Buying an Apartment in Athens: What to Check Legally Before You Buy

Athens is one of the cities where Israelis search for apartments most, whether to invest, to let or as a second home. This guide is not a neighbourhood guide and not a recommendation to buy. It brings together what is legally specific to Athens and refers you to our detailed guides on Greece for each topic. The overall picture is in the legal guide to buying property in Greece.

1Can an Israeli buy an apartment in Athens?

Yes. Greece has no general restriction on the purchase of real estate by foreigners, and an Israeli buys in Athens like any other buyer. The only restriction of this kind applies to border areas, such as the Dodecanese and some of the islands in the eastern Aegean, and Athens is not on the list. Details are in the guide to buying in border areas. What you do need from day one is a Greek tax number (AFM) and a bank account; see the guide to the AFM and a bank account.

2What is special about the housing stock in Athens?

A large share of the city's apartments is in older apartment buildings (πολυκατοικία), many of them built in the decades after the Second World War under the “antiparochi” system (αντιπαροχή), in which the landowner received apartments from the contractor in exchange for the plot. For the buyer, this means more than just the age of the building. Such buildings have undergone decades of alterations: semi-open balconies that were enclosed, storerooms turned into rooms, rooftop additions and layout changes that were never updated in the plans. Each of these may be a building violation.

That is why, for a resale apartment in Athens, the engineering inspection is part of the legal review. An engineer acting for you should compare the permit and the plans with the situation on site, check the condition of the structure, damp and building systems, and confirm that the area you are paying for is the legal area. It is also worth checking the building's rules (κανονισμός), the common charges and whether the apartment owes any debts to the building.

3What do you do about building violations and the engineer's certificate?

Law 4495/2017 prohibits the transfer of a property with unregularised violations, and every deed requires an engineer's certificate. Violations built before 28 July 2011 can usually be regularised for a fee, under five categories, and as of November 2026 the deadlines have been extended to 31 March 2028. A Category 5 violation, the most serious, cannot currently be regularised. Our rule: identify the violations before the deposit, classify them, and shift the cost and the risk to the seller in the contract. Full details are in the guide to building violations and the engineer's certificate.

4Can you buy an apartment in Athens for Airbnb?

It depends on the address. Under Ministerial Decision 225563 ΕΞ 2025 (ΦΕΚ Β 7200/31.12.2025), new registration in the short-term rental property register is frozen in the First, Second and Third Municipal Districts of the City of Athens until 31 December 2026. According to reports, the area includes the historic centre and neighbourhoods such as Plaka, Monastiraki, Koukaki, Kolonaki, Exarchia, Pangrati, Metaxourgeio and Neos Kosmos. In September 2026 the Prime Minister announced an extension of the freeze to 31 December 2027. As of November 2026 we have not found an official publication of the extension, so the position must be checked on the day of signing.

The most important point for a buyer: under the changes that took effect on 1 July 2026, a sale, a gift or a transfer from parents to children of a property with an active registration number (AMA) in the freeze zone cancels the registration, and the buyer cannot obtain a new registration while the freeze is in force. Inheritance is excluded. In other words, the Airbnb yield the seller presents is not an asset you are buying. Outside the freeze zone, the national rules apply: an AMA number, a limit of up to two properties per individual under the simple regime, and reporting obligations. Details are in the guide to short-term rental in Greece.

5What about long-term rental?

Long-term rental is the natural fallback plan in Athens, and it is subject to its own rules. According to professional sources, a residential lease in Greece is as a rule for a minimum term of three years, even if a shorter term was written. From 2026, every rent payment must be made by bank transfer. It is advisable to base the calculation on long-term rental already at the review stage, and to treat short-term rental, if it is permitted at the address, as an extra rather than the basis.

6Buying an apartment to renovate, or in a listed building?

An old apartment to renovate is one of the most common strategies in Athens. Here it is important to know in advance which licensing level the renovation will fall under: minor works with an engineer's electronic approval, a small-scale works approval (ΕΕΔΜΚ) up to a total budget of EUR 25,000, or a full building permit. In a listed building or a protected area, even minor façade works require approval, and sometimes also the approval of heritage bodies. That is why listed status is checked before the purchase, not after. Full details are in the guide to old properties for renovation in Athens and Thessaloniki.

7Golden Visa in Athens: what do you need to know?

Most of Athens and Piraeus are in Attica, where the Golden Visa threshold is EUR 800,000 in a single property, as at the date of our guide. A property that serves as the basis for the permit may not be let on a short-term basis, and the investment must come from own funds and not from a mortgage. Anyone planning to combine a Golden Visa and Airbnb in a single Athens apartment is planning something that is not possible. Details are in the guide to the Golden Visa in Greece.

8What are the purchase stages, in brief?

1. A tax number (AFM) and a Greek bank account.
2. An initial title check by an independent lawyer, before any deposit.
3. A preliminary agreement (Prosymfono) and a deposit, usually 10%.
4. Full due diligence: the land registry (the Cadastre or the registry office), encumbrances, the property's electronic identity certificate and the engineer's certificate.
5. Payment of the transfer tax and signing of the deed before a notary.
6. Registration in the land registry. Only registration transfers ownership.

The notary in Greece is neutral and does not represent you. In an orderly transaction, it usually takes 8 to 12 weeks. A full explanation is in the guide to the purchase process in Greece, and the list of checks is in the guide to due diligence in Greece.

9Which taxes do you pay, in brief?

On a resale apartment you pay transfer tax at an effective rate of 3.09% of the higher of the price and the objective value. The 24% VAT on a new property is suspended until the end of 2026. While holding the property you pay ENFIA, and rental income is taxed in brackets of 15% to 45%. Capital gains tax for individuals is suspended until 31 December 2026. As of November 2026 the government has announced an intention to raise the transfer tax to 15% on residential apartments bought by individuals from outside the EU, from 1 July 2027, but according to the reports we found, no bill has yet been tabled. The timing of the deed may be significant. Details are in the guide to taxation in Greece, and a full cost calculation is in the acquisition cost calculator.

10Checklist before you sign for an apartment in Athens

• An AFM, a bank account and a lawyer who represents only you.
• A check of title and encumbrances in the land registry before the deposit.
• An engineer acting for you: compliance with the permit, classification of violations, condition of the structure and building systems.
• The draft of the seller's engineer's certificate before signing, not on the day of signing.
• The building's rules, common charges and debts to the building.
• If you plan short-term rental: the district, the status of the AMA and whether it is cancelled on sale.
• If you plan a renovation: listed status and classification of the works by licensing level.
• Timing of the deed against the tax changes: the VAT suspension, capital gains tax and the 15% proposal.
• Documentation of the money transfers from an account in your name in Israel, for source of funds and reporting purposes.

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