# Transfer of car ownership



## The Grocer

Can any members give me step by step advice on the procedure to be carried out when you buy a car from a private individual in Greece please....

I know I will have to go to the vehicle registration office but....

1) Do I need the current owners with me?
2) Must I tell my accountant I have bought a car for tax reasons?
3) Should the car be registered jointly between my wife and I for tax reasons?
etc..

thanks


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## The Grocer

*Buying / selling a used car*

As I did not receive any replies, I guess no one knew the answer to my question.....(or could not be bothered to reply)
So in hope of helping someone else out in the future these are the actions you need to take from my experience today........

1) Both the party selling and the party purchasing the car need to attend the Ministry of Transport Office. If the car has been / or is going to be registered in joint names (ie husband & wife for tax purposes), then all need to attend.
2) Only one form needs to be completed, and is quite basic...name, address etc.
The party buying the car will need to produce...
a) Passport
b) Greek residency permit
c) Transfer fee receipt. (You pay this BEFORE you go to the Ministry at Millennium / Agriculture Bank)
The party selling the car will need to produce:-
a) Car registration document
b) Valid KTEO certificate
c) Passport
d) Greek residency certificate (you "may" get away without this) 

All parties sign the old registration document and a new document is issued in the buyers name.
It is then important to go to either the sellers or buyers accountant and complete a formal declaration of sale. This both parties will require for the completion of the annual tax return


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## jang

*Timely advice*

Thanks Grocer, we are just about to do this and are very grateful for the advice.


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## The Grocer

jang said:


> Thanks Grocer, we are just about to do this and are very grateful for the advice.


Your welcome, Good luck.................


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## Cairokid

I have only bought from a dealer - you pay more but they handle all the paperwork for you.

You should notify your accountant that you have bought the car and it will be included on your tax return each year.


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## cymru raki

*good info*



The Grocer said:


> As I did not receive any replies, I guess no one knew the answer to my question.....(or could not be bothered to reply)
> So in hope of helping someone else out in the future these are the actions you need to take from my experience today........
> 
> 1) Both the party selling and the party purchasing the car need to attend the Ministry of Transport Office. If the car has been / or is going to be registered in joint names (ie husband & wife for tax purposes), then all need to attend.
> 2) Only one form needs to be completed, and is quite basic...name, address etc.
> The party buying the car will need to produce...
> a) Passport
> b) Greek residency permit
> c) Transfer fee receipt. (You pay this BEFORE you go to the Ministry at Millennium / Agriculture Bank)
> The party selling the car will need to produce:-
> a) Car registration document
> b) Valid KTEO certificate
> c) Passport
> d) Greek residency certificate (you "may" get away without this)
> 
> All parties sign the old registration document and a new document is issued in the buyers name.
> It is then important to go to either the sellers or buyers accountant and complete a formal declaration of sale. This both parties will require for the completion of the annual tax return


great to find some usefull info,do you know the total costs of transfering car documents please.


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## The Grocer

Hi Cymru raki,

The seller will pay their accountant for the transfer declaration, I can't recall the payment I witnessed but it was about 40 Euro. 
As a buyer the payment (done in advance) at a bank is based on c.c. of the car, unfortunately I can not recall what I paid sorry. It was not great amount though.


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## cymru raki

*vehicle transfer*



The Grocer said:


> Hi Cymru raki,
> 
> The seller will pay their accountant for the transfer declaration, I can't recall the payment I witnessed but it was about 40 Euro.
> As a buyer the payment (done in advance) at a bank is based on c.c. of the car, unfortunately I can not recall what I paid sorry. It was not great amount though.


thanks for your reply "grocer" much appreciated, however here's my experience today for anyone who's interested.
i was told to go to the PANCRETAN BANK and ask for "PARAVOLA" (not sure if this is spelt correctly but thats how its pronounced in english) this is the form to apply for vehicle exchange,you get 2 at a total cost of 135euros. from what i can gather this is a set fee for cars regardless of engine size etc, because the assistant at the bank did not ask me for details of the car, only for my autograph twice and 135 euros.
then i had to take these forms and my passport, residents permit and tax number to the ministry of transport office where i met the seller of the vehicle and we proceeded to the relevent department.
we both filled in our personal details- address/contacts etc and then i asked the question about a reciept for tax declaration. the assistant produced 2 forms, one each for us to fill in our personal details again, also the fee for sale/purchase of the car.
i was given a temporary "cover note/registration document" for the car i had just purchased and the kteo ( mot ) document. i was asked to telephone that assistant on the following friday to see if the official registration document is ready for me to pick up, im not sure if this is the usual process because it was explained to me that the office i attended today was in the process of a big change in procedures due to other regional districts merging with the one i had attended.
all in all i was resonably happy with the whole experience which probably took about 1 hour from the time i entered the bank and left the ministry of transport building. :clap2:
it is a more expensive event to transfer vehicle documents here in greece, so i would suggest to anyone else who is thinking of buying a second hand car in greece to take into account the fee etc when you are setting your budget to purchase a vehicle, also check the vehicle for tax and kteo (mot) as these can soon eat into your set budget.
beware these official goverment buildings are not very often signed up from the outside and when you get inside dont expect any signs to be duplicated in english. its a big help if you can get a local greek person/friend to go along with you, otherwise the whole process could take you much longer and they can also asked questions for you that your not sure how to explain.
happy days its taken 3 years but i finally have a greek registered car, i can relax now and mothball my old renault espace until im ready to drive it back to the uk, if i do,i might decide to sell it.


