Buying Property in Greece as a Foreigner: The 2026 Process

Quick answer: a foreigner can buy almost anywhere in Greece on the same freehold terms as a Greek national, and the only real restriction is the border zone consent a non-EU buyer needs in designated areas. The sequence is: obtain an AFM tax number and a Greek bank account, engage a lawyer and a civil engineer, sign a notarial preliminary agreement with the searches written in as conditions, then complete before a notary and register the deed. Costs run 7 to 10 percent over the price, of which the transfer tax on a resale is an effective 3.09 percent of the taxable value, while a first sale by a developer carries 24 percent VAT instead.

Greece does not make it hard for a foreigner to own a house. It makes it hard to own one without noticing what you agreed to. The purchase itself is a Napoleonic deed process: a public notary reads the deed aloud, the parties sign, and the deed is registered. Everything that protects you happens before that room, in searches and certificates that nobody will run unless you instruct someone to run them.

This guide is the sequence. Where a number is statutory it is cited to the law that sets it. The full cost stack and the search-by-search due diligence each have their own guide, and this page links out rather than repeating them.

Can a foreigner buy at all, and where the exception sits

Greece places no general restriction on foreign ownership of residential property. A buyer from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia or the Gulf acquires the same freehold interest as a Greek national, registers it in the same cadastre, and passes it on under the same inheritance rules.

The exception is geographic rather than personal. Areas designated as border zones, which include stretches near land frontiers and a number of islands, require a non-EU buyer to obtain consent from a regional committee before the deed can be executed. The application is administrative rather than adversarial, and it is granted routinely for residential purchases, but it takes weeks and it cannot be retrofitted after signature. If the property sits in a designated zone, the consent application belongs in the timetable on the day you make the offer. The border zone rules for foreign buyers set out which areas are covered and what the committee asks for.

The two numbers that come before everything

Nothing moves until you have both of these, and both can be obtained without setting foot in Greece.

The AFM. A nine-digit Greek tax number issued by the tax office to residents and non-residents alike. It appears on the deed, on the utility accounts, and on every tax filing you will ever make in Greece. Getting one requires a passport, a proof of address, and either your presence or a representative acting under power of attorney.

A Greek bank account. The purchase funds must arrive in Greece through the banking system and be traceable, because the notary records the payment mechanism in the deed. Account opening for a non-resident is a compliance exercise rather than a formality: expect to document the source of funds, and expect the bank to ask again if the sum is large relative to your declared income. Start it early. Of all the steps in a Greek purchase, this is the one that most often sets the pace.

Three professionals, three different jobs

Buyers from common-law countries routinely assume the notary is the equivalent of a conveyancing solicitor. The notary is not.

The estate agent is a fourth party and acts for the seller unless you have a written buyer’s mandate. That is not a criticism of Greek agents, it is simply what the contract says.

The contract chain, and where money leaves your account

A Greek purchase moves through three documents, and the money moves at two of them.

Reservation. An informal agreement to take the property off the market, usually against a small holding deposit. Terms vary and the deposit is often not protected. Treat this as a courtesy rather than as security, and keep the sum small.

Preliminary agreement (προσύμφωνο). A notarial pre-contract that fixes price, parties, timetable and the conditions on which completion depends. This is where a deposit of real size changes hands, commonly around ten percent, and this is the document that decides what happens if the searches turn something up. Make the conditions explicit: clean title, engineer’s legality certificate issued, tax and ENFIA clearances obtained, and border zone consent granted where relevant. A preliminary agreement without conditions converts your deposit into the seller’s compensation for your caution.

Final deed (συμβόλαιο αγοραπωλησίας). Signed before the notary, with the balance paid, and then registered at the land registry or cadastre office. Until that registration is complete you have a contract, not a property right. Ask your lawyer for the registration confirmation, not for the signed deed.

What the searches must actually prove

“Do your due diligence” is advice nobody can act on. This is the list, and each line names the document that closes it.

