Import a Car to Crete

This Import a Car to Crete page is from the Moving to Crete section of the Completely Crete website.

Rules and fees last checked: October 2026. Always confirm with the official source before you act.

Owning a car has obvious advantages if you intend to live in Crete full time. A car makes life easier even if you only live in Crete for part of the year, say during the summer months.

You may need to decide whether to import a car to Crete or buy one here.

We know of very few people who chose to import a car to Crete from the UK. The reasons for this are twofold.

• Cost: Greece charges a registration levy when a foreign car is registered here, and a car from the UK can also face import duty and VAT, because the UK is outside the EU.
• Paperwork: customs clearance, a roadworthiness test and Greek registration each involve their own documents and offices.

We have heard tales of thousands of euros being charged to register an average-sized 3-year-old car.

Import a car to Crete: the process

Importing a car to Crete means clearing it through Greek customs, paying any taxes due, passing a roadworthiness test and registering it on Greek plates. The main steps are listed below.

1. Declare the car to the nearest customs office when it arrives in Greece. For a car from another EU country, the owner files a Notification of Vehicle Arrival (NOVA) and then a special tax statement by the 15th day of the month after arrival, according to the gov.gr guide to registering a new or second-hand vehicle.
2. Pay the taxes customs assesses. A second-hand car from the EU pays the registration levy. A car from the UK or another non-EU country can also owe customs duty and VAT, unless the relocation relief below applies.
3. Collect the registration levy certificate that customs issues once the taxes are paid.
4. Take the car for a roadworthiness test at a KTEO test centre.
5. Register the car with the transport directorate of the Region of Crete. The Region of Crete's vehicle registration page lists the documents: the customs registration certificates, the certificate of conformity, the foreign registration document, a valid KTEO test certificate and proof of identity. The licence fee is €75 for a car, and the directorate issues the Greek registration document and plates once the first road tax is paid.
6. Insure the car with a Greek insurer before you drive it on Greek plates.

Tax relief if you move your home to Greece

Tax relief for people moving their home to Greece can remove the duty, VAT and registration levy on 1 car. According to AADE, the Greek tax and customs authority, the customs and tax exemptions for people who transfer their habitual residence to Greece work as follows.

• Residence: you must have lived abroad for at least 2 years and be moving to Greece to settle permanently.
• Ownership: 1 car per person qualifies, and you must have used it in your previous country for at least 6 months before the move.
• Certificate: the Greek consulate where you live issues a relocation certificate, which stays valid for 12 months.
• Restriction: the car cannot be sold, lent or leased for 1 year after customs clearance.
• Emissions: cars that meet only the Euro 1, 2 or 3 emission standards, or whose emissions cannot be proven, cannot be imported and registered in Greece at all.

Driving a UK-registered car in Crete

A UK-registered car can be driven in Greece for up to 6 months in any 12-month period by someone whose home is abroad. AADE's page on temporary importation of private vehicles sets out this rule. After 6 months the car must leave Greece or be officially immobilised through customs, or fines follow. This temporary rule does not cover people who live in Greece.

Road tax in Crete

Road tax (teli kykloforias) is due every year on every car with Greek plates. AADE's road tax and vehicle immobility page explains the rates. Cars first registered in Greece or the EU before November 2010 pay by engine size, from €22 a year for the smallest engines to €1,380 for engines over 4,000 cc. Later cars pay by CO2 emissions. You pay between 1 November and 31 December for the following year, and late payment brings a fine equal to the tax.

Hardly surprising, then, that many ex-pats choose not to import a car to Crete!

Driving in Crete is by and large a pleasurable experience. See our Driving in Crete page.

Buying a car in Crete instead

Buying a car in Crete is the simpler option for most people who move here. There are many car dealerships throughout the island, so you will not have a problem buying a new car. There is a healthy trade in decent second-hand cars too, particularly as the car rental companies change their fleets every few years.

In our experience, dealers ask British buyers for proof of residence in Greece. Our guide to living in Crete covers residence permits for UK citizens.

The process of buying is, as you would imagine, easy and painless. The dealers want your business and will make things as easy as possible for you, arranging insurance if requested.