Car insurance in Greece for foreigners:
the rules, the covers and how to get a quote.

Updated 26 October 2026Reading time 11 minBy Leadinsure, registered insurance agent (no. ΧΑΝ/395) · How we are paid

Yes, you need car insurance in Greece, and foreigners buy the same policies as Greek drivers. Every vehicle with Greek plates must have at least third-party liability cover, even when it is parked, unless it has been officially taken off the road. The legal minimum is €1,300,000 per injured person and €1,300,000 per accident for damage to property. Since 1 June 2025, vehicles normally based in Greece must also be insured against wildfire and flood; there is no fine, but without this cover you lose state disaster aid for the vehicle. Electronic checks every March and August find uninsured vehicles: the fine is €500 for a car and €250 for a motorbike. Below are the rules that matter most to expats.

Do you need car insurance in Greece? The legal minimum

Greek law requires third-party liability insurance for every vehicle normally based in Greece, from the day it receives Greek registration and plates, whether it is driven or not, including motorbikes, scooters and mopeds (art. 2 §1 π.δ. 237/1986, as replaced by art. 4 ν. 5113/2024). The only exception is a vehicle that has been officially immobilised (see the section on uninsured cars). The minimum amounts, in force since 1 January 2022 (art. 6 §5 π.δ. 237/1986, as replaced by art. 5 §3 ν. 5113/2024), are:

• Death or bodily injury: €1,300,000 per injured person.
• Damage to property: €1,300,000 per accident, whatever the number of victims.

These amounts are valid as of October 2026; the next EU inflation review is due by mid-2027. The third-party cover of a Greek policy also applies in every other EU country, at the level that country requires, or at the Greek level if that is higher (Directive 2009/103/EC, art. 14).

Wildfire and flood cover: compulsory since 1 June 2025

Since 1 June 2025, motor vehicles normally based in Greece, including private cars and motorbikes, must also be insured against wildfire and flood, at their current market value, whether it is driven or not and even when it is immobilised (art. 5A ν. 5116/2024; ΚΥΑ 94798 ΕΞ 2025, ΦΕΚ Β' 2706/02.06.2025). Earthquake is not included.

Third-party car insurance in Greece: what it covers and what it does not

Third-party liability pays other people for the harm you cause. It does not pay for your own car: if another driver caused the accident, their insurer pays you.

Extra covers worth knowing

• Own damage (in Greek «μικτή», often called "comprehensive"): pays for repairs to your car even when you caused the accident, usually after an excess that you pay yourself on each claim.
• Theft and fire: check the conditions about keys left in the car.
• Glass: check whether lights and mirrors are included.
• Roadside assistance: check that it covers breakdowns, not only accidents, and what it offers on the islands.
• Legal protection and driver's personal accident cover, because third-party cover never pays the driver.

Insurers word these covers differently, with their own excesses and exclusions: compare the terms, not only the price.

How do you insure a car in Greece as a foreigner?

Foreigners insure a car in Greece in the same way as Greek drivers:

1. Greek plates. The policy follows the vehicle's registration. For foreign plates, see below.
2. Documents. For a quote we only need the details of the registration certificate (άδεια κυκλοφορίας) and of your driving licence; you do not have to send documents with your request. The documents needed to issue the policy (passport, residence permit, Greek tax number) vary by insurer, and we tell you in advance.
3. Tax number (AFM). No AFM yet? Tell us: whether an insurer can issue a policy without one depends on the insurer.
4. Claims history. Bring a claims-history statement from your last insurer.
5. Start date. Cover must start on the day the car becomes yours, because a car with Greek plates must be insured even when it is parked, unless it is officially immobilised. The Road Traffic Code (ν. 5209/2025) also fines drivers who do not carry proof of insurance.

Buying a used car in Greece as a foreigner

Used-car transfers are done online through gov.gr: the seller enters the buyer's AFM and the buyer accepts with personal TAXISnet codes. Foreign buyers may be asked for an EU registration certificate or a residence permit. The buyer then receives a certificate to insure and drive the car in Greece for 30 days (art. 2 §2β ν. 722/1977, as amended by art. 82 ν. 4954/2022). Do not rely on the seller's policy: arrange your own from the first day. Before you pay, you can enter the plate number in the official gov.gr vehicle information service to see whether the car is insured, immobilised or reported stolen.

Bringing a car from abroad

An EU-registered car is covered in Greece by its home-country compulsory policy (Directive 2009/103/EC, art. 14). Visitors who live abroad may drive an insured, foreign-registered car here for up to 6 months in any 12 (AADE). Residents who keep an EU-registered car without registering it in Greece face fines of €2,500 to €10,000 for a car, depending on engine size (art. 154 ν. 5222/2025). See our guide to foreign plates in Greece.

How much does car insurance cost in Greece?

It depends on you and your car, so a general figure would not tell you what you will pay: the same driver can get quite different prices from different insurers. The premium depends mainly on engine size, the driver's age and experience, claims history, where the car is kept, its use, the length of the policy and, for own-damage and theft cover, the value of the car. Send us the details of the registration certificate and of your licence through the quote form, and we reply within 24 hours on working days with the options of the insurance companies we work with, side by side, or with any detail we still need. There is no obligation.

