Fact-checked · Up to date · Official sources
Every rule a foreign buyer of Greek property should follow, with its status: in force, announced, draft bill or expired. Golden Visa, taxes, short-term rentals, VAT on new builds, registration and renovation grants.
Last verified: 3 October 2026This tracker lists the Greek rules a foreign property buyer should follow, each with a status. In force means it is law and applies now. Announced means the government has stated it but no legal text exists. Draft bill means a text is in consultation or Parliament. Suspended means the law exists but is paused. Expired means it has ended but still matters for context. All entries were verified on 3 October 2026 against official sources. It is not legal or tax advice.
The minimum is €800,000 in Attica, the Regional Unit of Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands with more than 3,100 residents, and €400,000 elsewhere. In both tiers the minimum must be met with one property whose main areas are at least 120 m²; storage and parking in the same building count towards the price but not the area. The 120 m² rule does not apply to land without a building permit or to the €250,000 routes.
A €250,000 minimum applies anywhere in Greece to commercial property converted to residential use, where the change of use is completed on or after 5 April 2024 and before the application. It also applies to listed buildings, which must be fully restored before the first renewal; a transfer before restoration is complete is void. Selling the property while the permit is valid revokes the permit.
Property used for a Golden Visa cannot be let or sublet short term, defined by the ministry’s circular as a lease of under 60 days. A breach can lead to revocation or non-renewal of the permit and administrative fines; law-firm summaries put the fine at €50,000, a figure the circular does not state. Long-term letting remains allowed.
Buyers who paid the price, or a 10% deposit, by 31 August 2024 could complete under the previous rules, where the general minimum outside the top-tier areas was €250,000, until 31 December 2024. Since 1 September 2024 no transitional rules apply to new purchases and the full price must be paid before applying.
No property in Athens municipal districts 1, 2 and 3 can be entered in the short-term rental registry for the first time. The ban was extended to 31 December 2026 by joint ministerial decision 225563/2025 (Government Gazette B 7200, 31 December 2025). In September 2026 the Prime Minister announced an extension to 31 December 2027; no legal act has been published, and further extensions can be made by administrative act.
Since 1 July 2026 no new short-term rental registrations are accepted in the 1st Municipal Community of Thessaloniki. The restriction is legislated to 31 December 2026. The announced extension to 31 December 2027 covers both cities but has not been enacted.
A property in a frozen zone that is transferred during the owner’s lifetime for any reason, for value or as a gift, is deleted from the short-term rental registry and cannot be re-registered while the restriction lasts. Letting in breach costs 50% of the income earned, with a minimum of €20,000; a second breach in the same tax year costs 100% of rents collected, with a minimum of €40,000. Fines are imposed and collected by AADE.
Every short-term rental must be entered in AADE’s Short-Term Stay Property Registry and receive an AMA, and each stay must be declared by the 20th of the month after the guest leaves. Since 1 January 2025 a climate resilience fee applies per night: €8 from April to October and €2 from November to March.
Properties need natural light, ventilation and air conditioning in main rooms, civil liability insurance, an electrician’s declaration, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, a residual-current relay, a pest control certificate and a first-aid kit. Fines are €5,000 for a first breach, €10,000 for a repeat within one year and €20,000 for further breaches. Refusing inspectors entry is itself a breach.
Natural and legal persons who let three or more properties short term are treated as carrying on a business. They charge 13% VAT and a transient visitors’ fee on stays.
Sales of new buildings with a permit issued after 1 January 2006, sold before first use by VAT-registered sellers, carry 24% VAT. On the developer’s application, VAT is suspended until 31 December 2026 and 3% transfer tax applies instead. A further extension has been announced; Greek media have reported different end dates, including 2027 and 2030, and no legal text has been published.
Tax on capital gains from the transfer of real estate by individuals is suspended until 31 December 2026. The suspension extends the deferral of Article 41 of the Income Tax Code. Greek media reported in July 2026 that a further extension was under consideration; no legal text has been published.
Transfer tax is 3% of the taxable value, which is the higher of the contract price and the objective value. A municipal surcharge of 3% of the tax brings the effective rate to 3.09%. The buyer pays before the deed is signed.
The government announced in September 2026 that transfer tax on homes bought by non-EU/EEA individuals without long-term resident status would rise from 3% to 15%, or 15.45% with the surcharge. Greek media reported start dates of 1 January 2027 and later 1 July 2027. Companies, commercial property and land were reported as outside the scope; no legal text has been published.
ENFIA is charged every year on each property, with a supplementary tax for individuals whose total property value exceeds €500,000. ENFIA on an insured home is reduced by 20% where its taxable value does not exceed €500,000, and by 10% above that.
From 2026 ENFIA is reduced by 50% for individuals resident in Greece for tax whose main residence is in a settlement of up to 1,500 inhabitants, as a first step to abolition. The limit is 1,700 in border areas, and mainland Attica is excluded. The government announced a 2,000-resident threshold for 2027, not yet legislated.
Foreign-source income is taxed at a flat 7% for the year of application and up to 15 tax years in total, for people not resident in Greece for tax in 5 of the previous 6 years who move from a country with a tax cooperation agreement. Under AADE decision A.1192/2026, applications are due by 31 October and the tax is paid in one sum by the last working day of December. Sources differ on whether the 7% covers all foreign income or foreign pensions only.
Individuals not resident in Greece for tax in 7 of the previous 8 years can pay a flat €100,000 a year on foreign income, for up to 15 tax years. They must invest at least €500,000 in Greece, in real estate, businesses, securities or shares, within three years. Each eligible family member adds €20,000 a year.
Registering a purchase with the Hellenic Cadastre costs 0.5% of the property’s value, plus a €3 fixed fee for a sale and €20 per registered act. Certificates cost €9.50 each. The same rates apply in cadastral offices and older land registries.
Every deed must attach the owner’s solemn declaration and an engineer’s certificate confirming there are no unauthorised works, or that any fall within the legal exceptions. The certificate is valid for two months from signature.
Law 5303/2026 reforms Greek inheritance law. Under its transitional provisions, the distribution of an estate after 16 September 2026 is governed by the new law, unless a distribution lawsuit was already filed.
The grant covers 70% to 95% of costs, up to €36,000 per home, plus €2,500 for studies and permits, for main areas up to 120 m² (150 m² for families with three or more children). The ministry’s June 2026 announcement gave a 60% advance; Greek media reported the minister citing a 50% advance on 1 October. The home must stay a main residence or long-term let for five years, and short-term letting is banned.