To create a nationwide, modern cadastre, the state company Ktimatologio A.E. was established. The following article sets out the current state of development.
Greece’s oldest cadastre exists on the islands of Rhodes and Kos, where a cadastral office with its own cadastral rules has existed since 1937 — dating back to the period of Italian administration.
Establishment of the national land registry by Ktimatologio A.E.
The construction of the national cadastre has by now progressed a long way: by mid-2026, around 99% of ownership rights in land and property nationwide had been recorded in the new cadastre. The former 392 traditional land registries (Ypothikofylakeia) have, in the course of the reform, been converted into 79 modern, digital cadastral offices, which now handle the ongoing processing of registrations, corrections, and certificates largely electronically — including, among other things, the use of AI-supported procedures to speed up the legal review of submitted instruments. Full nationwide completion of the Ktimatologio is targeted for the end of 2026; the final clearing of remaining backlogs is expected to extend into 2027.
Requirements for registering a property with the cadastre
Before a property can be registered with the competent cadastral office, a number of points must, among other things, be clarified:
- Any discrepancies relating to the property or the rights in it — for example, checking whether title is properly recorded in the local registers, whether additions or corrections are required, whether there are contractual defects, or whether outstanding preliminary contracts or resolutive conditions remain to be settled. Where an entry has already been declared but is defective, an application for correction on the ground of a “manifest error” (prodilou sfalmatos) can, under certain conditions, be made; otherwise, correction is possible only by way of court action.
- The application form must be accompanied by copies of the title deeds (e.g. notarial contracts) and proof of payment of the registration fee.
- Where applicable, a power of attorney, if the rights holder does not appear in person.
When the application is submitted, a copy of identification and proof of the applicant’s tax identification number (for example, a tax assessment notice or an electricity bill) must also be produced.
Consequences of missing the registration deadline
Owners who have failed to register their rights within the deadline generally have no option but to bring an action for judicial recognition of ownership before the competent court of first instance. The court’s decision then enables the late registration in the name of the true owner.
Only in narrowly defined exceptional cases does the cadastral office permit registration by simple application without prior court proceedings — for example, where the owner’s name has already been recorded in the cadastre in connection with other official processes, where proof of ownership presents no difficulty, or in clear cases of inheritance. The scope of these simplified procedures has been expanded in recent years.
FAQ
The old system (Ipothikofilakio) was organised by name: you had to know who the owner was in order to find a property. The new Ktimatologio is organised by object (by parcel). Every plot is given a unique number (KAEK), which makes searching for encumbrances and ownership considerably more secure and transparent.
Updated for 2026: according to the competent ministry, by summer 2026 cadastral data had been recorded, and given a unique KAEK number, for around 99% of Greek territory. A significant proportion of the registered rights are already in fully “operating” cadastre status; the national government has announced full completion of the Ktimatologio still within 2026. In parallel, the 392 historical land registries (Ypothikofylakia) are being converted into 79 modern cadastral offices (Κτηματολογικά Γραφεία), and the digitisation of around 600 million pages of historical records has progressed substantially.
Because the state of implementation changes continually, we recommend checking the current status for a specific area via the official portal of the Greek cadastre (ktimatologio.gr) or with your local lawyer.
First, the legal titles (notarial contracts) must be checked: are they correctly recorded in the old registers? Are there any outstanding preliminary contracts or resolutive conditions? Only once the legal “history” is clean can registration proceed, with the following documents:
- Copy of the title deed (e.g. purchase contract).
- Proof of payment of the registration fee.
- Valid passport and Greek tax identification number (AFM).
No, but the effort required to correct the position is considerably greater. Once the deadline has passed, the property is often recorded as having an “unknown owner”. To correct this, an action for recognition of ownership before the competent court of first instance is generally required. Only in clear cases (for example, clear inheritances) is subsequent registration possible by simple application.
Yes, in the case of so-called “manifest errors” (prodilo sfalma) — such as typographical errors in a name or transposed digits in an identity number — a simple application for correction can be made. In disputes over plot boundaries or missing titles, however, only court action remains available.
No. Unlike in Germany, there is no good-faith acquisition of real property in Greece. If the seller was not the rightful owner, the buyer acquires no ownership despite a notarial contract and registration. A complete review of the chain of title is therefore essential.
Not in the classical system: the old land registries generally reviewed only the formal correctness of an instrument, not its substantive lawfulness. A registration therefore does not cure an invalid contract. With the far-advanced Ktimatologio, this is increasingly changing: once the objection periods for a region have expired and entries have become final, the legal certainty of the Ktimatologio is increasingly approaching the German model.
Because many plots have only recently been transferred from the old system into the new cadastre, it must be ensured that the seller and their predecessors in title validly acquired ownership in the past. The examination over at least 20 years serves to exclude extraordinary adverse possession by third parties, which can arise automatically after 20 years of uninterrupted possession — even where the original title was defective.
A lawyer checks — nowadays predominantly via secure digital portals, sometimes supplemented by an on-site archive search — four registers under the classical system:
- Transcription register: who is registered as owner, and how did the chain of title develop?
- Mortgage register: are there any encumbrances or mortgages on the plot?
- Seizure register: are there any seizures by the state or by creditors?
- Vindication register: are there any ongoing disputes by third parties over ownership?
In the Ktimatologio, the corresponding information is, by contrast, gathered together and can be viewed on the cadastral sheet (Ktimatologiko Fyllo).
This is strongly discouraged. Official certificates generally provide only a brief overview; they do not involve a legal review of the underlying contracts or of the history of previous owners. In addition, generally only licensed lawyers have full access to the relevant digital registers. To rule out legal risks when buying, the search should always be carried out by a lawyer experienced in real estate law.
As of June 2026. All information on these pages is provided without guarantee or liability.