The process
Do you need to be in Greece? How a remote prescription works
Most of what is written about medical cannabis in Greece answers a different question: how to bring in what you already have. This page answers the other one — how to obtain a Greek prescription without leaving home.
01 · The answer
Do you need to be in Greece to get a cannabis prescription?
No. The medical review happens remotely, while you are still at home. Only the dispensing itself takes place at a licensed pharmacy inside Greece.
This is the point most people miss, and it is why many give up early. Anyone who assumes they must book an appointment in Athens, fly, wait and then hope will abandon the idea before checking. In practice the step that requires physical presence is the last one in the chain, not the first.
The full guide sets out the framework this operates within: medical cannabis has been regulated in Greece since 2017, oversight sits with the National Organisation for Medicines (EOF), and pharmacy dispensing began in February 2024. The medical decision rests with the physician alone, and submitting a request is no guarantee of approval.
02 · The split
What happens remotely, and what must happen in Greece
The process divides at exactly one point. Everything above the line happens from your phone; everything below it requires you to be on Greek soil.
| Remotely, before you fly | Inside Greece | |
|---|---|---|
| Completing the questionnaire | Yes, about three minutes | — |
| Physician review | Yes, a Greek-licensed physician | — |
| Issuing the prescription | Yes, digital, in your passport name | — |
| Dispensing | — | Yes, at a licensed pharmacy |
| Possession and use | — | Yes, inside Greece only |
03 · Why it matters
Why this changes the trip
The difference between starting before you fly and starting after you land sounds procedural. It is not. It decides whether the answer arrives while you can still act on it.
Your holiday is not spent waiting
Start on landing day and you wait for the answer out of your own holiday. Start a week earlier and you land with the prescription already in hand, leaving a pharmacy visit of about fifteen minutes.
A refusal arrives while you can still plan around it
The physician may decline. Better to learn that at home, while other plans are still possible, than on your second day in Santorini. If the physician does not approve, the service fee is refunded in full.
It does not tie you to one city
The prescription is valid at any licensed pharmacy in Greece, not only where you landed. Anyone flying into Athens and continuing to an island the same day has nothing to rearrange. Athens · Crete · Rhodes · Thessaloniki.
04 · The review
What the physician can and cannot assess remotely
A remote review is not a physical examination, and we do not present it as one. The physician works with what you provide, so the quality of the answer follows the quality of the information.
What is assessed:
- Your description of the condition, and what you have already tried
- Any medical documents you attach
- Age and identity against your passport
- Whether the treatment fits, at their discretion
What cannot be done remotely:
- Examine you physically
- See a document you did not attach
- Diagnose a condition you did not mention
05 · Timing
When to start, by departure date
The times below are our targets. They depend on the physician's decision and on how quickly you answer any request for clarification.
| You fly in | Plan | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Two weeks or more | Standard | Comfortable margin even if the physician asks for more |
| One to two weeks | Standard | Still inside the 5 business days, without pressure |
| Under a week | VIP | Initial reply in about an hour, prescription within a business day |
| Tomorrow or the day after | VIP | The fastest route available, still with no promise of approval |
| You have already landed | VIP | Possible, but the wait comes out of your holiday |
Plans and pricing in full. The difference between plans is response speed and personal support, not the likelihood of approval.
06 · Corrections
Four misconceptions
"Remote" does not mean "automatic"
A Greek-licensed physician reviews every request and decides independently. There is no algorithm, no guaranteed approval, and no way to buy an outcome. GreekCloud coordinates the request only: we are not doctors, not a pharmacy, and we do not issue prescriptions.
A Greek prescription is not a foreign licence
The two do not substitute for each other in either direction. A foreign licence carries no weight in Greece, and a Greek prescription carries none at home. The flying page explains why a notarised translation does not solve this either.
No existing prescription is required
You can apply with no licence and no prescription from home. If you do hold one you may attach it as medical information, but it does not shorten the process and does not guarantee approval.
The prescription does not follow you home
It can be dispensed for up to 30 days from issue, inside Greece. What you buy there stays there.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be in Greece to start the process?
Can I have the prescription before I fly?
Does a physician really review this, or is it automated?
What if I land in Greece without a prescription?
Is a Greek prescription valid outside Greece?
Do I need a medical cannabis licence from my own country first?
Sources: National Organisation for Medicines (EOF) · Greek Ministry of Health · EUDA country profile. Last updated: . Content here is general information and is not medical or legal advice.
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