What is it Like to Buy a Home in Crete if I'm Dutch?

For many people, the idea of owning a home in Greece starts with a feeling. The sunny days, the sea, a slower pace of life. What often follows is a more practical question: “How does buying a house here actually work?” 


For this very reason, we created the following guide so that you can have a clear overview of how the process of buying a house in Greece works.

Buying a home in Greece from abroad raises a fair question. Can the paperwork be handled with a digital signature, so you never have to fly in to sign in person? For some documents, the answer is yes. For the ones that actually transfer ownership, it is not. A Greek purchase deed is signed before a notary, and that step cannot be done digitally. 


In short: digital signatures are accepted in Greece for private documents, such as certain agreements and declarations. They are not accepted for public documents. That includes the notarial purchase deed and the power of attorney. You cannot become the owner of a Greek property by signing a document digitally. The transfer is always completed before a notary, either with you present or through a power of attorney that was signed in person.

If you plan to buy a home in Greece, you have probably given some thought to how you will pay for it. Depending on your home country, a mortgage may be one option. Getting a mortgage in Greece as a non-resident is not always straightforward, so it helps to understand how the process works before you begin. The general process is broadly similar from bank to bank, though the details differ and can change from year to year.


Rates depend on the bank you approach and on your own profile. As a rule, non-resident buyers pay a little more than residents. The sections below walk through what to expect. You do not need to be a Greek resident to apply for a mortgage. Most Greek banks do apply stricter rules to people living abroad. For some banks, though not all, you will need to be a Greek taxpayer, meaning your tax residency must be in Greece to be eligible for a loan.

Every home in Greece is now meant to have its own digital file. It is called the Electronic Building Identity, or E-ID (Ηλεκτρονική Ταυτότητα Κτιρίου). The Electronic Building Identity gathers the key facts about a property in one secure online record. It sets out the building's current condition, its permits and plans, and any changes made to it over the years. For anyone buying or selling a home in Greece, it has become one of the most important documents to understand. This guide explains what the E-ID is, what it contains, who prepares it, and why it matters at the moment a property changes hands.

Selling a property in Greece involves a number of professional fees, taxes, and administrative costs that vary depending on your circumstances. Knowing what to expect before you list helps you plan realistically and avoid surprises later in the process.

If you own a property in Greece and are thinking about selling, one of the first things on your mind is probably a practical one: what do I pay to the estate agent? It's a sensible question to ask early, and the answer shapes how you budget for the sale and what you can expect from the agency representing you.

If you have bought or sold property in the Netherlands, Germany, the UK, or most other Western European countries, you are probably used to a clear setup: the seller has their agent, the buyer has theirs, and each represents their respective client. In Greece, things work differently, and it is very important to have a clear overview before you decide to move forward with a property transaction.

In Greece, the inheritance tax on an inherited property usually has to be paid in full before the property can be sold. How much is owed depends on how closely the heir was related to the deceased, and on the value of the share inherited. Close family members fall into the most favourable category and benefit from a significant tax-free allowance. The tax is calculated on the official objective value set by the tax authorities, not the market price. Because payment usually comes before the sale completes, the timing is worth planning for in advance. 


Inheriting a property in Greece often brings a practical question with it. What happens on the tax side once you decide to sell? The two are linked in one important way. Before an inherited property can change hands, the inheritance tax on it commonly has to be settled first. That affects your timing, and it affects the proceeds you eventually receive. The amount depends on your relationship to the person you inherited from, and on the value of your share. Close family members are treated far more favourably than distant relatives. Knowing how this works makes selling an inherited home in Greece much easier to plan.