Driving in Greece with a Bonaire Driving Licence: IDP Requirements and Rules
A Bonaire licence holder can drive in Greece only where the licence satisfies the applicable treaty conditions or another recognised document route applies. Bonaire is covered by the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic. Greece recognises qualifying convention licences and valid international licences for people without normal residence in Greece. Because the current Bonaire licence format was not fully verified against the Convention model, whether the national licence alone is enough remains conditional.
Quick answer
The safest verified legal route for a visitor is a valid 1949 Geneva Convention International Driving Permit (IDP) used with the underlying national licence. Greek law expressly recognises a valid international driving licence issued outside Greece for a holder who does not have normal residence in Greece. An official Greek recommendation specifically telling Bonaire licence holders to obtain an IDP was not found.
Legal treatment of a Bonaire licence in Greece
Bonaire is a public body within the Caribbean Netherlands, but its treaty position is not identical to the European Netherlands. The Dutch Treaty Database records the 1949 Geneva Convention as in force for Bonaire from 10 October 2010. It does not record the 1968 Vienna Convention as in force for Bonaire. Greece's current Road Traffic Code, Law 5209/2025, recognises valid licences according to international conventions or agreements ratified by law for holders without normal residence in Greece.
IDP requirement, recommendation and model
The legal IDP position is conditional rather than an unconditional yes or no. The 1949 Convention allows recognition of a valid domestic permit under its conditions and also provides the 1949 international permit model. Greece separately recognises a valid international driving licence for non-residents. The applicable treaty model for Bonaire is therefore the 1949 Geneva Convention IDP, not the 1968 Vienna model. Whether the current Bonaire national licence can be relied on alone is unverified – confirm with official authority. No official Greek recommendation specific to Bonaire was verified.
Visitor and resident rules
The verified Greek rule is based on normal residence rather than a fixed visitor-day allowance, so no fixed maximum is stated here. The convention and international-licence routes in Article 98 apply to holders who do not have normal residence in Greece. Resident exchange or conversion treatment for a Bonaire licence was not verified and should not be inferred from the visitor rule.
Rental-car requirements
Rental policy is separate from Greek law. Hertz Greece states that a driver must have held a licence for at least 12 months and that a licence must be Greek, European for EU countries, or International for non-EU countries. That is Hertz policy and is not evidence that every rental company applies the same rule.
Police, authority documents and insurance
Article 103 of the Greek Road Traffic Code requires a driver to carry the lawful driving licence, vehicle registration, proof of insurance and other applicable vehicle documents. For a Bonaire visitor relying on an IDP, carry the national licence with the IDP because an IDP functions alongside the underlying licence. No pair-specific rule showing that insurance is invalid without an IDP was verified.
Relevant exceptions
The main verified exception is residence. The Greek provisions relied on here distinguish people who do not have normal residence in Greece. Vehicle entitlement also remains limited to the category or categories covered by the valid licence or permit and Greece's applicable minimum-age requirements.
Official sources used
- Hellenic Road Traffic Code, Law 5209/2025, Articles 98 and 103, checked at https://www.elinyae.gr/ethniki-nomothesia/n-52092025-fek-100a-1362025 on 30 September 2026.
- United Nations Treaty Collection, Convention on Road Traffic, Geneva 19 September 1949, checked at https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XI-B-1&chapter=11&clang=_en on 30 September 2026.
- Kingdom of the Netherlands Treaty Database, 1949 Convention on Road Traffic, checked at https://verdragenbank.overheid.nl/en/Treaty/Details/007193.html on 30 September 2026.
- Kingdom of the Netherlands Treaty Database, 1968 Convention on Road Traffic, checked at https://verdragenbank.overheid.nl/en/Treaty/Details/003178.html on 30 September 2026.
- Hertz Greece, Key facts about your rental, checked at https://www.hertz.gr/en/car-rental/everything-you-need-to-know-about-car-rental/key-facts-about-your-rental/ on 30 September 2026.
Practical recommendation
Before driving, confirm with the competent Bonaire authority whether your exact licence format is valid for international traffic under the 1949 Convention and whether a convention-compliant IDP can be issued. If renting, obtain written confirmation from the chosen rental company because the verified Hertz policy requires an International licence for non-EU licences.
Last verified date
This information was checked against the listed sources on 30 September 2026. Rules and rental terms can change.