Pets in Thessaloniki

Good to Know

• If arriving from outside the EU, double-check your airline's routing — Greece requires entry through an authorised Border Inspection Post, and not every airport (especially some island airports) is approved for non-EU pet arrivals.
• For US/non-EU pet owners, Greece has two extra document quirks beyond standard EU rules: the health certificate must be bilingual English/Greek and typed, not handwritten — this is stricter than many other EU countries.
• Get the microchip-before-vaccine sequence right: if the rabies shot is given before the chip, the mandatory waiting period restarts from the microchip date, which has caught travelers out.
• Once your pet is a Greek resident, keep its EMZS digital registration up to date (address changes, annual vet checks) — fines exist for failing to register or maintain records.
• Outdoor cafe culture makes Thessaloniki easy to navigate with a leashed dog, but formal indoor pet policies still vary café to café — it's worth asking before sitting inside.
• City Paws is one of the few Thessaloniki vet clinics open on Sundays, which is useful if your pet needs care over a weekend.
• The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki veterinary teaching hospital runs 24/7 emergency hospitalization including weekends and holidays — a solid backup if your regular vet is closed.
• Bring your pet's official health booklet/passport to every vet visit — clinics in Thessaloniki (e.g. Evzoia Vet) explicitly ask for it to track vaccination history.
• Several central cafés (Peach Boy, Momo Asian Bar, Little Frida, Kitrino Podilato) welcome leashed dogs at outdoor tables — a good sign of a generally dog-tolerant café culture downtown, though it's still courteous to ask staff first.
• We could not confirm a specific, currently-operating off-leash dog park or officially dog-friendly beach within the central city — if this matters to you, ask your accommodation host or a local vet clinic for the latest spot, as informal/unofficial areas change.