Greece: buying a home as an overseas buyer

A buyer from abroad usually pays a transfer tax of 3.09% of the taxable value, and a new home from a developer may be sold without VAT under a temporary scheme. Greece also offers an investor residence permit tied to property, with conditions set by law that differ by area. This guide sets out the costs, the title checks and the residence rules point by point.

Reviewed 7 November 2026

In short

The buyer pays the real estate transfer tax: 3% of the taxable value, plus a 3% levy for municipalities on that tax, an effective 3.09%. The tax is paid within three working days of the joint declaration.
A new home sold by a developer that has elected the VAT suspension is sold without VAT, and the transfer tax applies instead. The suspension is set to run until 31 December 2026 for unsold homes. Standard VAT is 24%.
Non-EU buyers must check whether the property lies in a border area, where the acquisition of property rights by non-EU persons is restricted by law.
Owning a home does not give residence by itself. The investor residence permit is a separate application, and its minimum property value depends on the area and the type of property.
The investor permit is valid for five years and can be renewed for equal periods while the property stays in the holder’s ownership and possession.
The permit does not give the right to work, does not allow the property to be let short term through the sharing economy or sublet, and does not by itself give citizenship.

Who can buy and what is needed first

Outside the border areas we found no rule in the official texts read for this guide that bars an individual from another country from buying a home in Greece. Border areas need a separate check, set out below.

Border areas. Law 1892/1990 restricts the acquisition of property rights by non-EU and non-EFTA persons in the border prefectures. Reported practice is that an exception can be granted by a committee of the Decentralised Administration, with the Ministry of National Defence taking part. The current consolidated text and the procedure were not confirmed on an official source for this review, and reports describe plans to tighten the rules. Ask a Greek lawyer to confirm the position for the exact property before you pay a deposit.

Tax number. A Greek tax number (AFM) is needed for the transfer declaration and the deed. How a foreign buyer obtains one is set by the tax authority. Confirm the steps with your notary or lawyer.

Payment. On the investor route the full price must be paid through a payment account of the seller held at a credit institution or payment provider operating in Greece, by crossed bank cheque, credit transfer or a card payment terminal, and the notary records the payment details. Cash is not listed as a method on that route. Plan the payment with your notary and bank before signing.

Freehold and title

A Greek home is normally bought by a notarised deed, signed before a public notary. The notary drafts and records the transfer, but a lawyer of your own should check the title, the encumbrances and the planning position before you sign.

Ask the seller for the title documents, a certificate of encumbrance from the land registry or the national cadastre, the building permit and the ENFIA certificate. A notary needs an ENFIA certificate before a property transfer can be completed.

Check whether the property is registered in the national cadastre and whether the boundaries and the building match the permit. Where the property is a unit in a building, check the building’s common charges and its planning status as well. A buyer should not rely on promises from a seller or an agent about these points.

Taxes and fees when buying

Transfer tax. AADE sets the rate at 3% on the taxable value of the property, with a levy in favour of municipalities and communities at 3% of that tax. The effective rate is therefore 3.09%. The buyer bears the tax. The tax base is the taxable value set under the tax rules, which is not always the agreed price, so ask the notary for the figure that will be used.

Exemption. A purchase of a residence can be exempt from transfer tax only for certain buyers: Greeks, citizens of EU and EEA states, recognised refugees, third-country nationals with long-term resident status in Greece, and third-country nationals holding a second-generation residence permit. The exemption also requires the buyer to live in Greece or to intend to settle there within two years, and it is capped by amount. A buyer on the investor route is unlikely to qualify; confirm with a lawyer.

VAT on new homes. AADE sets the standard VAT rate at 24%, a reduced rate of 13% and a super-reduced rate of 6%. For new homes, a developer may apply for the VAT suspension under article 70 of the VAT Code (Law 5144/2024). Under that scheme the sale is made without VAT, the transfer tax applies instead, and the suspension runs until 31 December 2026 for unsold homes. Whether it is extended depends on the law in force on that date. Ask the seller to confirm the VAT treatment in writing.

Resale. A home sold by a private owner is normally subject to transfer tax rather than VAT. Confirm the treatment for your sale with the notary.

