To take one of the bus driver jobs in Greece as a foreign national, you need four things at the same time: the legal right to work in Greece, a driving licence for the correct passenger category (D1 for minibuses, D for full size buses and coaches) that Greece accepts, a valid Certificate of Professional Competence, known in Greece as the PEI and shown on the licence as code 95, and medical fitness under the stricter standards that apply to professional drivers. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens already have the right to work, so for them the main tasks are the licence and the PEI. People from outside the EU usually need an employer in Greece to request them through the invitation procedure (metaklisi, μετάκληση) before they can get a national D visa and a residence permit for dependent employment. The immigration side and the driving side are handled by different authorities, run on different timetables and depend on each other, which is why many applications stall. This guide explains each requirement, the order in which they usually fall into place, and the points where foreign drivers are most often caught out.

What bus driver jobs in Greece require at a glance

Driving a bus or coach for paid passenger transport in Greece is a regulated activity. It is not enough to be an experienced driver at home. Greek authorities check the licence category, the professional qualification, the driver's health and the driver's right to reside and work. Each check is done by a different body:

• Right to work: automatic for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, who register their residence. For third country nationals it comes from a residence permit, usually the permit for dependent employment that follows a metaklisi approval. This is handled by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum and the Decentralised Administrations.
• Licence category: a Greek or EU licence showing category D1, D, D1E or DE as needed for the vehicle. This is handled by the Directorate of Transport and Communications of the Regional Unit where you live, under the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.
• Professional competence: the PEI (Πιστοποιητικό Επαγγελματικής Ικανότητας) for passenger transport, proven by code 95 printed next to the category on the licence. It is issued by the same transport directorate after exams.
• Medical fitness: bus categories fall under the stricter Group 2 health standards, checked through medical certificates from doctors of specified specialties.
• Residence for licence purposes: Greek transport procedures require normal residence in Greece, and non Greek applicants must show a residence document issued at least 185 days before they apply. This rule has major consequences for newcomers and is explained below.

None of these steps creates a job. A licence and a PEI make you employable; a work permit makes the employment lawful. You still need a real employer who offers you a contract.

Who needs a work permit to drive buses in Greece

Citizens of EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland can live and work in Greece without a work permit. According to the EURES guide to living and working in Greece, stays of more than three months require a registration certificate from the local police, and new residents will also need a tax number (AFM) and a social security number (AMKA) before payroll can start. For these drivers, the questions are almost entirely about the licence and the PEI.

Third country nationals need a residence permit that allows employment. Some people already have one, for example family members of Greek or EU citizens, holders of certain long term residence permits or people with international protection, and they can usually apply for driving jobs directly once their licence position is sorted out. Always check what your own permit allows, because the right to work depends on the permit type, not on your profession.

Everyone else normally enters through metaklisi, the procedure through which a Greek employer asks the state for approval to employ a named worker from abroad. A tourist visa, a Schengen short stay visa or a visa issued by another EU country for a different purpose does not let you start work as a bus driver in Greece.

How the metaklisi work permit route works for bus drivers

Greece applies the EU single permit model through the residence permit for dependent employment (άδεια διαμονής για εξαρτημένη εργασία). Under the Migration Code, the process starts with the employer, not with the worker.

The employer applies first

The employer, or a lawyer authorised by the employer, files an electronic application for approval to employ a third country national. A Ministry of Migration and Asylum circular on electronic employer applications explains that requests are submitted through the ministry's online service using the employer's taxisnet credentials, and that the system has separate categories, including one for dependent employment and one for seasonal work. The employer uploads the required documents, pays any fee stamps that apply to the category and number of workers, and makes a final submission that can no longer be edited. The application is handled by the one stop service of the Aliens and Migration Directorate at the competent Decentralised Administration.

Labour needs and contract length

Invitations are tied to the decision on labour needs for third country workers, which sets how many workers may be invited by sector and region. In a written reply to Parliament, the Ministry of Migration and Asylum describes the amended invitation rules. According to that reply, an amending law now in force reduced the minimum employment contract submitted with an invitation to six months instead of one year, widened the consultation on the labour needs decision, and gave invited workers more flexibility to change employer, provided the one stop service is notified. It also allows temporary work agencies to act as the direct employer for an invitation, but only where they already have a cooperation contract with the end employer before applying. Whether bus driving falls within the numbers available in your region is a question for the employer and the Decentralised Administration; demand for drivers does not by itself make anyone eligible.

Visa and residence permit

Once the employer's request is approved, the worker applies for a national D visa at the Greek consulate in their country of residence. The ministry reply states that, under the amended Code, the consulate must notify the one stop service of its visa decision within 30 days, and the one stop service must inform the employer within 15 days. After arrival, the worker completes the residence permit process, including biometrics, and receives the permit for dependent employment. Our separate guide on applying for a work permit covers documents, fees, validity and renewal in detail.

