Μake us preferred on Google Greek tax authorities are stepping up checks on cars with foreign license plates, targeting cases in which vehicles registered abroad are effectively being kept and used in Greece on a permanent basis.
The focus is not on foreign registration itself. Many such vehicles are on Greek roads entirely legally. What matters is whether the person using the car genuinely lives abroad, or whether overseas registration is being used to avoid the tax and other financial obligations that apply to vehicles based in Greece. For the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE), that distinction comes down largely to residency and patterns of use.
A car registered in Germany, Bulgaria or elsewhere can be driven in Greece without breaching the rules if its user normally lives outside the country. Problems arise when someone who is effectively resident in Greece continues to use a foreign-registered vehicle as their regular car.
The issue has become a more visible enforcement priority this year. In April, AADE carried out an operation codenamed “Supercars,” during which 229 luxury vehicles with foreign plates were seized. Their combined estimated value exceeded €10 million.
The operation also showed how the authority is building cases. Investigators used information from toll roads and customs, as well as digital risk-analysis tools, to identify vehicles whose movements or length of stay warranted closer examination.
The residency test
Under the rules, a driver using a foreign-registered car in Greece should normally have their habitual residence abroad and spend at least 183 days a year there.
The vehicle can be used privately in Greece for up to six months within a 12-month period. An extension of up to 15 days may be granted in exceptional circumstances.
There are also specific exemptions for some categories of drivers, including Greeks who work abroad for at least six months a year, people who are temporarily in Greece for work or training, and certain spouses of people who live abroad.
For AADE, the practical question is therefore not simply where a car is registered, but whether its use in Greece matches the circumstances claimed by its driver.
Where it does not, the financial consequences can be significant. A vehicle kept in Greece beyond the permitted period, or used unlawfully by someone resident in the country, can lead to fines of up to €10,000.
Additional taxes and customs duties may also be imposed, and in some cases the authorities can confiscate the vehicle.
Source: TA NEA