Driving in Greece with a foreign licence

Foreign licences are covered by article 98 §3 of the Road Traffic Code (ν. 5209/2025), provided you meet the Greek minimum age for the vehicle.

Because §3η recognises US, Canadian, Australian and UK licences directly, Greek law does not require an International Driving Permit for them, but rental companies may ask for one.

UK licence holders who live in Greece: the Greek text sets no time limit, but the UK government's Living in Greece guidance (March 2026) advises exchanging after 6 months, and Greece confirms a test-free exchange only for people covered by the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement (in general, UK nationals who were already living in Greece before 2021). If you moved after Brexit, ask your regional Transport Directorate.

Driving without the right licence costs €700 for a private car and €500 for a motorbike, plus removal of the licence for one year and of the vehicle's registration for 30 days (art. 98 §4α).

Riding a 125cc scooter on a car licence: the code 121 trap

Holders of a Greek car licence can ride a 125cc scooter only if code 121 has been added to it. The code is valid only in Greece and has conditions, such as age 27 or over, a car licence held for more than 6 years and practical lessons at a driving school. A foreign car licence does not include it: without a motorcycle category on your licence (A1, A2 or A), riding a 125cc means driving without the right licence.

Our guide to motorbike and scooter insurance in Greece explains the licence rules for scooters and motorbikes, and what they mean for your insurance, in full.

Can you transfer your no-claims bonus to Greece?

Partly, and Greek law helps. Under art. 6γ π.δ. 237/1986, as replaced by art. 7 ν. 5113/2024:

• You can ask your insurer for a claims-history statement at any time. A Greek insurer must issue it within 15 days, covering the last five years of your contract.
• A Greek insurer that takes these statements into account must treat those from other EU countries as equivalent to Greek ones.
• It may not raise your premium because of your nationality, or just because of the EU country you lived in before.

The law does not oblige any insurer to give a discount, and each insurer has its own bonus-malus scale, so the same statement can be worth more with one insurer than with another. UK, US and other non-EU histories are outside this rule: each insurer decides whether to consider them, and we ask for you.

Uninsured car in Greece: electronic checks and fines

Twice a year, on a reference date in the first ten days of March and of August, the state cross-checks the vehicle register against insurance data, even for cars that have not moved; immobilised vehicles are not fined (ν. 5113/2024, arts 21–24). An uninsured car is fined €500, a motorbike €250 and a public-use bus or truck €1,000, doubled for a repeat within 3 years. If the vehicle is still uninsured at a second check within 3 months, the registration and plates are removed. At a roadside police check, the driving licence is also removed for 6 months. Our guide to the uninsured vehicle fine in Greece explains the checks, how to appeal within 10 working days and who pays if an uninsured driver hits you.

Leaving Greece for months: immobilise the car properly

You can declare a private car or motorbike immobilised (ακινησία) in myCAR, the online service of AADE (the Greek tax authority), with your TAXISnet codes, then remove the plates and keep it in a private closed space at the declared address (art. 62 ν. 5177/2025).

• Third-party cover is then not compulsory, but the wildfire and flood cover still is (ΚΥΑ 94798 ΕΞ 2025).
• If the car is found being driven, or parked anywhere other than the declared address, the fine is €10,000 plus the year's road tax, and €30,000 for a repeat with the same car within 5 years.
• Declare by 31 December 2026 to avoid road tax for 2027. From 1 April you can put the car back on the road once a year for a few months, paying road tax by the month (art. 62Α ν. 5177/2025).
• Coming back: insure the car first, pay the road tax, then lift the immobilisation in myCAR.

After an accident: the essentials

Our guide to a car accident in Greece covers every step at the scene, who pays and what changes with a foreign-registered or rental car. The essentials:

1. Make the scene safe and, if anyone is hurt, call 112 and the police on 100. With injuries, the law requires you to wait at the scene for the police (Road Traffic Code, art. 47).
2. Take photos and exchange details before the cars are moved, unless they are a danger.
3. Fill in the accident statement form with the other driver, describing facts, not fault.
4. Tell your insurer immediately, and within 8 working days at the latest (art. 9 π.δ. 237/1986). Do not repair the car before the insurer's assessor has seen it.

The other driver's insurer must make a reasoned offer, or give a reasoned reply, within 3 months of your claim (art. 6 §6 π.δ. 237/1986). If that vehicle was uninsured, the Auxiliary Fund (Επικουρικό Κεφάλαιο) compensates victims under the conditions of the law, and then claims the money back from the person liable.

How Leadinsure can help

Leadinsure is an insurance agency (registered insurance agent) for individuals and businesses. We work with you by phone and online, wherever you are. We ask the insurance companies we work with for proposals for your case, explain their covers and prices side by side and help you report a claim. There is no obligation, and you pay us no separate fee: our commission is already included in the premium. Request a quote, call +30 28210 86065 (Mon–Fri 09:00–16:00 and 17:30–20:30, Sat 09:00–14:00, Greek time) or email info@leadinsure.gr. We reply within 24 hours on working days.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

The laws, decisions and official pages we checked for this guide. Many of them are in Greek.