Before you start
Appoint independent local advisers early, establish the tax and property records for the exact home, and understand each commitment before signing. Plan shipment around confirmed access, rather than a hoped-for completion date.
Define the home and the right to use it
Decide whether the property is to be your main home, a second home or something else. Those intentions affect the questions you should put to your lawyer, tax adviser and insurer. Confirm the residence permission relevant to your household separately: the purchase paperwork should not be treated as immigration approval.
Ask whether your nationality, status or the location creates any additional acquisition requirements. Give the adviser the actual address and land details rather than asking only whether a British person can buy in Greece. Our UK to Greece moving guide covers the relocation workstream once the intended use and route are clear.
Build a local team before paying a reservation
Choose a lawyer who represents your interests and can explain the transaction in a language you understand. Agree the scope of legal checks, how advice will be delivered and who will coordinate with the notary and technical professionals. Ask how their professional status can be verified and what the quoted fee includes.
Use a suitably qualified engineer or other appropriate technical professional to investigate the building and intended use. Keep legal ownership questions distinct from physical-condition questions. A reassuring conversation with an agent does not answer both. Prepare a short written brief covering renovations, outbuildings, access and anything you hope to change after buying, so the team can investigate the issues that matter to you.
Arrange your Greek tax identity and transfer budget
AADE’s before-purchase guidance identifies the Greek tax identification number, AFM, as a requirement for a property buyer. Arrange the correct identity and administrative access with AADE or your appointed adviser before the transaction reaches a deadline.
The authority also describes property-transfer tax and the buyer’s obligations before the transfer contract. Ask for a calculation for this transaction, including the applicable tax treatment, any properly established relief, professional charges and registration costs. Keep it separate from the advertised price. Do not build the budget around a rate or exemption quoted for someone else’s purchase, particularly if the property or intended use differs.
Match title and boundaries to what you viewed
Ask your lawyer to explain the seller’s ownership, registered rights, charges and the route for registering the transfer. Walk through the property description with them: land, apartment, shared spaces, parking, storage and access should be identified clearly. If a gate, path or terrace influenced your decision, establish what rights actually come with it.
Give your technical adviser photographs and any plans supplied by the seller. Ask them to compare the visible building with the available official records and explain discrepancies. A room described informally as a bedroom, or an extension that looks established, still deserves investigation. Resolve material uncertainties before relying on the space for family living or agreeing a renovation budget.
Understand the digital transfer and signing sequence
Gov.gr describes a notary-led digital property-transfer file, involving authorisations and documents for the transaction. Ask the notary which steps apply to your purchase, who needs to provide information and how the completed transfer will be recorded.
Before any preliminary agreement or payment, obtain an explanation of what becomes binding, what conditions protect you and what happens if a condition is not met. Confirm whether you must attend or can use an appropriately prepared power of attorney. Arrange independent translation where needed. Keep the agreed property description, payment schedule and document responsibilities together; this makes it easier to spot a change between an early agreement and the final deed.
Inspect the home for the life you plan
Visit beyond the most attractive hour of the day. Check light, ventilation, heating and cooling arrangements, water supply, storage and the route to ordinary services. For an island or more remote home, investigate the journeys you expect to make through different seasons rather than assuming a holiday itinerary represents year-round life.
Ask about building maintenance, shared responsibilities and recurring charges. Price necessary work through suitable local professionals before using it to justify an offer. Where access involves steps, a narrow lane or a shared entrance, measure the route for furniture as well as for people. The property can be legally suitable yet still require a different household inventory from the one you currently have.
Release the moving plan when possession is clear
Ask the legal team to explain when you may take possession and who will release keys. Keep household collection, your own travel and final delivery as separate dates. Allow for temporary accommodation if you cannot occupy the property immediately, and discuss storage before the goods leave the UK if access remains uncertain.
For the route, start with European removals and provide the complete Greek destination, including any island leg and access photographs. Use export packing planning for fragile furniture and items requiring dismantling. Keep the purchase documents, identification and first-week essentials with you. A confirmed home and a usable delivery route make a more reliable handover than a purchase timetable alone.
Common questions
Does buying a Greek home give me permission to live there?
Treat acquisition and residence as separate enquiries. Confirm the immigration route for each household member with the relevant authority before planning permanent occupation.
What is an AFM?
It is the Greek tax identification number. AADE identifies it as part of the preparation for buying property; arrange the appropriate registration and access for your circumstances.
When should I book the household shipment?
Obtain quotations early, but agree dates against the purchase conditions and confirmed possession. Explain any uncertainty about keys or access before collection.
Official information for your planning
Source links checked on 19 October 2026. Recheck destination requirements before you book or ship.
Make a plan for your move
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