Selling or buying a company
Selling or buying a company in Greece is a legal process in three stages: preparing the company and choosing the structure of the deal, reviewing the company (due diligence) and negotiating the agreement, and completing the transfer and managing the transition. L+A advises owners who are preparing a sale and buyers looking for a business in Greece through each stage, in English and Greek.
In short
Whether you are selling the company you built, bringing in a buyer for part of it, or acquiring a business in Greece, most of the value is protected or lost in the preparation and in the agreement. We work alongside the owners and their advisers so that the legal side supports the commercial goal.
The three stages
Each transaction is different, but the work follows the same order:
Preparation and structure: putting corporate records, contracts and filings in order, identifying issues a buyer will find, and choosing whether the deal is a sale of shares or of the business itself.
Due diligence and negotiation: the legal review of the company by the buyer, or the seller's own review in advance, and the negotiation of the sale agreement, its warranties and its conditions.
Completion and transition: signing, transfer of the shares or company parts and the registrations that follow, and support during the handover to the new owners.
A buyer will examine the company before committing. Reviewing it first, for example through a Legal Scan, lets the owner identify and address issues on their own timetable rather than in the middle of negotiations. Where the sale is part of a change of generation, it is planned together with the family's succession arrangements.
We carry out the legal due diligence on the target company, covering corporate organisation, contracts, employment relationships, regulatory compliance and data protection, real estate, licences and pending cases, and we draft and negotiate the sale agreement.
The legal form of the company determines how the transfer is made. In a private company (ΙΚΕ), a transfer of company parts during lifetime is made in writing and takes effect towards the company and the partners from written notice to the company signed by the transferor and the acquirer; towards third parties it takes effect from its entry in the register of partners, and the articles may restrict transfers or give the other partners a pre-emption right. In a société anonyme (ΑΕ), shares are freely transferable subject to restrictions permitted by law, and registered shares are transferred by entry in the shareholder register.
This page was reviewed on 18 October 2026 against article 84 of Law 4072/2012 and article 41 of Law 4548/2018. It is general information, not legal advice.
FAQ
Preparation and choice of structure, due diligence and negotiation of the sale agreement, and completion of the transfer followed by the transition to the new owners.
It helps. A buyer will run its own legal review; reviewing the company first lets you address issues on your own timetable rather than during negotiations.
In writing. The transfer takes effect towards the company from written notice signed by both parties, and towards third parties from its entry in the register of partners. The articles may restrict transfers.
Yes. The firm works in English and Greek, for buyers in Greece and from abroad.
After an initial conversation, the scope and fee are agreed in writing before work starts.
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