The East Aegean Islands
The East Aegean islands included in Greece's border regions are Chios, Lesvos, Samos, Limnos, and Samothraki.
Chios
Chios is known for its beaches and its mastic trees. The resin they produce, called "tears of the gods," is prized for its flavour and its traditional medicinal uses, and appears in everything from liqueurs to sweets. The roughly twenty medieval mastic villages in the south of the island are remarkable works of architecture and well worth a visit.
Samos
Samos is a green, mountainous island separated from the Turkish coast by a strait of barely two kilometres. It is known for its sweet Muscat wine, its beaches, and as the birthplace of the mathematician Pythagoras. Although it sits in the East Aegean rather than the Dodecanese, it forms its own entry on the border region list.
Samothraki
Samothraki, or Samothrace, is one of Greece's most remote islands and a paradise for nature lovers, with waterfalls, natural rock pools, and centuries-old plane trees lining its rivers. At Therma you can bathe in hot mineral springs. The island is one of the longest continually inhabited places in Greece and was one of the religious centres of the ancient world. According to tradition, Alexander the Great's parents, Philip II and Olympias, met during their initiation into the famous Samothracian mysteries.
Lesvos
Lesvos is Greece's third-largest island. It is known for its olive oil and its ouzo, the anise-flavoured national spirit of Greece. On Lesvos, ouzo is best enjoyed with meze plates of anchovies, scallops, and grilled octopus. Traditional island dishes include onions stuffed with meat and rice, sfougato (a baked zucchini and egg dish), and meatballs cooked with ouzo.
What Is The Process To Get A Permit?
You gather a set of documents, listed below, with an apostille stamp where required. Your permit request is then submitted to a special committee at the Decentralised Administration responsible for the area where the property is located. In practice, approvals are routine for citizens of countries such as the UK, the US, and Canada, and refusals are rare. The application does add time to the purchase. How long the review takes varies by committee and can run to several months, so it is worth starting early and planning your timeline around it.
What Documents Are Required?
Several of the documents needed for the permit are already part of the standard process of buying a home in Greece. The exact requirements can vary depending on the office where your request is submitted, so treat this as a general guide:
A short CV in Greek, with certified translation
A copy of your valid passport, certified by a competent authority or a lawyer
Your criminal record certificate, with certified translation
A residence permit, if you are a resident of Greece or another EU country
Property details: a description, the purpose of the purchase, and a topographical map of the property
Your birth certificate, with certified translation
The seller's signed consent to the application
I Want To Buy A Home In A Border Region. Who Can Help Me?
We recommend working with a local real estate specialist or lawyer to prepare and submit your documents. Elxis - At Home in Greece has 35 years of experience in the buying and selling of homes in Greece, and our in-house legal team handles border permit applications as part of the purchase process, so you do not need to coordinate the paperwork yourself.
Areas Of Military Interest In Greece
Areas of military interest in Greece also require an extra permit. These areas are treated similarly to border regions, with one key difference: every buyer needs to apply, whether you are from inside or outside the EU. The review is usually faster than the border region procedure. We will cover this topic in a separate article.
Purchase Tips
.jpg)
