Why do I have to pay customs fees and VAT on packages arriving from outside the EU?

Greece applies the EU import rules in full: every purchase from outside the EU owes Greek VAT — 24%, one of the higher rates in Europe — from the first cent, and since 1 July 2026 low-value e-commerce packages also carry the EU's flat €3 duty per item, which replaced the old €150 duty-free allowance. On top of the taxes, ELTA or the courier charges a clearance fee for doing the customs paperwork when the tax wasn't settled upfront. That last part is the avoidable bit: shops registered for IOSS collect the VAT at checkout, and their packages clear without fees or payment requests. So the practical Greek shopping rule is simple — if the checkout shows a VAT line, your package glides through Athens; if it doesn't, budget for the tax plus a fee, and a slower arrival.

What does "Άφιξη στη Χώρα Προορισμού" (Arrived in Country of Destination) mean?

It's the touchdown scan: your package has physically landed in Greece — and it also marks the start of the quietest stretch of the journey. What follows — transfer from the airline, customs review, sorting into the domestic network — happens largely without public scans, so the timeline can sit on this status for days while real progress happens backstage. Completely normal, especially for packages from Asia and in peak season. The next scan usually comes from ELTA or the courier once your package enters the delivery stream. While you wait, keep half an eye on email and SMS: if customs needs a payment or a document, the request can arrive while tracking looks frozen, and answering it is what unfreezes everything. We keep checking automatically — the moment Greece produces a new scan, you'll see it.

What does "Εκτελωνισμός" (Customs Clearance) or "Αναμονή Παραστατικού" mean?

Two stages of the same border story. "Εκτελωνισμός" means your package is in customs clearance — the routine review where the declaration is checked and any VAT is assessed; most packages pass through in a few days untouched. "Αναμονή παραστατικού" — awaiting documentation — is the version that needs you: customs or ELTA wants a document, almost always proof of what you paid, before clearance can finish. The fix is usually your order confirmation or payment receipt, submitted the way the notice tells you — through ELTA's platform or by email. Do it the day you're asked: packages waiting on documents sit in storage with a return clock running. If your tracking shows this status and no request has reached you, contact ELTA with your tracking number rather than waiting — notices do occasionally go astray, and a two-minute call beats a two-week hold.

Where do I pick up my parcel if I missed an ELTA or courier delivery?

Your package waits nearby — the notice tells you exactly where. ELTA deliveries go back to your local post office branch, where you collect with your ID (and the notice or tracking number). Private couriers work from their own networks: ACS and Speedex reroute to their local branch or a partner shop, and the tracking names it, while some deliveries divert to a BOX NOW locker with a pickup code sent by SMS. Bring photo ID whose name matches the recipient — Greek counters check. If you can't go, send someone with a signed authorisation, a copy of your ID and their own; for ELTA, a formal εξουσιοδότηση with a verified signature is the safe version for valuable packages. And collect promptly: branches hold packages for a limited window before starting the return journey, and the date on your notice is the one that counts.

Which local Greek couriers and postal operators can I track on Parcel Monitor?

Everyone ringing Greek doorbells. ELTA and ELTA Courier for the postal backbone, ACS and Speedex carrying much of the country's e-commerce, Geniki Taxydromiki with its strong regional network, and BOX NOW running the locker universe — all supported here, alongside the international names flying orders in: DHL, FedEx, UPS. Your Skroutz marketplace order, your Shein package clearing Athens customs and a document between Thessaloniki and Crete all sit in one timeline. We track over 1,000 carriers worldwide and spot the format automatically, taking all the guesswork out of which courier was picked. And if an international shipment transfers over to a Greek courier partway — the standard pattern — we follow it straight across the handover.

How do BOX NOW lockers work for package collection in Greece?

BOX NOW made locker pickup a Greek habit: bright yellow locker banks outside supermarkets and kiosks, open around the clock. Choose one as your delivery point at checkout (Skroutz and many shops offer it, often cheapest), and when your package lands you get an SMS and app message with a PIN. At the locker, enter the PIN or scan the QR code, the door pops open, done — at midnight if you like. No queue, no missed-delivery card, no depending on being home. The one discipline lockers demand: collect within the window in your message, typically a couple of days, because doors recycle fast and uncollected packages get rerouted to another point or returned. If the locker is full when the courier arrives, your package goes to the nearest alternative and your SMS says where — read it before walking to the usual spot.

Why has my international tracking number changed after entering Greece?

