Driving Licences

[ros21m]

Todays advice!
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-46865094

[Voni]

See my post under Will of the People - sorry this thread seems to have migrated a bit.

[SatCure]

See my post under Will of the People - sorry this thread seems to have migrated a bit.

Somewhere in the current 34 pages?
Search found 0 matches: licence

I wonder whether there's a post dealing with my specific question?*
I plan to exchange my current UK driving licence for a Greek one, on advice from the British Consul.
A slight problem is that I must return to the UK for a wedding and I'll still be there for the hard brexit on March 29th.

*Question: I understand that a translation of my UK licence is required. Has anyone done this already and listed the various vehicle categories? (I can do it myself but if someone already did the work...)

I understand that I must pay for a cursory medical and for an eye test and for the new licence.
Anything else I should know?

Many thanks.

[Kilkis]

I've got a translation of the old green paper licence as a Word document if that is any good, Martin. It was issued in 1976 so it is a pretty ancient format. For example it has no category A1 on it. It does have a translation of the categories but you would have to check that they matched the categories on your own licence if it was issued later than 1976 as they may have changed. When I did mine the translation had to be an official translation validated by a lawyer so it might cost virtually as much to take your own translation to a lawyer to be validated as to let the lawyer do it for you.

Warwick

[SatCure]

Thanks, Warwick. I have only the modern pink card licence. I have translated it thus:

1. Επώνυμο: (Surname)
2. Μικρά ονόματα: (First names)
3. Ημερομηνία (Date of birth) Τόπος γέννησης: (Place of birth)
4a. Ημερομηνία έκδοσης: (date of issue)
4b. Ημερομηνία λήξης: (expiry date)
4c. Εκδότης: DVLA (UK)
5. Αριθμός άδειας: (Driving Licence number)
7. Υπογραφή (signature)
8. Διεύθυνση UK
9. Κατηγορίες (παρακάτω) Categories (see below)

Οχημα_______Οχημα
Κατηγορία___Τύπος
AM__________Μηχανακια 2 ή 3 τροχούς
A___________Μοτοσικλέτες μέχρι 125 κυβικά
B1__________Ελαφρά οχήματα μέχρι 400 κ.
B___________Αυτοκίνητα
C1__________Φορτηγά μέχρι 7.500 κ.
D1__________Μικρό λεωφορείο μέχρι 16 επιβάτες
BE__________Αυτοκίνητο και ρυμουλκούμενο
C1E_________Φορτηγό και ρυμουλκούμενο
D1E_________Μικρό λεωφορείο και ρυμουλκούμενο

Άλλες κατηγορίες
Κατηγορία Οχήματος που μπορείτε να οδηγήσετε

f. Αγροτικός ελκυστήρας
k. Κοπτικό μηχάνημα ή όχημα ελεγχόμενο από πεζούς
l. Ηλεκτρικό όχημα
n. Απαλλαγή από το καθήκον

I was told that it doesn't need to be notarised but if it does I have a good lawyer in Haniá who will probably sign it for the price of a coffee.

[SatCure]

I've just been told by someone who exchanged licences last year that a translation is not required. (rolleyes)

But it took three months because they rejected the initial set of photos.

That would suit me because they don't steal the UK licence until they issue the Greek one. So I can still go to the UK with my UK licence and swap to the Greek one on my return. And if I've already applied before March 29th, I won't need to take a test.

[Carolina]

I just updated this page, last week, with the info.

http://www.livingincrete.net/drivingincrete.html

I have just done mine in Chania, I have the pink card licence and they didn't ask for a translation. You now get to keep your UK licence until the Greek one is ready to collect.

Go to KEP first to get the medical forms (over 65's) and e-paravola (to pay at a bank). More info on the link above.

[SatCure]

Ah, KEP.
OK, will do.
Many thanks.

[SatCure]

Carolina, on that page:

"Exchanging your licence
If you change your residence to another EU country, you don't usually have to change your driving licence. You can use your
current licence as long as it remains valid."

1. The British Consul and her greek (expert) colleague stated that a foreign licence was valid for up to one year only and I should have exchanged mine nine years ago!

2. Failure to apply before Brexit will require a driving exam.

"All applicants are required to produce a Registration Certificate or Permanent Residence Certificate which must
have been issued at least 185 days beforehand."

Mine was re-issued last week with last week's date, although I've had one for ten years. Hmm.

I'll report back.

8.2.19 Keeping my notes in one post to (hopefully) avoid confusion.

3. The Residency Permit must be at least 185 days old. Luckily, I'd already had a laminated card copy made of the OLD permit and I had it with me.

