Greece Traffic Fines 2026: post-2025 KOK reform, higher penalties

What changed: the September 2025 KOK reform

Greece put a new Road Traffic Code (Kodikas Odikis Kykloforias / KOK) into force on 13 September 2025. It sharply raised most fines and introduced direct on-the-spot licence suspensions alongside the existing SESO points system. Two enforcement bodies apply the code: Ellinikí Astynomía (city and rural police) and Trochaía (Traffic Police, motorway-focused).

Immediate roadside sanctions are now routine for phone use, seatbelt violations, drink driving over 0.5 g/L, speeding above 20 km/h over the limit, and helmet violations. Licence and plates can be seized on the spot; rental companies are notified.

A further change kicked in on 1 January 2026: the default urban speed limit fell from 50 to 30 km/h where not otherwise posted, particularly relevant for foreign drivers in central Athens and Thessaloniki.

Speeding fines

The 2025 KOK simplified the speeding table into a single scale by excess. Zone-specific multipliers of the pre-reform code no longer apply.

Recidivism scales sharply: above 50 km/h over on a second offence is €1000 + 180-day suspension; third offence €2000 + 1-year suspension. Racing recidivism reaches €8000 + 4-year suspension.

Radar sections on Attiki Odos measure average speed over stretches, catching sustained overspeed even below flash-camera thresholds. Fixed cameras also appear on motorway ramps and urban entrances.

Alcohol fines

Greece treats drink-driving strictly. Everyone faces the same top-tier structure, but the entry limit differs.

Novice drivers (under 2 years licence) and professional drivers: 0.2 g/L limit. Recidivism for grave DUI escalates rapidly (€2000 + 7-year suspension; then €4000 + 10-year).

Weekend nights and Orthodox holiday periods see frequent random breath checks, especially in tourist areas: Athens Plaka, Santorini Fira, Mykonos Chora, Rhodes Old Town, Corfu Kavos, and the Cretan coastal strip.

Other common fines

The 2025 KOK raised most single-offence penalties to €350 with a 30-day licence suspension. Selection:

Missing warning triangle, first-aid kit, or high-visibility vest: fines apply per item under KOK articles on mandatory equipment.

Recidivism on all above categories scales to €1000 to 2000 with 180 days to 1 year suspension.

Daktilios Athens central ring

The Daktilios is Athens’s plate-parity ring, in force on weekdays inside a defined central zone.

• Schedule: Mon-Thu 07:00-20:00, Fri 07:00-15:00
• Suspended: weekends, public holidays, public-transport strike days, and the mid-July to early September summer break
• Rule: even-plate ending on even calendar days, odd-plate on odd days
• Fine: €200 per violation
• Enforcement: police checkpoints plus ANPR cameras

Exemptions are technology-based, not plate-nationality-based. Exempt vehicles: fully electric, hybrid, LPG/CNG, and EURO 6 vehicles emitting under 120 g/km CO2 (NEDC measurement). A regular petrol or diesel foreign plate follows the odd/even rule just like a Greek plate. Older claims that all foreign plates are exempt are incorrect.

Rental cars in Athens are usually EURO 6, so many will qualify for exemption; check the vehicle documentation before assuming.

Attiki Odos toll non-payment

Attiki Odos and other Greek motorways use gantries or manual booths depending on the road.

Attiki Odos (Athens ring motorway): fully electronic gantries. Every vehicle is photographed. Payment options:

• e-Pass transponder (rental cars often have one)
• Contactless bank card at entry
• Post-billing to the registered owner for foreign plates without either

Bills reach the home address of the registered owner typically 60-120 days later via the vehicle-registry data exchange under Directive 2015/413. Payment window is 30 days from receipt. Non-payment escalates under EU mutual assistance.

Mainland non-Attiki motorways (PATHE, Egnatia, Olympia, Ionia, Moreas, Nea Odos, Aegean Motorway): manual toll booths. Pay by cash, card, or e-Pass at each plaza. Non-payment is not physically possible because barriers block passage.

Best practice for foreign drivers: check at rental pickup whether the car has an active e-Pass, or use a contactless bank card at each entry.

Points system (SESO)

The Sistima Elenchou Simperiforas Odigou is an additive points system for Greek residents.

• Drivers start at 0 points and accumulate them on violations
• Warning notice at 15 points; retraining may be required
• Licence revoked at 25 points
• Points expire after 3 years (2 years for professional drivers)

The 2025 KOK layered direct on-the-spot licence suspensions on top of SESO, so many serious violations trigger immediate suspension regardless of point balance.

Foreign drivers do not accumulate Greek points. Cross-border enforcement can still reach you at home for the fine amount under Directive 2015/413, but the Greek suspension itself only applies while driving in Greece.

EU cross-border enforcement

Greece has transposed Directive 2015/413 and applies the recast Directive 2024/3237 (broader offence scope). Process for foreign drivers:

1. Greek enforcement (camera, roadside stop, or gantry) captures the violation
2. Greek authorities query the foreign vehicle registry via EUCARIS (typically week 4-8)
3. Notice by post to the registered owner’s home address (typically week 8-16)
4. Payment window: 30 days from receipt
5. Non-payment: eventually referred to home-country collection under EU mutual assistance

Online payment for many KOK fines: gov.gr portal, in Greek and English. The previously-used gsis.gr payment path has been consolidated on gov.gr for consumer traffic fines.

Practical note: pay Greek fines. The 2025 KOK reform coincided with electronic enforcement roll-out in Attica, and the recast 2024/3237 Directive expands the enforceable offence list. Ignoring a Greek fine is getting harder each year.

Islands and mainland enforcement patterns

Enforcement intensity varies, though the KOK is national:

• Athens and Thessaloniki: strictest. Attiki Odos radar sections operate around the clock. Central-city phone-in-hand and helmet enforcement is very active.
• Peloponnese and Central Greece: standard mainland enforcement, tightening around Orthodox Easter and summer holiday weekends.
• Crete: Heraklion, Chania, and the A90 north-coast highway are patrolled; rural inland roads less so.
• Cyclades (Santorini, Mykonos, Naxos): strict during peak summer, alcohol checkpoints outside major beach clubs.
• Rhodes, Kos, Corfu: strict in resort strips (Kardamena, Kavos, Faliraki), quieter in villages.

Practical tips for foreign drivers

• Use cruise control on Attiki Odos and PATHE motorways; average-speed sections catch sustained overspeed
• Zero alcohol strategy in tourist zones; a shot of ouzo or tsipouro is 40% ABV and larger than most foreign shots
• e-Pass at rental pickup: confirm active status for Attiki Odos; some rentals include, some charge a daily fee
• Contactless card ready for manual toll booths
• Hands-free only for calls: phone-in-hand is now €350 and takes your licence for 30 days
• Rented moped or ATV: helmet enforcement is now strict; unhelmeted passenger costs both of you €350
• Daktilios exemption is technology-based, not nationality-based; check vehicle documentation
• ELPA assistance: Greek Automobile and Touring Club, partner of foreign clubs, roadside call 10400