Notary and registry fees. Notary fees and land registry or cadastre fees depend on the price and are set by law or by a fee schedule. Ask the notary for a written estimate before you sign. This page does not give the amounts, because we could not confirm them on an official source.

Taxes while you own

ENFIA, the unified property tax, is calculated each year by AADE for the properties held in Greece on 1 January. After a purchase, the owner files a real estate statement (E9) through the myAADE portal, by 31 March of the following year. The tax can be paid in up to ten equal monthly instalments, each of at least €10, with the last instalment due by the last working day of February of the following year.

The amount depends on the property and its official valuation, and we did not confirm the current rate tables on an official source. Ask the tax authority or a Greek accountant for the figure for your property.

Rent from a Greek property is taxable in Greece. The rules for non-resident owners, including any requirement for a Greek tax representative, must be confirmed with a Greek tax adviser before you let the property. A sale can also create tax in Greece and in your country of residence, so take advice before you sell.

Residence: the investor permit, point by point

The rules below are taken from Article 100 of Law 5038/2023 (the Migration Code), as amended by Law 5100/2024, and from Article 95 of the same Code. They apply to the text read for this review on 7 November 2026. The Ministry of Migration and Asylum publishes the application documents and any circulars, and these should be checked before you apply.

Residence: requirements

Entry or stay: the applicant entered Greece lawfully on any entry visa, or is lawfully resident in Greece (Article 100, paragraph 1(a)).
Ownership: full ownership and possession of Greek property, held personally, or through a Greek or EU company that the applicant wholly owns (Article 100, paragraph 1(b), (c)). A co-owned share qualifies only between spouses or registered cohabitants. Otherwise each co-owner’s share must reach the threshold alone.
Minimum value, €800,000: Attica; the Thessaloniki regional unit; the Mykonos and Thira regional units; and islands with a population above 3,100 residents at the last census (Article 100, paragraph 2(a)).
Minimum value, €400,000: all other areas of the country (Article 100, paragraph 2(b)).
Minimum value, €250,000: a purchase that converts the main areas of a building to residential use; an industrial building that has been vacant for at least five years; a listed building to be fully restored or rebuilt (Article 100, paragraph 2(c), (d)).
Islands: the text does not name the islands. Read literally, it can include large islands such as Crete. Sources disagree, so confirm the threshold for your exact property with the Ministry and a lawyer before you decide.
Minimum area: on the €800,000 and €400,000 routes, 120 square metres of main areas for a built property, or for a property with a building permit. The €250,000 change-of-use route has no minimum area (Article 100, paragraph 2; official government service page mitos.gov.gr). For a listed building, check the terms before buying.
One property: the investment is made in a single property (Article 100, paragraph 2).
Full payment before the application: the full price must have been paid before the application is submitted, shown by the notarised deed. If the price is paid under a dissolutive condition, the registered deed of settlement and the lifting of the condition must be provided (Article 100, paragraph 3).
Notary certificate: the notary who drew up the deed certifies the parties, the property, the method of payment, any dissolutive condition, and whether the seller has used the property for an investor permit. For a transfer, a copy of the buyer’s E9 declaration is also submitted (Article 100, paragraph 6).
Seller’s certificate: where the seller is a third-country national, the seller must provide a certificate from the Aliens and Migration service stating whether the property has been used for an investor permit. The same applies where a company wholly owned by a third-country national is the seller (Article 100, paragraph 11).
Insurance: the Ministry’s list of documents requires a contract with a private insurer covering health and safety risks, for the application and for each renewal.
Fees and forms: the Ministry lists the application form, passport photographs, a copy of the travel document with a valid national visa where needed, a fee for printing the electronic permit card, and an electronic fee set by law. Check the current amounts with the Ministry before you apply.
Family members: a spouse or registered cohabitant; unmarried common children of the spouses under 21; unmarried children under 21 for whom legal custody has been assigned; the direct ascendants of the spouses, which includes parents and grandparents, with no age limit in the text; and adult children who lack legal capacity, if they are third-country nationals who live with and are supported by the sponsor (Article 95, paragraph 2). A family member applies for a family reunification permit, which expires at the same time as the sponsor’s permit. A child who reaches 21 receives an own three-year permit.
Processing time: the permit is issued within two months after the complete file reaches the issuing authority (Article 100, paragraph 10). This is the statutory period, not a guarantee of the outcome or of the date.
Duration and renewal: the initial permit is valid for five years and can be renewed for equal periods, while the property stays in the holder’s ownership and possession (Article 95, paragraph 1; Article 100, paragraphs 1 and 4). Absences from Greece are not a bar to renewal. The permit is revoked or not renewed if the conditions are no longer met (Article 95, paragraph 3).

