Can foreigners buy property in Greece?
Yes, foreign buyers can purchase property in Greece. AADE provides purchase guidance for people living abroad and property-reporting guidance for foreign residents. Before committing to a specific transaction, have your lawyer confirm the requirements that apply to you and the property. Buying a property is separate from obtaining permission to live in Greece. Source: AADE guidance for foreign property owners.
Buying property in Greece starts with a decision: are you choosing a home, a rental investment, or a property intended to support a Golden Visa application? The same apartment can look attractive in a brochure but answer those three needs very differently. Write down your intended use, total spending limit and residency needs before comparing listings.
This guide is a practical purchase-planning worksheet for overseas buyers. It helps you organise the questions to ask your lawyer, engineer, notary and property adviser. It does not certify a property or determine your residence-permit eligibility.
What are you buying the property for?
| Your priority | Compare first | Resolve before a reservation |
|---|---|---|
| A home for yourself or family | Exact layout, access, neighbourhood, everyday travel and running costs | Whether the legal property description and permitted use match your needs |
| A rental investment | Condition, realistic rent, operating costs and responsibility for day-to-day work | Permitted letting arrangements, existing occupation and costs before first rent |
| A Golden Visa property purchase | The documented investment route and exact property, together | Independent legal review of your circumstances, supporting records and applicable restrictions |
| A home now and rental later | Both your personal use and a workable letting plan | Whether either plan depends on conditions that have not been confirmed |
Keep property ownership and permission to live in Greece as separate decisions. If residency matters to your purchase, review the Golden Visa property thresholds and special categories before choosing a unit. An advertised price or a seller's description is not an eligibility decision.
Build an all-in budget before setting your property price
Your available funds must cover more than the headline price. Ask for written estimates and mark each item as confirmed, estimated or unknown. A blank cost is not a zero cost.
| Budget line | What to request |
|---|---|
| Property purchase | Price for the specific unit and a written schedule of payments |
| Purchase taxes | The applicable tax treatment, taxable value and any exemption, confirmed for this transaction |
| Professional and registration costs | Separate quotations for legal, technical, notarial and registration work, with taxes and exclusions stated |
| Agent or other service fees | Who pays, when the fee is due and which services it includes |
| Finishing and setup | Works, furniture, appliances, utilities and any items excluded from the purchase price |
| Ownership reserve | Insurance, building charges, maintenance, property tax and time without rental income |
| Residence application, if relevant | Fees, documents, translations, insurance and family-related costs quoted separately |
The Greek Ministry of Economy and Finance states that the general real-estate transfer-tax rate is 3% of the taxable value. That rate is one budget line, not a complete estimate of acquisition costs. Ask your notary or tax adviser which tax regime and taxable value apply before using a calculation. Source: Ministry property-tax guide.
A useful working formula is: purchase price + transaction costs + setup costs + ownership reserve = funds required. Compare that total with money available by each payment deadline. If financing is part of your plan, obtain its conditions before making a commitment dependent on it.
Prepare the administrative side before payment deadlines
AADE's buyer guide says buyers need a Greek tax identification number and must deal with the applicable property-transfer tax before signing. Start by confirming your AFM arrangements and the professionals handling the transaction. Source: AADE, before buying a property.
Our AFM guide for foreign buyers explains that part of the preparation. Separately ask your advisers what identity, authority-to-act and payment documentation they need for your circumstances. Agree who collects each item and when. Do not send sensitive documents through an initial property-enquiry form.
Compare the exact apartment, not the development headline
For a development with several apartments, request a unit identifier, floorplan and specification for the apartment under discussion. A project's combined floor area, total bedroom count or starting price may describe something different from your unit.
- Which apartment is included in this quotation, and is that availability confirmed?
- What areas are private, shared, storage or outdoor space?
- Which fixtures, furniture, works and parking rights are included?
- Is the apartment completed, undergoing works or proposed?
- What records support its current use and any proposed change of use?
- What is the handover arrangement, and what remains to be completed?
Request the same information for every option. Leave unknown fields visible in your comparison instead of filling them with assumptions. You can browse our property projects and ask about a specific unit's layout, availability, full price and handover stage.
Use a review checkpoint before paying a reservation amount
Ask an independent lawyer to review the title, ownership rights, encumbrances and proposed purchase documents. Ask an engineer to review the technical records and condition relevant to your intended use. Agree their scope in writing: a property viewing does not replace either review.
Before paying, request written answers about the recipient of the money, what the payment reserves, the conditions for refund, outstanding checks and the consequences of missing a deadline. If the purchase depends on a residence route, ensure that dependency is discussed with your lawyer before commitment. Our pre-reservation Golden Visa checklist covers further questions.
Plan ownership after completion
AADE explains that foreign residents also have E9 property-reporting obligations and that ENFIA is calculated annually from property records. Some digital transfers create an E9 statement automatically; verify the result with your accountant rather than assuming all reporting is finished. Source: AADE, E9 and ENFIA.
If you will live abroad, decide who receives keys, checks the apartment, organises repairs and communicates with any tenant. For rental planning, include vacant periods and setup costs before expecting income. See our overseas owner's letting guide for a practical handover checklist.
Turn your research into a property-search brief
Prepare five answers: your intended use, preferred areas, all-in budget, purchase timeframe and whether Greek residency is a requirement. Add any project or apartment you already have in mind. This gives a property discussion a concrete starting point.
Discuss a Golden Visa property search with mamaXO. If you already own an apartment and need help letting or overseeing it, tell us about your property. The service scope, property information, fees and any independent professional work should be confirmed before an agreement.
