The new road traffic regulations were adopted yesterday by the Greek Parliament: the changes and innovations that apply to locals and visitors alike.
Penalties under the new road traffic regulations
The new Traffic Code (Κώδικας Οδικής Κυκλοφορίας) was approved by the Greek Parliament with a broad majority. The goal? Improve road safety and actually reduce traffic accidents—something Greece has been struggling with, given that fatality rates are still higher than the European average.
The new Road Traffic Code is rolling out some pretty major changes, all with the goal of making road safety a real priority and cutting down on traffic accidents across Greece.
There’s a sharper focus on how drivers behave, with clearer rules and, yeah, stricter penalties. The usual suspects—using your phone behind the wheel, speeding, skipping seat belts or helmets, and driving after a few drinks—are all getting extra attention (and heavier consequences) in this update.
One of the big changes is a clear, tiered penalty system that really targets repeat offenders. If you keep using your phone at the wheel, speeding, skipping your seat belt or helmet, or driving drunk, the law’s about to get a lot less forgiving.
Penalties and Fines for Mobile phone use
Offence |
Previous Penalty |
New Penalty |
|---|---|---|
Mobile phone use while driving |
Licence suspension and vehicle plates removal for 60 days |
Fine of €350, licence suspension for 30 days |
1st repeat mobile phone offence |
No specific criminal penalty |
Fine of €1,000, licence suspension for 180 days |
2nd repeat mobile phone offence |
No specific criminal penalty |
Fine of €2,000, licence suspension for 1 year |
Mobile phone use causing an accident |
Licence suspension and vehicle plates for 60 days, no criminal penalties |
Fine of €350, licence suspension for 30 days, criminal prosecution |
1st repeat causing accident |
No specific penalty |
Fine of €2,000, licence suspension for 4 years |
2nd repeat causing accident |
No specific penalty |
Fine of €4,000, licence suspension for 8 years |
One big thing: dangerous driving with a mobile phone is now actually criminalised (Article 290A of the Penal Code). That means people could, in theory, face jail time for it.
Based on Article 290A of the Criminal Code, causing serious bodily injury or damage to public facilities is punishable by imprisonment of up to 10 years, fatal traffic accidents are punishable by imprisonment of 10 to 20 years, and loss of many lives is punishable by imprisonment of up to life imprisonment.
Licence Suspension Adjustments
- First-time offenders are looking at shorter suspensions, but if you keep messing up, the punishment gets a lot harsher.
- The jump from 60 days down to 30 for a first mistake seems nice, but don’t get too comfortable—repeat violations are really where it hurts.
- Not buckling up or skipping the helmet? Those fines are getting steeper, too.
Legal and Enforcement Measures
- Authorities can now dig a little deeper, including lifting communication privacy, when they’re investigating serious, phone-related driving offences.
- It might sound heavy-handed, but the idea is to help get to the bottom of dangerous driving cases and hold people accountable.
Road Safety Culture
There’s a shift here—less about just punishing and more about prevention. The code wants to set clearer expectations for everyone, hoping drivers and the state can actually trust each other for a change.
Officials keep saying the point isn’t to be harsh for the sake of it, but to genuinely save lives. The Ministry of Transport is pushing for public input and is apparently open to tweaking things as they go.
Other Important Rules
- Speed limits are spelled out more clearly, especially those 30 km/h zones (watch out, city drivers).
- Running red lights, speeding, and other risky moves now come with more predictable (and often higher) penalties.
- The code brings in some new rules for bicycles and other vulnerable folks on the road.
- At the end of the day, public safety is what they’re after—less severe injuries, fewer tragedies.
Summary of Focus Areas
- Mobile phone use: Big fines, licence suspensions, and now, even criminal charges
- Speeding violations: Clearer limits and steeper fines for going way over
- Seat belt/helmet non-use: Tougher penalties to get people to actually comply
- Driving under influence: Still strict, no real softening there
- Repeat offences: Penalties stack up fast if you keep breaking the rules
- Enforcement: More investigative tools, especially for dangerous driving
The penalties and sanctions have been updated as follows:
Not wearing a protective helmet
● What applied previously: Driving licence revoked for 60 days and number plate revoked for 60 days, and the passenger received a fine of €50.
● What applies now: Fine of €350, driving licence revoked for 30 days. Failure to wear a protective helmet by the passenger is punishable by a fine for the passenger (€350), but also for the driver, even if he was wearing one.
