Motorbike and scooter insurance in Greece:
the rules, the 125cc trap and the covers that matter.

Updated 26 October 2026Reading time 12 minBy Leadinsure, registered insurance agent (no. ΧΑΝ/395) · How we are paid

Yes, motorbike insurance is compulsory in Greece. Every motorbike, scooter and moped on Greek plates must have third-party liability cover from the day it is registered, whether it is ridden or not, unless it has been officially immobilised. The legal minimum is the same as for a car: €1,300,000 per injured person and €1,300,000 per accident for damage to property. Since 1 June 2025, wildfire and flood cover has been compulsory too. An uninsured bike is fined €250. Third-party cover pays the people you harm, including your passenger, but nothing for your own injuries or your bike, which is why optional covers matter more on two wheels. Two points catch many newcomers out: a foreign car licence does not let you ride a 125cc scooter in Greece, and delivery work must be declared to the insurer. Rules checked in October 2026.

Is motorbike insurance compulsory in Greece?

Greek law requires the owner or keeper of every motor vehicle normally based in Greece to insure its third-party liability. The duty runs from the day the registration certificate and plates are issued and does not depend on whether the vehicle is actually used; the only way out is an official immobilisation (art. 2 §1 π.δ. 237/1986, as replaced by art. 4 ν. 5113/2024). The law treats as a vehicle any motor vehicle with a top design speed above 25 km/h, or above 14 km/h if it weighs more than 25 kg (art. 1 π.δ. 237/1986, as replaced by art. 3 ν. 5113/2024). So the duty covers motorbikes, scooters and mopeds, petrol or electric. Electric kick scooters have had their own rules since 24 July 2026: see our guide to e-scooter insurance in Greece.

The electronic checks run twice a year, on a reference date in the first ten days of March and of August, and catch an uninsured bike even if it never moved. The Road Traffic Code (ν. 5209/2025) also penalises riding without proof of insurance. Our guide to the uninsured vehicle fine in Greece explains the checks and how to appeal.

Not riding this winter? Immobilise the bike properly

A private motorcycle can be declared immobilised (ακινησία) online in myCAR, the vehicle service of AADE, the Greek tax authority. The plates come off and the bike stays in a private closed space at the address you declare (art. 62 ν. 5177/2025). Third-party cover is then no longer compulsory, but wildfire and flood cover still is. If the bike is found being ridden, or parked anywhere else, the fine is €10,000. Our guide to taking a vehicle off the road in Greece has the details.

Third party only, or more? Theft, fire, rider accident, roadside

Third-party cover pays other people: pedestrians, other road users and your passenger for their injuries, and other people for damage to their vehicles and property. EU law requires it to cover all passengers other than the driver (Directive 2009/103/EC, art. 12). It pays nothing for the rider's own injuries and nothing for the bike. If another rider or driver caused the accident, their insurer pays you; if you come off on your own, on gravel, oil or a pothole, your own policy pays only for the covers you added.

Your compulsory cover also applies in every other EU country on the same premium, at that country's legal minimum or the Greek one if it is higher (Directive 2009/103/EC, art. 14). Optional covers and roadside assistance apply where the policy says, so check them before a trip abroad.

After a crash

The steps are the same as for a car. Make the scene safe and, if anyone is hurt, call 112 and the police on 100, and wait for the police (Road Traffic Code, art. 47). Take photos and exchange details, then tell your insurer immediately, and within 8 working days at the latest (art. 9 π.δ. 237/1986). Our guide to a car accident in Greece covers every step, and it applies to motorbikes too.

The 125cc licence trap for foreign car-licence holders

A 125cc scooter looks like the easy option, and many newcomers assume their car licence covers it. In Greece, a foreign car licence does not.

A 125cc motorcycle is category A1: up to 125cc, up to 11 kW and a power-to-weight ratio up to 0.1 kW/kg (Directive 2006/126/EC, art. 4). To ride one in Greece you need A1, A2 or A on your licence. Three rules explain why a car licence is not enough:

• Greek code 121 is for Greek licences only. A Greek category B (car) licence can have the national code 121 added, which allows A1 motorcycles only within Greece. It is added on application, with conditions on age, years of holding a car licence and practical lessons at a driving school (mitos.gov.gr, the Greek register of administrative procedures). A foreign licence cannot carry it.
• Equivalences from home stop at the border. EU law lets each country allow its car-licence holders to ride A1 motorcycles, but only for driving on its own territory (Directive 2006/126/EC, art. 6 §3(b)). If your car licence lets you ride a 125cc at home, that right does not follow you to Greece. A new EU licence directive provides for mutual recognition of these equivalences between the countries that grant them, but only from 26 November 2029 (Directive (EU) 2025/2205).
• A recognised licence counts only for what it covers. Greek law recognises EU licences of the matching category, and US, Canadian, Australian and UK licences during your stay (Road Traffic Code, art. 98 §3). A licence without a motorcycle category does not cover a motorcycle.