Because a new courier took over. International sellers ship with cross-border networks — Cainiao for AliExpress, postal partnerships for others — and once your package clears Greek customs, ELTA, ACS or another local courier carries the final leg under its own tracking number. The original number often freezes right there, which looks like a lost package and is actually a baton pass. Both numbers work on Parcel Monitor: paste in whichever you have and we stitch the legs together; if the seller or the local courier sends you the new Greek number, add it and we keep them linked. Worth knowing: the Greek number is the one local branches and hotlines recognise, so it's the one to quote when arranging a pickup or querying a delivery. If you never received it, the seller has it — one message away.

Can someone else pick up my package at an ELTA branch on my behalf?

Yes, with the right paperwork in hand. The standard route is an εξουσιοδότηση — a written authorisation naming you, the collector and ideally the tracking number — which your helper presents with their own photo ID plus a copy of yours. For packages of real value, ELTA may ask for the authorisation with a certified signature (gov.gr's digital authorisation, or a KEP citizen-service centre stamp), which takes minutes to arrange and removes any counter-side doubt. Family members at the same address often manage with the delivery notice and their ID, but that's branch discretion, not a rule to rely on. Send the tracking number or notice along in every case — it's the first thing asked. When the pickup matters, a quick call to the branch beforehand confirms exactly what they'll accept and saves a wasted trip across town.

What should I do if my package status shows "Εντοπισμός/Παράδοση" (Delivered) but I haven't received it?

Give it a structured day before fearing the worst. First, read the delivery detail: Greek couriers often hand packages to a neighbour, a building concierge, or the shop downstairs when you're out — the scan or the courier's app frequently says so. Ask the household, the θυρωρός if your building has one, and the neighbours on your floor. Check whether an SMS points to a BOX NOW locker or branch pickup — a "delivered" scan sometimes means delivered to a pickup point, not your door. Scans can also land shortly before the courier does; give it until evening. No delivery by the next day? Call the courier with your tracking number and ask exactly where and to whom it was delivered — they log it — then inform the seller, who can investigate, replace or refund. Your timeline here gives the precise scan time to quote.

Why is my package sitting at the Kryoneri or Athens sorting hub for several days?

Kryoneri hosts one of Greece's main sorting centres, and along with the Athens hubs it processes the bulk of the country's package flow — so a pause there means your package is in the national queue, not lost. For domestic and EU packages, it's usually simple volume: peak seasons, sales periods and strike days back the hubs up, and packages wait their turn. For non-EU packages, the pause often includes the customs step, which adds days and occasionally a payment request. Either way, the queue clears in order and your package moves when its turn comes — typically within a few days. There's nothing to refresh; we keep polling and every new scan appears here. If the stay stretches well past a week with total silence, contact the courier with your tracking number, or for international orders ask the seller to raise a trace from origin — that route gets answers faster.

Why does my tracking show "Held by Customs" at Athens Airport (ATH)?

Your package is at the customs point of entry near Athens airport, where non-EU arrivals get reviewed — a standard stop that usually resolves in days. Three things extend it: a VAT assessment waiting for payment (check email and SMS for a request from ELTA or the courier, and the spam folder too), a document check where customs wants proof of the declared value, or an inspection of the contents. Only the first two need you, and both are same-day fixes: pay through the official channel the notice names, or send your order confirmation. If nothing has reached you and the hold persists past a week, contact ELTA or the courier with the tracking number and ask what's pending — a two-minute call regularly dislodges a two-week wait. One caution: pay customs requests only through official carrier channels, typed into your browser yourself; fake "customs fee" texts love this exact moment.

What should I do if my automated locker pickup code expires before I collect my package?

Don't worry — an expired code isn't a lost package, just a moved one. When the pickup window closes, the locker frees the door and your package gets rerouted: usually to the nearest alternative pickup point or the courier's local branch, occasionally back into the delivery flow for a new attempt. Your tracking here and the courier's SMS trail tell you where it went next. The fastest fix is direct: contact the courier — BOX NOW and the others handle this daily — with your tracking number, and they'll either re-issue a fresh code, tell you the new pickup location, or arrange redelivery to a locker of your choice. Act within a few days though: after the locker stage, the normal branch holding window applies, and after that the return to sender starts. If the return has already begun, message the seller straight away to agree on the reship or refund.

What other countries can I track parcels in with Parcel Monitor?

You may also want to explore tracking for these other destinations:

• Waiting on something from Poland?

• Keep an eye on Romania deliveries

• Tracking made easy for Ukraine

• See deliveries to and from Russian Federation

• Where's your Turkey parcel?

• Follow your shipment in China

Which other carriers can I track with Parcel Monitor?

These carrier pages are worth a look too:

• See where your DHL Express package is

• Got a DPD number? Start here

• Check your UPS shipment

• FedEx updates in one place

• Waiting on AliExpress Standard Shipping? Track it here

• Track your China Post parcels