Greece is considering a new body that would link the Cadastre (the national land registry) with the planning offices that issue building permits, Deputy Environment Minister Marilena Soukouli-Viliali said on 14 October 2026. It is a plan under discussion, not a bill.
She told the Prodexpo 2026 property conference in Athens that the Ministry of Environment and Energy and the Ministry of Digital Governance are working on the idea. The aim is to handle property and planning procedures digitally, on the model of the gov.gr public services portal.
What was said
Ms Soukouli-Viliali said owners and investors need to know where they can build, which land uses are allowed and which rules apply. She called legal certainty a condition for investment.
She said more than 1.5 million permits have been issued through the e-Adeies online permit platform. More than 1.3 million properties are now recorded in the electronic building identity, the digital file that tracks a building’s legal status.
On the same day, the head of the Recovery Fund coordination service at the Ministry of National Economy and Finance, Orestis Kavalakis, said Cadastre mapping stands at 99%, with completion targeted by the end of the year.
Municipalities are not yet on board
Building permits are issued today by planning offices (ΥΔΟΜ) run mostly by municipalities. Their union, the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE), met the environment ministry’s leadership on 13 October. According to the ministry’s statement, the two sides agreed to set up joint working groups, with planning among the topics. KEDE has opposed moving planning powers away from municipalities.
Speakers on a later panel, a notary and property lawyers, said gaps remain in the Cadastre itself. They said inconsistencies in records can still block the registration of deeds. Some encumbrances on older properties were not carried over to the new Cadastre codes (KAEK), and deeds awaiting registration still often need an in-person visit to a local office.
What it means for buyers
Nothing changes for a purchase today. Buyers still need separate checks: the Cadastre record for title and encumbrances, and the planning file and engineer’s certificate for the building itself.
Our guide to illegal building works covers the planning side, and our note on the Unified Property Hub explains why the records do not always match. A single body could, in time, cut the gaps between the two files.
What happens next
No draft law has been published. No timetable, staffing plan or legal form was given for the new body.
Sources
- Ministry of Environment and Energy: meeting with KEDE, 13 October 2026 (Greek)
- Hellenic Cadastre
- Remarks by Deputy Minister Marilena Soukouli-Viliali and Orestis Kavalakis at Prodexpo 2026, Athens, 14 October 2026
