The hunting regulations 2025

Article 1 

ACQUISITION OF A HUNTING RIGHT

To hunt in the Sapienza Island Controlled Hunting

Area, one must:

1.Possession of a common hunting license, namely: General,

Regional, Local, which is also valid for the Prefecture of Messinia.

2. Obtaining a special permit for hunting in the

Controlled Hunting Area.

 

Article 2

DOCUMENTS FOR ISSUING A SPECIAL PERMIT

To obtain a special hunting permit in the National

Park, the interested hunter, in person or through his

legal representative, must submit to the Kalamata

Forestry Office:

1. Application with his/her details (surname, first

name, father's name, occupation, home address, Police

Identification Number, Tax Identification Number, Hu

nting License Number and type) and the date he/she

wishes to hunt and the other members of the group.

2. Photocopy of the Hunting License (second, third

page and current visa). Foreign hunters must also

present a translated version of their country's hunting

license.

3. The required amount of money.

4. Proof - Receipt of payment of the rental fee for

transportation to and from Sapienza Island with the

contracted vessel.

Article 3 

HUNTING TIME

The hunt begins on Monday, November 3, 2025 and

ends on Thursday, December 11, 2025.

Hunting days for the period from 3-11-2025 to 4-

12-2025 are set every: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

and Thursday.

Hunting days for the period from 8-12-2025 to 9-

12-2025 are Monday and Tuesday.

Hunting may begin one (1) hour after sunrise and end

at 2:00 p.m.

Article 4 

SPECIAL PERMIT PRICES

1. The price of the Special Permit is determined

as follows: a) For Messinian hunters €35.00

b) For other Greek hunters, citizens of European

Union member states and citizens of foreign states

(outside the EU) residing in

Greece over 15 years €50.00 c) For citizens of foreign

countries outside the EU €100.00 2. The prices of

special permits are subject to VAT.

24%.

3. The special permit is valid for one hunting day only.

4. Hunters who are nationals of foreign countries

(outside the EU), in addition to the special permit, must

obtain a general hunting permit issued by the Kalamata

Forestry Office by paying the corresponding fees as

determined by the annual decision regulating hunting

issues of the Ministry of Environment & Energy, which

are structured as follows:

a) Up to 15 days: €60.00 and b) Up to two (2) months:

€120.00. In addition, it is required to present an

insurance policy that covers the hunter in the event of a

hunting accident in our country.

Article 5

ORGANIZATION OF THE HUNTING

1. The hunt during the period from 3-11-2025 to 4-

12-2025 will only be conducted in groups with the

presence of an authorized body.

2. Each hunting day during the above period, up to

twelve (12) hunters divided into three (3) groups (4

hunters per group) may hunt.

3.On Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 December, up to four

(4) individual hunters may hunt each day in whose name

a Special Permit has not been issued again to hunt

during the period from 3-11-2025 to 4-12-2025.

4. The transport of hunters from Methoni to N.

Sapienza is only done with the boat contracted by the

Forestry Department.

The cost for a complete itinerary (transit from

Methoni to Sapientza Island and return to Methoni)

during the period from 3-11-2025 to 4-12-2025 per

hunting day is set at one thousand euros (1,000.00 €)

including VAT, which will be divided equally among

the hunters hunting that day.

The cost for a complete itinerary (transit from

Methoni to Sapienza Island and return to

Methoni) during the period from 8-12-2025 to 9-

12-2025 per hunting day, is set at six hundred euros

(600.00 €) including VAT, which will be divided

equally among the hunters hunting on that day.

Article 6 

PROCEDURE FOR ISSUING SPECIAL PERMITS

1. Special hunting permits are issued by the Kalamata

Forestry Office (Special hunting permits are not issued

at the National Forestry Office).

2. Those interested in hunting must submit to the

Kalamata Forestry Office the supporting documents

required for the issuance of a special permit, as referred

to in paragraphs 1 and 2 of article 2 of this Hunting

Program.

Applications concerning groups of

less than four (4) hunters are not accepted for those

wishing to hunt until 4-12-2025 and are rejected without

further procedures. Applications of those wishing to

hunt in groups until 4-12-2025 are submitted and

registered per group. After the registration of the

applications, no changes are made to the hunters who

make up the groups. Applications from those wishing to

hunt on December 8 and 9 are registered individually.

