Greece eSIM: nothing for you to register
Greece puts the identity check on the provider, at the moment a Greek contract is signed. A roaming profile signs none, so there is nothing for you to register.
12 plans for Greece, from 1 GB at $3.99 to 20 GB at $18.99, plus 6 unlimited-data tiers. 5 GB for 30 days costs $8.99 — 34th cheapest of 56 in Europe, against a $7.99 median. Our retail prices from the operator catalogue, checked 28 September 2026.
Get the eSIM
By data
Unlimited data — you pick the days
Data only: the profile carries no phone number, your own stays as it is. Not sure of the size? Work it out from your trip. Terms and refunds.
Payment and guarantees
What travellers say
What it costs per day
Cheapest per day: 3 GB for 30 days at 20¢ a day. The dearest per day is Unlimited for 3 days at $3.33. Short plans always cost more per day: validity is rounded up, and unused days are paid for anyway.
How much data to buy
Four ways people use a phone abroad, sized against this country’s own plans. The gigabytes are an estimate built from published per-hour rates — nobody measured your phone.
The hours behind each row are our assumption, not yours — put your own in and the same rates do the arithmetic.
Where a row shows a range, the cell is sized on the lower number, which assumes the evening runs on hotel Wi-Fi. On mobile data around the clock, read the upper number and take the next size up. The per-hour rates and the 15% added for background traffic are listed with their sources in the calculator.
What applies in Greece
Operator facts from the Airalo catalogue, read 28 September 2026. Rules and networks change — check the date before you rely on a line here.
The Greek rule this page is about, and who it binds
Greece asks nothing of you, and your Greece profile runs on Meraki Mobile over Nova 5G and Vodafone 4G (catalogue checked 8 September 2026). The record marks no identity step at purchase. The Greek identity duty starts at a contract instead. Article 3 §1 of Law 3783/2009 opens «Κατά τη σύναψη σύμβασης παρόχου με συνδρομητή», on the conclusion of a contract between provider and subscriber (ΦΕΚ Α′ 136, read 8 September 2026). Your arrival does not start it. Neither does your handset.
Every duty and every penalty in that law points at companies. Article 3 §3 forbids activation «από τον πάροχο», by the provider (read 8 September 2026). The bar lifts once the subscriber hands identity data over. Article 6 §1 sends the regulator EETT to audit every provider (read 8 September 2026). Article 6 §2 sends the fines to providers too (read 8 September 2026). No article penalises a subscriber. None penalises a user either.
The wording that binds today is the 2022 one. Article 97 §1 of Law 4727/2020 replaced article 3 §1 (ΦΕΚ Α′ 184, read 8 September 2026). It kept the 2009 trigger word for word, on a page comparison we ran on 8 September 2026. Article 101 §2 of Law 4961/2022 reissued that same paragraph in its current form (ΦΕΚ Α′ 146, read 8 September 2026).
What this eSIM steps around, and where the line sits
No Greek counter and no Greek paperwork stands between you and data. Buy a local prepaid line in a Greek shop instead, and the identity file opens on you. Article 2 §4 of Law 3783/2009 holds the list, as amended by article 101 §1 of Law 4961/2022 (read 8 September 2026). It runs to full name, father's name, place and date of birth, a passport copy for foreigners, ΑΦΜ where one exists, an address of residence or stay, and contact details. Article 3 §1 makes the provider collect it, and article 3 §3 bars activation until it arrives (read 8 September 2026).
The issuing provider behind your profile stays unnamed in our record. It names Meraki Mobile and the two networks, and it labels the eSIM type Prepaid (catalogue checked 8 September 2026). That label describes the plan, not a Greek shop contract. Whether that provider is Greek or foreign, the record does not say, and neither do we. Regulation (EU) 2022/612 defines a home provider in article 2 §2 point (β), and a roaming customer in point (στ) (read 8 September 2026). That second term covers a customer inside the Union whose retail contract allows Union-level roaming. For a profile carrying a non-European IMSI, the Regulation gives terminology and not a rule. Either way the duty runs against a provider, and no article in the chain reaches you.
No device register waits for you either. IMEI appears in article 2 §7 of Law 3783/2009 only as a detail a provider stores under a contract (read 8 September 2026). No article makes a traveller declare a handset.
What you get: operator, network, APN
Meraki Mobile carries Greece in our catalogue, on Nova 5G and Vodafone 4G (catalogue checked 8 September 2026). The record marks the plan type data and the eSIM type Prepaid (catalogue checked 8 September 2026). It records no identity step, so nothing is uploaded at purchase. Your handset has to take an eSIM, and it has to carry no carrier lock. Check both before you buy, because no profile fixes either afterwards.