Mopeds with a top speed of up to 45 km/h (category AM) are different. Under EU law, a licence of any category is also valid for AM, unless the country that issued it has limited this for its own licences (Directive 2006/126/EC, art. 6 §2(d)). So an EU car licence normally covers a moped. With a licence from outside the EU, check with the regional transport authority before you ride.

Riding without the right licence is a category Ε4 offence: a €500 fine for mopeds and motorcycles, on-the-spot removal of your driving licence for one year (if you hold one) and of the bike's registration documents for 30 days (Road Traffic Code, ν. 5209/2025, art. 98 §4α). If you cause serious injury or death while riding without the right licence, the criminal penalties for dangerous driving apply (§4γ).

If you live in Greece, code 121 becomes an option only once you hold a Greek car licence and meet its conditions; otherwise you need a motorcycle category on your licence. Tell us your licence category and the country that issued it when you ask for a quote, and we check it first.

Insuring a scooter as a foreigner: what we need

Foreigners insure a motorbike in Greece in the same way as Greek riders, under the same rules. For a quote, we need:

• The bike: the details of the registration certificate (άδεια κυκλοφορίας), or the make, model, engine size and year if you have not bought it yet.
• The rider: date of birth, licence category, the country that issued the licence and the date you got it. If someone else will ride the bike, their details too.
• Where the bike is kept overnight: the postcode, and whether it is in a garage or on the street.
• How you use it: leisure, commuting, or work and deliveries (see the last section).
• Your claims history: a claims-history statement from your last insurer, if you have one.
• The covers you want on top of third-party cover: theft, fire, rider's accident, roadside assistance.

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. No AFM yet? Tell us: whether an insurer can issue a policy without one depends on the insurer.

Your claims history from abroad

You can ask your insurer for a claims-history statement at any time, and a Greek insurer must issue it within 15 days. A Greek insurer that takes these statements into account must treat those from other EU countries like Greek ones, and may not charge more because of your nationality (art. 6γ π.δ. 237/1986, as replaced by art. 7 ν. 5113/2024). It does not have to give a discount, and histories from the UK or other non-EU countries are at the insurer's discretion. Our car insurance guide explains this in more detail.

Buying a used scooter

Transfers of private cars and motorcycles are done online through gov.gr, so you need an AFM and TAXISnet codes. Once the transfer request is in, the buyer receives a certificate to insure and ride the bike in Greece for 30 days (art. 2 §2β ν. 722/1977, as replaced by art. 82 ν. 4954/2022). Arrange your own cover from day one: the seller's policy is not yours. Before you pay, enter the plate in the official gov.gr vehicle information service to see whether the bike is insured, immobilised or reported stolen, and check that your licence covers it.

Motorbike theft cover: what to check

Theft is an optional cover, and the details differ from policy to policy. Before you choose, check:

• Total and partial theft. Does it pay only if the whole bike disappears, or also for stolen parts and accessories, and for damage from an attempted theft?
• The value it pays. Unless the policy says otherwise, the payout is based on the bike's current value when it is stolen, not on what you paid for it (ν. 2496/1997, art. 16 §1). An agreed value needs a separate written valuation (§3).
• The waiting period. For a total theft, the insurer first waits to see whether the bike is found. The period is set in the policy, not by law: check how long it is and from when it counts.
• Security conditions. Some policies require a lock, an alarm or a closed space at night. Accept only conditions you can actually meet, and ask what happens if the keys were left with the bike.
• The excess you pay yourself on a theft claim.
• A GPS tracker helps to recover a stolen bike, and some insurers lower the theft premium for one, with no standard percentage.

If your bike is stolen

1. Report it to the police straight away and keep a copy of the report.
2. Tell your insurer as soon as possible. The general deadline in Greek insurance law is 8 days from when you find out (ν. 2496/1997, art. 7).
3. Keep the keys, the registration certificate and the purchase papers: the insurer usually asks for them.

Business use and deliveries must be declared

A policy covers the use it states. If you deliver food or parcels, carry goods for pay or use the bike for work, tell the insurer before you start, not after an accident.

Greek law excludes from compulsory cover the damage caused by a vehicle used differently from the use stated in the policy and in the registration certificate, where that use is linked to the accident (art. 6β §1γ π.δ. 237/1986). The people you injure are still paid (§3), but the insurer may then claim the money back from you. Optional covers can exclude undeclared use as well, and Greek insurance law requires you to tell the insurer about changes that increase the risk while the policy runs (ν. 2496/1997, art. 4).

• Riding for a delivery platform or a courier company? Any insurance the platform or your employer provides is a separate contract: ask what it covers, for whom and when, before you rely on it.
• Bikes owned by your business? Tell us the use shown on each registration certificate, and ask for a business quote covering all of them.

How Leadinsure can help

Leadinsure is an insurance agency (registered insurance agent) for individuals and businesses. We ask the insurers we work with for proposals for your bike and explain them side by side, from third-party cover to theft, fire, rider's accident and roadside assistance. Everything can be arranged by phone and email, so it does not matter where you are when you need cover. We reply within 24 hours on working days, with no obligation. You pay us no separate fee: our commission is already included in the premium. Ask for a motorbike quote, call +30 28210 86065 or email info@leadinsure.gr.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

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