The Hellenic Cadastre (Ελληνικό Κτηματολόγιο) is the national land registry of Greece. Foreign buyers usually call it the Greek land registry. Both names mean the same thing, and both matter to you. Today the Hellenic Cadastre covers almost all of Greece, so nearly every plot, apartment and field already has a KAEK, its unique national property number.

The problem is that the record is often wrong. Wrong square metres, boundaries that ignore your survey plan, a plot listed as “unknown owner”, or an inheritance nobody ever declared. Most owners discover the error at the worst moment: at the notary, with a sale already agreed. In short, a Greek land registry check before you buy, sell or inherit saves months.

We start with a diagnosis, not with paperwork

Most firms ask you to gather documents first. Only then do they tell you what is wrong. We work the other way round. Give us a KAEK, or the address and your title deed if you have no KAEK. We then pull everything the Hellenic Cadastre of Greece holds on that property and put it on one page. As a result, you know four things before you commit to anything: what the registry shows, where it differs from reality, which procedure applies, and what it costs.

What goes wrong in the Hellenic Cadastre of Greece

“Unknown owner” in the Greek land registry — why you cannot leave it

When the Hellenic Cadastre of Greece lists a property under “unknown owner”, it recognises no holder. Therefore you cannot sell, mortgage or develop it. Worse, once the legal deadlines pass, the property can revert to the Greek State.

Those deadlines change often and differ by region. They depend on when the cadastral survey of each area finished. So never assume you still have time because you read it somewhere. We check the deadline that applies to your area and confirm it in writing.

The fix depends on your papers. If a deed exists, the administrative correction of initial entries applies. If no deed exists, you rely on adverse possession with proper evidence. Either way, we tell you which route you are on before you spend a cent.

KAEK: what it is and where to find it

The KAEK (Κωδικός Αριθμός Εθνικού Κτηματολογίου) is the twelve-digit number of every property in Greece. Think of it as a tax number for land and buildings. Every plot, apartment and field in the Hellenic Cadastre of Greece has its own KAEK.

You will find it on your cadastre submission receipt, on the cadastral sheet, or on a recent survey plan. Alternatively, the public cadastral map viewer shows it. If you cannot find it, we locate it from your deed.

Note: the KAEK is not the KHD. The KAEK identifies the property and never changes. The Electronic Survey Code (KHD), however, identifies one survey plan, and every new plan gets a new one. People mix them up constantly.

Owners living outside Greece

A large part of our Greek land registry work is for owners in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden and the UK. They inherited or bought property in Greece, but they cannot chase the Hellenic Cadastre from abroad. That is exactly the gap we fill.

We work in English or Greek. Documents move electronically. Where the law requires physical presence, we act under a power of attorney. In addition, if a site visit or a new survey is needed, we do it ourselves.

Can a non-EU citizen own property in Greece?

Yes. Non-EU citizens can buy, but border regions such as Samos require Ministry of Defence clearance first. Our Property Due Diligence Report checks the cadastre, the forest map, zoning and building rights of a plot before you pay a deposit.

What we handle in the Hellenic Cadastre of Greece

• Full cadastral check and a written status report.
• Correction of manifest errors and of initial entries.
• Correction of geometry and boundaries, with a new survey plan where needed.
• Online geometric correction through “metavoles” (Law 5142/2024): DGM, acting as your engineer, handling neighbours.
• Unknown-owner cases.
• Property declarations, including late ones.
• Undeclared inheritances, together with a notary.
• EGSA ’87 survey plan with KHD, where the procedure requires it.
• Electronic Building Identity for the building, when the case leads to a transfer.
• A complete file before any transfer, so nothing surprises you at the notary.

Why an engineer, not only a lawyer

Most Greek land registry problems are not legal. They are geometric: wrong area, shifted boundaries, a building drawn in the wrong place. Measurement, survey and a documented plan solve them, not litigation.

Our office has both halves. Licensed civil engineers and surveyors produce the technical evidence. Meanwhile, we work with lawyers only where a case truly needs one. Consequently, you do not pay legal fees for a measuring problem.

Geometric corrections through “metavoles”: the new online procedure

Since 18 September 2026 the Hellenic Cadastre of Greece accepts geometric corrections online, through its “metavoles” application. Law 5142/2024 sets out the procedure. It is out-of-court, and it covers three things: the area, the shape and the position of a parcel on the map. A wrong name or share does not go this way. Those remain manifest errors with their own, simpler route.

