Shipping guide · Europe

Shipping from China and Hong Kong to Greece

Piraeus is usually the first European Union port a vessel from Asia reaches. That is not a marketing line, it is geography: the ship has not yet passed through the central Mediterranean, let alone sailed around to the Atlantic.

Talk to us about Greece
Customs union
European Union, common tariff and common customs code
Customs authority
Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE), Customs
Import VAT
FPA, standard rate 24 percent, with reduced rates on some islands
Position
Usually the first EU port of call on the Asia to Europe rotation
Onward role
Piraeus and Thessaloniki serve the Balkans and central Europe by rail and road
Main entry points
Piraeus and Thessaloniki by sea, Athens by air

For Greek cargo this means the shortest sea transit available anywhere in the EU. For cargo destined elsewhere, Piraeus works as a gateway into the Balkans and central Europe, with rail services running north, and that is exactly the role it has been developed for over the past decade.

Thessaloniki is the second gateway, serving northern Greece and the land corridor into North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Serbia. For cargo whose real destination is the Balkans, it can be closer than any other EU option.

The other Greek reality is the islands. A delivery to Crete, Rhodes or the Cyclades involves a domestic sea leg with its own schedule, capacity limits and seasonality, and it is planned as a separate movement rather than as a road extension.

Where cargo lands

Main freight and distribution centres

Athens and Piraeus

The dominant market and the main port, with most national distribution and customs brokerage concentrated here.

Thessaloniki

The northern capital and the gateway to the Balkans, with its own port and a strong land corridor north.

Patras

The western port, with ferry links to Italy and a role in the road corridor towards western Europe.

Heraklion and the islands

Island destinations served by domestic sea legs, with tourism and hospitality driving much of the import demand.

Sea freight

Ports of entry and what they mean for your cargo

Piraeus

The largest Greek port and one of the main Mediterranean container hubs, usually the first EU call from Asia, with rail connections north into the Balkans and central Europe.

Thessaloniki

The northern gateway, serving northern Greece and the land corridor into the Balkans.

Patras

Western port oriented towards ro-ro and ferry traffic with Italy.

Heraklion, Rhodes and other island ports

Served by domestic feeder legs from the mainland, with schedules and capacity that vary significantly by season.

The transit advantage at Piraeus is real and measurable. For Greek cargo it is the fastest sea option into the EU, and for Balkan cargo it can beat a northern European port by more than a week.

Rail from Piraeus north is the strategic reason the port was developed as a gateway. Capacity and reliability on that corridor have improved but should be confirmed per shipment rather than assumed.

Island deliveries require a domestic sea leg. In peak tourist season capacity tightens and schedules fill, which affects both cost and timing for hospitality and retail cargo.

Air freight

Airports and when air is the right answer

Athens (ATH)

The main air cargo gateway with full customs facilities and the widest connectivity in the country.

Thessaloniki (SKG)

Serves the north directly, avoiding a long road leg from Athens.

Heraklion (HER) and Rhodes (RHO)

Island airports, useful for urgent cargo where the ferry leg would be too slow.

Air freight from Asia into Greece typically routes via a larger European hub, so the transit runs a little longer than into the major continental gateways.

For urgent cargo destined to the islands, flying directly to the island airport can save days compared with routing through Athens and taking a ferry.

Indicative transit times

How long the movement usually takes

  • Sea FCL, South China to PiraeusAround 22 to 30 days port to portThe shortest sea transit from Asia to any EU port.
  • Sea LCL, South China to GreeceAround 32 to 44 days door to doorConsolidation and deconsolidation add time at both ends.
  • Onward rail from Piraeus to the Balkans or central EuropeAround 3 to 7 daysAdded to the ocean transit. Worth comparing against a northern European routing.
  • Air freight, Hong Kong or South China to AthensAround 5 to 9 days door to doorUsually one stop via a European hub, including handling and clearance.

These ranges are indicative and exist to help you plan. Real transit time depends on the service, the season, the routing and the clearance itself, and we confirm it per shipment rather than publish it as a promise.

Customs

How clearance into Greece actually works

The competent authority is Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE), Greek Customs.

Greece applies the EU Common Customs Tariff, so duty follows the HS classification of the goods.

Import VAT is 24 percent on the mainland, with reduced rates applying on certain islands. If the delivery is to an island, the applicable rate should be confirmed rather than assumed from the mainland figure.

An EORI number is required, along with a Greek tax registration for a local importer. A company with no EU establishment needs an Importer of Record arrangement or an indirect representative.

Greek clearance rewards complete documentation. Files that arrive with ambiguities take noticeably longer to resolve than in the northern European ports, so front loading the paperwork is worth the effort.

Because Piraeus functions as a gateway for cargo destined elsewhere, the transit versus clearance choice comes up frequently and determines where the obligations sit.

Documentation

What you need to have ready

Commercial invoice

Value, terms and a clear goods description, consistent with the transport document.

Packing list

Piece counts, weights and dimensions per package.

Bill of Lading or Air Waybill

The transport contract and the release instrument.

EORI number

Required for any operator dealing with EU customs.

Greek tax registration (AFM)

For the local importer, or held by the representative acting on its behalf.

Certificate of origin

Where preferential duty treatment is being claimed.

CE conformity documentation

For electronics, machinery, toys, lighting and construction products.

Product specific certificates

Phytosanitary, veterinary, CITES or dangerous goods documentation as applicable.

Controlled and restricted goods

What gets stopped, and why

  • Cultural property and antiquities are subject to strict Greek controls in both directions, and this is enforced seriously.
  • Food, plants and animal origin products must enter through an approved border control post with sanitary or phytosanitary certification.
  • Counterfeit enforcement at Piraeus is active given the volume of transhipment traffic passing through.
  • Product conformity checks on consumer electronics, lighting and toys are routine.
  • Dual use goods and export controlled technology require licences.
  • Wood packaging must comply with ISPM 15 and carry the mark.

Working with Velonex

What clients usually bring us in for on this lane

  • Importers who need the fastest sea transit into the European Union, where a Piraeus call can save a week over a northern European port.
  • Cargo destined to the Balkans or central Europe, where entering through Piraeus and moving north is a genuine alternative to the Atlantic routing.
  • Hotel, restaurant and retail fit-outs on the islands, where the domestic sea leg and the season have to be planned into the opening date.
  • Furniture, lighting and equipment for hospitality projects, which is a large and seasonal part of Greek import demand.
  • Companies with no Greek entity needing an Importer of Record arrangement before the first shipment.

Get a quote

Tell us what needs to move to Greece

We listen before we quote. Share the cargo, the deadline and the constraint, and we will come back with a route that accounts for all three, the documents it will need and a timeline we can stand behind.

Your details

Includes your name, company name and email address

Shipment route

Includes your pickup location and destination

Cargo type

Includes the type of cargo you are shipping

Special requirements

Includes a short note about your challenge

Timeline

Includes your desired timeline

Your quote

A tailored response based on everything above

Velonex icon

Corporate logistics partner

Trust, clarity and operational follow through for complex cargo.

Not ready for a quote? Email info@velonex-hk.com or message us on WhatsApp with the question and we will answer it.

Sources

Where this information comes from

General guidance, last reviewed August 2026. Customs rules and product requirements change, and the treatment of any specific shipment depends on its classification, origin and value. Confirm the detail with us or with the authority before you commit to a movement.

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