Greece begins major overhaul of driving licences with EU-standard cards and digital integration

Greece is entering a caller epoch regarding driving licences. The replacement of aged driving licences has already begun and affects each operator successful the country, careless of property oregon licence category. This is 1 of the biggest changes to the driving strategy successful decades, and this clip determination volition beryllium nary extensions.

The replacement is being carried retired gradually, successful stages, depending connected the issuance twelvemonth and batch of each licence. The archetypal cardinal deadline was 19 January 2026, which applied to circumstantial categories of older licences. The last deadline for everyone is 19 January 2033. After that date, nary aged licence—whether insubstantial oregon older-format card—will beryllium considered valid. Those who person not replaced their licence volition simply not beryllium capable to thrust legally.

European format: 1 paper for the full EU

The caller driving licence follows a modular EU-wide paper format, communal to each subordinate states. This means an extremity to the aged Greek insubstantial documents and older multi-coloured booklets that were utilized for decades.

The caller format makes verification and designation easier crossed each EU countries, with the extremity of afloat system harmonisation at the European level by the extremity of the decade.

Digital driving licence connected mobile phones

The large displacement is not lone the caller carnal card. A integer driving licence stored successful a mobile wallet is successful precocious stages of improvement and volition person adjacent ineligible validity to the carnal document. Authorities volition beryllium capable to verify it instantly, some successful Greece and abroad, arsenic the strategy volition run crossed the EU. In Greece, however, this has already been successful spot for 3 years. Other EU countries are present moving successful the aforesaid direction, with the purpose of afloat cross-border recognition.

Everything present via gov.gr

The replacement process is afloat digital. Using TaxisNet credentials, citizens tin use online, upload required documents, wage fees electronically, and take location transportation oregon postulation from a nationalist office. Medical examinations are besides present linked to authorities systems for improved oversight.

New rules for older drivers

The changes bash not lone interest the licence format. Renewal rules for older drivers are being tightened: from property 65, licences indispensable beryllium renewed each 3 years, and from property 80 each 2 years. Each renewal requires mandatory aesculapian checks by a wide practitioner, ophthalmologist, and different specialists.

What other is coming astatine the EU level

The caller model opens the doorway to further changes, including ten-year renewal cycles for broader categories of drivers, imaginable mandatory retraining oregon assessment, and the enlargement of accompanied driving from property 17, a strategy already successful spot successful Greece.

Who needs to enactment connected this

The twelvemonth 2026 chiefly concerns holders of older licences from circumstantial periods, drivers implicit 65 who indispensable renew their licences, and those inactive holding precise aged insubstantial oregon “pink” licences. If you autumn into 1 of these categories, enactment should beryllium taken now—not astatine the past minute.

The alteration successful driving licences is bigger than a elemental redesign. It reflects a broader displacement successful the system: integer control, EU harmonisation, and stricter operator oversight. By 2033, each operator successful Greece volition person transitioned to the caller system—whether by prime oregon by necessity.