Electronic Building Identity in Greece
The Electronic Building Identity is the digital file of your Greek property — and the document the notary
will ask for on the day you sell. Only a licensed engineer can file it. On Samos we handle the
whole thing: site inspection, as-built drawings, registry filing, Completeness Certificate.
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What is the Electronic Building Identity?
A digital dossier recording the actual current condition of a
building — or of an individual apartment — together with every permit ever issued for it, tracking
changes for the rest of the building’s life.
It was introduced by articles 52-63 of Law 4495/2017 (Government Gazette Α΄
167/3.11.2017) and the national registry has been running since 1 February 2021. The registry is run through the Technical Chamber of Greece; the
official service is described on gov.gr
and the implementing decision was published in
Government Gazette Β΄ 334/29.1.2021.
If you own a house in Greece, think of it this way: the folder of permits, drawings and
legalisation papers that used to live in a drawer is now a digital record with a unique number,
tied to the cadastral number (ΚΑΕΚ) of the plot.
is filed in the registry.
When is it required?
| Category | Which buildings | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Category I | Public buildings · places of public assembly · petrol stations and garages · tourist accommodation over 300 m² · education · health & welfare · correctional facilities |
by 1.2.2028 extended by art. 43, Law 5270/2026 |
| Category II | Everything else — houses, holiday homes, shops, warehouses, workshops | At transfer of ownership must be attached to the deed |
What this means if you own a holiday home: there is no expiry date hanging over you.
There is the day you sell, gift, or pass the property to your children. On that day the Building
Identity must exist, or the notary cannot sign. If an unpermitted alteration surfaces in the process,
the legalisation deadline of 31 March 2028 applies on top.
What the file contains
Article 54 of Law 4495/2017 sets the contents:
- The building permit and every revision or update to it
- The approved drawings, plus the accessibility study where required
- Energy Performance Certificate (ΠΕΑ)
- Construction Inspection Certificate, where one was issued
- Any legalisation declarations for unpermitted works
- As-built floor plans — not the permit drawings, but what physically exists today
- Structural vulnerability report, structural inspection report, or structural adequacy study
- Ownership share table and cost-allocation study, where the building is divided into units
The as-built floor plans are where surprises appear: a veranda that was enclosed, a
storeroom that became a bedroom, a pool that never made it onto a permit. That is why we inspect
first and quote after.
Who can file it
Only an authorised engineer appointed by the owner. For a building with several
owners, the engineer is appointed by majority decision of the co-owners. An owner cannot file it
personally — access to the registry runs through the engineer’s credentials at the Technical Chamber
of Greece (ΤΕΕ).
Our engineers are in-house and based on Samos. Nobody is flown in from Athens, and
the inspection is done by the same people who file the paperwork — which matters when you are
managing a Greek property from another country.
The Completeness Certificate — and why it saves you money
Once every element is in place, the engineer issues the Completeness Certificate of the
Building Identity (Π.Π.Τ.Κ.), carrying a unique registry number and the plot’s cadastral number.
The point that matters at the notary: the Building Identity extract together with the
Completeness Certificate replaces the engineer’s certificate under article 83 in property
transfers. You are not paying twice for two documents — the Building Identity absorbs the old one.
What it costs
| Item | Cost | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Registration in the national registry | Free | — |
| Completeness Certificate (Π.Π.Τ.Κ.) | €20 | State fee, ΤΕΕ |
| Engineer’s fee — plot / land with no building (Step A registration + art. 83 certificate) | from €350 | Samos Housing |
| Engineer’s fee — building (house or apartment) | from €550 | Samos Housing |
| New as-built floor plans (if missing) | quoted after inspection | Samos Housing |
| Energy Performance Certificate (ΠΕΑ) | quoted after inspection | Samos Housing |
Fees depend on floor area, whether the permit file is complete, and whether
legalisation is needed. We give a binding quote after the site inspection, not an estimate over the
phone. VAT of 17% is not included.
If documents are missing
The most common case on Samos is not a house without a permit. It is a house with a 1978 permit
whose file has gone missing, or which has been altered in ways nobody ever recorded.
- Recover the file from the planning office (ΥΔΟΜ). We search the archive for the
permit and drawings. On Samos this typically takes 2-4 weeks. - Inspect and measure. We survey the building as it stands and draw the as-built plans.
- Compare. Where the building differs from the permit, we calculate the fine and
propose legalisation before the deadline. - Complete the rest. Energy certificate, structural report, ownership share table.
- File and issue the Completeness Certificate.
If you also need a
topographic survey plan with EGSA 87 coordinates — for
the cadastre or for the sale — it is done during the same visit and costs less than commissioning
the two separately.
Selling a Greek property from abroad
Most of our English-speaking clients discover the Building Identity requirement three weeks before
a scheduled signing, usually from the buyer’s lawyer. By then the file has to be assembled in a hurry
and from a distance.
- You do not need to be in Greece. We work from a power of attorney and arrange access
with a key-holder or neighbour. - We report in English and issue the invoice in English.
- If the property was inherited, we can run the Building Identity, the topographic plan and any
legalisation as one instruction rather than three.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a Building Identity if I am not selling?
For Category II buildings — houses, shops, warehouses — the obligation is triggered by the transfer
of ownership. For Category I buildings, such as tourist accommodation over 300 m², the deadline is
1 February 2028 regardless of whether you sell.
How long does it take?
With a complete permit file in hand, 5-10 working days. If the file must be recovered from the
planning office, allow 4-8 weeks. If legalisation of unpermitted works is required, add the time for
that submission.
I already have an engineer’s certificate. Is that enough?
No. The Building Identity extract with the Completeness Certificate replaces the article 83
engineer’s certificate in transfers — not the other way round. The older certificate does not
satisfy the requirement.
My property has unpermitted works. Can I still do this?
Yes, but they must be legalised first. The legalisation declaration is a mandatory element of the
file under article 54. The deadline for submitting a legalisation is 31 March 2028.
Does it apply to a plot with no building?
Yes — the plot itself is registered. Under Ministerial Decision
ΥΠΕΝ/ΔΕΣΕΔΠ/7577/105/2021 (Government Gazette Β΄ 334/29.1.2021, article 2) the filing runs in two
steps. Step A registers the plot: one entry per plot, geolocated on the cadastral
base, with eleven fields including an explicit “undeveloped” flag. Step B registers
the individual properties inside a building. An empty plot goes through Step A only — there is no
Step B and no Completeness Certificate for a building that does not exist, and the transfer is
completed with the engineer’s certificate under article 83, which is issued through the same
platform and carries its own unique number. You still need an engineer and, in most cases, a
topographic survey plan. We handle it from €350 plus VAT.
Is it checked by the authorities?
Yes. Three per cent of filed identities are audited each year. Incorrect or incomplete data leads
to sanctions against the engineer and cancellation of the certificate.
We handle the whole process
Site inspection on Samos, file recovery from the planning office, as-built drawings, energy
certificate, registry filing and the Completeness Certificate — one instruction, one invoice.
This page describes the framework of Law 4495/2017
(articles 52-63) as in force in August 2026. It is not technical or legal advice on a specific property.