Greece replaces license plate procurement tenders with digital ordering system
Greece's Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport is pushing a legislative overhaul to replace central procurement tenders for vehicle license plates with a fully digital ordering and manufacturing system, aiming to end recurring shortages.
Recurring shortages prompt overhaul
Greece's Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport is preparing a legislative intervention to abolish the central procurement tender model for vehicle license plates and replace it with a digital ordering and manufacturing system. The problem of license plate stock exhaustion has reappeared in recent months across areas of the country, with needs covered by redistributing plates between regions. A similar issue arose after the Court of Audit cancelled an international procurement tender in March 2026, which led to a temporary solution through direct negotiation to cover the shortages.
- Court of Audit cancels international tender for license plate procurement, causing shortages
- Ministry covers shortages through direct negotiation and redistribution of plates between regions
- Deputy Minister Kotsiras announces legislative intervention to replace tenders with a digital ordering system
Kotsiras drives the reform
Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Giorgos Kotsiras is promoting the legislative intervention to eliminate what officials describe as dependence on time-consuming central tenders. Ministry officials told APE-MPE that the reform transitions procurement from a centralized and cumbersome tender model to a modern, flexible, transparent and fully digitized market.
The outdated system of procuring license plates is being fundamentally reformed, transitioning from a centralized and cumbersome procurement tender model to a modern, flexible, transparent and fully digitized market.
How the digital system works
The new system will replace old bureaucratic procedures through a central, automated platform. The ordering and issuance process follows several steps. First, the vehicle owner or authorized representative submits a digital request for new registration or replacement plates (due to wear, theft, or loss). Second, through interconnection with the e-paravolo payment system and the DIAS network, the manufacturing cost and state fees are paid and verified electronically. Third, a digital production order is automatically generated.
Registry of manufacturers
The most pivotal reform introduced by the new legislative framework is the creation of a special Registry of License Plate Manufacturers. Until now, the state relied on a centralized procurement model. The registry changes the supply model fundamentally, opening the market to registered manufacturers rather than depending on a single tender winner. After the cancellation of a newer tender, the ministry has initiated the legally prescribed procedure to fully cover current market needs for license plates while the legislative overhaul is being prepared.
