How to Get a Category CE Driving Licence in Greece

Nobody in Greece applies for a Category CE licence from scratch. You add CE to an existing Category C licence through one online procedure on gov.gr. That procedure asks an early question that shapes everything that follows: are you extending to CE with the professional qualification known as the ΠΕΙ, or without it? With the ΠΕΙ, the minimum age for C and CE drops from 21 to 18. Leave it out, and you can hold a licence for an articulated lorry without, in most cases, being allowed to drive one for a living. The same online service is open only to holders of a Greek licence, a detail that catches drivers who move to Greece with a licence issued elsewhere in the EU.

On the card itself,f the category is printed as CE in Latin letters, as in every other EU country. In Greek it is the δίπλωμα οδήγησης κατηγορίας CE or άδεια οδήγησης κατηγορίας CE, and in everyday speech the δίπλωμα νταλίκας, roughly "the artic licence". It is the entitlement behind most long-distance freight between Athens, Thessaloniki, the ports and the northern border crossings.

What CE covers, and the limits it leaves in place

Greece uses the harmonised European categories. CE means a towing vehicle in Category C coupled to a trailer or semi-trailer with a maximum authorised mass (MAM) of more than 750 kg. The classic νταλίκα, a tractor unit pulling a semi-trailer, is the obvious case, but a rigid lorry pulling a separate full trailer (a drawbar combination) needs CE too. So do tankers, refrigerated trailers, tippers, car transporters and low-loaders, provided the towing vehicle is a Category C vehicle, and the driver holds any extra entitlement the load demands.

The neighbouring categories explain where CE sits. C1 covers goods vehicles over 3,500 kg and up to 7,500 kg MAM with a light trailer, and C1E adds a heavier trailer while capping the whole combination at 12,000 kg. Category C covers goods vehicles over 3,500 kg with no upper category limit, but only with a trailer of up to 750 kg. CE removes that trailer restriction and, like C, sets no upper limit on the combination.

That missing ceiling describes the licence, not the broad Greek and EU rules on weights, axle loads, and dimensions. The vehicle’s registration documents, plus any route or bridge restrictions, may determine what a combination may actually weigh. A CE licence entitles you to drive the combination; it does nothing to make an overloaded or oversized one legal. Abnormal loads need their own permits, and dangerous goods need an ADR certificate in addition to the licence. Buses and coaches are outside CE altogether: any vehicle with more than eight passenger seats falls under the D categories, which have their own ages, tests and qualifications.

Why the ΠΕΙ decides your minimum age

Greek licence-issuing rules, amended to implement the latest EU changes, set 21 as the standard minimum age for Categories C and  E. The same provision lowers it to 18 for drivers who hold the Certificate of Professional Competence for goods transport, the Πιστοποιητικό Επαγγελματικής Ικανότητας, or Π Ι. The current wording appears in the amending article on licence-issuing conditions (Greek legal database). The concession is tied to the qualification, not to having an employer lined up: an 18-year-old without the ΠΕΙ cannot get CE, even if someone wants to hire them, and still has to meet every other condition, from holding Category C to passing the medical and the tests.

C1 and C1E are available from 18 without any professional qualification. For a younger driver who isn’t ready to commit to the ΠΕΙ, those categories offer a legal way to gain experience with medium-sized lorries and trailers before full C and CE open up at 21.

The ΠΕΙ is the Greek form of the EU Driver CPC, and the harmonised code 95 on the licence shows that it is held. Greek law applies it to drivers of C1, C1E, C and CE vehicles carrying goods by road in Greece or elsewhere in the EU, with exemptions such as the non-commercial carriage of goods. That scope explains why the extension form offers a choice. The route without the ΠΕΙ suits a driver aged 21 or over whose driving falls within an exemption, or who intends to take the qualification separately later. For anyone planning to drive commercially, and for everyone under 21, the ΠΕΙ is part of the job from the start.

Regional transport offices run the process.

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport sets licensing policy, but the Directorates (or Services) of Transport and Communications in the thirteen regions and their regional units handle applications, examinations, and issuing. The issuing law requires the applicant to live within the competent transport authority’s area, so your office is determined by your address, not by where your driving school is located.

The rules are national, but the regional setup shows through in the details. The official procedure pages list an extra charge for residents of the Cyclades and a small deposit for applicants in the Thessaloniki metropolitan unit. Exam dates and test centre locations also vary, and island residents may have to travel to sit them.

