What a non-EU buyer pays in Greek transfer tax, and what the proposed rise to 15% would mean

By Axias · Updated 6 Nov 2026

Today a non-EU buyer of a Greek home pays the same transfer tax as anyone else: 3% of the taxable value, or 3.09% with the municipal surcharge. The government has proposed raising this to 15% for some buyers from outside the EU and EEA. That rise is not law yet.

Last checked: 6 November 2026. We will update this page when Parliament votes.

What you pay today

The property transfer tax is 3%, and the buyer pays it before the contract is signed at the notary. A surcharge for the municipalities adds 3% of the tax itself, which brings the total to 3.09%.

The taxable value is the higher of two figures: the price written in the contract and the property's objective value, a zone-based figure the state uses for tax. Where the agreed price is above the objective value, the 3% is charged on the price. Our guide on objective value vs market value explains the gap.

New-build homes have a separate route. A sale of a new building can fall under 24% VAT instead of transfer tax, but Greek law currently suspends that VAT until 31 December 2026, and the transfer tax applies in its place. If you are buying off-plan from a developer, ask which regime your contract falls under.

What has been proposed

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced the rise at the Thessaloniki International Fair in early September 2026. The main rate for covered buyers would go from 3% to 15%. With the municipal surcharge, the total would be 15.45%.

According to the Greek and English-language press since September, the higher rate would cover:

• homes only, so offices, shops, land and other property stay at 3%
• private individuals, so purchases by companies are outside it
• buyers from outside the EU and the European Economic Area who do not fall under one of the exemptions

The exemptions reported include Greek citizens, ethnic Greeks from abroad, EU and EEA citizens, recognised refugees and third-country nationals with long-term residence status in Greece.

On 4 November 2026 the state broadcaster ERT reported that the bill carrying the autumn tax measures had been submitted to Parliament. We found no report of a vote by 6 November. Until Parliament passes it and it is published in the Government Gazette, the 15% rate does not apply to anyone, and its details can still change.

When it would start: the reported dates

The press gives two dates. The first reports, on 6 September, said the rise would apply from 1 January 2027. Within two days the Finance Minister, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, was reported giving 1 July 2027, and ERT's 4 November report on the submitted bill also says 1 July 2027.

What the reports do not settle is which moment counts: the final contract, a preliminary agreement signed earlier, or the date the tax is paid. Coverage in September said the treatment of preliminary contracts was still to be clarified. If your deal will straddle the date, that detail decides your rate.

Who counts as non-EU: still unclear

This is the least settled part. The September reports describe the test as citizenship: citizens of countries outside the EU and EEA. ERT's report on the submitted bill describes it as tax residence, and says the buyer's tax residence is the criterion.

Those two tests catch different people. An American who lives and pays tax in Greece, or a dual British and Irish citizen living in London, could land on either side depending on which wording survives. Press coverage also lists open questions on dual citizens and on homes converted from commercial buildings, which matters to Golden Visa buyers using the conversion route. Until the final text is published, treat your own status as unconfirmed and ask a Greek lawyer to check it against the bill.

What 15% would cost on a real purchase

Take a flat with a taxable value of €250,000. At today's 3.09% the tax is €7,725. At 15.45% it would be €38,625, an extra €30,900. On €400,000 the tax would go from €12,360 to €61,800.

Because the rate is charged on the taxable value, every euro on the contract price now carries about 15 cents of tax instead of 3. Paying above what comparable flats sold for costs you more twice over, once in the price and again in the tax.

What to do tomorrow

Ask your Greek lawyer two questions: on the bill as submitted, would you count as covered by citizenship or by tax residence, and which signing date would decide your rate? Then check the contract price against what similar flats nearby sold for, since that price is likely what your tax is charged on.

Before you agree a price

The Axias report for one address shows what comparable flats around it sold for, from the sales declared to the tax authority, cross-checked against current listings and auctions, with a value range and the evidence behind it.