The two that most often produce a real problem are the legality certificate and the inheritance chain. Greek building stock carries a long history of informal extensions, and a terrace that was glazed in without a permit is not a cosmetic issue: the engineer cannot certify it, and without the certificate the notary cannot complete. Undivided inheritances are the other one. A house owned by six cousins needs six signatures, and the cousin in Melbourne is the one who delays completion by four months.

The cost stack, and the rates that set it

Budget 7 to 10 percent of the purchase price. The composition is statutory at the top and negotiable at the bottom.

Two things surprise buyers. The first is that Greek VAT at 24 percent rides on top of every professional fee, so a quoted lawyer’s fee is not the amount that leaves your account. The second is the tax base: transfer tax is charged on the taxable value, which is the higher of the objective value calculated by the state formula and the declared price. On a €400,000 taxable value the transfer tax is €12,360, and on €800,000 it is €24,720. The transfer tax guide works through how the objective value is calculated and when it exceeds the price you agreed.

New build against resale

The choice changes the tax treatment, not just the finish.

A first sale by a developer falls within VAT at 24 percent rather than transfer tax, subject to the suspension regime that has applied to new-build sales. A resale carries transfer tax at 3.09 percent. On the same headline price those are very different sums, and the difference is large enough that it belongs in the comparison before you fall for the kitchen.

Resale stock also carries history, which cuts both ways. It is where the legality issues live, and it is also where the surveys are cheaper to interpret because the building has stood through a few winters. New build removes the legality question and replaces it with delivery risk and a snagging process.

Buying remotely by power of attorney

Most readers of this site buy without being in Greece for the search, and the mechanism is a power of attorney granted to the Greek lawyer.

The chain is: draft the power of attorney with your Greek lawyer so it grants exactly the acts required and no more, sign it before a notary in your own country, have it apostilled under the Hague Convention, and have it translated by a certified translator where the language requires. Then it is lodged in Greece and the lawyer can act.

Allow three to four weeks for that chain rather than assuming it takes days, and scope the document narrowly. A power of attorney that authorises the purchase of a specified property on stated terms is safe. One that authorises the holder to deal with your Greek assets generally is a different instrument, and there is no reason to sign it. The power of attorney guide sets out the wording that limits it properly.

If the purchase is also a Golden Visa file

The residence permit adds conditions to the purchase, and they bind the property rather than the buyer.

Under Law 5100/2024 the qualifying investment is €800,000 in a single residential property in the prime zone, which covers Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands above the population threshold, and €400,000 in a single property elsewhere. A reduced threshold of €250,000 applies where a building is converted from another use to residential, or restored as a listed property. The Golden Visa hub sets out the tiers and the qualifying conditions.

Two practical points follow. The permit attaches to a single property, so assembling the threshold from two smaller purchases does not work. And a Golden Visa property may only be let on a lease of twelve months or longer: short-term tourist letting of the qualifying asset is prohibited, which removes the summer-rental arithmetic from the investment case entirely.

What changes after you own it

Two recurring costs, and one of them moved this year.

ENFIA, the annual property tax, is assessed on the objective value and arrives every year regardless of whether the property is used or let. The ENFIA guide covers how it is calculated and where the supplementary charge on larger portfolios begins.

Rental income, if you let the property, is taxed on a scale that changed on 1 January 2026 under Law 5246/2025. The bands now run 15 percent on the first €12,000, 25 percent from €12,001 to €24,000, 35 percent from €24,001 to €35,000, and 45 percent above that. The 25 percent band is new, and income that previously sat in a lower band moved into it. An individual landlord may set only a flat 5 percent deduction for repairs and maintenance against gross rent, so the tax is charged on something close to the gross figure rather than on profit after costs. Any yield arithmetic built on the pre-2026 scale needs redoing.

The failure modes, and the certificate that catches each

Every one of these is documentary, every one is knowable in advance, and every one becomes expensive only when the deposit has already moved. That is the argument for spending on a lawyer and an engineer before the preliminary agreement rather than after it: the sums involved are small against a purchase price, and they buy the right to walk away.