The registration number determines the order of priori

ty.The applications that have been submitted are classi

fied per hunting day and hunters or their legal represen

tatives are notified by email so that within a set deadline

they pay the required amount of money for the issuance

of the Special Permit and provide a photocopy of the

Proof - Document of payment of the cost for their

transportation to and from Sapienza Island with the

contracted vessel for all hunting days. Failure to pay the

amount of money for the issuance of the Special Permit

and failure to provide the Proof - Document of payment

of the rent for their transportation to and from Sapienza

Island, even by one hunter of the group, excludes entry

to the E.K.P. of the entire group. The payment of the

amount of money for the issuance of the Special Permit

is made exclusively by deposit/transfer to the service's

bank account from the personal bank account of the

hunter or his legal representative.

3. Hunters applying in person or their legally repres

ented representatives must receive the special hunting

permit in a timely manner.

4. In the event that a hunter does not show up for

hunting on the day assigned to him, he is not entitled to

He/She may use the permit for that day for another

hunting day and the fee paid is not refundable.

5. In the event that the hunt is not held due to bad

weather or other reasons during the period from 3-

11-2025 to 4-12-2025, hunting may be conducted by

those who wish and present themselves for hunting on

the day that was assigned to them, on Friday of the

current week.

In the event that the hunt cannot be held due to bad

weather or other reasons on Monday 8th and Tuesday 9

th December, hunting may be conducted by those who

wish and present themselves for hunting on the day that

was assigned to them, on Wednesday 10th and Thursday

11th December respectively.

Hunters who do not wish to hunt and who were

present for hunting on the day that was set for them will

be refunded the amounts of money they have paid for

the issuance of the Special Permit by depositing/transf

erring them from the service's bank account to the

accounts from which they were deposited/transferred,

subject to the costs of bank transactions. These hunters

or their legal representatives must submit to the Kalam

ata Forestry Office by Friday, December 12, the

Shipping Note - Invoice issued for this Special Hunting

Permit. For those Special Hunting Permits for which the

corresponding Shipping Notes - Invoices were not

submitted, the amounts of money will be deposited by

the Kalamata Forestry Office in the Green Fund. The

service bears no responsibility for the refund of the

rental fee paid for the transportation to and from

Sapienza Island with the contracted vessel.

Article 7 

HUNTING EQUIPMENT - DOGS

1.Hunting is practiced only with a shoulder-mounted

hunting weapon that has a smooth barrel and is single

barreled or double-barreled or a repeating carbine that

carries up to three (3) cartridges in total, of which one

(1) in the chamber and two (2) in the magazine.

2. For hunting, only single-shot cartridges will be

used.

3. Dogs are prohibited during hunting. It is also

prohibited to use radios, binoculars, etc. as hunting aids.

Mobile phones are prohibited from being used as

hunting aids.

Article 8

CONDUCTING THE HUNTING

1. Hunting is carried out at the absolute discretion of the

authorized body of the National Wildlife Refuge when

favorable weather conditions and good visibility prevail.

2. The hunting permit and the special permit are handed over

to the authorized bodies of the National Hunting Commission

before the start of the hunt and are returned at the end of it.

3. The locations that the hunting groups will hunt are

determined before the start of the hunt and before the

hunting. In this case, the offenders are prosecuted under the provisions on hunting and for violating a hunting

regulation (article 287 of Legislative Decree 86/1969) and are deprived of hunting without any further formality or

compensation for the current hunting season. The game and hunting equipment are confiscated. The confiscated

game is sold. The trophies from the confiscated game remain at the disposal of the National Hunting Commission

and the Service.

12. The hunt is interrupted in any case the body authorized to conduct the hunt deems it necessary.

Article 9 

MODIFICATION - CESSATION OF THE HUNTING

By decision of the Deputy Director of Forests of Messinia, following a recommendation from the Kalamata

Forestry Office, it is possible to modify or discontinue the Hunting Program.

