This week opens with a new tax bill in consultation that sets a start date for higher transfer tax on non-EU buyers. Two other consultations that touch property close, and ELSTAT publishes building cost data. Here is what is scheduled and what is still pending.
Dates this week
- All week – tax bill in consultation. The finance ministry’s bill with the Thessaloniki Fair measures, posted on 18 October, is open for comments until 1 November. It raises transfer tax on homes for buyers who are not EU or EEA tax residents from 1 July 2027 and extends the capital gains and VAT suspensions to 2027. Our reports: the transfer tax article and the ENFIA exemption for small villages.
- Tuesday 20 October – tourism stays. ELSTAT, the statistics agency, publishes August data on arrivals and nights spent in hotels and short-stay accommodation. It is a useful read for owners of holiday lets.
- Thursday 22 October – property value bank. Consultation closes on the finance ministry’s bill on debtors and loan servicers, which also sets up a Real Estate Value Bank of actual sale prices and rents. Our explainer: Greece drafts a property value bank.
- Friday 23 October – building costs. ELSTAT publishes the construction cost index for new residential buildings for the third quarter of 2026 and the materials price index for September.
- Saturday 24 October – planning and energy bill. Consultation closes on the Ministry of Environment and Energy draft bill. It includes the €2.3 billion island decarbonisation fund and one-year fixed-price electricity contracts. Our reports: merging flats and illegal works and the island fund.
Still pending
- The new transfer tax rate in law. The draft 2027 budget set the planned rate at 15%, up from 3%. The bill now in consultation fixes the start date, but the final article text and any rules for contracts already in progress still have to pass parliament. See our budget report.
- Golden Visa revocations. The migration minister said on 15 October that permits obtained through disguised discounts or kept while the home is sublet short term would be revoked. No legal text has been published. See our report.
Looking further ahead
- 27 October: ELSTAT publishes the building activity survey for July 2026, the monthly count of building permits.
- 28–29 October: the European Central Bank holds its monetary policy meeting, with a press conference on 29 October. It matters for floating-rate mortgages.
- 1 November: comments close on the Thessaloniki Fair tax bill.
What it means for buyers
Nothing scheduled this week changes the cost of a purchase signed now. For non-EU buyers, the bill gives a working deadline of 1 July 2027 for completing at today’s transfer tax, subject to the final text. Buyers who plan to merge two flats or legalise older works should watch the planning bill after 24 October. Buyers should confirm how any rule applies to them with a Greek lawyer or accountant.
Sources
- Ministry of National Economy and Finance: Thessaloniki Fair bill in public consultation (18 October 2026)
- Ministry of Environment and Energy: draft bill on the electricity market, spatial planning and the environment (10 October 2026)
- ELSTAT: release calendar
- European Central Bank: Governing Council meeting calendar
