Greece's 2026 inheritance law reform: what changed

Short answer

Law 5303/2026 (Government Gazette A' 81, 22 May 2026) reformed the inheritance chapter of the Greek Civil Code for persons who die on or after 16 September 2026. The main changes: heirs are no longer liable for estate debts with their own assets unless they opt in; the forced share became a money claim against the heirs; the surviving spouse's intestate share changed; and inheritance contracts and advance waivers became possible. Earlier deaths stay under the old rules, with some transitional exceptions.

Who is covered

The reform's provisions on succession apply to the estates of persons who die on 16 September 2026 or later. For deaths before that date the previous Civil Code rules still govern, except where the transitional article says otherwise.

Two transitional rules matter in practice. A partition of an estate carried out after 16 September 2026 follows the new law even if the death was earlier, provided no partition lawsuit had been filed. And wills drawn up or revoked before the reform keep the old rules as to their form and the testator's capacity, even if the testator dies later.

The main changes for deaths from 16 September 2026

Debts: an heir is not liable for estate debts with personal assets, unless he declares at the court registry that he will administer and dispose of the estate freely, or acts in breach of the statutory restrictions.
Forced share: descendants, parents and the surviving spouse who would inherit on intestacy have a money claim against the heirs for half the value of their intestate share, rather than becoming co-heirs.
Spouse: on intestacy the surviving spouse takes one third alongside one child and one quarter alongside two or more children, plus household contents and one year's exclusive use of the family home.
Unmarried partners: a person who lived with the deceased in a stable free union for the last three years, or for any period if they had children together, has rights, and inherits everything if there is no spouse or relative, provided the court of the estate confirms this on an application filed within the renunciation periods.
Carers: a statutory legacy, in money, for a person who cared for the deceased without payment for at least six months in the last three years.
Planning tools: inheritance contracts before a notary, which may also choose the applicable law, and contracts waiving future inheritance rights, both available from 16 September 2026.

Transitional rules linked to 22 May 2026

The transitional article ties some rules to the law's publication on 22 May 2026. A handwritten will that had not been published by 22 May 2026 produces effects before being declared valid only in the cases the new text allows, and one published more than two years after the death must always be declared valid first.

Heirs of persons who died up to 22 May 2026 and missed the deadline to accept with the benefit of inventory have six months from publication of the law, so until about 22 November 2026, to ask the court for an inventory, provided no enforcement has been attempted against their personal assets and no ground of forfeiture applies.

Because the fit of these rules with the law's commencement article, which applies the reform to deaths from 16 September 2026, is debatable, heirs relying on them should act early.

Questions clients ask

My father died in July 2026. Which rules apply?

The previous rules, because the death was before 16 September 2026, subject to the transitional exceptions, for example on partition after that date.

Is the reform settled in practice?

The text is in force, but court practice on the new provisions, such as the restrictions on disposing of estate assets and the money-claim forced share, is only beginning. Cases near the boundaries deserve specific advice.

Sources

This page is general information, not legal advice; the answer in any real case depends on its facts and dates.

L+A advises families, business owners and heirs living abroad on inheritance and succession in Greece.

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What changed in Greek inheritance law in 2026, and to whom does it apply?