Driving in Greece with a Faroe Islands Driving Licence: IDP Requirements and Rules
A visitor with a valid Faroe Islands driving licence can drive in Greece for the corresponding vehicle category while not usually resident in Greece, provided the Greek minimum age is met. The current Greek Road Traffic Code recognises valid licences covered by ratified international conventions. For this pair, the relevant framework is the 1949 Geneva Convention. A separate IDP is not legally required under that visitor route, although major rental companies checked may require one.
Quick answer
The Faroese national licence is legally usable by a non-resident visitor under the convention route in article 98(3)(d) of the Greek Road Traffic Code. The practical complication is car hire: the named rental firms checked apply stricter documentation rules and point to an IDP for a Faroese licence.
How Greece treats a Faroe Islands licence
Article 98 of Law 5209/2025 requires the appropriate licence category and the Greek minimum age. Paragraph 3(d) excludes from the general Greek-licence requirement holders of a valid licence recognised under an international convention or agreement ratified by law, provided they do not have usual residence in Greece. The United Nations Treaty Collection lists both Greece and Denmark as parties to the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic and records the FO distinguishing sign for Faroese driving licences. That provides the treaty basis for a valid Faroese licence used by a visitor in Greece.
IDP requirement, recommendation and model
Greek law separately recognises a valid foreign IDP in article 98(3)(b), but it also recognises convention-based national licences in article 98(3)(d). On the verified 1949 basis, an IDP is therefore not a separate legal requirement for the Faroese visitor route described here. No Greece-specific official recommendation to carry an IDP was verified. Akstovan advises Faroese licence holders to check IDP requirements before driving in countries outside Europe, which does not amount to a Greece-specific recommendation.
If an IDP is obtained, the relevant convention model is the 1949 Geneva Convention IDP in Annex 10. Denmark expressly excluded the Faroe Islands from its ratification of the 1968 Vienna Convention, so the 1968 model should not be assumed to govern a Faroese licence.
Visitor and resident rules
No fixed visitor-day maximum was verified. The relevant Greek rule is status-based: the convention permission in article 98(3)(d) applies to a driver who does not have usual residence in Greece. Once that condition no longer applies, the visitor exception cannot simply be carried forward. Resident exchange or conversion: unverified – confirm with official authority. Do not rely on the visitor exception after becoming usually resident without checking the current Greek licensing position.
Rental-car requirements
Rental contracts can be stricter than Greek driving law. Autohellas Hertz says unlisted countries fall under a national-plus-international-licence requirement, and the Faroe Islands are not in its national-only lists. Enterprise says that for countries outside its named accepted lists a valid IDP is required together with the national licence. SIXT Athens says licences from outside the EU also need an IDP. For a Faroese licence holder, the practical rental position is therefore to obtain a 1949 IDP and carry it with the physical national licence, while checking the exact booking terms.
Documents, police checks and insurance
Article 103 of the Greek Road Traffic Code requires the driver to carry the legal driving licence. Akstovan states that its digital licence cannot be used outside Denmark, so the physical Faroese plastic card should be carried in Greece. Article 103 also lists vehicle registration and generally proof of insurance and road-tax payment, but says rental vehicles carry a copy of the registration and do not have to carry the insurance or road-tax proof.
No source checked establishes a Faroese-specific insurance consequence for not carrying an IDP. Enterprise states that third-party liability protection required by Greek law is included in its Greece rentals. Rental protection remains subject to the applicable contract, so an IDP requirement in a rental agreement should be treated as a contractual requirement even though the legal visitor rule is less strict.
Important exceptions for Faroe Islands licence holders
The Faroe Islands should not be treated as an ordinary EU licence jurisdiction merely because they are within the Kingdom of Denmark. The UN treaty record expressly excludes the Faroe Islands from Denmark's 1968 Vienna Convention ratification, while the 1949 Geneva Convention record separately documents FO for Faroese driving licences. The legal conclusion also assumes a valid licence, the corresponding vehicle category, the required Greek minimum age and no usual residence in Greece.
Official sources used
- Greek Government Gazette, Law 5209/2025, articles 98 and 103: official Gazette PDF, checked 2026-09-27.
- United Nations Treaty Collection, 1949 Convention on Road Traffic status: current treaty record, checked 2026-09-27.
- United Nations Treaty Series, 1996 Faroe Islands FO communication under the 1949 Convention: UNTS record, checked 2026-09-27.
- United Nations Treaty Collection, 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic status and Denmark territorial exclusion: current treaty record, checked 2026-09-27.
- UNECE, 1949 Convention IDP model under article 24(2) and Annex 10: official UNECE material, checked 2026-09-27.
- Akstovan, international driving permits: official Faroese guidance, checked 2026-09-27.
- Akstovan, physical licence card abroad: official Faroese guidance, checked 2026-09-27.
- Autohellas Hertz, accepted driving licences by country: company terms, checked 2026-09-27.
- Enterprise Greece, Athens Airport renter requirements: company terms, checked 2026-09-27.
- SIXT, Athens rental requirements: company terms, checked 2026-09-27.
Practical recommendation
For a visitor using a private or borrowed vehicle, the verified legal basis does not establish a separate IDP requirement: carry the valid physical Faroese licence and stay within its categories. For a rental car, obtain the 1949 Geneva Convention IDP before travel because each of the three named rental companies checked points to an IDP for this licence situation. Carry both documents and verify the specific booking conditions before collection.
Last verified
This information was checked against the listed legal, treaty, Faroese authority and rental-company sources on 2026-09-27. Driving-licence and rental rules can change, so recheck the official sources if the trip is later.