The APN sits in the record for both platforms, with the same value: globaldata/orange/orange.fr (catalogue checked 8 September 2026). The record marks the iOS setup automatic and the Android setup manual (catalogue checked 8 September 2026). An iPhone fills the field itself. An Android phone waits for your hands. We publish the string exactly as the record holds it, slashes and all. The record does not say whether the whole string goes in the box, or one segment of it. We did not test it on a handset. Typing an APN moves no data by itself, so the field can be filled with the line switched off. **Type the APN at home on wifi, before you fly, with the Greek line still off.** Enter the whole string first, and keep globaldata, then orange, then orange.fr as the next three attempts.
Package shapes, and the wall your trip runs into
Greek packages come in two shapes, and each has its own wall. Unlimited tiers cover 3, 5, 7, 10, 15 and 30 days (catalogue checked 8 September 2026). Their prices run $9.99, $12.99, $15.99, $19.99, $32.99 and $44.99 in that order (catalogue checked 8 September 2026). The wall there is the calendar, and it falls on a fixed date whatever the data did. Our record holds no fair-use rule, no speed cap and no daily threshold for those tiers (catalogue checked 8 September 2026). That silence is not a promise of none.
Gigabyte tiers hold 1, 2, 3, 5, 10 and 20 GB (catalogue checked 8 September 2026). Four of the six run 30 days, while 1 GB runs 7 days and 2 GB runs 15 (catalogue checked 8 September 2026). Their prices run $3.99, $4.99, $5.99, $8.99, $12.99 and $18.99 in that order (catalogue checked 8 September 2026). The wall there is a counter. A week of maps, photos and video can reach it early.
Match the shape to the trip you booked. A day-tier fits a fixed end date and heavy use. A gigabyte tier fits a longer stay with light use, since four of those six tiers hold 30 days (catalogue checked 8 September 2026). **Pick a day-tier that ends after your flight home, not on the same day.**
When the day counter starts, before the flight and after you land
The counter starts on first use, not at checkout. The catalogue marks the Greece profile's activation as first-usage (checked 8 September 2026). Buying and installing spend no days. The install window is separate and long, at 365 days from purchase (catalogue checked 8 September 2026).
Install at home, where wifi is not a question. An eSIM install needs a working connection, and an airport is a poor place to find a mistake. Fill the Android APN in the same sitting, with the line still switched off. The catalogue does not say whether an attach to your home network starts the clock, and we did not test that. Leave the Greek line and its mobile data off until you land.
The first minutes after landing are three switches and a wait. **Switch the Greek line on, switch mobile data on for that line, then wait for Nova or Vodafone to register.** If no data comes up, open the APN field and work through the segments in the order above. If it stays down, allow data roaming for that line as well. If nothing brings it up, message us from your order page, with your handset model and the values you tried.
Out of data: top-ups
The Greece profile takes top-ups, and our record marks it rechargeable (catalogue checked 8 September 2026). A top-up is bought on your order page here, against the same profile. What the record does not say is what a top-up restores. It states nothing about whether days come back, or only gigabytes (catalogue checked 8 September 2026). On a day-tier the calendar stays the wall, and our record shows nothing that moves it.
Greek law does not enter this step. The identification duty of article 3 §1 of Law 3783/2009 attaches to a contract between provider and subscriber (read 8 September 2026). A top-up bought here adds no Greek contract. No document, no ΑΦΜ and no Greek address enters the step.
The trap is the checkout itself. Once the data is gone, you need another connection to reach any order page. Hotel wifi, a café or your second line all work. **Top up while data is still running, not after the counter reads zero.**
Coverage: what the catalogue names, and what it does not
Meraki Mobile runs on Nova 5G and Vodafone 4G, and the operator note reaches beyond the mainland (catalogue checked 8 September 2026). The note names six islands: Crete, Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, Corfu and Kos. The note then ends with the words “and more”. Our record holds no coverage exclusion for Greece (catalogue checked 8 September 2026).
The edge of that coverage stays unnamed. “And more” names no smaller island, so Naxos, Paros and the rest sit outside anything we can source. The record ties 5G to Nova and 4G to Vodafone. It says nothing about which network a given phone selects. Ferry crossings, remote coastline and indoor signal are unsourced here as well. We did not measure speed or signal on the ground.
Two checks are worth the minutes. Before you buy, look your island up by name on the Nova and Vodafone coverage maps, since those are the two networks our record names. After you land, if nothing attaches on automatic, **pick Nova or Vodafone by hand in your network settings** and wait a minute.
Two lines, and what the record says about numbers
Your own number stays where it is, because the record describes a data plan. The catalogue records the plan type as data (checked 8 September 2026). The record holds no voice allowance and no SMS allowance. It does not say whether a number is attached to the profile. Plan on no usable Greek number for SMS codes. **Keep your home SIM active for calls and bank codes, with its roaming data switched off.**
Greek law caps nothing here. Law 3783/2009 sets no limit on lines per person or per passport (read 8 September 2026). Neither does article 97 of Law 4727/2020 (read 8 September 2026). Neither does article 101 of Law 4961/2022 (read 8 September 2026). Two active profiles in one phone break no Greek rule.
