Driving License Conversion

Converting a Valid Foreign Driving License, into the Corresponding Greek License.

Competent Department

The Regional Government Transport and Communications Department of the applicant’s place of residence.

Conditions

The applicant must:

• Have his ordinary place of residence in Greece.

• Hold a valid driving license issued by the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Africa or ROK (Republic of Korea).

• Not hold another driving license issued by Greece or another EU Member State (including Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein).

• Have reached the required age for each driving license category.

• Meet the minimum physical and mental capacity requirements for each driving license category.

Documents Required

• Photocopy of foreign passport if applicant is not a Greek national or photocopy of identity card if he/she is a Greek national.

• Photocopy of a valid residence permit or other equivalent document, if applicant is not a Greek national, issued at least 185 days before the application or 95 days if the applicant is a national of the EU or Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, and which will be valid until the day of receipt of the Greek driving license.

• The foreign driving license, which must be valid. The foreign driving license must not bear the indication “PROVISIONAL LICENSE”. South African driving licenses in particular must be the new plastic licenses, similar to credit cards.

• A translation of the foreign license by the Foreign Ministry or a lawyer or by the Consul of the issuing country’s consular authorities in Greece. In the latter case, the Consul’s signature must be authenticated by the Greek Foreign Ministry. (In the event that the translated text does not indicate to which Greek category the foreign license corresponds, a document from the license issuing service should be provided, showing the category of vehicles the applicant it authorized to drive, with attached translation).

• One recent passport-type photograph (color).

• A Public Revenue Office receipt for the payment of the required fixed stamp duties and third-party levies of 18 euros for categories A’ and B’ and 108.15 euros for the remaining categories.

• Two health certificates (from a pathologist and an ophthalmologist or a certificate from a Higher Medical Committee as appropriate. (Two 32-euro deposits at the National Bank of Greece into the special account of law-decree 638/1970 and 4 photographs. The physicians must be under contract with the relevant Transport and Communications Department).

• A document from the Service that issued the license, with its translation containing all the details of the license and its holder and confirming that this license is not being held by any authority of the issuing state, as a result of a sanction (This document shall be sent to the relevant Transport and Communications Department solely by correspondence through the Greek consulate, care of the applicant.).

Procedure

• The application must be submitted to the Transport and Communications Department of applicant’s place of residence.

• The foreign driving license will remain in the files of the Transport and Communications Department to be returned to the applicant when the Greek license is handed over.

• Should the applicant hold another driving license, issued by Greece or another EU Member State (including Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein), this must be handed over so that a new license incorporating all vehicle categories and subcategories that he/she is authorized to drive may be issued.