![Greece [Shutterstock]](https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Greece-2560x1194.jpg)
International Travel Information
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August 12, 2021
U.S. Relations With Greece
Highlights
May 20, 2022
May 11, 2022
May 9, 2022
U.S. Relationship
U.S.-Greece Relations
The United States appointed its first Consul to Greece in 1837, following Greece’s independence from the Ottoman Empire, and established diplomatic relations with Greece in 1868. After World War II, the United States contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild Greece’s buildings, agriculture, and industry as part of the Marshall Plan. Today, an estimated three million American residents of the United States claim Greek descent. This large, well-organized community cultivates close political and cultural ties with Greece. The U.S. Embassy in Athens and the Consulate General in Thessaloniki host numerous U.S. agencies in support of a robust bilateral agenda.
U.S. Assistance to Greece
U.S. assistance fosters strong bilateral military-to-military relations and contributes toward the interoperability of Greek forces within NATO.
Bilateral Economic Relations
Greece is a member of the European Union and the Eurozone. Greece’s tech sector has experienced significant growth in recent years with major cloud infrastructure investments from Microsoft, Digital Realty, and Amazon Web Services. Greece’s focus on energy transition and security and the country’s central location as a transportation hub for Europe offer additional opportunities in renewables, gas, refinery, logistics, and related sectors. In recent years, Greece has attracted investment by U.S. multinational firms like Pfizer, Cisco, and Deloitte, especially in Thessaloniki, in northern Greece, which is becoming a tech hub for the Balkans. U.S. companies are interested and involved in Greece’s privatization, government services digitalization, and energy transition efforts. The top U.S. exports to Greece are defense articles, although U.S. business activity is expected to continue growing in the high-tech, biomedical, tourism development, medical, construction, food processing, specialty agriculture and packaging, and franchising sectors. There are no significant non-tariff barriers to U.S. exports. Greece participates in the Visa Waiver Program, which allows nationals of participating countries to travel to the United States for certain business or tourism purposes for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.
![Greece Flag: nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white; a blue square bearing a white cross appears in the upper hoist-side corner; the cross symbolizes Greek Orthodoxy, the established religion of the country; there is no agreed upon meaning for the nine stripes or for the colors; the exact shade of blue has never been set by law and has varied from a light to a dark blue over time. [CIA World Fact Book]](https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/gr-lgflag.gif){kind=small}