Greece on a UK Licence — The Side Switch Is the Whole Story

The drink-drive question first, since it is what British readers ask most. Greece sets its limit at 0.05, against 0.08 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. GOV.UK describes it as “more than two-thirds of England’s legal limit” and warns that a driver over it could face a fine and possible imprisonment. In practice that means one drink can put you at the line, so treat Greece as a zero-alcohol country behind the wheel.

On paperwork: GOV.UK says you can drive in Greece on a UK photocard licence. No International Driving Permit is required for that card. Anyone still holding the old paper licence may need to swap it for a photocard or carry the 1968 version of the IDP as well, so check which one is in your wallet before you book. Hire firms can be stricter than the law; GOV.UK mentions a year of driving experience, a higher minimum age and an IDP as conditions some of them set. Read the rental terms for your pick-up date, not just the legal minimum.

Driving to Greece from the UK in your own car

Some searchers are planning the overland run rather than a flight and a hire car. GOV.UK points you to its check on whether your car needs a UK sticker outside the UK, and sends you to the RAC’s Greece guide for the rules of the road and other legal requirements. Greek law expects a fire extinguisher, a first-aid kit and a warning triangle on board, so a car that has crossed several countries should carry all three before the Greek border. The Driving Permit Checker lets you test your own licence type against the destination.

The side switch and the first day

Greece drives on the right; you are used to the left. Roundabouts circulate the other way, the traffic you must check first comes from the opposite side, and the old reflex at a quiet T-junction is to look right and pull out into the path of an oncoming car. Pick up the car somewhere calm. An airport on an island, rather than central Athens, gives you a few unhurried kilometres to rewire. Say “keep to the right” aloud at each junction until you stop needing to.

Speed limits in miles per hour

Greek signs are in kilometres per hour, so a UK car’s mph dial needs converting in your head.

Fines are heavier and licences get suspended

Greece’s speeding scale under the new road code (Law 5209/2025, article 24) climbs fast:

• up to 20 km/h over: EUR 150
• 20-30 km/h over: EUR 150 and a 20-day licence suspension
• 30-50 km/h over: EUR 350 and a 30-day suspension of licence and vehicle documents
• more than 50 km/h over: EUR 700 and 60 days

A hand-held phone brings EUR 350 and a 30-day suspension on a first offence, and EUR 1,000 with 180 days on a repeat. Running a red light is EUR 700 and 60 days; no seatbelt is EUR 350 and 30 days. By comparison, the UK’s phone penalty is GBP 200 and 6 points. A suspension on holiday can strand a rental, so the euro figure is the smaller worry.

What Greek traffic is like

GOV.UK says traffic can be busy, fast and chaotic, especially in larger cities, and that local drivers regularly ignore speed limits, including in built-up areas. It also warns that drivers do not always stop at pedestrian crossings, and that a green pedestrian signal can let cars turn right across the crossing. Cross on foot with care, and as a driver, expect others to be unpredictable at crossings.

Emergency numbers

• 112: general emergency line
• Police: 100
• Ambulance: 166
• Fire: 199

That differs from the 999 you know at home, although 112 also works in the UK. Put the Greek numbers in your phone when you collect the keys. Wider local detail is in the Greece driving guide.

Sources

• GOV.UK foreign travel advice, Greece, safety and security (photocard licence valid; paper licence and 1968 IDP; hire-firm requirements; alcohol at two-thirds of England’s limit; traffic and crossings): gov.uk