Plenty of people arrange to ship a car to Greece and only afterwards discover it cannot be registered there. Getting a vehicle onto a boat is the easy part. Getting Greek plates on it is where moves go wrong, and it is the one part of a removals job that nobody can fix after the fact.
Cars meeting Euro 1, Euro 2 and Euro 3 emissions standards, and older conventional technology vehicles for which carbon dioxide figures cannot be demonstrated, are not permitted to be imported and registered in Greece. If your car falls into that group, the sensible answer is to sell it before you move.
That is an unwelcome thing to be told by a moving company. It is also cheaper to hear now than after the shipping is paid for.
Greek vehicle registration tax is charged when a car is first registered in Greece. It does not matter whether the car arrived from Britain, Germany or anywhere else. That is why this relief is worth having even for people moving within the EU, who get very little from the duty and VAT side.
Where you qualify through a transfer of habitual abode, the exemptions cover the registration fee and the environmental fee on the vehicle, alongside VAT and, for anything arriving from outside the EU, customs duty. Ask your clearance agent to quantify it for your car specifically rather than relying on a headline rate.
Beyond that, the same conditions as the rest of your household goods apply: two years of habitual residence outside Greece, a declared Greek address, and clearance within twelve months of the certificate being issued.
People transferring their habitual residence to Greece may temporarily import and use their car for one month while clearance is completed. That is a short window, and it assumes the paperwork is already moving.
Check the emissions standard, the engine size, and that you have owned and used the vehicle for at least six months. Gather the registration document, proof of purchase and the certificate of conformity.
The vehicle relief hangs off the same residence transfer certificate as your furniture. If that certificate is not in progress, the car has no basis for relief when it lands, whatever the shipping agent has arranged.
The month of temporary use exists to let you complete clearance, not to postpone it. Circulation tax and the customs entry are handled through the Greek customs information system, and your agent can file electronically.
The means of transport covered by a residence transfer is not limited to a passenger car. A caravan, a motorcycle or a pleasure boat can be the vehicle you bring. What does not change is the number: one.
That is a real decision for households with a car and a motorbike, or a car and a trailer tent. Work out which one is worth the relief and plan for the other to be sold or shipped as a charged import.
Boats bring their own considerations around berthing, VAT status and where the vessel is landed, so mention a boat at enquiry stage rather than adding it to an inventory later.
Going the other way, a car moving from Greece to Britain is an import into the UK and needs a customs entry there. Vehicles can be included in a Transfer of Residence claim to Britain, alongside your household goods and pets, provided you meet the conditions.
A car going to the United States is harder again. Beyond customs, a car brought into Britain has to be made road legal: registration with DVLA, an approval test where required, insurance and a valid MOT. Those steps sit outside what any moving company does, so build time for them into the plan.
Including the question most competitors avoid answering directly.
No. Vehicles meeting Euro 1, Euro 2 or Euro 3 emissions standards, and older conventional technology vehicles whose carbon dioxide emissions cannot be demonstrated, are not allowed to be imported and registered in Greece. Check your emissions standard on the registration document or certificate of conformity before you pay for any shipping.
One. That single allowance can be a passenger car, a caravan, a motorcycle or a pleasure boat, but it is one means of transport in total. Households with more than one vehicle need to decide which is worth the relief and plan to sell or separately import the rest.
You need to have had ownership and use of the vehicle at your previous place of residence for at least six months before the transfer. Buying a car shortly before moving does not qualify, and it can raise questions about the rest of the claim.
Where you qualify, the exemptions cover the registration fee and the environmental fee, along with VAT and customs duty where the car comes from outside the EU. The amount turns on the individual vehicle, so ask for it to be quantified for your car rather than relying on a headline rate.
For a short period. People transferring their habitual residence may temporarily import and use the vehicle for one month in order to complete its customs clearance. It is a window for finishing the process, not for delaying it, and it assumes the residence paperwork is already under way.
Not for a year. Personal effects brought in under the transfer of residence provisions cannot be transferred, leased, pledged or lent for one year from the date the customs document is accepted. A plan that involves shipping a vehicle and selling it on arrival does not work under this relief.
Ro-ro is usually cheaper for a car travelling on its own, and a shared or full container often wins when goods are going too. Ro-ro is usually cheaper for a car on its own, since it is driven on and off and no container is involved. A container often works out better when you are already shipping household goods, because the vehicle shares a box you are paying for anyway and is better protected. Ask for both to be priced.
Send the make, model, engine size and emissions standard along with your move details. A vetted moving company from our network can price container and ro-ro options and tell you what the clearance needs.
Get your free quoteWe are a free enquiry service and a Working Member of AGM Group. We connect people shipping vehicles and household goods to and from Greece with vetted international moving companies from that network. We do not transport vehicles ourselves.
Confirm your vehicle's eligibility with Greek customs before booking. It is the one part of this that cannot be fixed after the car has sailed.
Written by Darren Benjamin, Founder, International Removals Companies.