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.
The Greek system works differently from what most Western European owners are used to. Procedures, paperwork, and timelines all follow their own logic. Much of the official documentation exists only in Greek, and legal terms rarely translate cleanly. Anything you sign abroad needs proper translation and, in most cases, an apostille. Greek administration also moves at its own pace. A certificate can expire before the sale completes and then needs reissuing. Sorting that out from another country, in another language, is the part owners tend to underestimate. Then there is pricing. Without current local knowledge, it is hard to know what your property is worth today, or which enquiries are serious. None of this makes a remote sale unrealistic. It makes the right local representation the deciding factor.
A Greek sale cannot complete until the property's paperwork is complete and current. As the seller, you will typically need:
Title deeds and proof of the ownership chain. These confirm legal ownership and the property's boundaries, including any changes made over the years.
The Electronic Building Identity (E-ID). This electronic file brings together the property's plans and certificates, including the topographical plan, the energy performance certificate, and the engineer's report. It has been mandatory for property transfers since 2021. It is valid for two months, so it is often reissued close to completion.
ENFIA certificate. This confirms that property tax has been paid.
Tax and insurance clearance certificates. To confirm you have no outstanding debts that would block the sale.
Valid identification and your AFM, the Greek tax number.
Where a property is jointly owned, each owner signs the deed or grants a power of attorney for someone to sign on their behalf. Several of these certificates carry an expiry date and must be reissued if they lapse during the process. That single fact causes more delays than anything else, which is why gathering everything early matters so much.
You can, through a power of attorney. This lets you appoint someone to sign and act for you, so you do not need to be present for the transfer. Our legal team drafts the document so it carries exactly the right powers. There are three options to sign a power of attorney:
At a Greek Consulate in your home country
At a notary's office in your home country
Or at a notary's office in Greece
If you sign it and have it notarised in your home country, it is then apostilled so that Greece recognises it. Once in Greece, it is officially translated and certified. From there, your lawyer can sign the contract, agree terms, and complete the transfer at the notary on your behalf. At Elxis, this sits with our in-house legal team. The same lawyers who run the due diligence also hold the power of attorney and represent you at the notary, so there is no coordinating between separate lawyers and agents. Our intake team manages the property side, qualifying the listing and preparing it for sale. You stay involved throughout. Video calls, digital document review, and direct contact with the team mean you make the decisions while the practical steps happen in Greece.
It depends on the property, the region, and how complete your documents are. As a rough guide, expect somewhere between two and four months. Once a buyer is committed, the legal completion follows. That covers contract preparation, due diligence, any financing, and the final transfer at the notary. Because parts of the timeline sit with the notary and the tax office, we keep you updated as each step lands rather than promising fixed dates we do not control. Competitive pricing, honest photography, and complete paperwork from the outset are what move a sale along. Most delays trace back to missing documents, an unrealistic price, or a complication in the title.
Selling a Greek property as a non-resident can create obligations in both Greece and your home country, and the two interact through double taxation treaties. The exact position depends on your personal circumstances, how long you have owned the property, and where you are tax resident. This is genuinely worth professional advice rather than a rule of thumb. Our legal team can point you to the right specialist, so you understand your full position before you commit to a sale, with no surprises at completion.
For a remote sale, the people representing you matter more than anything else. A few things are worth checking. Look for genuine experience with cross-border sales, and a clear understanding of what international buyers expect. Communication in your own language removes translation errors at the points where they cost the most. Elxis works with native speakers in Dutch, English, German, French, and Greek. Ask how the company reaches buyers, too. Selling well means reaching serious international buyers, not only listing locally.
Selling your Greek property from abroad comes down to three things. Complete, current documents. A power of attorney, so you do not have to travel. And a team that handles the legal and practical side for you. Start gathering documents early, and keep anything signed abroad translated and certified. Price the property on current market evidence, not hope. Stay involved in the decisions, even from a distance. We have been guiding international owners through property in Greece since 1991, with an in-house legal team handling the full process from power of attorney to the notary. Many of our sellers first bought through us years ago, so the relationship simply continues. If you are thinking about selling, we are happy to talk it through.
Yes. A power of attorney lets a legal representative sign the contract and complete the transfer at the notary on your behalf, so you do not need to travel.
Since 2014, a lawyer is not legally required for a property transfer in Greece. For a cross-border sale it is still strongly advisable, since the due diligence, the contract, and the power of attorney all sit with the lawyer. At Elxis this is handled by our in-house legal team.
It is an electronic file, prepared by a civil engineer, that brings together a property's plans and certificates. It has been mandatory for every property transfer in Greece since 2021.
As a rough guide, between two and four months, depending on the property, the region, and how complete your documents are.
You may have obligations in Greece and in your home country, and the two interact through double taxation treaties. The exact position depends on your circumstances, so it is worth specific professional advice.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or tax advice. For any issues relating to specific cases, we recommend consulting a lawyer, an accountant, or a notary depending on your needs.
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.
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.
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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.
05.05.2026
You can sell a property in Greece yourself. For most owners, though, an agent is the safer and far less stressful route. That is even more true if you live abroad. Here is the honest case for using one, and what selling alone really asks of you.
21.04.2026
The Greek holiday home market in 2026 is no longer defined by a single trend. What is emerging instead is a rising demand for smaller, more affordable holiday homes. This shift reflects broader changes in international buyer behavior. Foreign purchasers are no longer simply searching for a beautiful house near the sea. They are looking more strategically at value, rental potential, construction quality, lifestyle convenience, and future resale opportunities. Greece continues to attract strong overseas interest, but the profile of demand is becoming sharper and more selective.
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