Greek Driving Licence

[bobscott]

Do you have your new licence yet bobscott? Andrew took his test in I THINK June and hasn't heard anything yet.

Yes, we got them 9th August. Test was taken June 25th. The June testsees (what a word!) were having licences issued then, so Andrew should have had his by now. Worth going to see them. Good luck. Bob.

[Yin&Yang]

Will check it out; thank you.

[Yin&Yang]

Update from me: Further to my question about how long to wait from an over-74 year old taking his test to receiving a call to say the licence is ready to collect, Andrew's test was not as I'd thought in June but was in fact upon checking on the 10th July. I therefore didn't chase for it as realised that bobscott's wait meant that we should hear any time soon. We received a call from KEP on Friday to say it was ready to collect from the driving centre in Chania but that if we didn't want to go there we could ask KEP to have it posted to them. The KEP option meant a two week wait so we opted for the driving centre. Went to pick it up this morning. Andrew had to show the paper which confirmed that he'd passed the test and his paper to show that KEP had ticked all the boxes confirming that he'd presented them with all the necessary paperwork, i.e. passport, medical tests, residents' permit etc. at the point of applying. Andrew was asked to sign the envelope which his licence had arrived in which they kept for their records. He was also asked to sign the KEP paper which confirmed receipt of all documents. The centre retained that paper together with the paper confirming he had passed the driving test, so I would recommend you take copies of these prior to handing them over (if you are like me). Andrew's UK licence was also handed over to the driving centre office.

Hope this helps someone.

[Kilkis]

So just over 7 weeks from completing everything necessary to receiving the licence. Given that most of that was in August and, typically, Athens is closed for August, that isn't bad. Just doing a simple renewal, i.e. already holding a Greek licence, and before the driving test rule came in, mine took about 6 weeks and that was early in 2018.

Warwick

[Yin&Yang]

And from start to finish not an unpleasant experience

[Kilkis]

I've found it pretty easy using KEP. The first year that I renewed the licence it only took 4 weeks from completing the paperwork at KEP to picking up the licence. Rather foolishly I assumed this was the norm so three years later I went to renew it about 6 weeks before a trip to the UK only to be told it now took between 2 and 3 months. Ooooops! Fortunately I managed to hire a car in the UK using the paper issued by KEP but it was touch and go. They only agreed to accept it because they already had a scan of my licence on file so it is risky. The third time it took about 6 weeks but I had left plenty of time so it wasn't a problem. On the downside the renewal date has crept forward from May to February so over time I have got 3 months less than I have paid for.

Warwick

[Yin&Yang]

Oh, the renewal date creep is worth taking into consideration then.

[Kilkis]

It isn't a foregone conclusion that you will get renewal date creep. As far as I can tell the issue date of the new licence is the date the application is made. I think, but don't know for sure, that you can apply right up to the expiry date of the old licence*. You can then continue to drive in Greece on the basis of the paper issued by KEP until the new licence arrives. Hence no creep. In my case the renewal date happened to be during the period that I would be in the UK. Since I wanted to hire a car in the UK I moved the renewal date forward to ensure I had the new licence before I went. That worked the first time but not the second so I moved it forward again the third time of renewal. It all depends where you will be at the expiry date and for a few weeks thereafter.

Warwick

* I probably wouldn't push it right up to the expiry date and it would be worth checking with KEP how close you can get without having problems.

[Yin&Yang]

Just checked our licences. My licence, application made at age 59, is valid from the day I made the application to KEP, i.e. 25.2.19 and it expires on 24.9.24, the eve of my 65th Birthday. Andrew's licence similarly is valid from the 25.2.19 and expires on the 10.7.22, i.e. three years to the day of him taking his driving test (Andrew being currently 77).

[GlennB]

Just checked our licences. My licence, application made at age 59, is valid from the day I made the application to KEP, i.e. 25.2.19 and it expires on 24.9.24, the eve of my 65th Birthday. Andrew's licence similarly is valid from the 25.2.19 and expires on the 10.7.22, i.e. three years to the day of him taking his driving test (Andrew being currently 77).