Calls over the internet are protected, not blocked. Regulation (EU) 2015/2120, article 3 §3, bars internet access providers from blocking or slowing particular applications (read 8 September 2026). Greece is an EU member state, and EETT supervises that rule. No Greek provision against messenger or VoIP calls turned up in our reading.
FAQ
Does a tourist have to register a SIM or a phone in Greece?
What changes with a local Greek prepaid SIM?
Does the Greece eSIM come with a local phone number?
When does the day counter start?
Can the profile be topped up after landing?
Are WhatsApp or FaceTime calls blocked in Greece?
Before you fly: the checklist
- Check your phone takes an eSIM and carries no carrier lock, before you buy.
- Install the Greece profile at home on wifi, before you fly.
- On Android, type the APN by hand: globaldata/orange/orange.fr, whole string first.
- Leave the Greek line and its mobile data off until you land, because the tier starts on first use.
- Pick a day-tier that ends after your return flight, or a gigabyte tier sized for maps and video.
- After landing, switch the line on, switch its mobile data on, and wait for Nova or Vodafone.
- If no data comes up, retry the APN as globaldata, then orange, then orange.fr, and allow data roaming.
- If nothing brings data up, message us from your order page with your handset model.
- Keep your home SIM active for calls and bank codes, with its roaming data off.
- Top up from your order page while data is still running.
- Carry no papers for the eSIM, because Greek identification attaches to a contract with a Greek provider.
- Bring a passport for a local prepaid SIM, because the provider cannot activate that line without it.
Sources and freshness
Law 4727/2020, ΦΕΚ Α′ 184/23.09.2020, article 97 §1 — replaces article 3 §1 of Law 3783/2009 and adds the paper-or-electronic sentence; article text on page 47 of the gazette PDF, hosted on the regulator's own domain (EETT) — the document, read 8 September 2026.
Law 3783/2009, ΦΕΚ Α′ 136/07.08.2009 — articles 2 §§1, 4 and 7, 3 §§1 and 3, 6 §§1–2; article text from page 2. Not a .gr address: this is the National Printing House file store that the data protection authority's own legislation page links to, and the PDF carries the “Ethniko Typografio” signature dated 11 August 2009, Athens — the document, read 8 September 2026.
Law 4961/2022, ΦΕΚ Α′ 146/27.07.2022, article 101 §§1–2 — amends article 2 §4 of Law 3783/2009 (subscriber identity data) and reissues article 3 §1 with a fourth sentence on the Interoperability Centre; article text from page 33. Same National Printing House file store, signature dated 27 July 2022 — the document, read 8 September 2026.
Regulation (EU) 2015/2120, article 3 §3 — open internet; no blocking of or discrimination against specific applications and services — the document, read 8 September 2026.
Regulation (EU) 2022/612, article 2 §2 point (β) — definition of home provider; point (στ) — roaming customer, limited to a customer inside the Union whose retail contract allows Union-level roaming — the document, read 8 September 2026.
Hellenic Data Protection Authority, legislation page — evidence that gazette PDFs are officially distributed from the National Printing House file store used above — the document, read 8 September 2026.
What we did not check: The official gazette domain et.gr was unreachable on 8 September 2026. It redirected to a bare IP address with a mismatched TLS certificate, and its search backend did not resolve. Law 3783/2009 and Law 4961/2022 therefore come from the National Printing House file store, the same one the Hellenic Data Protection Authority links to; each PDF carries an “Ethniko Typografio” digital signature, dated 11 August 2009 and 27 July 2022. The current wording of the key article is separately confirmed by the gazette copy on the regulator's own eett.gr domain. The Hellenic Parliament site returned 403, so the bill's explanatory memorandum went unread. Both EUR-Lex addresses returned HTTP 202 with an empty body on our re-check of 8 September 2026, through two clients; the two Regulation quotations were read on 8 September 2026 in the earlier pass and could not be re-fetched from this environment. No document we read states outright that customers of foreign operators fall outside the law. Our reading rests on who the norm addresses: the provider, a contract as the trigger, the subscriber definition of article 2 §1, and zero occurrences of the root «περιαγωγ» in the 2009 text. We did not read the full subordinate layer of EETT and ΑΔΑΕ decisions, which govern providers rather than travellers, and we did not check customs or tax rules on carrying devices into Greece. We found no amendment after 2022, but we could not verify a consolidated 2026 text on an official domain. Product facts come from our own Greece catalogue record, checked 8 September 2026, not from a public document. That record does not name the issuing provider behind the profile or its country, it does not say whether a number is attached, it holds no fair-use or speed-cap term for the unlimited tiers, and it does not state whether a top-up restores days or only gigabytes. We did not test the Android APN string on a handset, we did not test whether an attach to your home network starts the day counter, and we did not measure coverage, speed or indoor signal anywhere in Greece.