Why the employer must plan the driving side at the same time

An approved metaklisi gives you the right to work for that employer. It does not give you the right to drive a bus. If your licence cannot be used in Greece for professional passenger transport, or if you do not yet hold a PEI recognised in Greece, the employer cannot put you behind the wheel of a service bus, even though your immigration status is in order. Serious employers deal with this before they file the invitation, by checking the candidate's licence, the country that issued it and the qualification they hold.

Bus licence categories D1 and D in Greece

Greece uses the EU licence categories. For passenger transport the relevant ones are:

• D1: smaller buses and minibuses with a limited number of passenger seats and a limited length.
• D: buses and coaches above the D1 limits, including city buses and intercity coaches.
• D1E and DE: the same vehicles combined with a heavier trailer.

The Greek national registry of procedures sets minimum ages for these categories. The registry page on exchanging an EU licence for a Greek one lists 21 for D1 and D1E, and 24 for D and DE, or 21 where the driver holds a Certificate of Professional Competence. Younger candidates should therefore expect the PEI route to be part of any plan to drive full size buses.

The categories you hold must match the vehicles the employer actually runs. A driver with only D1 cannot lawfully drive a full size city bus or coach, and a contract offer for coach work does not change that.

Greek driving licence exchange for bus drivers

How you move from your current licence to one Greece accepts depends on where it was issued.

Licences issued in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway

EU licences are recognised in Greece, and their holders can exchange them for a Greek licence of the same category at the transport directorate of their Regional Unit, or through a Citizen Service Centre (KEP). The registry procedure requires normal residence in Greece, with non Greek applicants showing a residence document issued at least 185 days before applying, and it asks professional drivers to provide their Certificate of Professional Competence. Applicants must also declare whether they hold any third country licence. The registry gives an estimated processing time of about 45 days, partly because the foreign licence is checked through the EU licence network.

Licences issued outside the EU

For third country licences, the Greek registry lists specific conversion procedures for a small group of countries. There is a procedure for licences from the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Africa and South Korea, as well as separate procedures for licences from the United Kingdom and from Switzerland, all listed in the registry's section for drivers. Even within these procedures the scope differs by country: the registry states, for example, that for South Korea only categories corresponding to Greek A and B are converted. The page for the USA and the other listed countries mentions fees and age rules for the professional categories but does not say clearly whether every country's bus categories qualify, so you must confirm this with the directorate before relying on it.

For these conversions the registry also requires normal residence in Greece with a residence document at least 185 days old, an official certificate from the issuing authority that the licence has not been withdrawn, translated and where required authenticated, medical certificates and the applicant's own signature on the application. It gives an estimated processing time of about 45 days.

Greece has also signed bilateral agreements on recognising and exchanging driving licences with some other countries, which are ratified by Parliament. Each agreement sets its own conditions and can exclude professional categories or require extra tests. If your country is not covered by a listed procedure or an agreement in force, assume you will need to obtain the Greek category by sitting the Greek tests. Ask the directorate in writing, giving your licence's issuing country and categories, before you or your employer commit to a start date.

The 185 day residence point

Because licence exchange, conversion and PEI procedures all require a residence document issued at least 185 days earlier, a driver who arrives on a new permit cannot normally complete them straight away. This affects the timeline of the whole hire. A newly arrived third country driver should not expect to drive professionally in the first months unless an official authority confirms that a different rule applies to their situation. Ask the transport directorate how the rule applies to you, and do not accept an employer's or intermediary's verbal assurance that it can be bypassed.

Getting bus categories in Greece if your licence cannot be exchanged

If your foreign bus licence cannot be exchanged, the route is to obtain the categories under Greek rules. Holders of a valid Greek driving licence can use the gov.gr service for extending a licence and obtaining a PEI, which lets them apply, with taxisnet credentials, to add categories such as D1, D, D1E and DE, with or without a PEI. This is why many third country drivers first exchange or obtain a Greek category B licence and then extend it to the bus categories.

In practice this means:

• Training with a licensed driving school in Greece, which prepares candidates and presents them for the official tests.
• Passing the theory test and the practical test set by the transport directorate.
• Meeting the Group 2 medical standards before the licence is issued.
• Meeting the residence conditions that apply to all Greek licence procedures.

Driving schools are private businesses and set their own prices. Ask for a written statement of what a fee covers (lessons, vehicle use for the test, resits, paperwork) and whether it includes official fees paid through the electronic fee system (e-paravolo). Ask the directorate directly which languages the theory test is available in, and do not assume that an English version exists for every category.

PEI and code 95 for bus drivers in Greece

The PEI is the Greek name for the EU Certificate of Professional Competence. Under the EU rules on driver initial qualification and periodic training, bus and coach drivers who transport passengers for work must hold it alongside their licence. The EU directive is published by the Council of the EU in its consolidated text of the driver qualification directive, and Greece applies it through a presidential decree on professional competence.