Almost every step now begins online. The gov.gr service for extending a licence to CE and obtaining the ΠΕΙ (in Greek, with an English version) is the entry point, and it requires Taxisnet credentials. The National Registry of Administrative Procedures, known as Mitos, publishes detailed conditions, documents, and fees for individual procedures. Its Greek list of driving licence procedures has 49 entries; the English section for drivers translates only a selection.

Residence decides where you are licensed, not whether you may work

Like other EU states, Greece issues licences to people whose normal residence (συνήθη διαμονή) is in the country, or who have studied there for at least six months before applying. Several official procedures ask applicants who are not Greek citizens to prove residence with a public document issued at least 185 days before the application.

That test answers only one question: which country may issue your licence. It says nothing about the right to live or work in Greece. A citizen of a country outside the EU needs residence and work permission under Greek immigration law, and neither a CE licence nor the ΠΕΙ creates, replaces or speeds up that permission.

Two doctors and the Group 2 standard

Lorry and bus categories belong to Group 2 under EU rules, the group with stricter medical standards than cars and motorbikes. The Mitos page on the initial ΠΕΙ points to the Group 2 physical and mental fitness requirements in the Presidential Decree on driving licences.

In practice, this means two health certificates. The official renewal procedure describes one from a pathologist or general practitioner (or certain other listed specialists) and one from an ophthalmologist, each stating whether you are fit or unfit to drive—applicants over 80 need two more: one from an otolaryngologist and one from a neurologist or psychiatrist. The doctors charge privately. Their fees are separate from the official licence charges.

Timing matters more than cost. Certificates must be submitted within six months of issue, so a medical taken long before a slow training course can lapse and have to be repeated. The better order is to see the doctor once you have a school and a rough timetable, but before you pay for lessons: an eyesight or health problem is far cheaper to discover then than halfway through a course.

The application on gov.gr

After logging in with Taxisnet, you choose the e-extension (with or without the ΠΕΙ), manage your photograph and signature through the myphoto service, pay the electronic fee (e-paravolo), and attach your document. A ministerial circular on professional driver examinations confirms that you can apply for C and CE extensions, with or without the ΠΕΙ, online. The exact document list appears during the application. It depends on your circumstances, but the official procedures typically ask for:

• an identity card or passport;
• proof of residence, for applicants who are not Greek citizens;
• your current driving licence;
• a recent photograph and signature, which gov.gr can take from myphoto;
• the two medical certificates;
• a solemn declaration covering matters such as residence, tax number and your existing licence;
• a statement on whether you are obtaining or renewing the ΠΕΙ, or are exempt;
• proof of payment of the e-paravolo.

Because the whole route depends on Taxisnet, a driver without working credentials is stuck at the first screen. Sorting that out is a sensible first job, well before booking lessons.

Training at a σχολή οδηγών: theory before the lorry

The official gov.gr description states plainly that the extension requires training through a driving school (a σχολή οδηγών. Self-study followed by a test is not an option. Not every school teaches the heavy categories, because CE training needs a suitable tractor unit and trailer, an instructor licensed for the category and enough space to practise manoeuvres.

The main road-safety law sets the order: under its article on practical training, practical lessons may start only after the theory lessons are complete. The same law leaves the content and minimum number of lessons for each category to ministerial decisions, and we could not access the decision that sets the figure for CE, so we don’t include it here. Your school will know the minimum that applies to your mix of existing and new categories. Reversing and coupling are where learners most often need extra lessons, because articulated and drawbar combinations behave very differently when reversing.

Schools set their own prices, which vary by region and by how many lessons a learner needs, and there is no official national average to compare them with. A useful quote includes the number of lessons, the vehicle used and whether the same vehicle is used for the test, which official fees are included, and what extra lessons and retakes cost. Ask too whether ΠΕΙ preparation is included or charged separately, and, if your Greek is limited, whether an instructor can explain things in a language you follow. When an employer pays for training, read any repayment clause before signing.

Exams, retakes and the three-year clock

According to the official service description, the procedure combines driving school training with theory and practical examinations, completed step by step. Which exams you sit depends on the categories you already hold and whether the ΠΕΙ is part of the application. We can’t confirm from official pages whether a separate theory test applies to a plain extension from C to CE, so your school and regional service can tell you what your file requires.

Theory tests in Greece are computer-based and held at exam centres run by the regional transport service. Heavy vehicle theory goes well beyond the car syllabus: braking systems, weights and dimensions, load security, the effect of a trailer on stability, blind spots, driving hours and tachograph basics, and behaviour around vulnerable road users. The practical test is taken in a suitable combination. It normally includes vehicle checks, manoeuvres such as reversing and coupling or uncoupling, and a drive in traffic, with the examiner watching mirror use, observation and road positioning. Coupling, trailer brakes, lights and load security are the checks where nerves most often cause mistakes.

