Greece on a Swiss Licence — Valid as Issued, Slower in Town

Swiss drivers can take a Swiss licence straight to Greece. Distances are in kilometres, traffic keeps right, and the alcohol limit for experienced drivers is the same 0.05% you know. The important change is the speed in towns, and the consequences of breaking it.

Why Switzerland counts without the EU

Greece does not apply an EU test here. The transport ministry’s circular on article 94 of the road traffic code treats licences from states party to the 1968 Vienna Convention as valid as they are, and Switzerland ratified it in 1991. No International Driving Permit is involved. Keep the licence with your passport or ID card, and use the Driving Permit Checker for onward routes.

Thirty in towns

Law 5209/2025 sets the built-up default at 30 km/h. 50 km/h survives only where a road has a central divider or at least two marked lanes each way, and signs can change both. Rural roads allow 90 km/h, motorways 130, which is 10 km/h above the Swiss 120. A Swiss driver accustomed to 50 in every town will exceed the Greek default without noticing, so read the signs.

A heavier price scale than at home

In Switzerland, 6 to 10 km/h over costs CHF 120 in a town, and fixed tickets stop soon after, where the case becomes income-based or falls under the Raser rule. Greece skips the small steps: the first band runs to 20 km/h over at EUR 150, but a suspension can follow from 20 over.

Other Greek fines are steep compared with home:

• Phone in hand: EUR 350 plus 30 days’ suspension; repeat offence EUR 1,000 and 180 days
• No seatbelt: EUR 350 plus 30 days’ suspension of licence and vehicle documents
• Red light: EUR 700 plus 60 days’ suspension

The Swiss equivalents are CHF 100 for a phone, CHF 60 for a seatbelt and CHF 250 for a red light. A suspension abroad is a real problem for a rental, so keep it simple and slow down. For another speed, try the Speeding Fine Calculator.

Alcohol

The general limit is 0.05%, the same as Switzerland’s 0.5 per mille. Novice and professional drivers are held to 0.02%.

What must be in the car

Greece’s record lists a fire extinguisher, first-aid kit and warning triangle as required. In Switzerland only the triangle is required. Rental cars normally include the full kit, but open the boot and look. If you take your own car across, add the extinguisher and kit before you cross.

Islands, mountains and ferries

Off the toll motorways, expect narrow mountain bends, scooters on island roads and ferry ramps that need careful, slow handling. Download offline maps for places where the signal fades.

Planning your first day on Greek roads

Pick up the car in daylight and keep the first drive short. Check the dashboard language and the units: the speedometer will be in km/h, the same as at home. Set your sat-nav to show the speed limit if the app supports it, because the 30 km/h default in towns is easy to miss on roads that look like 50 km/h streets in Switzerland. If your hotel is in a village, assume the lower figure unless a sign shows otherwise, and leave margin for the ferry timetable so that you are never hurrying through a built-up area.

Keep your licence and ID with you every time you drive. An officer who stops you will want to see the licence, and a suspension notice would be a trip-ending problem, so the cheap precaution of staying under the limit is worth it.

Emergency numbers

112 works anywhere. The direct lines are 100 for police, 166 for ambulance and 199 for fire, none of which match Switzerland’s 117, 144 and 118. The Greece driving guide has the rest.

Sources

• Greek transport ministry circular Δ30/Α3/5599 (9 January 2023) on recognising foreign licences under art. 94 par. 3 of the road traffic code: diavgeia.gov.gr
• UN Treaty Collection, 1968 Convention on Road Traffic, with the ratification years for Switzerland (1991) and Greece (1986): treaties.un.org
• Greece’s new road traffic code, Law 5209/2025, articles 20 and 24, covering default limits and the fine ladder: taxheaven.gr
• WHO road safety report 2023, Greece country profile, for the 0.05 and 0.02 limits: who.int
• The Swiss federal portal ch.ch on alcohol limits, for the 0.5 per mille figure: ch.ch
• Global Affairs Canada travel advice for Greece, for 112 and police 100: travel.gc.ca