10.02.2026
What is the National Cadastre in Greece? What documents are required? How does registration work? If you are buying a home in Greece, you may have many questions like these. In this article, we ask licensed notary and former Elxis lawyer Kostas Chatzis to explain it in plain English.
Kostas is a licensed notary and former Elxis lawyer with deep knowledge of the National Cadastre system in Greece. Before joining Elxis, he worked with several Cadastre offices across northern Greece, helping to build what many see as the biggest improvement to the country's property system in decades. Kostas has since opened his own notary office in Thessaloniki, where he continues to share his expertise.
The National Cadastre (Ktimatologio) is Greece's modern digital property registry.
"The Greek government has created a unified property registry. Until a few years ago, every region of Greece had its own land registry system," Kostas says. "Now the situation has improved a lot."
"Every owner of a property in Greece, whether they have owned it for one day, a month, or 50 years, has to register with the National Cadastre once their region is eligible for registration," he adds.
You may also hear about a "Greek Land Registry". The Land Registry was the old system. Each area had a small office, the Ypothikofylakio, where you registered your property. The system was inefficient. The National Cadastre is the modern system that is replacing those local Land Registry offices. Because the change is not complete everywhere, the old offices are still involved in some areas. In others, you submit documents only to the Cadastre. This can be confusing on your own. One job of our legal team is to check the status of both systems and register your property the right way.
This section is for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the system. You do not need it to make an application. The map shows the status of the Cadastre across Greece and is updated regularly. The colours mark the stage each area has reached:
Orange, registration: the Cadastre is collecting applications, so the area is still under registration.
Green, registration review (proanartisi): owners are asked to confirm the details of their applications.
Red, registration finalisation (anartisi): owners have confirmed their details and can still correct mistakes before the Cadastre goes live.
Dark blue, full operation: the Cadastre is fully operational here.
Yellow, outside cadastral registration: these areas are not yet covered, so you do not need to register yet.
The map changes constantly. For any questions about it, consult your lawyer.
Greek law requires any person or legal entity with property rights of any kind to register those rights with the Cadastre. You do this by submitting the relevant statements and documents, which include an application form, the title of ownership, a land survey, and a Greek ID card or passport. Once registered, each property is assigned a 12-digit code, the KAEK, which ties it to its title and location and helps secure future ownership rights and claims.
Handled properly, the process can be quick and straightforward, but there are pitfalls to be aware of.
"The most common problem we encounter is that many owners are not aware of their obligation to declare their property to the National Cadastre. Failing to complete the process properly can eventually result in the loss of ownership after a number of years, because all 'stray' parcels are transferred to the Greek State," Kostas says. If you do this yourself, one tricky part is "locating" the property under registration. Each property has to be pinpointed on the cadastral map, and it helps to have an expert guide you through this.
"The first thing to check is whether the property is in a region that is eligible for registration. Then we check whether the owner has already met their obligation. Where they have not, we make a registration. There are two ways to register: online or in person," Kostas says.
When your area opens for cadastral registration, the deadline to submit your declaration is three months if you live in Greece, and six months if you live abroad. After that, the declaration is late and a fine may apply. If you have just bought a property, a separate deadline applies. You must declare the new ownership within one month of the deed being registered. The Cadastre rollout is nearing completion across the country, with most regions expected to be fully operational by 2026. The government website lists deadlines and offices by region, though it is only in Greek.
At Elxis, we have an in-house team of 10 lawyers who can handle the process and make sure it is done right from the start. If you use our legal services for your purchase, our lawyer will register your property in the National Cadastre, where this is available in your area. Our experienced, multilingual legal team has guided international property buyers to find their ideal home in Greece since 1991. If you have more questions about the National Cadastre, feel free to contact us!
02.07.2026
International investors have been paying closer attention to Greece for a few years now. Keeping up this pace, new survey data shows just how far that attention has grown. Greece has moved into first place among institutional investors targeting hospitality assets in Europe. More specifically, it has overtaken Italy, Spain, and France, the countries that traditionally led this ranking.
24.06.2026
Greece remains one of Europe's most rewarding places to own a property and let it out, and the latest short-term rental rules do little to change that, as the new limits are targeted. More specifically, they focus on the busiest central districts of Athens and Thessaloniki, while the islands, the coast, and the wider market stay open.
23.06.2026
Selling a Greek property while you live in another country can feel like a tangle of paperwork in a language you do not read. The part that surprises most owners is how little of it actually requires your physical presence. You can sell a house in Greece from abroad without travelling at all. The sale runs through a power of attorney, with a legal representative acting for you on the ground. With your documents in order and a team handling the legal side, the whole process can be completed from your home country.
09.06.2026
Selling property in Greece means meeting a clear set of legal requirements: the right documents, a notarial deed, settled taxes, and clean title. For owners living abroad, the difficulty is rarely the rules themselves. It is coordinating several Greek authorities from another country. Here is what the process actually involves, and where having a legal team on the ground changes things.
21.05.2026
I bought a home in Greece (or I'm fantasizing about buying one), and I want to rent it out. What does it take to rent out a home in Greece? What taxes will I pay, and what income can I expect? Can I hire someone to assist me in renting out my home in Greece? In this comprehensive guide, we share everything you need to know about renting out a home in Greece, including legal requirements, market insights, and practical tips.
21.05.2026
Buying a home in Greece often starts with one very simple question: what does my budget actually get me?
It is a fair question, because property prices in Greece can vary a lot depending on location, views, accessibility, construction quality, and rental potential. A budget that may secure a sea-view apartment in one region could open the door to a private villa with land in another. In more established destinations, the same amount may buy less space, but stronger location value. In this guide, we look at both existing homes and off-plan projects currently under construction. This reflects how many international buyers search in Greece today: comparing ready-to-use properties with new-build opportunities that may still be in development. In some cases, buying off-plan can offer more flexibility, newer specifications and staged payments, while existing homes may appeal to buyers who want to use or rent the property sooner.
For international buyers, understanding these differences is an important first step. Whether you are looking for a holiday home, a future relocation base, or a long-term investment, knowing what €250K, €400K and €600K can realistically offer helps you search with more clarity.
13.05.2026
A full-service Greek real estate company handles the property search, the legal work, and the support after purchase in one place, so international buyers don't have to hire and coordinate separate agents, lawyers, and administrators. For anyone buying from abroad, that removes the hardest part of the process: navigating Greek property law in a language and a system they don't know. This guide explains what a full-service company does, why it matters for international buyers, and how it works in practice at Elxis.
07.05.2026
Greece has become one of the most appealing places in the world to spend retirement. The climate is mild, the cost of living is reasonable, the healthcare is good, and the tax treatment of foreign pensions is among the most generous in Europe. This guide walks through the practical side of retiring here: how to get residency, how the tax system works for pensioners, how to arrange healthcare, and where people choose to live.
.jpg)
