International Driving Permit Greece

Most car rental companies on Crete, Rhodes, and Corfu ask for an International Driving Permit at the counter, so carrying one helps you avoid delays even where the underlying legal requirement depends on your nationality.

• EU/EEA driving licences are fully valid in Greece — no IDP is needed at all.
• US, Canadian, UK, Australian, and Gibraltar licence holders are specifically exempt from the IDP requirement for stays under six months, under Greek Law 4850/2021.
• Visitors from every other non-EU/EEA country need an IDP alongside their home licence to drive legally in Greece.
• Most rental companies across the islands and mainland treat an IDP as a standard condition of rental regardless of these exemptions.
• Greece drives on the right, with the driver's seat on the left side of the vehicle.

Greek traffic is busy and drivers frequently disregard posted speed limits, mountain roads on islands like Crete demand real caution, and the drink-driving limit is stricter than the UK's.

• Traffic in Greek cities is often described as busy, fast, and chaotic, with drivers commonly exceeding posted speed limits even in built-up areas — extra vigilance at pedestrian crossings is worth it, since drivers don't reliably stop for them.Commonly reported
• Mountain roads on islands like Crete can be narrow with steep drops on one side and rock walls on the other — using a lower gear on long descents, sounding your horn before blind bends, and giving way to uphill traffic are standard local practices.Commonly reported
• The drink-driving limit is stricter than the UK's — exceeding roughly two-thirds of England's legal limit is a serious offence carrying fines and possible imprisonment.
• Athens has a toll motorway, the Attiki Odos, connecting the city centre with the northern and eastern suburbs and Athens International Airport.Commonly reported
• Seatbelts are mandatory for all occupants.Commonly reported

Self-drive car rental is available at Athens International Airport and on every major island, with Rhodes, Corfu, Crete, Santorini, and Mykonos each having their own local rental market.

• The legal minimum driving age is 18, but hire companies commonly set higher minimums and expect at least a year of licence history.
• Athens International Airport and the main airports on Crete (Heraklion and Chania), Rhodes, Corfu, Santorini, and Mykonos all have rental counters from major providers.Commonly reported
• Taking a rental car onto a Greek ferry requires the rental company's advance permission — policies vary by provider, with some allowing it for a fee, others excluding ferry-transit from collision-damage coverage, and most not permitting drop-off on a different island than pickup.Commonly reported
• The practical norm for island-hopping is to rent a separate car on each island you visit rather than assume one rental can travel with you by ferry.Commonly reported
• Typical documents requested at pickup are your original licence, an IDP if applicable, your passport, and a credit card in the main driver's name for the deposit.

Keep your original driving licence, and your International Driving Permit if you're carrying one, together as your standard document set any time you're driving in Greece.

• Your original licence, and your IDP if you're carrying one, should be kept together and accessible at all times while driving.
• 112 is the emergency number that works from any phone on any network, including foreign SIMs — direct lines are 100 for police, 166 for ambulance, and 199 for fire.Commonly reported
• 171 is a dedicated Tourist Police line for visitors needing English-language assistance.Commonly reported

Greece's four land-border neighbors have genuinely different crossing rules — Bulgaria is a free-flow Schengen border, while Albania, North Macedonia, and Turkey all require a passport check.

• Bulgaria is a Schengen and EU member, so crossing by road is normally free-flow with no routine document checks.Commonly reported
• Albania and North Macedonia are outside both the EU and Schengen, so crossing into either requires a passport check at the border.Commonly reported
• Turkey is also outside the EU and Schengen, and crossing requires a passport check along with any visa Turkey requires for your nationality.Commonly reported
• Tell your rental company in advance if you're planning to cross into any neighboring country, since cross-border coverage needs to be confirmed rather than assumed.Commonly reported