We're both 68 and our recently acquired Greek licences expire on the eve of our 70th birthdays, in late 2020.

There's probably a system in there somewhere

[Kilkis]

...We're both 68 and our recently acquired Greek licences expire on the eve of our 70th birthdays, in late 2020.

There's probably a system in there somewhere

Very odd. The requirement to renew a Greek licence starts at 65 and is then needed every 3 years. This implies a renewal at 68 and then 71. I don't understand why yours requires renewal at 70? I exchanged my UK licence for a Greek licence about 6 years before I was 65 and my renewals have followed this pattern. I chose to renew a little early because of trips to the UK but there was no compulsion to do so. The 3 years starts from the day that you apply.

Warwick

[GlennB]

...We're both 68 and our recently acquired Greek licences expire on the eve of our 70th birthdays, in late 2020.

There's probably a system in there somewhere

Very odd. The requirement to renew a Greek licence starts at 65 and is then needed every 3 years. This implies a renewal at 68 and then 71. I don't understand why yours requires renewal at 70? I exchanged my UK licence for a Greek licence about 6 years before I was 65 and my renewals have followed this pattern. I chose to renew a little early because of trips to the UK but there was no compulsion to do so. The 3 years starts from the day that you apply.

Warwick

Heaven knows, but I doubt it's the first time that a local bureaucrat thought they knew what the system is and applied it

[bobscott]

...We're both 68 and our recently acquired Greek licences expire on the eve of our 70th birthdays, in late 2020.

There's probably a system in there somewhere

Very odd. The requirement to renew a Greek licence starts at 65 and is then needed every 3 years. This implies a renewal at 68 and then 71. I don't understand why yours requires renewal at 70? I exchanged my UK licence for a Greek licence about 6 years before I was 65 and my renewals have followed this pattern. I chose to renew a little early because of trips to the UK but there was no compulsion to do so. The 3 years starts from the day that you apply.

Warwick

Heaven knows, but I doubt it's the first time that a local bureaucrat thought they knew what the system is and applied it

Just for the record, our licences both date from 25 June this year, the day we passed the test. Anna's expires 3 years later but as I am now 80, mine expires on my 82nd birthday and will henceforth be a 2-year licence with the addition of needing clearance from a psychologist as well as the usual doctor and optician. Hopefully though the test for over 74 and the consequent backlog has disappeared now.
Bob.

[Kilkis]

I think it is perfectly understandable that if the renewal period drops to 2 years when you reach 80 then the renewal date would be when you are 82. I still don't understand why a renewal due at 71 is scheduled at 70. As Glen says, most probably a local office getting it wrong. Innumeracy does seem to be pretty widespread. As an example if I buy ten €0.90 stamps at my local post office he has to use a calculator to work out that they cost €9.00.

I don't mind if I have to take another practical test. I think it is a perfectly sensible idea as long as it is purely to assess whether you still have basic competence. Face it, we all see drivers every time that we go out who don't. I followed an old guy in a very ancient pick-up truck the other day. He was driving very slowly and his lane positioning was highly variable to say the least. We entered a village and approached a left turn with a shop on the corner where he put his left indicator on so I assumed he was turning left. Instead of pulling into the middle of the road he pulled hard over to the right and stopped. I then assumed that he was stopping to go to the shop and that he had put his warning lights on but the right one was not working so I started to overtake him. He then started to turn left. Fortunately I was sufficiently wary to have pulled hard over to the left to get past and so managed to do so before he hit me. (Sounds almost like one of Gerard Hoffnung's stories?)

I agree that the delays were completely stupid.

Warwick

[evansmr1]

Has anyone heard any more regarding the Medical tests for those over 75 years?. I am still waiting, my Greek Temporary Licence has now expired as has my UK licence.
My visit to the Office in Ag. Nik just got a Greek shrug and I was told to come back week commencing 6 January, but not on the 6th as it was a Holiday.

Almost 1 year now since my application.