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Greece: Driving

Greek Roads

Greece has some of the worst traffic problems in Europe. Traffic jams and pollution are part of daily life in Athens, where some 1.5 million cars pack the streets, and the country has one of the highest accident rates in Europe. In an attempt to reduce pollution in central Athens, petrol-driven cars can only enter the city on alternate days (depending on whether their number plate is odd or even) and Greek-registered diesel cars are banned altogether.

Road conditions are often perilous, road surfaces changing dramatically without warning and rights of way are (apparently) decided on a whim by drivers. Petrol and diesel in Greece cost around the EU average, although cheaper than in the UK. The average cost per litre in January 2005 was €0.77 for lead-free, €0.89 for lead-free premium, €0.80 for diesel and €0.88 for diesel-premium. You should also bear in mind that some islands, such as Hydra, are completely car-free.

Like motorists in all countries, Greeks have their own idiosyncrasies and customs, many of which are peculiar to a particular city or region. The personalities of most Greeks change the moment they get behind the wheel of a car, when even the most placid person can become an aggressive, impatient and intolerant homicidal maniac with an unshakeable conviction in his own immortality. The average Greek driver aspires to be a racing driver, as is evident on most country roads where many accidents are due to dangerous overtaking – stricter controls, that were introduced in 1992, haven’t had much impact on the death toll.

When driving in Greece you should regard all drivers as totally unpredictable and drive defensively. On motorways and main roads you must keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front and can be fined for not doing so. As a general rule, the closer the car is behind you, the further you should be from the vehicle in front. Greeks have little respect for traffic rules and many believe that many rules are merely recommendations, particularly those regarding parking (in Athens, a car is a device used to create parking spaces).

Greece’s major road network covers around 40,000km (25,000mi), 9,000km (5,600mi) of which are national roads. Road improvements are one of the government’s priorities and there’s a major programme under way to convert many national roads into motorways. The most ambitious project (Europe’s largest road construction project) is the Egnatia Motorway running 680km (425mi) across the north of the country, connecting the west coast at Igoumenitsa with Thrace in the east. In early 2005 the road was mostly completed with the remaining section to be finished by 2006. A north-south axis motorway (1,000km/620mi) is complete and there are other fast roads between Patra, Athens, Corinth, Vólos and Thessaloniki, although these are toll roads costing between €1.50 and €2.50 per section. However, tolls are more than compensated for by the speed and safety of these roads. Note that some toll booths are unmanned and are equipped only with a net into which you deposit the correct change.

Greek motorways are generally good, although the quality of other roads is extremely variable and in some areas even fairly major roads are full of potholes and in a dreadful state. You should therefore exercise extreme caution when driving, as an apparently good road can rapidly turn into a bumpy track without warning. Speed limits for cars in Greece are 50kph (31mph) in built up areas (e.g. towns), 90kph (56mph) or 110kph (68mph) on main roads outside built up areas, and 120kph (75mph) on motorways. Speed limits for motorcycles are 40kph (24mph), 70kph (43mph) and 90kph (56mph) respectively.

If you exceed the speed limit in Greece, you’re liable to a large fine depending on your speed and the prevailing speed limit. Police are empowered to issue traffic fines, but cannot collect them on-the-spot. If you receive a fine, it should be paid within ten days at a Public Treasury Office. Railway crossings often don’t have protective barriers and caution must be used when approaching them.

Importing a Car

Before planning to import a car into Greece you should check the latest regulations and consider whether the cost, time and paperwork involved is worthwhile – expatriate residents generally agree that it’s much easier and less stressful to buy a vehicle in Greece than import your own! In Greece, EU nationals can import and use an EU-registered car for up to six months, after which you have one of the following options:

1. Re-export the car. Note that the car cannot be brought back into Greece until a further six months have passed or a new calendar year starts.

