On 6 September 2026, Greece’s prime minister announced that buyers of residential property from outside the European Union will pay a 15% transfer tax instead of 3%. With the municipal surcharge, the effective rate moves from 3.09% to 15.45%. On a home taxed at €800,000, that is the difference between roughly €24,700 and €123,600 paid before the notary signs.

The higher rate is expected to apply from 1 July 2027. That gives non-EU buyers about nine months to complete a purchase at the current rate, and it creates a predictable risk: buyers racing a tax deadline tend to cut the checks that protect them from buying the wrong building. A remote technical review of the property can run while the legal work is still at the offer stage, so the deadline does not force a choice between speed and verification.

Who the 15% Transfer Tax Applies To

Based on the finance ministry’s statements in September 2026, the higher rate applies when three conditions are met. The buyer is a natural person, the buyer is a citizen of a country outside the EU and the European Economic Area, and the buyer does not hold long-term resident status in Greece. It covers residential property only.

Several groups fall outside the measure as announced. EU and EEA citizens keep the current rate, which includes buyers from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Germany and the rest of the single market. Greek citizens and members of the Greek diaspora are excluded, as are third-country nationals who already hold long-term residence. Companies and other legal entities are not covered, and neither are commercial buildings, industrial premises or land.

For British buyers the change is significant. Since Brexit, a UK citizen buying a holiday home on Corfu or Crete is a third-country buyer, so the same villa would cost a British buyer around 12 percentage points more in transfer tax than an identical purchase by a Dutch or Swedish neighbor. The same applies to buyers from the United States, Canada, Australia, the Gulf states and the rest of the world outside the EU and EEA.

What Is Still Unclear Before the Law Is Published

As of early October 2026, the measure has been announced and its scope described by the ministry, but the draft law has not yet been published. The ministry said it would be included in an omnibus bill for public consultation, and adjustments are expected before a vote in Parliament. Treat every detail below as provisional until the final text appears in the Government Gazette, and confirm your own position with a Greek lawyer before relying on it.

Three questions matter most for buyers. The first is the transition. The start date was moved from 1 January to 1 July 2027 to let transactions already underway close at the current rate, but it has not been confirmed whether a preliminary contract signed before 1 July is enough, or whether the final notarial deed must also be signed before that date. The second is the Golden Visa. The €250,000 route for converted commercial buildings and listed buildings remains an open point, and market participants have asked for an exemption or an intermediate rate. The third is the tax base, which in Greece follows the property’s taxable value and not only the agreed price, so the final amount depends on how the property is valued for tax purposes.

A Golden Visa residence permit is not listed among the exemptions in the announcements. If you are buying to qualify for residency, our guide to Golden Visa property requirements and technical risks covers the parts of the process that the tax change does not touch.

The Real Risk Is the Deadline, Not the Tax

A tax increase of this size changes behavior. Buyers from outside the EU now have a clear incentive to complete before July 2027, and the closer the date gets, the less time each transaction will have.

Deadline pressure produces a familiar pattern. The deposit is paid on the preliminary contract before anyone has compared the building to its permit, the building’s Electronic Building Identity is accepted as a substitute for an inspection, and condition problems surface after the deed, when the seller has no reason to negotiate. Saving close to €100,000 in transfer tax is a poor result if the property carries an unauthorized extension or enclosure that costs more to regularize, or cannot be regularized at all.

The Electronic Building Identity deserves particular attention. A Greek property transfer requires this digital file, prepared by an engineer who is normally instructed by the seller, recording the building’s permits, plans and the status of any regularized construction. It answers a legal question about permits. It does not assess condition, moisture, building systems or the cost of what will need replacing in the first years of ownership, and it is not written for the buyer.

BEFORE YOU COMMIT TO A PROPERTY IN GREECE

Send the listing, floor plans, permit documents or agent material before signing anything.

We perform remote asset reviews for non-EU buyers evaluating properties in Greece ahead of the 2027 tax change.

This early-stage review identifies whether the building appears to match its permit drawings, visible signs of unauthorized extensions or enclosed balconies, apparent condition issues that affect the price, documents that are missing before a deposit is paid, and whether an on-site inspection is justified.

The review is independent, English-language and delivered directly to the buyer.

Submit the property details here: kgnordic.com/contact

How to Buy Before July 2027 Without Cutting Corners

The sequence matters more than the speed. A buyer who wants to complete under the current rate can run the legal and technical work in parallel rather than one after the other. The lawyer checks title, encumbrances and the land registry while the technical review compares the building to its approved drawings and assesses its condition. Both can start at the offer stage, before a preliminary contract and deposit.

The preliminary contract is the point of leverage. Findings that arrive before it can be used to renegotiate, attach conditions or walk away. Findings that arrive after it rarely change anything, because the deposit is already at risk. With a deadline in the background, sellers in popular areas will expect fast signatures, which is exactly why the technical findings need to be ready before that moment.

Budget for the full cost, not only the tax. Notary fees, legal fees, the agent’s commission and registration still apply, and our breakdown of the hidden costs of buying property in Greece covers them. For a non-EU buyer, the tax difference on a home taxed at €400,000 is about €49,400. An independent property inspection starts from €5,000 and sits well inside that margin.

Who Should Act Now and Who Can Wait

Non-EU buyers who already have a property in view, or who are close to a preliminary contract, have the strongest reason to complete before July 2027, once the transition rules confirm which signature counts. Buyers who are still early in their search should weigh the tax saving against the cost of buying under time pressure. A well-chosen property at a 15.45% transfer tax is a better outcome than a problem property bought at 3.09%.

EU and EEA citizens are unaffected on current information and gain nothing by rushing. Buyers considering a purchase through a company should take legal and tax advice before restructuring a transaction, because the final law may treat corporate purchases differently from the announcement.

Buying Property in Greece Before the 2027 Tax Change?

Before contracts are signed, we review the permit file against the physical building, visible unauthorized construction, building condition and systems, and the capital expenditure the property is likely to need in its first years.

For non-EU buyers working to a 2027 deadline, we provide remote asset reviews, independent property inspections and technical due diligence for larger acquisitions, with written English reporting timed to the preliminary contract.

Submit the asset location and acquisition details here: kgnordic.com/contact

Frequently Asked Questions

Who pays the 15% property transfer tax in Greece?

Under the measure announced in September 2026, the 15% rate applies to natural persons who are citizens of countries outside the EU and EEA and who do not hold long-term resident status in Greece, when they buy residential property. With the municipal surcharge, the effective rate becomes 15.45% instead of 3.09%. EU and EEA citizens, Greek citizens, the Greek diaspora, long-term residents and companies are excluded on current information.

When does the 15% transfer tax start in Greece?

The government has indicated 1 July 2027, after moving the date from 1 January 2027 to let transactions already in progress complete. The draft law had not been published as of early October 2026, so the start date and the transition rules should be confirmed against the final text.

Does the 15% transfer tax apply to UK buyers?

Yes, on current information. Since Brexit, UK citizens are third-country nationals, so a British buyer without long-term resident status in Greece would pay the higher rate on a residential purchase completed after the start date.

Does the 15% transfer tax apply to Golden Visa buyers?

Golden Visa investors buying residential property as individuals fall within the announced scope unless they already hold long-term resident status. The treatment of the €250,000 route for converted commercial and listed buildings is still open and may change during consultation.

How much more will a non-EU buyer pay in transfer tax?

The effective rate rises from 3.09% to 15.45% of the property’s taxable value. On a home taxed at €800,000, transfer tax rises from about €24,720 to about €123,600, an increase of roughly €98,880.