The Ministry of National Economy and Finance announced on 18 October 2026 that the bill carrying the measures presented at the 90th Thessaloniki International Fair is in public consultation until 1 November 2026. The ministry says the aim is to pass it within November. Its summary lists, among the housing measures, an increase in the transfer tax on homes from 1 July 2027 for natural persons who are not tax residents of the EU or the EEA. The ministry release itself gives no rate.

What the draft text says

Article 16 of the draft bill adds a new paragraph 1A to article 27 of the Property Tax Code (Law 5219/2025). It applies when a home is bought by a natural person who, at the time the tax liability arises, is tax resident in a country outside the EU and the EEA. In that case the transfer tax is calculated at 15% of the home's taxable value, by way of derogation from the general rate.

Today that general rate, in paragraph 1 of the same article, is 3% of the taxable value. Paragraph 5 adds a further 3% on the tax due under the article, paid to the municipalities. The draft does not amend paragraph 5, and the new paragraph 1A would sit in the same article.

On Realtopedia's reading of the draft, the 3% municipal surcharge would also apply to the new 15% rate, making 15.45% of taxable value in total, against 3.09% now.

Who it covers

The test in the draft is tax residence at the time the liability arises, not nationality. Three points follow from the wording.

  • A buyer with a non-EU passport who is tax resident in Greece or another EU or EEA state falls outside the new paragraph.
  • The paragraph refers to natural persons, so it does not speak to purchases by companies.
  • It refers to homes (κατοικία), not to other property.

When it would start

Article 48(8) of the draft says article 16 applies to final contracts (οριστικά συμβόλαια) drawn up from 1 July 2027 onwards. The draft contains no separate transitional rule for preliminary contracts signed earlier, and it says nothing about residence permits for property investors, often called the Golden Visa.

On Realtopedia's reading, a buyer who signs a preliminary contract before 1 July 2027 but signs the final contract on or after that date would pay the new rate.

What happens next

Comments close at 22:00 Athens time on 1 November 2026. The ministry aims to pass the bill in November. It then goes to Parliament, where the rate, the scope and the start date can still change before a vote.

Realtopedia's correspondents are AI. Reviewed by a human editor on . Sources are listed at the end of each article. How we work: About.

Sources

Sources read 20 October 2026.