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## The Grocer

Glad you got it sorted. I did think (incorrectly) the fee was based on engine c.c., but by your experience I guess its a fixed fee. Makes changing ownership of a car in the UK so easy be comparison. 
Take care with the Espace if you re-enter the UK without road tax & MOT I am told the boarder controls are having a major purge at present.


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## cymru raki

*border controls*



The Grocer said:


> Glad you got it sorted. I did think (incorrectly) the fee was based on engine c.c., but by your experience I guess its a fixed fee. Makes changing ownership of a car in the UK so easy be comparison.
> Take care with the Espace if you re-enter the UK without road tax & MOT I am told the boarder controls are having a major purge at present.


thanks for the advice, now we have a greek registered car we may decide to sell it to someone else whos going back rather than take it back ourselves,we dont need this type of vehicle out here in crete. it was basicly bought for the purpose to gradually bring things over from the uk in the winter which we have done over the last three. when you take the 5 back seats out its like a van inside as ive made a partition which fits behind the driver and passengers seats and all this area is 95% blacked out, so no one can nose inside.


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## neilgraham

had thought about buying a greek car in kos and returning to turkey with it, but now I see that's impossible, well back to the drawing board.


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## notisk

1 he just needs to sign the ownership(green) paper, and a written personal testimony (ipeuthini dhlwsh) that he has the intention to sell the vechicle to you. After that you may go alone to the vechice registration office.
2 Make sure you do. he can advise you if you need to state another price from the real one for tax purposes and how you do that.
3 Being married we have one tax form for the family (me and my wife) on most cases this will be beneficial for tax purposes. your accountant is the one you should ask as well for that matter.




The Grocer said:


> Can any members give me step by step advice on the procedure to be carried out when you buy a car from a private individual in Greece please....
> 
> I know I will have to go to the vehicle registration office but....
> 
> 1) Do I need the current owners with me?
> 2) Must I tell my accountant I have bought a car for tax reasons?
> 3) Should the car be registered jointly between my wife and I for tax reasons?
> etc..
> 
> thanks


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## cymru raki

*car transfer.*



cymru raki said:


> thanks for the advice, now we have a greek registered car we may decide to sell it to someone else whos going back rather than take it back ourselves,we dont need this type of vehicle out here in crete. it was basicly bought for the purpose to gradually bring things over from the uk in the winter which we have done over the last three. when you take the 5 back seats out its like a van inside as ive made a partition which fits behind the driver and passengers seats and all this area is 95% blacked out, so no one can nose inside.


hi to the " grocer" and anyone else it concerns. i must apologise for my inacurate comment i made in a previous message, i have since had further experiences with the sale of a greek registered vehicle. during this transfer i have discovered that the fee for the "paravola" does depend on the engine size of the vehicle, so mr grocer you were correct. the main thing is i hope this information will help other expats to make their vehicle transfer run as smothly as possible.

i have another question now which i hope someone can give me some advice.
i have managed to sell my uk registered vehicle to a bulgarian man,im not sure now the best way to sort out the registration document, does anyone have any experience of this.


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## The Grocer

cymru raki said:


> hi to the " grocer" and anyone else it concerns. i must apologise for my inacurate comment i made in a previous message, i have since had further experiences with the sale of a greek registered vehicle. during this transfer i have discovered that the fee for the "paravola" does depend on the engine size of the vehicle, so mr grocer you were correct. the main thing is i hope this information will help other expats to make their vehicle transfer run as smothly as possible.
> 
> i have another question now which i hope someone can give me some advice.
> i have managed to sell my uk registered vehicle to a bulgarian man,im not sure now the best way to sort out the registration document, does anyone have any experience of this.


Hi there,

Thanks for the info...
As for the V5 on the sale of the UK vehicle, I would just be tempted to send your part in to the DVLA with the owners name and mark the address part as "not given""
Let him sort his part of the reg. out. The most important bit is that you declare you no longer have the car (for obvious reasons). On the same not I might be tempted to get a friend in the UK to post it from the UK for you.....it may be me being extra cautious but I do not know if DVLA could come back at you for what might me in theory "exporting" the car if you sold it in Greece.....


