Article 98

Driver’s Licenses – Penalties – Licenses for Driving Instructors

1. To drive mopeds, light quadricycles, motorcycles, motorized tricycles, quadricycles, and cars, you must hold the appropriate category of driver’s license. The categories of driver’s licenses, the progression and equivalence between categories, as well as the issuance, renewal, and mutual recognition and exchange of such licenses are defined in Presidential Decree 51/2012 (A’ 101).

2. It is prohibited to operate mopeds and light quadricycles, motorcycles, motorized tricycles, quadricycles, and automobiles:

(a) by persons who do not hold a valid Greek driver’s license of the appropriate class. This prohibition does not apply to persons who are undergoing training or taking an exam to obtain or renew a driver’s license of a specific category, provided they are in possession of the required documents for that purpose,

(b) by persons who do not hold a valid Greek special license or a valid Greek certificate, which are required to drive certain categories of vehicles

road vehicles, even if they hold a driver’s license under subparagraph (a),

(c) specifically for mopeds with a maximum factory-rated speed of up to twenty-five (25) kilometers per hour, by persons under the age of fifteen (15).

(d) persons whose driver’s license has automatically expired because they no longer meet the required physical and mental fitness standards under which it was issued, as defined in Annex III of Presidential Decree 51/2012.

3. The following are not subject to the prohibitions set forth in subparagraph (a) of paragraph 2, provided they have reached the minimum age required for the issuance of a Greek driver’s license: (a) holders of a valid driver’s license of the corresponding class issued by a Member State of the European Union or by Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein,

(b) holders of a valid international driver’s license issued by any country other than Greece who do not have their habitual residence in Greece,

(c) holders of a valid driver’s license issued by countries outside the European Union, with which Greece has concluded a specific agreement that has been ratified by law, and who do not have their habitual residence in Greece, (d) holders of a valid driver’s license as defined in international conventions or agreements that have been ratified by law and who do not have their habitual residence in Greece,

(e) drivers of mopeds, motorcycles, motorized tricycles, quadricycles, and automobiles belonging to the Greek armed forces or law enforcement agencies, provided they hold a valid driver’s license issued by their respective competent authorities,

(f) members of diplomatic missions and consular posts, members of international organizations and offices of international organizations in Greece, and their family members who are nationals of third countries, other than those of the Member States of the European Union, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein, as well as holders of an identity card issued by the Protocol Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, provided they hold a valid driver’s license from their country, provided that it is accompanied by a certificate from the issuing authority confirming the right to drive a vehicle in the categories for which they are licensed, officially translated, (g) holders of a valid driver’s license for mopeds, motorcycles, motorized tricycles, quadricycles, and passenger cars who do not have their habitual residence in Greece and whose license was issued by a country that does not issue international driver’s licenses. To this end, the national license for the corresponding categories must be accompanied by an official translation into Greek or English,

(h) holders of a valid driver’s license for mopeds, motorcycles, motorized tricycles, quadricycles, and passenger cars, during their stay in Greece, issued by the United States of America, Canada, the Commonwealth of Australia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Crown Dependencies (Guernsey, the Isle of Man, and Jersey) or Gibraltar.

4. a) A violation is committed by any person caught driving without holding or lacking the appropriate driver’s license, in accordance with the terms and conditions of Presidential Decree 51/2012, or whose driver’s license has been revoked or suspended for any reason, is classified as Category E4, and the offender is subject to the on-the-spot suspension of their driver’s license for one (1) year, if available, and the vehicle’s registration shall be suspended for thirty (30) days, along with the following administrative penalties, as applicable:

(aa) for mopeds, motorcycles, motorized tricycles, light quadricycles, or quadricycles, an administrative fine of five hundred (500) euros shall be imposed; (ab) for private passenger cars, an administrative fine of seven hundred (700) euros shall be imposed, (ac) for public-use passenger cars and buses, an administrative fine of one thousand (1,000) euros shall be imposed, in addition to the penalties provided for in Law 4070/2012 (A’82), (ad) for trucks, the administrative fines and penalties provided for in Law 3446/2006 (A’49) shall be imposed on the persons specified in the provisions of that law.

(b) In addition to the administrative penalties specified in subparagraph (a), any person caught driving a vehicle while their driver’s license has been revoked for violations of this law shall be punished by imprisonment for up to one (1) year and a fine of at least two thousand (2,000) euros.

(c) Any person who drives without or without holding the appropriate driver’s license, in accordance with the terms and conditions of Presidential Decree 51/2012, or whose driver’s license has been revoked or suspended pursuant to subparagraph (c) of paragraph 7 and paragraph 8 of Article 46, subparagraph (a) of this provision and paragraphs 3 and 4 of Article 100, Articles 101 and 110, if he or she causes a traffic accident, resulting in serious bodily injury, significant damage to public facilities, or the death of a large number of people, shall be punished with the penalties provided for in subparagraphs (cc) and dd) of paragraph 1 of Article 290A of the Penal Code (Law 4619/2019, A’95), concerning dangerous driving.

5. An offender is eligible to take the exams for the issuance of an (initial) driver’s license in accordance with paragraph 1, after the expiration of the period from the date on which they were found driving without a license, upon presentation of proof of payment of the administrative fine.

6. The offense committed by a person caught driving a truck or bus without holding the appropriate Certificate of Professional Competence in accordance with Presidential Decree 74/2008 (A’ 112), is classified as Category E3-B.

7. To drive vehicles in a country where a Greek driver’s license is not recognized, you must hold an international driver’s license of the appropriate category, in accordance with international conventions or agreements that have been ratified by law. The international driver’s license is issued in Greece by the national representatives of international automobile associations.