A failed test can be rebooked through the school, with the relevant fees paid again. However, the attempts are not open-ended. The issuing conditions give a candidate three years to pass every required exam, after which a new application with fresh documents is needed; the ministerial circular on professional driver exams (Greek) also states that exam certificates are valid for three years from issue.

Passing does not mean you have to wait for the car. A candidate who has passed the test for a new or extended category can request a temporary driving licence on gov.gr with Taxisnet credentials. The Mitos procedure for temporary licences says it is free of charge and valid for six months.

Test language is the least clear part of the official material.

Greek is the language of administration, and forms and correspondence are in Greek. The road-safety law does make one specific provision: deaf and hard-of-hearing candidates can take the theory test with a Greek Sign Language or lip-reading interpreter, at their own cost. Beyond that, the official pages we could access do not list which foreign languages are offered for the heavy vehicle or ΠΕΙ tests, or when other candidates may bring an interpreter. A draft of new exam rules published for public consultation referred to theory questionnaires in a foreign language. Still, a draft is not law, and we could not confirm what applies today.

For a driver with limited Greek, that gap has practical consequences. Ask the school before you pay, not after, and expect practical-test instructions in Greek. Learning the common directions and the Greek terms for vehicle checks with your instructor costs little and removes one source of error on the day.

The initial ΠΕΙ: two exams and a 90-minute drive

The Mitos page on the initial ΠΕΙ lists the conditions: a valid licence in one of the heavy categories, issued in Greece or another EU state; normal residence in Greece, or at least six months as a student there; Group 2 medical fitness; and passes in a theory examination and a practical examination. The legal article on the initial ΠΕΙ describes the practical part as a 90-minute drive before an examination committee. The regional transport service handles applications and examinations.

The official fees are modest next to training costs: €20 for the theory exam, €20 for the practical exam and €30 for printing the licence, €70 in all, with a supplement of up to €29.35 for residents of the Cyclades. Providers price preparation courses separately. The certificate is valid for five years from the successful practical exam and appears on the licence as code 9. Because the gov.gr service handles the extension to CE with or without the ΠΕΙ, you can plan both as one programme.

Three expiry dates, three separate renewals

A working CE driver in Greece must track the expiry of the CE category, the ΠΕΙ, and the tachograph driver card. None of the three renews the others.

The CE category

Heavy categories must be renewed much more often than car categories, and every renewal needs a new medical certificate. The licence card shows a separate expiry date for each category, so the date that matters is the one against CE, not against the others. The official renewal procedure says each category’s validity follows the Presidential Decree on driving licence. It does not state the period, and we found no official page that does, so we provide no figure. A category can be renewed at any time once the conditions are met, and holders of professional categories must declare whether they are renewing the ΠΕΙ or are exempt. The unified renewal fee is €105, rising to up to €116.74 where the Thessaloniki or Cyclades supplements apply. If the licence might expire while renewal is being processed, the online system can issue a provisional document. The procedure pages give indicative processing times for renewal, but not for the whole route to a new category.

The ΠΕΙ

Keeping the ΠΕΙ means completing periodic training before the five years run out and having a new certificate or code 95 entry issued. The Greek motoring site gocar.gr describes the periodic course as 35 hours of theoretical training with no exam, which matches the EU Driver CPC pattern; we did not access the ministerial decision itself. The ministerial circular adds that periodic training should be completed within a limited window, using no more than three approved programmes within six months. The legal article on periodic training names the approved providers: professional transport training schools (ΣΕΚΑΜ), schools for drivers of dangerous goods vehicles (ΣΕΚΟΟΜΕΕ) and theoretical training centres for candidate drivers (ΚΕΘΕΥΟ), each needing a valid operating licence and special authorisation from the regional transport service.

The tachograph card and ADR

The tachograph driver card is a personal card used in digital and smart tachographs to record driving and rest time. You apply for it separately from the licence and the ΠΕΙ;  it has its own expiry date, and Greece has a separate procedure for exchanging smart tachograph driver cards. ADR, for dangerous goods, is a fourth document with its own training and exams, needed only for that work. The EU rules on drivers’ hours and rest periods belong to the job rather than the licence. Still, employers expect new CE drivers to know them.

What the official fees tell you, and what they leave out

You pay official charges electronically as an e-paravolo. The online application calculates the amount for your case, including any regional supplement. We couldn’t find a published fee breakdown for the extension from C to CE: the Greek Mitos page for that procedure couldn’t be opened, so no figure is given here. The gov.gr application shows the amount when you apply, and a driving school should know it.

