Before you start

For transport: a metro and bus ticket or card
For driving on a non-EU licence: fewer than six months of Greek residence
For an exchange: a Greek tax number (AFM) and a registered residence address
An International Driving Permit, if your licence is not in Latin characters

Step-by-step

1
Use the metro before you decide you need a car
The line opened on 30 November 2024, is driverless, has platform screen doors, and displays in situ the archaeology found during construction — the reason it took so long. It connects the railway station through the centre to the eastern districts, and the Kalamaria extension has been targeted for 2026. Combined with the buses, it covers a great deal of the city that previously required driving through some of Greece's worst traffic.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
2
Check whether your country exchanges without a test
The official gov.gr and mitos.gov.gr service pages list the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, South Africa and a few others as reciprocal-exchange countries — administrative fees and medical certificates, no theory or practical exam. A great deal of expat forum advice insists otherwise and costs people needless driving-school fees.
OnlineWho: YouBefore the six months expire
3
Act inside the six-month window
A non-EU licence is valid for driving here for six months from establishing residence. After that you must have exchanged, and driving on a lapsed foreign licence voids your insurance as well as breaking the law. The window does not renew.
OnlineWho: You
4
Apply through the regional transport directorate
Applications go to the Regional Transport and Communications Directorate for Central Macedonia, booked through gov.gr or a KEP. Bring the original licence, an official Greek translation, your AFM, proof of residence, two medical certificates from a pathologist and an ophthalmologist, a photograph and a solemn declaration.
In personWho: YouOfficially up to about 45 days
5
If your country is not reciprocal, budget for the full Greek test
Outside the reciprocal list you sit the full Greek theory and practical examination through a driving school. This takes weeks to months and costs several hundred euros. Start it in month one of the six, not month five.
In personWho: You
6
Know that ride-hail here means licensed taxis
As across Greece, the apps dispatch the official taxis rather than private drivers. Expecting a private-car ride-hail experience leads to confusion; just use the taxi apps or hail one on the street.
Mobile appWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Original valid foreign driving licence, with an official Greek translation for non-EU licences
International Driving Permit if your licence is not in Latin characters
Passport and residence permit, plus proof of residence
Greek tax number (AFM)
Two medical certificates — pathologist and ophthalmologist
Passport photograph and a solemn declaration (υπεύθυνη δήλωση)

Things most newcomers don’t know

The metro is two years old and it has already changed where people can afford to live.

Until November 2024 Thessaloniki was a large European city with no rail transit at all, so the eastern districts were tied to buses in heavy traffic. The line, and the Kalamaria extension targeted for 2026, put fast weather-proof journeys within reach of neighbourhoods that were previously a forty-minute bus ride from the centre. Rents along the route have moved in response, but the areas just off it have not — which is where the value is.

Source: Attiko Metro / Thessaloniki Metro project

US, Canadian and Australian licences convert with no driving test at all.

The official gov.gr and mitos.gov.gr pages list these among the reciprocal-exchange countries: state fees, two medical certificates, and no theory or practical exam. Expat forums insist loudly and wrongly that these nationalities must re-test, and people spend hundreds of euros at driving schools they never needed. Check the official page rather than the forum.

Source: gov.gr / mitos.gov.gr — non-EU driving licence exchange

The six-month clock starts at residence, not at your first drive.

People assume the window begins when they buy a car or start driving. It begins when you establish residence. Driving on a lapsed non-EU licence in Greece means your insurance will not respond after an accident, which turns an administrative oversight into an uninsured collision.

Source: gov.gr — recognition and validity of non-EU driving licences

The archaeology in the metro stations is not a decoration, it is why the line took so long.

Construction repeatedly hit major Roman and Byzantine remains, including a substantial stretch of the ancient decumanus, and the decision to preserve and display finds in situ rather than remove them added years. Understanding this explains a great deal about how construction timelines work in this city, which is useful context if you ever renovate a property in the centre.

Source: Thessaloniki Metro project

Common mistakes to avoid

Letting the six-month non-EU grace period lapse and driving uninsured.
Paying a driving school for a full Greek test when your country qualifies for a no-test exchange.
Assuming a foreign licence in non-Latin characters is enough without an International Driving Permit.
Buying a car before testing whether the metro and buses now cover your commute.
Expecting private-car ride-hail — the apps dispatch licensed taxis here.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.

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