Residence: what the permit gives and what it does not

It gives: residence in Greece for the holder and the family members listed above, for five years, renewable while the conditions are met.
It does not give the right to work (Article 100, paragraph 9).
It does not give Greek citizenship. Citizenship is a separate process (see below).
It does not give residence in any other country, and it does not make a holder a citizen of the EU.
Travel within Schengen: see the next section. The permit is not a travel document, and it does not replace a passport.
Letting: the property may be let (Article 100, paragraph 7). It may not be let short term through the sharing economy, may not be sublet, and may not be used as the seat or a branch of a business (Article 100, paragraph 7A). A breach can lead to revocation of the permit and a fine of €50,000. A breach of the listed-building conditions can carry a fine of €150,000.
Resale: a resale during the permit to another third-country national gives that buyer the right to a permit, and the seller’s permit is revoked (Article 100, paragraph 8).
Health care and education: the permit route requires private health insurance (see above). We did not confirm any entitlement to free public health care or public education arising from the permit. Confirm with the Ministry and the health authority.
Other routes: the property route described here is not a shareholding in a business. Other investment routes exist in Greek law, on different terms, and they are not covered by this guide.

Schengen travel for non-EU visitors and residence permit holders

Schengen is not the same as the EU. It is the group of states that apply the common border rules. Ireland and Cyprus are EU states outside the Schengen area, and each has its own rules.

Short visits. For intended stays of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period, a non-EU visitor must meet the entry conditions in Article 6 of the Schengen Borders Code (Regulation (EU) 2016/399). The 180-day period is counted back from each day of the stay.

Holders of a residence permit. Under Article 21 of the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement, a valid residence permit issued by one Schengen state lets its holder move for up to three months within the other Schengen states. The holder needs the permit and a valid travel document, must meet the entry conditions, and must not be on an alert list. The text does not require the holder to enter through Greece, but it does not give residence in another country either. Confirm the rules for your nationality and your travel dates with the authorities of the state you visit.

Citizenship as the law states it

Greek citizenship is a separate process under the Code of Greek Citizenship (Law 3284/2004). Holding the investor permit does not by itself lead to citizenship, and this guide makes no promise about it.

The Ministry of the Interior summary states the general rule: an adult applicant must have lived legally and permanently in Greece for seven years before the application. The summary also requires sufficient knowledge of Greek and proof of ordinary economic and social integration under Article 5A of the Code. It gives an application fee of €550, which should be checked against the current schedule.

The same summary does not state a minimum number of days of presence per year. It gives a shorter period of three years for some groups and a longer period of twelve years for other residence titles that it does not list. The summary does not say which period applies to an investor permit. Confirm with a Greek lawyer whether the investor permit counts toward the seven years.

How a purchase usually goes

Choose the property and ask the seller for the title documents, the encumbrance certificate, the building permit and the ENFIA certificate.
Sign a preliminary agreement only after a lawyer has checked the title, the planning position and the seller’s VAT position in writing. Do not pay a large deposit before these checks are done.
Obtain the Greek tax number (AFM) and agree with the notary how the price will be paid, using a Greek payment channel where the investor route applies.
At the notary, submit the joint transfer tax declaration and pay the tax within three working days. Sign the notarised deed, with the notary’s certificate for the permit where the investor route applies.
Complete the registration of the transfer and the E9 declaration, through myPROPERTY where it is created automatically, or through myAADE.
Where the investor route is used, apply for the permit with the full file. The statutory processing period is two months from the complete file reaching the authority.

