Greece has amended its National Customs Code to impose fines of up to €10,000 on residents who drive vehicles registered abroad without completing Greek registration procedures — a measure targeting the widespread practice of importing cars to avoid domestic registration taxes, with digital enforcement through toll networks and border checkpoints beginning immediately.
Penalties for petrol and diesel cars are graduated by engine size: up to 1,400cc attracts a €2,500 fine; 1,401cc to 1,600cc, €3,000; 1,601cc to 2,000cc, €5,000; 2,001cc to 3,000cc, €8,000; and above 3,000cc, €10,000. Electric vehicles face a separate scale ranging from €1,300 for models under 75 kilowatts to €4,000 for those exceeding 226 kilowatts. Motorcycles face penalties up to €1,000 and commercial freight vehicles up to €2,000.
Once an official Vehicle Arrival Declaration is filed, owners have three months to pay outstanding registration fees before mandatory tax enforcement begins.
For vehicles imported from outside the EU, operating without concurrent registration tax payment is classified as smuggling, triggering immediate seizure and criminal prosecution.
The Independent Authority for Public Revenue will use digital tracking applications at tolls and border crossings to identify vehicles operating beyond the six-month temporary foreign-plate limit.
The enforcement drive is consistent with the government's broader revenue-recovery push — which this week also saw tax raids on Athens Riviera bars and a web-scraping campaign against landlords who under-declare rents.
The reforms reflect sustained pressure on successive Greek governments to close registration tax loopholes that have long deprived the state of significant revenue, particularly among returned diaspora members and expatriates who keep vehicles registered in other EU countries while living full-time in Greece.