4. The KEP office (at least the one I used) will do everything except the medicals. They will send the documentation to Athens for processing. There is ONE man there who deals with it. He has a "slight" backlog. Expect it to increase as 10,000 panicking expats apply. If your KEP won't do it, you WILL have to take the documents to your local licensing office.

5. My KEP office provided a list of approved doctors and opthalmologists. My own opth. was on the list so I made an appointment to see her.

6. Also (in my case) three E-parávolo forms: one of each for €50, €30 and €10 to be paid at a bank.

7. When KEP receive everything back they will phone you and you then take your UK pink licence card to exchange.

8. I'm not familiar with doctors, here, but I'm getting the impression that there's no appointment system. You turn up at 9am and wait.

9. You need photos that expose your ears and forehead and no spectacles. Standard passport photo won't do.

10. Confirmed: NO translation of licence required.

Carolyn's update page: http://www.livingincrete.net/drivingincrete.html

@Carolyn, you still have a typo under
3) For those aged 74 yrs to 79 yrs
"... temporary extension form the licencing authority ..."

[Kilkis]

If you do need a translation, below I have suggested some changes, highlighted in red, based on the descriptions on the back of my Greek licence. I couldn't check everything. Mine doesn't have descriptions for 7, 8 and 9 nor for the different categories.

Warwick

1. Επώνυμο: (Surname)
2. Όνομα: (First names)
3. Ημερομηνία και Τόπος γέννησης: (Date and Place of birth)
4a. Ημερομηνία εκδόσεως: (date of issue)
4b. Ημερομηνία λήξεως ισχύος: (expiry date)
4c. Εκδόθηκε απο: DVLA (UK)
5. Αριθμός άδειας: (Driving Licence number)
7. Υπογραφή (signature)
8. Διεύθυνση UK
9. Κατηγορίες (παρακάτω) Categories (see below)

Οχημα_______Οχημα
Κατηγορία___Τύπος
AM__________Μηχανακια 2 ή 3 τροχούς
A___________Μοτοσικλέτες μέχρι 125 κυβικά
B1__________Ελαφρά οχήματα μέχρι 400 κ.
B___________Αυτοκίνητα
C1__________Φορτηγά μέχρι 7.500 κ.
D1__________Μικρό λεωφορείο μέχρι 16 επιβάτες
BE__________Αυτοκίνητο και ρυμουλκούμενο
C1E_________Φορτηγό και ρυμουλκούμενο
D1E_________Μικρό λεωφορείο και ρυμουλκούμενο

Άλλες κατηγορίες
Κατηγορία Οχήματος που μπορείτε να οδηγήσετε

f. Αγροτικός ελκυστήρας
k. Κοπτικό μηχάνημα ή όχημα ελεγχόμενο από πεζούς
l. Ηλεκτρικό όχημα
n. Απαλλαγή από το καθήκον

I was told that it doesn't need to be notarised but if it does I have a good lawyer in Haniá who will probably sign it for the price of a coffee.

[BST]

So any guesses as to what will happen if you can't swap your licence until well after Brexit because of the 185 day rule (and a daft date on resident certificate)? Will it be illegal to drive in Greece or will there be 6 months grace?

[GlennB]

Mine was re-issued last week with last week's date, although I've had one for ten years. Hmm.

I'll report back.

You might seriously consider going back to the police station to sort that out. The date of issue should be that of the first one. Hopefully they have retained that, or at least have a record of it.

[Kilkis]

My permanent residence certificate shows the date it was issued and does not show any other date. I am pretty sure that my previous one, which was the earlier style 5 year residence permit, showed both the date it was issued and the date I first entered Greece.

I don't think going back to the police station will help. As far as I can tell the rules regarding exchanging licences states that the permit must be issued 185 (or 95?) days before the application. It doesn't say anything about having been in Greece for more than 185 days. Once a new one is issued the old one is no longer valid and the new one is only valid from the date it was issued.

They do tend to apply rules quite literally with no leeway. For example I was initially refused a permanent residence certificate because my previous permit had expired by a few months when I applied. Since the previous one was valid for five years and had expired I had clearly been here more than five years. I could also produce continuous tax records and IKA records going back 13 years proving that I had been living and working in Greece for the whole of that time. They issued me with the new style initial residence certificate and told me to apply for the permanent one when I had had that for five years. After a few weeks he changed his mind and issued a permanent one.

Warwick

[bobscott]

Our permanent residence certificates have only one date - the date of issue. No record of the previous 20 years we have lived here - we got our first permits within a week or two of arriving. Fortunately dates take care of the 185 day rule, having been issued quite some time ago.

[Yin&Yang]

What does the driving test for an over-74 usually involve? Is it only a practical test and is it all conducted in Greek for example?