Buying through a company

For the investor permit, a property may be held through a company that the applicant wholly owns, with its seat in Greece or in another EU member state (Article 100, paragraph 1(c)). The property may not be used as the seat or a branch of a business (Article 100, paragraph 7A).

A company pays its own taxes and must keep its accounts and file returns. The choice between buying in your own name and through a company changes the tax position, so take advice from a Greek tax adviser before you decide.

Official and primary sources

Questions buyers ask first

A short, neutral summary. Rules and rates are set by Greek law and change, so confirm the current position with a notary, a lawyer and the authorities before you decide.

Can someone from abroad buy a home in Greece?

Generally yes. We found no rule in the official texts read for this guide that bars an individual from another country from buying a home outside the border areas. A non-EU buyer must check the border-area restrictions before buying there. A Greek notary and lawyer confirm the position for the property.

How much transfer tax do I pay?

AADE sets the transfer tax at 3% of the taxable value, plus a 3% levy for municipalities on that tax, an effective 3.09%. The buyer pays it. The parties file a joint declaration before the contract and pay within three working days. The primary-residence exemption covers only certain categories of buyer and is unlikely to apply to an investor-route buyer.

Is VAT charged on a new home?

It can be avoided. A developer that has elected the VAT suspension under article 70 of the VAT Code sells unsold homes without VAT, and the transfer tax applies instead. The suspension runs until 31 December 2026, so confirm the seller’s position in writing. Standard VAT is 24%, the reduced rate is 13% and the super-reduced rate is 6%.

What is ENFIA, and who files it?

ENFIA is an annual property tax on the properties held in Greece on 1 January. After a purchase the owner files a real estate statement (E9) through myAADE by 31 March of the following year. The tax can be paid in up to ten monthly instalments. The amount depends on the property, so confirm it with the tax authority.

What does the investor residence permit require?

Under Article 100 of the Migration Code, the property must be worth at least €800,000 in Attica, the Thessaloniki regional unit, Mykonos and Thira, and islands with more than 3,100 residents at the last census. Elsewhere the minimum is €400,000, and €250,000 applies in the special cases. On the €800,000 and €400,000 routes the property needs at least 120 square metres of main areas; the €250,000 change-of-use route has no minimum area. The full price must be paid before the application. Confirm the zone for your property.

Who can be included in the permit?

A spouse or registered cohabitant, unmarried children of the spouses under 21, unmarried children under 21 for whom legal custody has been assigned, the parents and grandparents of the spouses, and adult children who lack legal capacity. Each family member applies for a family reunification permit that expires with the sponsor’s permit. A child who reaches 21 receives an own three-year permit.

How long does the permit last?

The initial permit is valid for five years. It can be renewed for equal periods while the property stays in the holder’s ownership and possession, and absences from Greece are not a bar to renewal. The permit can be revoked or not renewed if the conditions are no longer met.

Does the permit let me work or travel in Europe?

It does not give the right to work. It allows free movement within the Schengen states for up to three months under the Schengen rules, provided the holder has a valid passport or travel document and meets the entry conditions. It does not give residence in other countries and does not replace a passport.

Can I rent out the property?

Letting is allowed. The property may not be let short term through the sharing economy, sublet, or used as the seat of a business. A breach can lead to revocation of the permit and a fine of €50,000. Confirm the local rules for any letting before you rely on the income.

Does the permit lead to Greek citizenship?

No, citizenship is a separate process with its own conditions. The Ministry summary states seven years of legal and permanent residence, sufficient Greek and proof of integration. Whether an investor permit counts toward that period must be confirmed with a lawyer. No date or outcome is promised.

What should be checked before buying?

The title, the cadastre entry and any encumbrances, the building permit, the ENFIA certificate and the seller’s VAT position in writing. Where the investor route applies, check the minimum value for the area, the border-area rules and the notary’s certificate. A Greek lawyer should check the documents before you pay a deposit.

This page is general information, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Rates, thresholds and rules are set by Greek law and by the authorities, and they change. As at the date of review, confirm with a Greek notary, a Greek lawyer, the tax authority (AADE) and the Ministry of Migration and Asylum before you pay a deposit or apply for a permit. Where a point could not be confirmed on an official source, the text says so.

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