Greece on an Indian Licence — The IDP Is the Bit You Can't Skip

Greece rewards drivers who explore beyond the ferry ports, but for an Indian visitor there is one box to tick that other nationalities can sometimes skip. Get it sorted at home and the trip is simple.

The IDP is genuinely required here

Greece requires an International Driving Permit for licences that are not in Latin script. That makes the IDP less of a polite suggestion and more of a document you should not travel without — it is the recognised translation Greek police and rental desks rely on. Arrange it in India before you fly, because you cannot obtain one once you arrive, and carry it together with your Indian licence and passport. If you want to be certain of your specific requirement, the Driving Permit Checker confirms it in a moment.

You change sides too

India drives on the left; Greece drives on the right. This is the on-the-road adjustment that catches first-timers — pulling out of a fuel station, joining a roundabout that now flows the other way, or glancing the wrong direction at a junction. The risk is concentrated in your first day, so start somewhere quiet rather than in central Athens, and check twice before every turn until it stops feeling reversed.

Speeds, cameras and alcohol

Motorways allow 130 km/h, faster than the 120 you have at home, with rural roads at 90 and towns at 50 — and it is the urban 50 that usually trips people up. Greece runs both fixed cameras and mobile patrols, and a roughly 10 km/h overspeed commonly costs around EUR 40, issued on the spot; the Speeding Fine Calculator gives a quick estimate. The blood-alcohol limit is 0.05, slightly above India’s 0.03, but with summer enforcement heavy in tourist areas the safe choice is none before driving.

Kit, fuel and contacts

The car must legally carry a warning triangle, first-aid kit and fire extinguisher; rentals are usually equipped, but confirm it. Petrol runs around $1.92 a litre, and prices climb on the islands, so fill up before any remote stretch. The general emergency number is 112.

Read the complete rules on our Greece driving guide before you collect the keys, and put the IDP at the top of your pre-trip list.