How to import a used car from Germany to Greece

Greek terms you will meet

Why Germany

Germany has far more used-car listings than Greece, so you can find the exact version and equipment you want instead of settling for what is available locally. As an EU country it also means no customs duty: you pay only the Greek registration tax, and VAT only if the car counts as new.

The German roadworthiness test (TÜV) is stricter, so cars tend to arrive in better mechanical condition. Service history is usually complete and recorded digitally, which means you can check what has actually been done to the car rather than rely on a booklet of stamps.

The last two rows are the real price of importing. Besides transport and tax, you pay for not being able to go and see the car yourself. That is what the inspection below is for. Without it, an import is a gamble.

The process, step by step

1. Find the car. mobile.de is the largest German listings site. Buy from a dealer rather than a private seller: a dealer issues an invoice, which matters at customs. Ask for the car to be declared accident-free and for a full service book.
2. Read the listing properly. First registration date (it sets the age, and so the tax), real mileage, how long the German test is still valid, fuel, CO₂ and Euro class. If the seller will not send more photos or the VIN, treat it as a red flag.
3. Inspect before buying. Start with the documents and the seller, and see the car in person only if they pass: diagnostic scan of every control unit, paint thickness on every panel, chassis rails and weld points, mileage cross-checked against the service book and digital records.
4. Check the Euro class and CO₂ on the CoC (certificate of conformity), not in the listing. Customs uses those figures to set the tax.
5. Buy and collect the papers: both parts of the German registration certificate (Part I and Part II) and the CoC. Anything missing causes delays.
6. Transport to Greece. We use road transport: the car travels on its own rather than on a car transporter with eleven others. It reaches Greece in about 5 working days.
7. Customs. The Vehicle Arrival Declaration, then the Special Declaration at customs by the 30th day after arrival, and payment of the registration tax.
8. ΚΤΕΟ where required, plates and registration certificate in your name.

How the registration tax is worked out

The registration tax comes from three things (law 5222/2025, article 136 and article 142):

• the taxable value: the ΛΤΠΦ of the same version when new, reduced according to age and body type, and a little more if the car has covered over 15,000 km a year, by up to 95% in total (article 142);
• the rate: a progressive scale from 4% to 71% on the list price, adjusted from −5% to +100% for CO₂ (article 136(2) and (3));
• the Euro class (article 136(5)): ×1 for Euro 6 whose emission standard has a last registration date from 1/9/2018 on, ×1.5 for Euro 6 standards with a last registration date up to 31/8/2018, ×2 for Euro 5b and ×3 for Euro 5a and Euro 4. Euro 5 cars also pay a €1,000 environmental fee and Euro 4 cars €3,000 (law 4710/2020, article 5).

A 09/2020 VW Polo 1.0 TSI pays €164 in registration tax and a 2020 VW Tiguan 2.0 TDI pays €1,795. Had the same Polo been Euro 5b, it would pay €1,164 more. Worked examples, with every line of the calculation, are on the page registration tax and import costs in Greece, and for more than 50 versions of popular models, in Greek, on registration tax by model.

VAT and customs duty

Germany is in the EU, so there is no customs duty. For a used car you do not pay VAT again in Greece, because it was paid in Germany. Used, for VAT, means more than 6 months since first registration and more than 6,000 km (Greek VAT Code, law 5144/2024, article 14). Miss either condition and the car counts as new: 24% Greek VAT is due.

Commercial vehicles are different: they are bought in Germany at their net value, without VAT, and the VAT is paid in Greece when the vehicle is imported.

Exemptions: electric cars, hybrids, moving to Greece

• Fully electric cars pay no registration tax.
• Hybrids, including 48V mild hybrids, get a 50% reduction. Hybrids with up to 50 g/km cleared through customs by 31/12/2026 get 75% (ΑΑΔΕ circular Ε.2039/2026).
• Whether you are Greek or foreign, if your normal residence has been outside Greece for at least the last 24 months and you move it here permanently, the car you used there for at least 6 months can come in without registration tax, subject to conditions (law 5222/2025, article 157). Our page moving to Greece with your car has the conditions.
• Parents of 3 or more children have an exemption under article 149, with conditions. See our Greek article on the large-family exemption.

What we handle

1. Search. You give us the model, budget, year and mileage, or send a listing you found.
2. Inspection. A full document check and a video from the dealer first. Then an on-site inspection with a professional diagnostic tool, paint measurements and a body check.
3. Purchase and papers. We buy the car and bring every important document.
4. Transport to Greece.
5. Customs and registration tax. The whole procedure at customs.
6. ΚΤΕΟ, plates, handover. You collect it ready to drive.

When importing does not pay

• Very cheap cars. The fixed costs of an import eat the saving.
• Euro 4 and Euro 5. The tax rate is multiplied by 3 for Euro 4 and by 2 for Euro 5b, plus an environmental fee of €3,000 or €1,000 (law 5222/2025, article 136(5), law 4710/2020, article 5). We have seen the total go above the purchase price.
• Nearly new cars. Up to 6 months since first registration or up to 6,000 km, the car counts as new and pays 24% Greek VAT. The numbers rarely work.
• Models that are already cheap in Greece. For some very common small cars the local market is already competitive.

Sources

All sources are in Greek.

• Law 5222/2025, article 136 (taxheaven consolidation): rate scale, CO₂, Euro classes, hybrids and electric cars.
• Law 5222/2025, article 142: taxable value of a used car, age reduction, mileage.
• Law 4710/2020, article 5: environmental fee for Euro 4 and Euro 5.
• Greek VAT Code, law 5144/2024, article 14: when a vehicle counts as new.
• ΑΑΔΕ, vehicle FAQ, version 2.0 (31/03/2026): procedure, documents, environmental fee.
• ΑΑΔΕ circular Ε.2039/2026: hybrid reductions.

Frequently asked questions