The key point for owners: you open the request yourself with Greek TaxisNet credentials. However, you cannot complete it without a private engineer. The Technical Chamber of Greece authenticates the engineer, who then takes over the case inside the application and builds the technical file. Without one, the request simply stalls.

How it works, in five steps

1. Log in and open a request. You authenticate through gov.gr, select the property by its KAEK and upload deeds and survey plans. A separate “request by authorisation” route exists for a third party’s property. This helps if you live abroad.
2. Assign an engineer. The engineer enters the Electronic Survey Code (KHD) and drafts the Geometric Changes Diagram (DGM). He also checks the documents and declares which co-owners and neighbours the change affects. A faulty DGM alone can sink the request.
3. Neighbouring owners. If the correction touches the next parcel, the application notifies the neighbour. He then accepts or objects. Consent needs a notarial declaration, a solemn declaration with certified signature, or a declaration inside the application. In every case it must name the exact correction on the DGM.
4. Service of documents, where needed. Without consent, a court bailiff serves the papers. He also works inside the application and uploads proof of service.
5. Decision and appeal. The Cadastre sends its decision electronically to the applicant and to every affected party. Anyone who disagrees has two months to appeal before the Cadastral Judge. After that, the decision becomes final and the map changes.

What we take on inside “metavoles”

Hellenic Cadastre on Samos

The competent office for the island is the Cadastral Office of the North Aegean, Samos branch. Cadastral procedures on Samos vary by locality. Samos Town (Δ.Κ. Σαμίων) has operated under the Hellenic Cadastre since 31 August 2017; other Samos localities were still in the survey and review process in August 2026. A draft KAEK alone does not mean the Cadastre is in operation there. We check the current stage, procedure and deadline for your property’s exact locality before advising.

Our office sits on Samos. So when a case needs a site inspection, a measurement or a fresh survey, you do not wait for a crew from Athens. We reach the property within days, anywhere on the island.

What we see most often on Samos

• Rural plots with unclear boundaries. Dry-stone walls, terraces and boundaries “as grandfather knew them” rarely match the registry geometry.
• Inheritances left undeclared for decades. Very common on island property, where the heirs moved abroad and the title stayed with the deceased.
• Owners outside Greece. A large share of Samos property belongs to the diaspora and to buyers from Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Scandinavia.
• Overlaps with neighbouring parcels in densely divided areas, especially around Vathy, Karlovasi and Pythagoreio.
• “Unknown owner” properties in mountain villages, where nobody ever filed a declaration.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a Greek land registry check cost?

We do not publish a price list for cadastral work, because the scope varies enormously. A misspelled name is not comparable to an unknown-owner case with three buildings and an undeclared estate. Instead, we tell you what the check costs before we start it. Then, once we see what the Hellenic Cadastre of Greece really holds, we give you a fixed written figure for the correction. Never an open-ended bill.

Is there a land registry in Greece?

Yes. The Hellenic Cadastre is the land registry of Greece. It is a modern, plot-based national registry that has replaced the older person-based mortgage registry across almost the whole country. It is also the source of the KAEK.

I already declared my property. Do I still need a check?

A declaration does not guarantee a correct entry. Many errors appeared during the public display stage, after owners had filed. So if you plan to sell, transfer or borrow, do the check before the process, not after it stalls.

Do you only work on Samos?

No. Our Hellenic Cadastre work and property valuations cover all of Greece. Samos is our base, and there we can inspect a property at short notice.

How long does it take?

A Hellenic Cadastre check in Greece usually takes a few working days. The correction depends on the category and on the office’s response time. Therefore we give you a realistic timeline at the start, not an optimistic one.

What if the property also has unpermitted construction?

Common, especially on older property. We spot it during the check and handle it together with the cadastral issue, so the work is not done twice. See our page on legalising unpermitted buildings and calculate the fine.

What is “metavoles” and what does it correct?

It is the online application of the Hellenic Cadastre of Greece for geometric corrections: the area, shape and position of a parcel. It has run since 18 September 2026 under Law 5142/2024. The owner opens the request with TaxisNet, but a private engineer must prepare the technical file (KHD, DGM, affected neighbours). It does not cover manifest errors in names or shares.

My neighbour filed a request that changes my boundary. What do I do?

You receive the request inside the application and can either accept it or object. Do not accept anything before you see their DGM. We check whether you lose area or a boundary moves against you. If so, we draft a documented objection. If a decision later affects you, you have two months to appeal before the Cadastral Judge.

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