Selling property in Greece from abroad

Short answer

You can sell without travelling by giving a special power of attorney, signed at a Greek consulate or before a local notary with an apostille (or consular legalisation), to someone who signs the notarial deed for you in Greece. Before the deed, the notary needs certificates on the property, among them the ENFIA certificate, an engineer's certificate on unauthorised building work and, for buildings, an energy performance certificate. The price must be paid by bank means and the deed must say so, and ownership passes to the buyer only once the deed is registered. As reviewed on 2 November 2026, capital gains tax on property sales by individuals is suspended until and including 31 December 2026; for a later signing, check whether the suspension has been extended.

Signing through a power of attorney

Under Greek law a power of attorney must be given in the form required for the act it covers. A sale of real estate is made by notarial deed, so the power of attorney must also be notarial: signed at a Greek consular authority, or before a notary in your country with an apostille, or with consular legalisation where your country is not party to the Apostille Convention.

Greek consulates draw up powers of attorney for a specific act such as a sale. You attend in person with your passport or identity card, and the full identity details of your attorney go into the text. Some consulates ask for the exact description of the powers to be sent to them electronically by a Greek lawyer or notary, so the wording is settled before your appointment. For a sale, the power of attorney should:

identify the property precisely, as in your title deed and the cadastre;
allow your attorney to agree the price and terms, sign any preliminary agreement and the final deed, and deal with the notary, the tax authority and the cadastre;
allow your attorney to obtain the certificates and documents needed for the sale and to file the tax returns the sale requires;
say how the price is to be received, for example into a named bank account in your name.

Documents and certificates before the deed

The notary will not draw up the deed until the file is complete. Collect these early, because some take time and some have a short validity:

Your title: the deed or other document by which you acquired the property, registered in the land registry or the cadastre. If you inherited the property, the acceptance of the inheritance must be registered first.
Cadastre records: in areas where the cadastre operates, a recent extract of the cadastral record shows the property as registered in your name and any mortgages or other entries against it. Discrepancies are best corrected before a buyer is found.
ENFIA certificate: the notary must mention and attach a certificate of the tax authority. For a sale it confirms that the property was included in your ENFIA (property tax) declarations for the five years before the transfer.
Engineer's certificate and owner's declaration: every transfer needs a solemn declaration by the owner and a certificate by an engineer that there is no building, or no unauthorised construction or use, or that any such work falls within the legal exceptions or has been legalised. The certificate is valid for two months and is filed electronically before the deed.
Energy performance certificate (ΠΕΑ): needed when a building or a unit in it is sold, and handed to the buyer; the law provides that it will become part of the building's electronic identity once that system is activated.
Transfer tax declaration: the notary may not draw up the sale deed without the transfer tax declaration, and the property details in it must match the deed exactly.

The deed and registration

Ownership of Greek real estate passes by agreement in a notarial deed, which is then registered. In cadastre areas, until the deed is entered in the cadastral record the transfer does not take effect. The application for registration can be filed by the notary who drew up the deed or by a lawyer.

The price must be paid exclusively by bank means of payment, and the deed must state how it was paid. A deed recording a cash payment, or not recording payment by a bank instrument, is void and cannot be registered. In practice this means a bank transfer or another bank instrument identified in the deed.

Capital gains tax and getting the money out

Greek income tax law taxes gains from sales of real estate by individuals, but, as reviewed on 2 November 2026, that provision is suspended until and including 31 December 2026. For a sale signed after that date, check whether the suspension has been extended before you agree the timing.

Because the price is paid through banks, the funds arrive in a bank account named in the deed or the power of attorney. Moving them on to an account abroad is then a matter between you and your bank; keep a certified copy of the deed in case it is asked for. If the property was inherited, see our page on selling inherited property in Greece, which covers the extra steps.

What we need from you

To check whether the property is ready to sell and to draft the power of attorney, we usually ask for:

your passport and Greek tax number (ΑΦΜ), and those of any co-owner;
your title deed and any later deeds, or the inheritance acceptance;
the cadastral code (ΚΑΕΚ) or any cadastre documents you have;
building permits, earlier engineer's certificates and any legalisation file, if you have them;
details of any mortgage, lease or occupant;
the name of the person you want to act for you, and the bank account to receive the price.

How we work with owners abroad

Most of this work can be done without you travelling to Greece. You can sign a power of attorney at a Greek consulate, or before a notary where you live with an apostille under the 1961 Hague Convention (or with consular legalisation if your country is not a party to it), and a lawyer then acts for you in Greece. We tell you the exact wording the power of attorney needs for your matter before you sign it. For a sale, that usually means a special power of attorney that also lets your attorney receive the price into a named bank account.

We meet by video call, work in English and Greek, and exchange documents by email. The site also has pages in Turkish (latsoudislaw.com/tr/) and Arabic (latsoudislaw.com/ar/).

Questions clients ask

Do I have to come to Greece to sign the sale?

No. Your attorney under a notarial power of attorney can sign the deed. You attend once, at a Greek consulate or before a local notary, to sign the power of attorney.

Can the buyer pay me part of the price in cash?

No. The price must be paid by bank means. A notarial or private document recording a deposit or any part of the price paid in cash is void, and a deed of that kind cannot be registered.

Is there capital gains tax on my sale?

As reviewed on 2 November 2026, the capital gains provision for individuals is suspended until and including 31 December 2026. If you sign later, check whether the suspension has been extended.

The property has an old extension without a permit. Can I still sell?

The engineer's certificate must address it. Some constructions fall within exceptions listed in the law; others must first be legalised. An engineer should inspect the property before you agree a price.

Sources

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

L+A advises owners of property in Greece who live abroad, from the first document review to court.

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