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## cymru raki

*the uk car*



The Grocer said:


> Hi there,
> 
> Thanks for the info...
> As for the V5 on the sale of the UK vehicle, I would just be tempted to send your part in to the DVLA with the owners name and mark the address part as "not given""
> Let him sort his part of the reg. out. The most important bit is that you declare you no longer have the car (for obvious reasons). On the same not I might be tempted to get a friend in the UK to post it from the UK for you.....it may be me being extra cautious but I do not know if DVLA could come back at you for what might me in theory "exporting" the car if you sold it in Greece.....


we think alike, im actually flying back to the uk next week so i was thinking to put a friends address on the v5 for the bulgarian and then once its returned to my friends they can post it to me if i've already returned to crete, that way i think there will be no comebacks to me. i dont think its a problem for a bulgarian to have a uk address (temporarily),they are also in the EU, so once my bit is done its not my problem if the car turns up in bulgaria. thanks again for your comments. yammas!!


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## IaninParga

You don't need a Greek residency permit. When we first came here and bought a car from a dealer, the dealer in Preveza said that the motor tax office wanted our residency permit. I told him to tell the motor tax office that I would cancel the order with the dealer and buy one from Igoumenitsa where the motor tax office didn't want one. Needless to say I got my car from Preveza three days later.

It appears to be "local" interpretation of the law.


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## ovy

I bought a s 2nd hand car off a friend and just went to the KEP office (like a citizens advice office) they filled all forms in, we both signed (showing all documents for her to photo copy) I paid 50 EUR for the transfer of ownership. 1 week later she telephoned and I went to pick up the new log book. Job done with minimum of fuss and I took some chocolates for her later :clap2:


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## The Grocer

ovy said:


> I bought a s 2nd hand car off a friend and just went to the KEP office (like a citizens advice office) they filled all forms in, we both signed (showing all documents for her to photo copy) I paid 50 EUR for the transfer of ownership. 1 week later she telephoned and I went to pick up the new log book. Job done with minimum of fuss and I took some chocolates for her later :clap2:


There is of course a marked difference in buying a Greek registered car in Greece, KEP or your accountant will do the necessary tax documents but legally you would still require to present Residency certificate & tax number (at least here in Kalamata you would)


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## xenos

Somebody PLEASE check some of my previous posts.

The old Residency Permit for EU citizens DOES NOT EXISIT AND HAS NOT DONE SO FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.

It was replaced by the Certificate of Registration which is obtainable from your local Aliens Bureau.

I really cant be bothered to quote the actual law but its in at least 2 of my posts


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## The Grocer

xenos said:


> Somebody PLEASE check some of my previous posts.
> 
> The old Residency Permit for EU citizens DOES NOT EXISIT AND HAS NOT DONE SO FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.
> 
> It was replaced by the Certificate of Registration which is obtainable from your local Aliens Bureau.
> 
> I really cant be bothered to quote the actual law but its in at least 2 of my posts


Yes OK, terminology error........in my post read ""Certificate of Registration""


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## xenos

The Grocer said:


> Yes OK, terminology error........in my post read ""Certificate of Registration""


Fair enough Grocer........I admit that a lot of Prefectures dont know the law changed years ago and still try to issue a non existent Permit.

And Im sure we both know that the law can be interpreted in different ways depending on the official you speak to.......Even (as I did) if you take a Greek Lawyer with you


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## ovy

I have lived here for 4 years and never got a residency permit or certificate of registration. When my wife and I went to see about getting one the captain in the police station asked why we wanted one? as he said you are EU members and you do not need one. We then said we needed to buy a car, to which he replied " ah, well, you only need one permit as thats all you need it for" so my wife got it and I never bothered. I don't even know why you need one! do they do a criminal check or is it for another reason? :confused2:


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## xenos

ovy said:


> I have lived here for 4 years and never got a residency permit or certificate of registration. When my wife and I went to see about getting one the captain in the police station asked why we wanted one? as he said you are EU members and you do not need one. We then said we needed to buy a car, to which he replied " ah, well, you only need one permit as thats all you need it for" so my wife got it and I never bothered. I don't even know why you need one! do they do a criminal check or is it for another reason? :confused2:


....

The only time I have actually been asked for one was when I wanted to open a bank account. I politely pointed out that my passport was only 2 days old so I could not have been in the country for 3 months (when I had actually been here close to 12 years!). I have managed to co-own a small cafeteria and the lawyer involved never asked for anything other than my passport and AFM.
Without one you are technically liable to a small fine but have never heard of this actually happening.


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## Spanky

*Spanky*



cymru raki said:


> great to find some usefull info,do you know the total costs of transfering car documents please.


How much is the fee for registration. DOes the buyer or seller pay this?


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## Brisargr

I have only bought a Greek vehicle (used) from a dealer. I always stipulate that the dealer do all the paperwork and just give me the keys when done. The onlt thing this involved was to go with dealer to local police station to verify ID.

By the way, there has not been a requirement for a recidency permit for EU nationals since April 2004.

Hope this helps as I am now on my 3rd Greek registered car and have had no problems at all.


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