Applications for the Social Tourism Public Employment Service (PES) Employees and Unemployed program for the period 2026-2027 open today, offering the opportunity for a six-day holiday to beneficiaries.

For beneficiaries, applications will be submitted according to the last digit of their VAT number, as follows:

-Last digit of VAT number: 0 – Tuesday, 21.04.2026

– Last date of 20.20.202020: 21.20.20.20.
-Last digit of the VAT number: 1, 2 – Wednesday, 22.04.2026
-Last digit of the VAT number: 1, 2 – Wednesday, 22.04.2026

-Last digit of VAT number: 3, 4 – Thursday, 23.04.2026

-Last digit of VAT number: 5, 6 – Friday, 24.04.2026

-Last digit of VAT number: 7, 8, 9 – Saturday, 25.04.2026

-All VAT numbers – Sunday, 26.04.2026
-All VAT numbers – Sunday, 26.04.2026

The program will start on May 18, 2026, earlier than ever before, will run for 13 months, and will involve 300,000 vouchers, with a budget of €50 million.

With the voucher, which is a unique number for each beneficiary and beneficiary individually, beneficiaries can spend up to 6 nights in accommodation they choose from the “Register of Providers” of DYPA, upon request, with a small private contribution.

In the islands of Leros, Lesvos, Chios, Kos, Samos & Rhodes, beneficiaries can stay up to 10 nights free of charge with zero private participation, while in the municipalities of Northern Evia and Evros as well as in Thessaly, except the Sporades, they can stay up to 12 nights free of charge.

The subsidy rates are increased by 20% for the peak month of August, as well as for the Christmas (15.12.2026 to 14.01.2027) and Easter (23.04.2027 to 09.05.2027) periods. The increased subsidy is valid throughout the year for accommodation in North Evia, Evros, and Thessaly, except for the Sporades.

In addition to accommodation in tourist accommodation, ferry tickets are also subsidised. The participation is 25%, while for disabled persons, the tickets are free of charge.

25% of the cost is covered by the travel allowance.
Beneficiaries are:

– Employees with a dependent employment relationship under private law

– insured in the eEFKA based on a dependent employment relationship with contributions to the unemployment branch of the DYPA,
at any time in the 12 months preceding the deadline for submission of applications; or

– unemployed persons registered in the Digital Register of Job Seekers of the DYPA, with a continuous period of unemployment of at least three (3) months as of the closing date of the application deadline,
who have an income of up to €16,000 if single, up to €24,000 if married, increased by €5,000 for each child, or up to €29,000 if single, increased by €5,000 for each child after the first.

Applications should be submitted via gov.gr at EDO.

Specifically, the route is: Home – Employment and Insurance – Compensation and Benefits – Social Tourism Programs (STPs).

The selection of beneficiaries is based on the weighting of specific criteria (disabled, single parent, number of children, income, first-time participation in the programme, or non-participation in the two previous programmes due to weighting), objectively and transparently through the Integrated Information System (IIS) of the DYPA.

For the first time this year, parents of large families are exempted from the moderation process and participate in the program if they meet the eligibility requirements.

Workers and the unemployed who are subsidized in another agency’s social tourism program for the same period, as well as those who, in addition to disabled persons and parents with many children, received a check in the 2025-2026 program, cannot participate in the program.

Providers of the programme are tourist accommodation and ferry companies.

Providers’ applications are to be submitted from today, 21.04.2026, to 10.05.2026 via gov.gr at EO.

Specifically, the route is: Home – Employment and Insurance – Compensation and Benefits – Social Tourism Providers.

Providers from the previous year are automatically added to the Provider Registry, provided they update their eligibility documents.