Initial qualification

Under the directive, member states may offer an ordinary initial qualification with 280 hours of training, an accelerated qualification of 140 hours, or a tests only route with a long theory test and practical tests. The Greek registry page on the PEI for initial training describes the national procedure:

• The applicant must have normal residence in Greece, or have been a student in Greece for at least six months, and must live within the area of the directorate where they apply.
• The applicant must hold a valid driving licence issued by Greece or another EU or EEA state.
• The applicant must meet the Group 2 physical and mental fitness requirements.
• The applicant takes a theory exam on the computerised exam system and, after passing it, a practical exam.
• Third country nationals provide a passport or entry document and a residence document issued at least 185 days before the application.

The registry lists official fees of 20 euro for the theory exam, 20 euro for the practical exam and 30 euro for printing the licence, plus an extra charge in some island Regional Units, all paid electronically. These are state fees only. Training fees charged by private training centres are separate and are not set by the state. The registry estimates about two months for the overall procedure.

Two points matter for drivers from outside the EU. First, the PEI procedure requires a Greek or EU licence, so a third country licence must be exchanged, or Greek categories obtained, before the PEI can be issued. Second, the directive states that third country drivers employed by an undertaking established in a member state must obtain their initial qualification in the state where the undertaking is established or in the state that issued their work permit. A Greek employer hiring a driver from abroad should therefore expect the initial PEI to be obtained in Greece, unless the driver already holds a valid qualification from another EU state.

Code 95 on the licence

According to the registry, holding a PEI is proven only by the EU code 95 printed in column 12 of the licence next to the relevant categories, together with its expiry date. The PEI is valid for five years, and its expiry date is independent of the licence's own expiry date. When the licence is renewed, code 95 must be carried over. If code 95 is missing or has expired, you may hold category D but cannot drive buses for passenger transport work.

Periodic training every five years

Under the directive, the PEI is kept valid through periodic training of 35 hours every five years, delivered in blocks of at least seven hours, with a limit on how much can be done by e-learning. The directive allows periodic training to be done in the member state of normal residence or in the state where the driver works. Plan this early: if code 95 lapses, an employer cannot lawfully keep you on passenger routes until it is renewed.

Drivers who held D licences before the CPC rules

The directive gives acquired rights to drivers who held D1 or D licences before the professional competence rules first applied to passenger transport. Those drivers did not need the initial qualification, but they still need periodic training to keep code 95. This exemption rarely helps younger foreign drivers, and an old foreign licence does not automatically carry it over to Greece.

Exemptions do not cover service buses

A gov.gr page on exemption from the PEI lists the situations where a driver can be exempted, including vehicles limited to 45 km/h, armed forces and security services, civil protection and emergency vehicles, road tests, driving lessons, private non commercial use, and vehicles carrying equipment where driving is not the main activity. Commercial passenger transport is not on the list. If you are hired to drive a city bus, a coach, a tourist transfer or a school bus run commercially, assume you need a PEI.

Driver qualification card and driver attestation

Where the licence cannot carry code 95, the directive provides for a driver qualification card, which is mutually recognised across the EU. The directive also refers to the driver attestation, a document under the EU goods haulage rules that third country drivers of lorries may use to prove their qualification. It is a goods transport tool. Our separate guide on foreign truck driving licences covers it.

Medical fitness for professional bus drivers

Bus and coach categories fall under the Group 2 medical standards set in the presidential decree on driving licences. In practice, applicants are examined by doctors of specified specialties, who must classify the applicant as fit or not fit. The registry procedure for renewing a driving licence describes the need for medical certificates, including an eye examination, and states that certificates are accepted within six months of their issue. Vision, hearing, cardiovascular health, diabetes, neurological conditions and certain medicines can all affect fitness for Group 2.

Practical advice:

• Get a frank medical check in your home country before you commit to moving. A condition that is manageable for a car licence can be disqualifying for bus categories.
• Bring medical records, in translation where needed, if you have any condition a Greek doctor will need to assess.
• Expect medical checks to be repeated at renewal, and more often as you get older.

Working conditions for foreign bus drivers in Greece

A bus driver who is lawfully employed in Greece has the same labour rights as a Greek driver. The employer must declare the hire through the ERGANI labour information system before work starts, register the driver for social security with e-EFKA, and pay at least the minimum set by law or by any applicable collective agreement. Pay is normally quoted in Greece as a gross monthly or daily amount before social security contributions and tax. Ask whether any offer is gross or net, and get it in writing before you travel. Our separate guide on employers hiring foreign workers covers contracts, pay rules and inspections.

