Most areas in Greece have been/are under registration to the Hellenic National Cadastral (“Ktimatologio”). The goal of the Greek Ktimatologio is to record all existing property rights all over Greece and their holders in a unified system of legal, technical and other information. Failure to register, may result in losing the property. Any person or legal entity (companies, institutions, foundations, etc..) with real estate property rights of any kind (including but not limited to ownership rights, easements, mortgages, leases for more than nine years, encumbrances) should register their ownership rights to the Ktimatologio in Greece’s records, by submitting the relevant statements and documentation before the competent Ktimatologio authorities.

Where the acquisition of property rights is through an inheritance, the right holder can register his right even before completing the Acceptance of Inheritance procedure and formally become the owner of the property. In this case, the property right is recorded in the Cadastral lists and books, yet, the right holder may not complete any ownership actions before formally completing the procedure of passing title to his name.

If the information regarding the property changes, an additional statement must be submitted. Submitting false statements may result in serious sanctions. No transactions are permitted until the property is declared, including issuance of a building permit. Said prohibitions are lifted with the submission of the application to the Ktimatologio in Greece. In the event one acquires a property right during the time period when the area is undergoing the Ktimatologio registration, he should file an application, even if the previous owner had already done so.

A Greek lawyer can pursue all the necessary transactions for the registration of your Greek Property.

June 2020