2. Seal the car with customs for at least six months but no more than 12. You can re-claim your car after six months as long as you can prove you have been out of Greece during these six months. You can then drive the car in Greece for another six-month period. The car must have valid road tax and insurance. This can be a problem as Greek insurance companies are reluctant to insure foreign-registered cars and British companies will only insure vehicles with a valid MOT certificate, which is impossible to obtain unless the car is in the UK.

3. Officially import the car and pay Greek road tax and customs duties (or remove it from the country).

There are heavy fines for unregistered cars and those without their papers stamped. Further information regarding imported cars can be obtained from the Directorate for the Supervision and Control of Cars (DIPEAK), 32 Akti Kondyli, 18510 Piraeus (2104-627 325).

If you wish to import an EU-registered vehicle, you are exempt from VAT and Special Consumption Tax/SCT provided:

You have a five-year residence permit. EU nationals without one are usually required to pay a tax directly to the Customs Authorities or as a bank guarantee, which is returned once you have obtained the permit.

The paperwork associated with the above can be completed by a customs agent and is well worth the fee, although you must go in person to the nearest Customs Authority a month after you’ve imported your vehicle to request exemption from VAT and SCT. Further information on importing a vehicle is available from the Director of Customs, Ministry of Finance, 10 Karageorgi Servias Street, 10562 Athens (21033-75250 or 75725).

The above procedure follows EU directives and should in theory be what happens.

Greece repeatedly ignores EU law (like some other EU countries) and has been taken to court (and lost all cases) over levying illegal import taxes, but expatriate forums are full of complaints from British car owners who have had to pay small fortunes (several thousand euros) to import their cars.

Once you obtain a Greek residence card you aren’t permitted to drive a vehicle with foreign registration, although a period of grace is allowed (six months) while awaiting your Greek registration papers. Full information regarding the importation of vehicles is available from the Ministry of Transport and Communications, Directorate General for Transport, Xenofondos 13, TK 101 91 Athens (01-325 4515, www.yme.gov.gr).

An alternative to importing your car legally is to continue to drive your foreign-registered car and many foreigners apparently do this with no problems. If you live (and drive) on a small island or in a remote area and are well-known by the locals, the chances of your car being stopped are small. However, as soon as you leave your local area (e.g. drive onto the ferry) you risk being stopped by customs officers who will probably (literally) seize the car on the spot.

Driving Licences

EU Residents: If you have a pink EU licence you don’t need to exchange it for a Greek licence.

Non-EU Residents: You must apply for a Greek driving licence as soon as you become a resident and you may have to take the Greek driving test (practical and/or theoretical) if your original driving licence isn’t recognised by the Greek authorities. (All EU licences are recognised.)

Non-residents: You don’t require a Greek driving licence to buy or operate a Greek-registered car and may drive in Greece for a maximum of six months a year with a foreign or international driving permit (IDP).

Note that for your licence to be recognised by the Greek authorities it must have been valid for at least six months. Your licence must be carried when driving in Greece, along with your vehicle’s registration papers (proof of ownership) and insurance certificate. The minimum age for driving in Greece is 18 for a motor car or a motorcycle over 125cc, 16 for a motorcycle between 50 and 125cc, and 14 for a motorcycle (moped) up to 50cc.

Car Insurance

Under Greek law, motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers must be insured when entering the country. However, it isn’t mandatory for cars insured in most European countries to have an international insurance ‘green’ card. Motorists insured in an EU country, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are automatically covered for third party liability in Greece.

Note that car insurance issued in a country other than Greece is only valid if your road tax payments and vehicle inspections (e.g. MOT in the UK) are valid and up-to-date.

Numerous companies offer car insurance and the categories available in Greece include third party, which is the minimum required by law, third party fire and theft (called part comprehensive in some countries) and fully comprehensive (total loss). Policies are now much more user-friendly and companies generally settle claims promptly. When a claim involves more than one party, your insurance company will usually pay your claim first and then settle with the other company, rather than waiting for the other company to pay first.

More pages

Page 1: Greek Roads
Page 2: Car Crime

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