Driving in Greece with an Aruba Driving Licence: IDP Requirements and Rules
A visitor holding a valid Aruba driving licence can drive in Greece for the corresponding vehicle category while they do not have ordinary residence in Greece. The 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic applies to Aruba, and Greek law recognises convention-based foreign licences without separately making an IDP mandatory for this visitor route. No separate translation was verified as legally required. The checked rule gives no fixed visitor-day limit. Rental-company rules may still require a 1949 IDP.
Quick answer
For a non-resident visitor, the Aruba licence itself is legally usable in Greece when it is valid, covers the vehicle being driven, and the driver meets the Greek minimum age for that category. An IDP is not a separate legal requirement under the checked convention-based rule. The practical position is stricter for rentals because both Enterprise Greece and Hertz Greece require an IDP under their published country rules for Aruba.
How Greece treats an Aruba licence
Aruba is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands with its own driving-licence administration. The Netherlands Treaty Database records the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic as in force for Aruba from 1 January 1986, while the 1968 Vienna Convention entry shows no territorial entry into force for Aruba. Greece is a party to both the 1949 and 1968 road-traffic conventions. UNECE guidance states that the 1949 Convention prevails for a driver from a jurisdiction party only to the 1949 Convention when driving in a state party to both conventions.
Greek Road Traffic Code Law 5209/2025 Article 98(3)(d) recognises a valid driving licence as provided in international conventions or agreements ratified by law, provided the holder does not have ordinary residence in Greece. The driver must also meet the Greek minimum age for the corresponding licence category. Aruba issues A, B, C, D and E licence categories, but this page does not infer a broader category entitlement than the category actually shown on the valid licence.
IDP requirement, recommendation and model
An IDP is not legally required for the checked convention-based visitor route. Official government recommendation: unverified – confirm with official authority. If an IDP is obtained for this trip, the applicable convention model is the 1949 Geneva Convention IDP because Aruba is covered by the 1949 Convention but not the 1968 Convention, and UNECE guidance says the 1949 Convention prevails for this treaty combination.
Aruba government information directs international driving-permit services to Bureau Rijbewijzen of Korps Politie Aruba. The IDP does not replace the national licence and rental companies checked require both documents. No separate translation was verified as legally required for the valid Aruba licence under the convention-based recognition route.
Visitor and resident rules
The checked Greek statute does not set a fixed number of visitor days for this recognition route. Instead, Article 98(3)(d) is conditioned on the driver not having ordinary residence in Greece, so max_visitor_days cannot be stated as a fixed number from this rule.
Once the holder becomes ordinarily resident in Greece, the non-resident convention exception is no longer the basis for driving. Resident exchange or conversion for an Aruba licence: unverified – confirm with official authority. A new resident should verify the applicable procedure with the competent Greek regional transport service before relying on the visitor rule.
Rental-car requirements
Rental conditions can be stricter than Greek licence-recognition law. The two named rental companies checked both require an IDP for Aruba under their published country-based rules.
| Company | Requirement | Source checked |
|---|
| Enterprise Greece | Aruba is not in the published groups accepted with the national licence alone, so the policy for all other countries requires a valid national licence plus a valid IDP. Enterprise also requires valid identity documentation and a full licence held for at least one year. | Enterprise Greece Athens International Airport terms, checked 2026-09-27 |
| Hertz Greece | Its country table places unlisted countries in the remaining-countries group, which requires the national licence and an international driving permit. | Hertz Greece driving licences by country, checked 2026-09-27 |
Documents for authorities and insurance
Greek Road Traffic Code Article 103 requires the driver to carry the lawful driving licence and applicable vehicle documents. It generally lists the vehicle registration certificate, proof of insurance and proof of road-tax payment. For a vehicle rented from a rental or leasing company, Article 103 allows a copy of the registration certificate and expressly removes the obligation to carry proof of insurance and proof of road-tax payment.
This carrying-document exemption does not mean insurance is unnecessary. Enterprise Greece states that supplemental liability protection required by Greek law is included in its rentals. No broader insurance consequence has been inferred from the presence or absence of an IDP.
Relevant exceptions
The key legal limit for this pair is ordinary residence. The convention-based visitor recognition in Article 98(3)(d) applies only while the Aruba licence holder does not have ordinary residence in Greece. The licence must also be valid for the corresponding vehicle category and the driver must meet the Greek minimum age for that category. Separate rules may apply to special vehicle classes or professional entitlements, which are not inferred here.
A rental company may demand an IDP even though the checked Greek rule does not make one mandatory for the visitor to drive. That contractual requirement should be satisfied if using that company.
Official sources used
- Hellenic Republic, Law 5209/2025 Road Traffic Code, Articles 98 and 103, used for foreign-licence recognition and carried-document rules. Official Gazette PDF, checked 2026-09-27
- Netherlands Treaty Database, Convention on Road Traffic, Geneva 1949, used for the territorial application to Aruba and the party record for Greece. Treaty record, checked 2026-09-27
- Netherlands Treaty Database, Convention on Road Traffic, Vienna 1968, used for the party record for Greece and to confirm that no territorial entry into force is shown for Aruba. Treaty record, checked 2026-09-27
- UNECE road-traffic conventions brochure, used for the rule that the 1949 Convention prevails for a 1949-only origin driving in a state party to both conventions. UNECE brochure, checked 2026-09-27
- Government of Aruba, driving-licence and Bureau Rijbewijzen information, used for Aruba licence categories and the office handling international driving permits. Aruba driving-licence page, checked 2026-09-27
- Enterprise Greece, Athens International Airport rental terms, used for licence, IDP and identity-document requirements. Enterprise Greece, checked 2026-09-27
- Hertz Greece, driving licences by country, used for the national-licence plus IDP rule for remaining countries. Hertz Greece, checked 2026-09-27
Practical recommendation
Carry the original valid Aruba licence. If renting a car, obtain the 1949 Geneva Convention IDP from Bureau Rijbewijzen of Korps Politie Aruba before travel and carry it with the national licence because the two rental firms checked require both for Aruba. Also check the chosen rental company directly before collection because contractual terms can change.
Last verified
This Aruba-to-Greece licence and IDP information was checked against the listed sources on 2026-09-27. Driving-licence law, administrative procedures and rental-company terms can change.