Greece on an Irish Licence — No IDP Needed, but You Switch Sides

The licence question is the easy bit for an Irish driver in Greece. The thing that demands attention is one Irish visitors always underestimate: you are about to drive on the other side of the road.

An Irish licence is all the paperwork you need

There is no IDP needed. Ireland and Greece are both EU members, so your Irish licence is valid in Greece without a permit or translation for a normal visit. Keep your licence, passport and the car’s registration and insurance papers together and you are legal. The Driving Permit Checker confirms it. Greece does not run a vignette; tolls on motorways are paid at toll stations, so there is nothing to buy before you set off.

Switching to the right

Ireland drives on the left; Greece drives on the right. The danger window is your first day: joining a roundabout that now flows the opposite way, a reflex glance the wrong direction at a junction, or pulling out of a petrol station onto the wrong side. Take your first hour on quiet roads rather than in Athens traffic, and stay deliberate at every turn until right-hand driving stops feeling backwards. Irish rental cars are right-hand drive; a Greek hire car is left-hand drive, so the gear lever is now on your right and the mirror view changes.

Limits side by side

Town limits in Greece are posted and change, so read the signs. Cameras and mobile patrols both operate.

Fines are heavier than at home

Greece’s speeding bands under the 2025 code are EUR 150 for up to 20 km/h over; EUR 150 plus a 20-day licence suspension at 20-30 over; EUR 350 plus a 30-day suspension of licence and vehicle documents at 30-50 over; and EUR 700 plus 60 days beyond 50. Compare Ireland’s EUR 160 fixed charge plus three penalty points. Other Greek offences cost far more than the Irish equivalents:

• Phone in hand: EUR 350 and a 30-day licence suspension (Ireland: EUR 60 plus 3 points)
• No seatbelt: EUR 350 and a 30-day suspension (Ireland: EUR 60 plus 3 points)
• Red light: EUR 700 and a 60-day suspension (Ireland: EUR 80 plus 3 points)

A suspension is a bigger problem for a visitor than the fine, because the licence can be taken on the spot.

Greek roads and the island factor

Road quality varies away from the main motorways, mountain routes are narrow and winding, and local driving is assertive, with close following and confident overtaking. Leave a buffer and let pushy traffic past. Reaching the islands means car ferries; book vehicle space ahead in summer, and expect steep, rough island roads once you land. Check your rental contract covers ferry crossings before you sign.

Kit and emergency numbers

A Greek car must carry a warning triangle, fire extinguisher and first-aid kit; in Ireland these are only recommended. Emergency numbers also differ from Ireland’s single 112: 112 works for anything, while 100 is police, 166 ambulance and 199 fire. The rest of the national rules sit in the Greece driving guide.

Your first day, step by step

Collect the car in daylight and spend ten minutes in the car park before leaving: seat, mirrors, lights, wipers. Photograph the bodywork. Set the map before moving, because a phone in hand brings the heavy fine above. Drive a short loop on wide roads, then try a roundabout when traffic is light. At junctions, say the rule aloud: look left first when crossing from a side road, keep to the right on exit. Avoid driving at night until the right-hand habit holds, particularly on mountain roads with few lights.

Sources

• Greek Highway Code (KOK), art. 94 par. 3 (foreign licences; EU licences recognised)
• Law 5209/2025 (new KOK), art. 24 (speeding fines and suspensions) and the offence scale for phone, seatbelt and red light