Driving and rest time rules also matter. Under EU rules, most coach and intercity work is subject to limits on daily and weekly driving time and to tachograph recording, while some short regular urban services follow national working time rules instead. Your employer should explain which regime applies to your routes. Pressure to break rest time rules is a red flag, and complaints about labour conditions can be made to the Labour Inspectorate.

Many routes involve contact with passengers who speak Greek. Even where a job advert does not state a language requirement, basic Greek helps with tickets, route information, safety announcements and dealing with incidents. Our separate guide on the Greek language explains when language becomes a legal requirement and when it is a workplace need.

Changing employer or losing a bus driving job

A residence permit obtained through metaklisi is linked to employment. The ministry's reply to Parliament states that the amended Code gives invited workers more flexibility to change employer, provided the one stop service is notified. That does not mean you can stop working for the employer who invited you without consequences, and the detailed conditions depend on your permit. Our separate guides on changing employers on a work permit and on job loss on a work permit explain the current rules.

Your driving documents belong to you, not to the employer. A Greek licence with code 95 stays valid if you change jobs, as long as you keep your medical fitness and periodic training up to date. Never hand over your passport, residence permit or licence to an employer to hold.

Common mistakes foreign bus drivers make

• Assuming a home country bus licence works in Greece: only some licences can be converted, and some conversions cover only car and motorcycle categories.
• Ignoring the 185 day residence rule: exchanges and PEI procedures require a residence document of at least that age, which delays the start of professional driving for newcomers.
• Thinking a work permit is enough: immigration approval and driving qualification are separate. You need both.
• Forgetting code 95: a D category without a valid code 95 does not allow commercial passenger driving.
• Paying for promises: no one can sell you a guaranteed bus driving job, permit or licence. Official fees are paid through state systems and are listed on official procedure pages. Be wary of anyone who asks for large upfront payments for a job offer or for a "fast track" through the transport directorate.
• Accepting vague offers: a proper offer names the employer, the place of work, the vehicle category, the hours and the gross pay, and the employer can explain how the invitation and the licence steps will be handled.

Step by step plan for getting a bus driver job in Greece

1. Check your right to work. If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, you can look for work directly. If you are from outside the EU, check whether your current permit, if you have one, allows employment, or whether you need an employer to request you through metaklisi.
2. Check your licence. Identify the country that issued it and the categories it shows. Look at the Greek registry's driver procedures to see whether a conversion exists for your country and whether it covers D1 and D. If not, plan to obtain the Greek categories.
3. Check your age and health. Make sure you meet the minimum age for the category and that you are likely to pass Group 2 medical standards.
4. Find a genuine employer. Use official channels such as the public employment service DYPA and the EURES network, and verify that the employer is a real, registered business. Our separate guide on finding a job in Greece from outside the EU covers job search and scam checks.
5. Agree the plan in writing. Before the employer files the invitation, agree who pays for which training and official fees, how long you will work in other duties until you can drive, and what happens if you fail a test.
6. Complete the immigration steps. The employer obtains metaklisi approval, you apply for the national D visa, travel to Greece and complete the residence permit for dependent employment. Get your AFM and AMKA so that you can be paid and insured.
7. Complete the driving steps. Once you meet the residence condition, exchange your licence or obtain the Greek categories, then obtain the PEI and code 95 through the transport directorate, unless you already hold a valid EU qualification.
8. Keep everything current. Track the expiry dates of your residence permit, your licence, your code 95 and your medical certificates, and book periodic training well before code 95 expires.

Where to get official answers

For immigration questions, use the Ministry of Migration and Asylum and the Aliens and Migration Directorate of the Decentralised Administration that handles your employer's application, and the Greek consulate for the national D visa. For licence and PEI questions, contact the Directorate of Transport and Communications of the Regional Unit where you live or will live, or a Citizen Service Centre (KEP). Ask the questions that matter most for your case in writing: whether your country's bus categories can be converted, how the 185 day residence rule applies to you, which tests you must take, and in which languages they are available. Keep copies of every reply.

Sources and References

• Certificate of professional competence for initial training, National Registry of Administrative Procedures (Mitos)
• Exchange of an EU driving licence for a Greek licence, National Registry of Administrative Procedures (Mitos)
• Conversion of licences from the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Africa and South Korea, National Registry of Administrative Procedures (Mitos)
• Procedures for drivers, National Registry of Administrative Procedures (Mitos)
• Renewal of a driving licence, National Registry of Administrative Procedures (Mitos)
• Licence extension and PEI application, gov.gr
• Exemption from the PEI for professional drivers, gov.gr
• Circular on electronic employer applications for third country workers, Ministry of Migration and Asylum
• Ministry of Migration and Asylum reply to a parliamentary question on the invitation procedure, Hellenic Parliament
• Directive on initial qualification and periodic training of drivers, Council of the European Union
• Living and working conditions in Greece, EURES, European Commission