Greeks Queue Overnight at Thessaloniki Passport Office Before ID Deadline

Citizens in Thessaloniki gathered outside the passport office of the Toumba police station on the night of 1 August 2026, bringing chairs and sleeping bags to secure a place in the queue. They did so to obtain a passport before the 3 August deadline when Greece will stop accepting the old blue identity cards for travel abroad under the European Schengen rules.

The change requires anyone wishing to travel to first obtain a new biometric ID card, which can be booked online. Demand for passport issuance surged from about 80 applications per day in May to over 250 daily in the month preceding the deadline, prompting long lines at several police stations across the city. The passport office operates from 08:00 to 14:30, but many fear they will not be served in time.