Buying land and building in Greece

Choose a Greek lawyer who works regularly on real estate and construction, and who is independent of the seller, the agent and the builder. This is the most useful money you will spend.

With a power of attorney, your lawyer can sign, collect documents and deal with public services while you are abroad. Keep its scope clear and limited to what is needed, and have it prepared at a Greek consulate or with an apostille.

Your lawyer checks the title, the history of ownership, the Cadastre (Ktimatologio) records, mortgages, claims and anything else that burdens the property. You will also need a Greek tax number (AFM) and, in practice, a Greek bank account.

Apart from your lawyer, hire a licensed surveyor (topographer engineer, in Greek topografos michanikos) who works only for you, not the one the seller used. A plot advertised as buildable is not always buildable, or not for the house you have in mind. Often the seller believes it in good faith, because the rules have changed since the plot was bought.

Before any deposit, the surveyor measures the plot on the ground, compares it with the deed and the Cadastre, and confirms in a short written report the terms that apply to this specific plot:

• whether it is inside a town plan, inside a settlement or outside both
• the minimum area and the road frontage it needs, and what it actually has
• how much can be built (coverage, floor area ratio, height) and the setbacks
• forest maps, the coastal zone, archaeological and protected areas (Natura)
• the actual boundaries compared with the deed and the Cadastre

Outside a town plan, a plot can be built on only if it has frontage on a road that legally exists. A track used for decades, a road opened by the neighbors or a right of way over another plot is usually not enough. Many plots are sold with the minimum area, a fine view and access over such a track.

The Council of State has ruled that the minimum area alone is not enough, and building permits issued without legal road frontage have been annulled, in some cases years later and after the house was built.

Without legal frontage the plot may not be buildable at all, a permit may be refused or challenged, a bank may refuse a mortgage and the resale value is much lower. Getting a road recognized afterwards is slow and uncertain and does not depend on you. The state has been preparing rules for recognizing existing roads, but until they are in force, do not count on them.

Ask your surveyor and your lawyer to state in writing which road the plot faces, how its legal existence is proven and how many meters of frontage the plot has. If the answer is not clear, do not buy.

Parts of Greece are border areas. There, buyers who are not citizens of the EU or EFTA need prior approval before buying, and a purchase signed without it is void. This covers, for example, the Dodecanese, several eastern Aegean islands and Skyros, and parts of the mainland near the northern borders.

Your lawyer should confirm early whether the plot is in such an area and how long the approval is likely to take.

If the property already has a building, every sale needs an engineer's certificate about unauthorized works. Ask your own engineer to visit the property and compare it with the permit drawings. A building that was legalized is not the same as a building that was built legally, and the difference matters for future works and resale.

An old permit for the plot may be expired, or may no longer match today's rules. Do not pay extra for a permit until an engineer has confirmed it can still be used.

Pay only by traceable bank transfer, never in cash, and only against documents your lawyer has checked. The price written in the notarial deed should be the price you actually pay.

An agent usually works for the seller. That is normal, but it means the checks above are your responsibility.

With the builder, sign a detailed contract with drawings, a specification, a schedule and payments linked to completed stages. If you can, have your own supervising engineer on site. Be careful with very low quotes. A low price is often a different scope, not a better deal.

A remote plot may need a new power line, a water connection or a well, and these can cost more than expected. A well needs a water-use permit. Ask for written estimates from the utility companies before you buy.

Check access in every season, including for trucks and a crane during construction.

If you remember only a few things from this page, remember these:

• Be very careful, and slower than you think you need to be. A good plot rarely disappears in a week.
• Have your own lawyer, with a power of attorney, who specializes in real estate and construction.
• Have your own surveyor, separately, for the exact building terms and the boundaries of the plot.
• Check the road frontage before anything else, if the plot is outside a town plan.
• If you can, do not use the same team for everything. The lawyer, the surveyor, the agent and the builder should not all come from the same circle, so that each one can check what the others tell you.
• Visit the plot yourself at least once, walk its boundaries and talk to the neighbors.
• Do not rely on verbal promises about roads, permits or utilities. If it is not written and checked, it does not exist.
• Keep some money aside as a safety margin, for costs nobody can foresee at the start.

Have every document translated, and ask your lawyer to explain it before you sign. A reasonable seller, agent or builder will not rush you.

If you have found a plot, send us its location and the documents you have. We will tell you what we see from the engineering side and what your lawyer should look at.

Email us about your plot

The rules change often. These articles were current when we wrote this page, but always confirm with your lawyer and your surveyor.

• Council of State: for building outside town plans the minimum area is not enough, the plot also needs frontage on a public road, Lawspot (in Greek)
• Building outside town plans in 2026, what applies today and what is expected to change, P. Galanis, lawyer (in Greek)
• Council of State decision 989/2026 and building permits outside town plans, B2Green (in Greek)
• When building is permitted outside town plans, including the frontage requirements, Odigos tou Politi (in Greek)
• Building outside town plans on hold after the Council of State decision, Naftemporiki (in Greek)
• Buying land and building a house in Greece in 2026, BuyGreece
• Everything you need to know before building your own house in Greece, Elxis