Greece’s 15% transfer tax on homes bought by people who are tax resident outside the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA) is now in a bill tabled in the Hellenic Parliament on 3 November 2026. It would apply to final contracts from 1 July 2027. It is a tabled bill, not law.
The bill, titled “Strengthening disposable income, savings and investment…”, comes from the Ministry of National Economy and Finance. It was sent to Parliament’s Standing Committee on Economic Affairs, according to the Hellenic Parliament. Parliament’s page notes that the posted text is not yet final, pending spelling and syntax corrections.
Article 16 adds a new paragraph 1A to Article 27 of the Property Tax Code (Law 5219/2025). According to the bill’s regulatory impact analysis, the rate for a home bought by a natural person who is tax resident outside the EU and EEA would rise from 3% to 15% of the property’s taxable value. The test is tax residence, not nationality.
The measure covers homes only. The impact analysis says it does not cover business premises, plots or other property. It applies to final contracts drawn up from 1 July 2027. It does not apply to buyers who qualify for the exemption in Article 42 of the Code, which covers buyers who live permanently in Greece or intend to settle there and belong to listed groups, including Greek and EU or EEA citizens.
Today the buyer pays 3% of the taxable value plus a 3% municipal surcharge on the tax, or 3.09% in total, under Article 27 of the Code. The impact analysis does not say whether the surcharge would apply on top of the new rate. If it does, the total would be 15.45%. On a home with a taxable value of €300,000, that means €9,270 today against €45,000 at 15%, or €46,350 with the surcharge.
The General Accounting Office report attached to the bill puts the extra revenue at about €41 million in 2027 and about €82 million a year from 2028.
What it means for buyers
The tabled text keeps the main points of the consultation draft we reported in October: the tax-residence test, homes only and the 1 July 2027 start. A buyer who is tax resident in the United Kingdom, the United States or another country outside the EU and EEA, and who signs the final contract before 1 July 2027, would pay today’s 3.09%. The impact analysis does not deal with preliminary contracts signed before that date. Our worked example for a holiday home shows the cost at three price levels.
Buyers should confirm how this applies to them with a Greek lawyer or accountant.
What happens next
The bill now goes through the committee and then to a plenary vote, and the text can still change. Parliament’s page shows the committee stage began on 6 November 2026; no plenary vote date is listed yet.
Sources
- Hellenic Parliament: bill “Strengthening disposable income, savings and investment”, tabled 3 November 2026
- Hellenic Parliament: regulatory impact analysis of the bill (Article 16)
- Hellenic Parliament: General Accounting Office report on the bill
- Law 5219/2025 (Property Tax Code), Article 27
- Law 5219/2025 (Property Tax Code), Article 42