● Repeat offences:
– 1st offence: fine of £1,000, driving licence revoked for 180 days.
– 2nd offence: fine of £2,000, driving licence revoked for up to 1 year.
Failure to wear a seat belt
● What used to apply: Driving licence and number plate revoked for 60 days, passengers pay a fine of £50.
● What applies now:
– Driver: Fine of £350, driving licence revoked for 30 days.
– Passengers: Failure to wear a seat belt by passengers is punishable by a fine of €150 for both the passenger and the driver, even if the driver is wearing a seat belt.
● Repeat offences:
– 1st offence: Fine of €1,000, driving licence revoked for 180 days
– 2nd offence: Fine of 2,000 euros, driving licence revoked for up to 1 year
Driving under the influence of alcohol (0.50–1.10 g/l)
● What applied: Fine of 200–700 euros, driving licence revoked for up to 90 days and criminal prosecution in serious cases.
● What applies now:
– Modern detection methods are being established that also detect substances. The vehicle must be decommissioned and impounded. For an alcohol content of 0.50–0.80 g/l: fine of £350 and driving licence revocation for 30 days.
For a limit of 0.80 g/l – 1.10 g/l: a fine of 700 euros and withdrawal of driving licence for 90 days.
● Repeat offences:
– 1st: fine of 1,000 euros, withdrawal of driving licence for 180 days in both cases.
– 2nd offence: €2,000 fine and driving licence revoked for 1 year.
Driving under the influence of alcohol (above 1.10 g/l)
● What applied: €1,200 fine, driving licence revoked for 180 days, imprisonment for at least 2 months.
● What applies now: Fine of €1,200 and licence plate revocation for 180 days; the vehicle must be decommissioned and stored. Imprisonment for 2 months to 5 years, revocation of vehicle registration data for 10 days to 6 months by the court.
● Repeat offences:
– 1st offence: fine of €2,000, driving licence revoked for 7 years.
– 2nd offence: fine of €4,000, driving licence revoked for 10 years.
Speeding > 50 km/h
● What used to apply: Fine of 20 to 175 euros, driving licence revocation for up to 60 days.
● What applies now: 700 euro fine and driving licence revocation for 60 days.
● Repeat offences:
– 1st offence: Fine of 1,000 euros, driving licence revocation for up to 180 days.
– 2nd offence: Fine of 2,000 euros, driving licence revoked for 1 year.
Speed >200 km/h or ‘driving in the wrong direction’
● What used to apply: Fine of 700 euros, driving licence revoked for 30 days and number plates revoked for 30 days.
● What happens: A fine of 2,000 euros and a driving ban for 1 year.
● Repeat offences:
– 1st: Fine of 4,000 euros, driving ban for 2 years.
– 2nd: Fine of 8,000 euros, driving ban for 4 years.
Traffic light violation
● What used to apply: A fine of €700, driving licence suspension for 60 days and number plate suspension for 20 days.
● What applies now: A fine of €700 and a driving licence suspension for 60 days.
● Repeat offences:
– 1st offence: Fine of €1,000, driving licence revoked for up to 180 days.
– 2nd offence: Fine of €2,000, driving licence revoked for 1 year.
STOP violation (without causing an accident)
● What applied: There was no discrimination based on causing an accident. Fine of €700, driving licence suspension for 20 days and number plate suspension for 20 days.
● What applies: A fine of €350 and a driving licence suspension for 30 days.
● Repeat offences:
– 1st: Fine of 1,000 euros, driving licence revoked for up to 180 days.
– 2nd: Fine of 2,000 euros, driving licence revoked for 1 year.
STOP violation (with incident)
● What applied: There was no discrimination based on causing an accident. Fine of 700 euros, driving licence suspension for 20 days and number plate suspension for 20 days.
● What applies: A fine of 700 euros and a driving licence suspension for 60 days.
● Repeat offences:
– 1st: Fine of 2,000 euros and driving licence revocation for 4 years
– 2nd: Fine of 4,000 euros and driving licence revocation for 8 years
Driving without a licence
● Previous penalty: Imprisonment for 1–12 months, fine of €100, driving licence revoked for 30 days.