Buyer scenarios

A UK buyer taking a resale house on Corfu at €280,000. Transfer tax at 3.09 percent on the taxable value, an engineer’s survey that matters because the house is older stock, and an inheritance chain worth checking properly. Not a Golden Visa file at this price, so the twelve-month lease restriction does not apply and the letting options stay open.

A US buyer taking a €400,000 apartment in a regional city as a Golden Visa file. The threshold is met with a single property, the transfer tax is €12,360, and the letting restriction binds: twelve-month leases only. The rental income arithmetic runs on the 2026 scale, not the old one.

A buyer purchasing off-plan from a developer at €500,000. VAT at 24 percent rather than transfer tax, subject to the suspension regime, so the tax question needs answering before the reservation rather than at the deed. Delivery risk and snagging replace legality risk.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does buying property in Greece take end to end? +

From accepted offer to registered deed, three to five months is a realistic range for a clean resale where the buyer already holds an AFM and a Greek bank account. Add four to six weeks if those two are still to be obtained, and add further time where a border zone consent is required or where the title chain runs through an inheritance with several heirs. The steps that most often set the pace are bank account opening and the engineer's legality certificate, not the notary.

Is the notary in Greece the same as a conveyancing solicitor? +

No, and the difference matters. The Greek notary is a public officer who drafts and authenticates the deed, verifies identity and capacity, reads the deed aloud and lodges it for registration. The notary does not act for the buyer, does not run the title search and does not advise on whether the purchase is a good idea. Everything a common-law buyer expects from a conveyancer is the lawyer's job, and the lawyer is engaged separately.

What is the AFM and why do I need one before I buy? +

The AFM is the nine-digit Greek tax number, issued by the tax office to residents and non-residents alike. It appears on the purchase deed, on utility accounts and on every Greek tax filing you make afterwards. Because it appears on the deed, no purchase can complete without it. A non-resident can obtain one through a representative acting under power of attorney, which is the usual route for buyers who are not in Greece.

What is the transfer tax on a Greek property purchase? +

The effective rate on a resale is 3.09 percent of the taxable value, made up of the 3 percent statutory transfer tax plus the municipal surcharge. The taxable value is the higher of the state's objective value and the declared price, which is why the objective value should be calculated before the deposit is paid. On a €400,000 taxable value the tax is €12,360, and on €800,000 it is €24,720. A first sale by a developer falls under VAT at 24 percent instead, subject to the suspension regime.

Can I let out a property bought under the Golden Visa? +

Only on a lease of twelve months or longer. Under Law 5100/2024 the short-term tourist letting of a Golden Visa qualifying property is prohibited, and breaching it puts the residence permit at risk rather than merely attracting a fine. This removes the summer holiday-let arithmetic from the investment case for a qualifying property, so any projection built on peak-season nightly rates does not apply to Golden Visa stock.

How is rental income from a Greek property taxed in 2026? +

Under the scale introduced by Law 5246/2025 and effective from 1 January 2026, an individual landlord pays 15 percent on the first €12,000 of gross rent, 25 percent from €12,001 to €24,000, 35 percent from €24,001 to €35,000, and 45 percent above €35,000. The 25 percent band is new for 2026. Only a flat 5 percent deduction for repairs and maintenance may be set against gross rent, so the charge falls on something close to the gross figure rather than on net profit.

Do I need to visit Greece to complete the purchase? +

No. A notarised and apostilled power of attorney granted to your Greek lawyer allows the whole sequence to be completed remotely, including obtaining the AFM, opening the bank account, signing the preliminary agreement and appearing at the notary for the final deed. Allow three to four weeks for the signing, apostille and translation chain, and keep the power of attorney narrowly scoped to the specific purchase rather than to your Greek affairs generally.

Next steps: the full cost stack · document-by-document due diligence · the Golden Visa hub.