Article 10

GAME ALLOWED FOR HUNTING -

GAME PRICES The permitted number of game items and their harvest tax are shown in the

table below:

Game species (1)	Total Number of Hunting Seasons (2)	Allowed number of game per hunter (3)	Hunters of Nomou (4)	Other hunters (5)	Alien hunters (6)
Wild sheep (Ovis aries musimon)	Females: 5	1 per hunting season	140,00 €	180,00 €	350,00 €
Wild sheep (Ovis aries musimon)	Male: 10	1 per hunting season	170,00 €	210,00 €	370,00 €
Cretan Ibex (Capra aegagrus cretica)	Males: 20	1 per hunting season	250,00 €	320,00 €	500,00 €

In the event of hunting: a) A wild sheep with a horn

length greater than 45 centimeters (outer side) the price

of the game is increased by €10 for each centimeter over

45, b) A ibex with a horn length less than 55

centimeters (outer side) the price of the game is

increased by €500, c) A ibex with a horn length

greater than 55 centimeters (outer side) and less than 80

centimeters (outer side) the price of the game is

increased by €300 and d) A ibex with a horn length

greater than 80 centimeters (outer side) the price of the

game is increased by €300 and for each centimeter over

80 by €10.

VAT of 24% is added to the above prices.

In case of completion of the total permitted number of

game animals during the Hunting Season, the hunting of

this type of game is interrupted. If during the hunting the

permitted number of game animals is completed, its

exceeding is justified during the time period required for

all hunters hunting on that day to be informed by the

bodies of the Hellenic Hunting Commission.

Article 11

PAYMENT OF THE VALUE OF GAME

1. After the end of the hunt, the authorized body of the

E.K.P. will issue the hunter a Tax Invoice of the

Service and the value of the harvested game will be collected by

deposit/transfer to the bank account of the

service. The receipt given to the hunter constitutes a

legal title of possession of the harvested game listed on it, for the

transport, etc. thereof.

2. The price of the harvested game when hunted by a

group consisting of Messinian and other Greek hunters,

or hunters who are nationals of European Union member

states, is determined by the price indicated in column (5)

of the above table. If the group includes foreign hunters

from other foreign countries outside the EU, then the

price is determined by column (6) of the table.

Article 12 

DEPARTURE - RETURN

The departure of the hunters and the authorized bodies

of the E.K.P. N. Sapientzas from the port of Methoni

will take place at 7:45 - 8:00 and the return from

Sapienza at 14:30 - 15:00. If for any reason or cause the

departure is not

carried out until 09:00 the hunt is postponed.
Article 13

VISITORS TO THE E.K.P.

1. It is prohibited for anyone to enter and remain in the

National Park without permission from the Forestry Authority.

2. The Sapienza Island Nature Reserve can be visited

for scientific reasons, learning and getting to know its

flora and fauna and its ecosystem in general, by those

who wish (Associations, Societies, etc.) after obtaining

permission from the Kalamata Forestry Department.

outside the period from 3-11-2025 to 11-12-2025 when

the hunt is carried out. The method, time, behavior and

other obligations within the E.K.P. will be determined

by the relevant permit.

3. Visitors to the National Park must be careful about

their safety and accident prevention, which is their

responsibility and concern. The Service does not bear

any responsibility for any accident that may occur

during their stay at the National Park. Visitors must

protect the game and not disturb its peace, respect the

natural environment of the island and not cause damage

or destroy the infrastructure - facilities of the National

Park.

Article 14

OTHER PROVISIONS

1.Photography or filming of game and hunting

activities is not permitted during the hunt as defined by

this program.

Photographing and filming game outside the above

period is permitted only with permission from the

competent Ministry.

In the event of photographing or filming game and

hunting activities or the discovery of audiovisual

material of illegal photography and filming of game and

hunting activities, the perpetrator shall be prosecuted for

violating this regulatory - prohibitory provision and

shall be deprived of the right to hunt.

2. Hunters must collect and remove from the E.K.P.

the cartridges they used.

3. During the validity period of this agreement, the

currently applicable COVID-19 protection measures

will apply.

4. For all matters not regulated by this program,

which has the status of a hunting regulatory provision,

the general hunting provisions apply.

5. Any other detail regarding the operation of the E.K.

P. that is not listed in this program is determined by the

E.K.P. supervisor within the framework of Presidential

Decree 453/1977.

6. Violators of the hunting provisions and this

regulatory-prohibitive provision are subject to criminal

prosecution.

7. Possession of a special hunting permit and entry as

a visitor to the National Park signifies the unreserved

acceptance and application of the above.

This decision shall be published in the Government

Gazette.

Kalamata, October 9, 2025

By order of the Secretary General of Fores

ts, the Deputy Head of the Messinia Direct

orate

KONSTANTINOS FOURKAS