Property Transfers in Greece: The Notary’s Evolving One-Stop Shop Role

The Existing Structure of Property Transfers

Property transfers in Greece involve multiple stages and interactions with different professionals and public authorities. These include legal review, technical documentation, tax declarations, and registration procedures. The notary traditionally prepares and formalizes the contract, while the collection of documents and coordination of administrative steps is often carried out by the parties and their advisors.

The “One-Stop Shop” Framework

Article 15 of Law 5293/2026 establishes the notary as the central point for the execution of property transfers. Within this framework, the notary is responsible for preparing the contract in agreement with the parties and coordinating the steps required for its completion. The notary is also enabled to retrieve necessary documentation directly from public authorities through interoperable systems. The documentation includes, among others, tax clearance certificates, insurance clearance certificates, the electronic identity of the property, and cadastral extracts.

Tax and Administrative Responsibilities

The law assigns the notary an active role in the handling of tax obligations related to the transaction. The notary submits the relevant tax declarations through the myPROPERTY platform, based on the information provided by the parties. The notary collects and remits the applicable taxes to the tax authorities, including transfer tax and, where applicable, inheritance, donation, or parental gift tax. The notary is also responsible for collecting and paying the fees required for the registration of the contract with the Land Registry or Cadastre.

Handling of Financial Transactions

The framework provides for the possibility that the notary may handle the payment of the transaction price. If agreed by the parties and specified in the notarial deed, the purchase price may be deposited in a dedicated escrow account maintained by the notary. The deposit of funds in this account is considered a payment, and the notary proceeds with the transfer of the amount to the seller in accordance with the terms of the contract.

Registration of the Transaction

Following the signing of the contract and the completion of the required payments, the notary submits the notarial deed for registration with the Land Registry or Cadastre through interoperable systems. This submission completes the formal process of transferring the property rights.

Implementation of the Framework

The provisions relating to the notary acting as a “one-stop shop” are not applied automatically upon publication of the law. According to Law 5293/2026, the commencement of this system is determined by a joint ministerial decision, which specifies the time of implementation, the technical details, and the scope of application. Until the issuance of this decision and the activation of the system, property transfers continue to follow the existing procedural structure.

Scope of the Reform

Law 5293/2026 introduces a more centralized model for the coordination of property transfers, compared to the existing structure. Under the current system, the parties and their advisors are responsible for collecting documentation, submitting declarations, and coordinating with multiple public authorities, while the notary’s role is primarily focused on drafting and executing the contract. Under the new framework, these administrative and procedural steps are concentrated to a greater extent within the notary’s responsibilities. The notary is designated to manage the preparation of the transaction, the retrieval of required documents, the submission and payment of taxes, and the registration of the contract. The reform does not modify the underlying legal and technical requirements governing property transfers, but changes how these requirements are coordinated and executed.