● Current penalty: Fine of €1,000, driving licence revoked for 1 year, imprisonment for up to 2 years. In the event of an accident, the provisions of the Criminal Code for dangerous driving apply.
● Repeat offences:
– 1st: Fine of 2,000 euros, driving licence revoked for 4 years.
– 2nd: Fine of 4,000 euros, driving licence revoked for 8 years.
Obstruction of rail traffic
● What applied: Fine of 40 to 350 euros and withdrawal of driving licence for up to 60 days and registration plates for up to 20 days.
● What applies: Fine of 1,200 euros, withdrawal of driving licence for 60 days, imprisonment for up to 5 years and a fine of 2,000 euros.
● Proposals:
– 1: Fine of 2,000 euros, driving licence revocation for 4 years.
– 2: Fine of 4,000 euros, driving licence revocation for 8 years.
Obstruction of public transport
● What applied: There was no central regulation. There were only isolated provisions for sub-cases with fines between 40 and 100 euros.
● What applies: Unauthorised stopping or parking that obstructs the passage of public transport is punishable as an offence.
● Fine of 350 euros and withdrawal of driving licence for 70 days.
● What applied:
– Taxi traffic (including loaded vehicles) was prohibited on bus lanes.
– Fine of 100 euros.
– No possibility of a short stop.
– Driving licence revocation after accumulating 5 offences in the points system.
● What applies:
– The revocation of the licence is abolished.
– Fine of €150 for violating the bus lane.
– To ensure the speed and reliability of the new bus fleet in Athens and Thessaloniki, taxis (and loaded vehicles) are prohibited from driving in the bus lane.
● Exceptions:
1. Boarding.
2. Alighting (if no bus is obstructed).
3. Night hours.
4. Zero-emission taxi
5. Special taxi for people with disabilities
Parking in a disabled parking space
● What used to apply:
– Withdrawal of driving licence and number plates for 60 days
● What applies now:
– An increased administrative fine of 150 euros is imposed.
– Withdrawal of driving licence and number plates for 60 days, with the vehicle being towed away on the spot.
● Repeat offences:
– 1st repeat offence: fine of 1,000 euros, withdrawal of driving licence for 180 days.
– 2nd repeat offence: fine of 2,000 euros, withdrawal of driving licence for 1 year.
Speed limits
● What applied:
– General speed limit of 50 km/h within residential areas.
– Specific speed limits were set on a case-by-case basis by signage.
● What applies:
– The general limit of 50 km/h will remain in place until 1 January 2026.
– From 2026, new speed limits will apply depending on the type of road, unless otherwise specified by signage.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the new regulations for obtaining a driver’s licence in Greece?
The latest rules for getting a licence mean you’ll need to pass both updated theory and practical exams. They’re putting more weight on road safety and responsible habits, and don’t be surprised if your medical and vision checks feel stricter than before.
How have traffic fines been adjusted under recent legislative changes?
Fines now depend on how risky the violation is: low, medium, or high. For example:
- Speeding up to 20 km/h over? That’s €150 out of your pocket.
- Go 20-30 km/h over and you’ll pay more, plus lose your licence for 20 days.
- Above 30 km/h? The penalties jump even higher, and so do suspension times.
They’re trying to match the punishment to the seriousness of what happened.
What is the process for contesting a traffic violation in Greece?
If you think a fine isn’t fair, you can file an appeal with the traffic authorities—just don’t wait too long. Usually, you’ll need to send in your side of the story in writing. If they turn you down, you can always take it to court for a proper hearing.
Which documents must be carried by drivers at all times while driving?
Always keep these on you when driving:
- Your valid driver’s licence
- Vehicle registration papers
- Proof of insurance
- Latest technical inspection certificate (if your car needs it)
If you get pulled over without them, expect a fine or worse.
Are there any changes in the speed limits on Greek urban and rural roads?
Speed limits themselves haven’t really changed, but enforcement is way stricter now. Even small overages can get you fined, so it’s probably wise to keep an eye on that speedometer. No big surprises on posted limits in cities or the countryside, though.
What are the legal alcohol limits for drivers, and what are the penalties for exceeding them?
The legal blood alcohol limit for drivers sits at 0.05% BAC. For folks who are new to driving or work as professional drivers, the limit can actually be lower.
If you go over the limit, you’re looking at fines or a suspended licence. In some cases—especially if things get serious or there are aggravating factors—criminal charges might come into play.
