brindisi-Patras or Ancona-Igoumenitsa) or through the Balkans route via Serbia/North Macedonia. This makes Greece one of the slower economy road destinations from Portugal, with 5–8 business days typical for ground freight. DHL Express delivers to Athens in 1–2 business days. A critical consideration: Greece has over 6,000 islands, of which 227 are inhabited — island delivery adds 1–3 extra days and often requires ferry connections beyond the mainland carrier network.
Cargosender books this route through Eurosender's courier network, which assigns the courier and service tier for a given shipment — so a single fixed number of days per carrier can't be stated reliably here. Actual transit time on any route depends on:
The price and estimated transit time you see when you get a quote reflect your actual parcel and route — treat that figure, not a general table, as the relevant estimate for your booking. Transit times are estimates subject to service conditions (customs, weather, courier network load), not a guaranteed arrival date.
No customs clearance required. Greece is a full EU member state and Eurozone member — goods move freely within the EU single market with no import duties, border inspections or customs declarations needed. Greek FPA (Fóros Prostithémenis Axías — VAT) at 24% standard rate applies to B2C sales. Reduced rates: 13% on food and some services, 6% on pharmaceutical products, books and newspapers. For e-commerce: EU OSS rules — register for OSS and charge 24% Greek FPA on B2C sales once cross-border EU B2C sales exceed €10,000/year. B2B: include Greek AFM (ΑΦΜ — tax registration number) on invoice for reverse charge. Note: Greek addresses can be challenging — always include the Greek postal code (5 digits) and verify the address with the recipient.
Island delivery: if shipping to any of Greece's islands (Crete, Rhodes, Corfu, Santorini, Mykonos, etc.), allow an extra 1–3 days beyond mainland transit times. Island deliveries typically require ferry connections handled by local last-mile carriers.
Some economy carriers, including GLS via its Greek partner ACS, offer strong mainland and island coverage in Greece generally — but which courier handles your Cargosender shipment is assigned by Eurosender's network at booking, not chosen by you.
Athens and Thessaloniki are the primary commercial centres — well-served by all carriers. Other regions (Peloponnese, northwestern Greece) may have longer residential delivery times.
Greek addresses should be confirmed with the recipient — some Greek addresses don't match GPS precisely and delivery drivers need mobile contact to navigate.
Greek B2C market: Greek consumers have adopted e-commerce significantly since 2020. Tracking and proof-of-delivery are important — use carriers with good Greek consumer notifications.
Seasonal note: August is peak holiday season in Greece — businesses may be closed or operate reduced hours. B2B deliveries may be delayed; plan around the August slowdown.
DHL Express: 1–2 business days to Athens. FedEx/UPS Express: 2–3 days. Economy road (GLS, DPD, UPS Standard): 5–8 business days via Italy-ferry or Balkans route. For Greek islands (Crete, Rhodes, etc.): add 1–3 extra days beyond mainland times. Express air is strongly recommended for island destinations.
No — Greece is an EU member state. Goods move freely within the EU single market with no customs declarations or import duties. A commercial invoice is standard for B2B shipments (include the recipient's AFM tax number) but no customs declaration is required.
Greek island delivery adds 1–3 extra days beyond mainland Greek transit times. Islands require ferry connections after the carrier's mainland delivery network. For example, shipping to Crete from Portugal: roughly 2–3 days by express air to Heraklion, or 7–10 days by road plus ferry. Remote islands (Dodecanese, North Aegean) may take 1–2 days longer still. Get an instant quote on Cargosender for a specific island transit time estimate.
Cargosender books through Eurosender's courier network, which assigns the specific courier and service tier for your Greece shipment — you choose a service tier (economy road or express air), not a named carrier brand. Express air generally delivers to Athens in 1–2 days, while economy road service to the Greek mainland takes 5–8 days via Italy-ferry or Balkans routing. Get an instant quote to see current pricing and transit time for your parcel.
Greek FPA standard rate is 24%. Reduced: 13% on food, agricultural products and some utilities; 6% on medicines, books, newspapers and some cultural events. For B2C e-commerce from Portugal, register for EU OSS and charge 24% Greek FPA once cross-border B2C sales exceed €10,000/year.
DHL Express offers Saturday delivery in Athens and Thessaloniki. Saturday delivery to Greek islands is not consistently available — ferry schedules affect island delivery regardless of the carrier. Economy road services (GLS via ACS, DPD) operate Monday to Friday only. Check Saturday availability at Cargosender checkout.
ACS (the GLS Greek partner) contacts recipients by phone before delivery — always provide a working Greek mobile number. DHL holds parcels at a DHL Service Point. Greek B2C recipients expect to be called before delivery, particularly for first-floor or apartment addresses. Without a contactable mobile number, delivery success rates drop significantly.
Some express carriers publish money-back guarantees for their own express services to Athens and major Greek mainland cities generally. Cargosender's own Terms and Conditions (Section 3.3) describe delivery times as estimates rather than guarantees, regardless of which courier handles a shipment — contact Cargosender support if your delivery is delayed to find out what, if anything, applies to your specific booking. Economy road services do not carry money-back guarantees, and Greek island destinations are typically excluded from express guarantees due to ferry connection dependencies. Contact Cargosender support to check guarantee terms for a specific booking.
Yes — DHL and FedEx provide full tracking to mainland Greece and most islands. ACS (GLS partner) provides Greek-language tracking for economy shipments. For island destinations, tracking updates may be less frequent once the parcel is within the island ferry and local carrier network. Always provide a Greek mobile number for delivery updates.
Major carriers generally accept parcels around 70 kg per piece (girth up to roughly 300 cm, single dimension up to 120 cm), while economy road services are typically limited to around 30–40 kg per parcel. Greek island ferry connections may impose additional size restrictions for very large parcels. Cargosender's own limit for a given booking depends on the specific service assigned by Eurosender — check the limit shown at quote time, especially for heavy or oversized items to Greek islands.
Yes — all Cargosender prices include fuel and energy surcharges. Remote area surcharges apply to many Greek islands and some rural mainland areas — these are shown before you confirm your booking. No hidden extras for Athens and Thessaloniki deliveries.
EU ADR road regulations apply for DG transport via Italy or the Balkans route to Greece. Air DG via DHL Express requires IATA-compliant packaging and carrier approval. Greece follows EU REACH regulations on chemicals. Contact Cargosender before booking any hazardous goods shipment to Greece — routing complexity (including ferry connections) adds logistical considerations.
Book on Cargosender.com, which routes your shipment through Eurosender's courier network — get an instant quote for current pricing, choose your service tier (economy road at 5–8 days or express air at 1–2 days for the mainland), and confirm your collection date. For Greek island destinations, express air is generally the more reliable option given ferry-connection variability. Enter your Greek address carefully, including the 5-digit postal code.
DHL Express delivers B2B before noon in Athens. ACS/GLS economy deliveries are typically any time between 08:00 and 18:00. Greek couriers frequently call recipients before attempting delivery — especially for addresses that are difficult to locate by GPS. Always include a working Greek mobile number on shipping labels.
Yes — documents move freely within the EU with no customs restrictions. DHL Express delivers documents from Portugal to Athens in 1–2 business days. FedEx is also reliable for urgent commercial documents. No customs forms are required for document shipments between EU member states.
Get an instant quote, booked through Eurosender's courier network, for your shipment to Greece.
Get a Free Quote →