By DC Engineers | Architecture, Engineering & Construction

Greece passed significant property and succession legislation in May 2026. The law — numbered 5293/2026 in its primary form, with related provisions in Law 5303/2026 — introduces two substantial reforms: a redesigned role for the notary in property transfers, and the most significant overhaul of Greek inheritance and succession law in eighty years. For foreign buyers, non-resident property owners, and members of the Greek diaspora, both sets of changes are relevant and worth understanding clearly.

This article sets out what each reform involves, when it takes effect, and what it means in practice.

Part One: The Notary as One-Stop Shop for Property Transfers

The existing process for buying and selling property in Greece requires the parties — typically through their lawyers and advisors — to collect documentation from multiple public authorities, submit tax declarations to AADE, coordinate with the Cadastral or Land Registry, and manage a sequence of steps across different systems. The notary's role in this process has traditionally been focused on the preparation and formal execution of the contract itself. The administrative coordination surrounding it has been the responsibility of the parties and their professional advisors.

Article 15 of Law 5293/2026 changes this. Under the new framework, the notary is designated as the central coordination point — a single professional through whom the full transaction flows. The notary will be responsible for collecting the required documentation, submitting the transfer tax declarations, handling interactions with the relevant public authorities, and registering the completed deed with the Land Registry or Cadastral through interoperable digital systems. The scope covers transfers by sale, donation, parental gift, and inheritance.

The intent is to simplify and accelerate property transactions by concentrating the administrative workload in a single professional, reducing the number of separate interactions that buyers, sellers, and their advisors must manage.

When does it take effect?

This is the most important practical point: the one-stop shop provisions do not take effect automatically upon publication of the law. Activation requires a separate joint ministerial decision specifying the timing, technical details, and scope of implementation. Until that decision is issued and the supporting digital infrastructure is in place, property transfers continue to follow the existing procedure. The law has established the framework; its operational start date remains to be determined.

For buyers and sellers transacting in the near term, nothing has changed in practice. The significance of the reform is directional: it signals Greece's intention to streamline the property transfer process, and when activated, it will alter how the administrative side of a transaction is managed.

What it means when it is activated

When the new system comes into operation, the practical effect for a foreign buyer will be meaningful. Currently, the buyer's lawyer coordinates with AADE for tax declarations, with the Cadastral for title search and post-completion registration, and with various other parties. Under the new framework, these steps will pass through the notary's office, potentially reducing the administrative burden on the buyer's advisors and shortening the overall transaction timeline.

It is worth noting what does not change. The notary's role — under either the old or new system — is not to protect the buyer's interests. The notary is a public official who authenticates the transaction; they do not conduct independent due diligence, advise on the property's condition, or act as the buyer's advocate. The buyer's independent legal representation remains as important as it has always been. The reform consolidates administrative coordination; it does not substitute for professional legal and technical advice.

Part Two: The Inheritance Law Reform

The inheritance provisions of the 2026 legislation are, in historical terms, the more significant reform. Greek succession law had not undergone fundamental change for eight decades. The new framework — primarily enacted through Law 5303/2026, published in the Government Gazette on 22 May 2026 — modernizes the succession system to reflect contemporary family structures, cross-border estates, and the reality that a growing proportion of Greek property is owned by non-residents.

The main provisions apply to deaths occurring on or after 16 September 2026.

Inheritance Contracts

The most consequential new instrument is the inheritance contract (κληρονομική σύμβαση) — introduced to Greek law for the first time. Previously, a property owner could only plan the distribution of their estate through a will, which remained revocable until death and was subject to challenge. The inheritance contract is a binding agreement, executed before a notary with the personal presence of both parties, that determines how specific assets will pass on death. It is not revocable in the same way a will is.

The future decedent can, through an inheritance contract, appoint an heir, establish a legacy or fideicommissary substitution, impose charges on the inheritance, and choose the applicable law for their succession. The beneficiary may be the other contracting party or a third party; multiple parties may be involved in the same contract.

One specific mechanism is particularly relevant for family property planning: a provision that allows a future decedent to transfer property to their forced heirs in exchange for a waiver of the forced heirship share those heirs would otherwise receive on death. This allows the decedent to distribute property with certainty during their lifetime and then dispose freely of the remaining estate — by will or otherwise — without the risk of a subsequent forced heirship challenge against the lifetime transfers.

For foreign owners of Greek property — particularly those managing cross-border estates, second homes intended for the next generation, or investment properties held within family structures — this instrument provides a level of succession certainty that was previously unavailable under Greek law.

Wills: Revised Rules

The 2026 law tightens the validity requirements for handwritten (holographic) wills while simplifying the formal procedure for notarial wills.

For handwritten wills, validity is now time-limited where the beneficiaries are first-degree relatives or a spouse: such a will remain valid for two years from the date it was written, after which a forensic handwriting analysis of the deceased's signature is required to confirm authenticity before the will can take effect. This change addresses a recognized problem in Greek succession practice — the appearance of handwritten documents years or decades after a death, with disputed authenticity.

For notarial wills, the procedure has been simplified: only a notary and two witnesses are now required when opening a will, reduced from the previous formalities. For the first time, minors aged 16 and older may legally execute a will under Greek law. Digitally signed wills — for individuals with severe speech impairments — have also been introduced.

A new protective provision explicitly excludes wills that benefit the management or ownership of nursing homes, care facilities, or similar institutions — where the testator was a resident at the time. These addresses documented cases of estate capture and coercion.

Forced Heirship Adjustments

The 2026 reform also refines the forced heirship (νόμιμη μοίρα) framework. Greek law has traditionally guaranteed close relatives — children, spouses, and in certain circumstances parents — a minimum share of the estate that a will cannot override. The new law adjusts the calculation of the reserved share and, critically, allows parties to an inheritance contract to agree on distributions that would otherwise have been vulnerable to forced heirship challenge. This greater flexibility in estate planning is one of the reform's central objectives.

What This Means for Foreign Owners

The combined effect of the notary reform and the inheritance law changes is a property and succession system that is, in design, more streamlined and more flexible than its predecessor. The practical implications for foreign buyers and non-resident owners fall into two broad categories.

For buyers: The notary's expanded role — when it comes into operation — will simplify the administrative process of completing a purchase. The due diligence that precedes the contract, however, is unchanged: title verification, permit history, structural assessment, energy performance, and MIDA data alignment remain the buyer's responsibility, conducted through their own professional advisors before the notary is engaged.

For owners and estate planners: The introduction of inheritance contracts is a genuinely significant development for non-resident property owners who wish to plan the transfer of Greek assets with certainty. Families who have struggled with the uncertainty of contested wills, the complexity of cross-border succession, or the forced heirship implications of distributions made through wills now have an additional instrument available. The contract must be executed before a Greek notary with the personal presence of the parties — a requirement that should be built into estate planning timelines before the September 2026 commencement date for inheritance cases.

The 2026 legislation reflects Greece's sustained effort to modernize the administrative and legal infrastructure surrounding property. The direction of reform — towards digital integration, centralized coordination, and greater flexibility in succession planning — is consistent with the broader trajectory of the MIDA register, the e-permit system, and the Cadastral’s ongoing completion. For foreign buyers and owners, the system is becoming more predictable. That predictability is most fully available to those who engage with it with current, accurate information.

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