In any case, the official fees are the smaller part of the bill. The driving school’s charge for lessons, the tractor unit and trailer and the test vehicle is usually the highest cost, followed by the private medical examinations. Retakes add to both official and school costs, which is one more reason to judge a school by what it charges for extra lessons and repeat tests, rather than by its headline price alone.

When a recognised licence still has to become Greek

EU and EEA licences

Greece recognises a valid licence from another EU member state, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein. You may drive in the categories it shows, including CE, subject to its validity and restrictions. In many cases, you can exchange it for a Greek licence, but you must do so if it expires while you live in Greece or if Greek penalties are applied to it. The official exchange procedure charges a €30 administrative fee plus any regional supplement, asks non-Greek citizens for proof of residence, and asks holders of professional categories for their professional qualification documents.

The trap mentioned at the start lies here: A driver who lives in Greece on, say, a Bulgarian or Romanian licence with Category C cannot use the gov.gr extension service to add CE, because it is designed for holders of a Greek licence. The practical route is to exchange first, then apply for the extension, and ask the regional service how it handles the timing between the two.

UK licences

Greece publishes a dedicated procedure for converting a UK licence, aimed at beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement whose normal residence is in Greece. It covers all categories, including C and CE, involves no tests, requires medical certificates and residence documents, and requires surrender of the UK licence. Drivers outside that group should ask the regional service which rules apply

.Other countries

The Mitos list includes conversion procedures for licences from a limited set of countries: Switzerland, the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, Albania, Serbia, Moldova, Georgia and the United Arab Emirates  Each has its own conditions, and conversion does not automatically cover every category, so a foreign heavy combination entitlement should not be assumed to transfer; you should follow the specific procedure for your country  Where no arrangement exists, a driver who becomes normally resident in Greece should expect to obtain a Greek licence through training and examinations  An International Driving Permit does not change this  It is a translation carried with a national licence on temporary visits, not a licence in its own right, and it gives no right to drive professionally in Greece.

Professional qualifications gained abroad

A Driver CPC gained in another EU country is recognised across the EU. One gained outside the EU generally is not, so an experienced driver from a third country may still need the Greek initial ΠΕΙ before driving for hire or reward. That is worth settling before accepting a job offer that assumes otherwise.

An EU directive adopted, Greek law unchanged.

Changes for professional drivers and digital licences are coming through a new EU Driving Licence Directive, which member states must transpose over several years. We found no sign that Greece has yet amended its CE rules to implement it, so the Greek rules described here still apply. Anyone planning training well ahead should watch announcements from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and the gov.gr service pages.

Adding CE in Greece, in order

1. Make sure your Taxisnet credentials work and that you hold a Greek licence with Category C (exchanging an EU licence first if necessary).
2. Choose a driving school that teaches CE, agree on a written training plan and price, and decide whether to include the ΠΕΙ.
3. Get the two medical certificates, timed so they stay within six months of issue when you submit them.
4. Submit the extension application on gov.gr, with or without the ΠΕΙ, sorting out photo and signature through myphoto, paying the e-paravolo and attaching documents.
5. Complete the theory lessons, then the practical lessons.
6. Pass the required exams at the regional exam centre within the three-year limit.
7. Request the free temporary licence if you need to drive before the card arrives, then collect the new card showing CE and, where relevant, code 95.

From licence to work

CE and the ΠΕΙ make a driver eligible for many heavy goods roles. Still, they do not guarantee a job. Employers usually look at experience, a tachograph card, ADR where the work needs it and knowledge of international routes as well. Until you hold the entitlement (or the temporary licence) and, where required, the ΠΕΙ, you should not drive commercially.

CE and ΠΕΙ holders can register in the FastDriver.eu driver section and browse current driving vacancies. FastDriver.eu is a job portal where drivers and transport employers find each other; it issues no licences, approves no qualifications and guarantees no job, visa or work permit.

Four open points for the Directorate of Transport

Four points remain open in the official material we could reach: the fee for the C to CE extension, the minimum number of CE lessons, the languages offered for heavy vehicle and ΠΕΙ tests, and the validity period of the CE category. National rules apply, but the regional Directorate of Transport and Communications for your address enforces them. That office, through the gov.gr service, has the final word on your file. This article is general information, not legal advice.

Official sources

• gov.gr: licence extension to CE and the ΠΕΙ
• Mitos: driving licence procedures (Greek)
• Mitos: procedures for drivers (English)
• Licence issuing conditions and minimum ages