Car Driving Rules for the USA Citizens in Greece

1. Car Driving Rules for the USA Citizens in Greece _____________________________________________ If you are a citizen of the United States of America and staying in Greece as a tourist or a temporary resident for less than six months than besides having the permanent license issued by the local authorities of your state, you should also have an international driver’s permit (IDP) issued by the American Automobile Association or American Automobile Touring Alliance for driving or renting a car in Greece. To get the IDP you should apply to AAA through an email, but as this is a long process and might take several days to accomplish all the necessary formalities, it is advised to consult either your traveling agency. If you are going to Greece or any of its island, let’s, for instance, say the island of Paxos and planning to rent a car in Paxos to visit its surrounding areas, then make sure that you carry all the required documents accordingly in the absence of which you might be charged high fine or even asked to make full payment of damage in case of an accident. Here, one more thing which needs to be mentioned more importantly is that for the citizens of the United States of America who are visiting Greece to stay for more than 185 days, it is necessary to obtain the driving license issued by the traffic authorities of the Greek city where you are staying. In the absence of a Greek driving license, you might have under the trial in court and be regarded as a criminal in the eyes of laws until you are not proven innocent.

2. Important things to consider: If you are a citizen of the United States of America, then below are important things to consider before leaving for Greece: 1.Renewing your driving license: If your license is soon going to expire before your trip to Greece make sure to renew it from the Department of Motor Vehicles in your city, before starting your journey. The U.S. Embassy has nothing to do with the renewal or replacement of the driving licenses. Some of the states in U.S. issue license to the persons who are the actual resident of the particular state, if any of the applicants is no longer the resident of that specific state, in that condition his/her license may not be considered for the renewal. 2.Converting your U.S driving license to a Greek driving license: For this, the U.S tourists are required to satisfy the following conditions. a.Regular stay in Greece b.He doesn’t have any other license issued by the traffic department of some other country, except the one which is to be converted into the Greek license. c.Has a valid U.S. driving license. d.He/she has attained the required driving age in each of the categories. e.He/she should be mentally and physically fit to drive any of the vehicles. 3.Documents required for the conversion of a driving license: a.Application/Sworn Statement of law. b.Photocopy of the U.S. passport. c.Photocopy of the legal permit for residing in Greece or any other similar document (if the applicant does not have the Greek nationality). d.Valid U.S. driving license, as the temporary driving license, cannot be converted. e.Translation of the U.S. driving license by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or an attorney. f.Recent colored photograph for identification. g.Two medical certificates, issued by an oculist and a pathologist respectively, from a Medical Committee of 2nd degree, with two revenue stamps of €45 each, issued by the National Bank of Greece strictly according to the legislative order No. 638/1970 and four passport size photos. h.The applicant should also request a statement from the Department of Motor Vehicles on his state to verify that his license has not been withheld or revoked for breaking any type of traffic rules within the state/country. So, now if you are the citizen of the United States of America and planning to rent a car in Greece during your holidays then follow the above-mentioned guidelines to avoid any trouble.