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Law Firm Tsegas Konstantinos & Associates
ELEN

FOR INTERNATIONAL INVESTORS

Invest in Greece

Legal support for international investors buying property, forming companies or applying for residence in Greece — from the first assessment through to registration of title.

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THE TEAM 5
Lawyers in one team — a single point of contact throughout
LANGUAGES EL · EN
Written and spoken, at every stage
DISCIPLINES 4
Real estate, corporate, energy and finance under one coordination
REGISTERED ABA
Athens Bar Association — a publicly verifiable record

Greece is an attractive market with a demanding legal framework. Whether you are buying property, forming a company, developing an energy project or acquiring an existing business, the route in is not a single act but a chain of searches, approvals and deadlines — and the critical question is not whether the transaction will complete, but what exactly you will own when it does.

Our firm accompanies international investors, funds and Greek companies along that whole route. One point of contact, in your language, with the full picture of your file at every stage.

Built for international decision-makers entering or expanding in Greece.

  • Foreign companies - Setting up a Greek subsidiary, branch or holding structure for operations, assets or a local team.
  • Funds and sponsors - Using the strategic investments framework or coordinating multi-step filings with Greek authorities.
  • Property and hospitality buyers - Acquiring real estate or hotel assets and needing title, regulatory and contract clearance before signing.
  • Cross-border commercial teams - Negotiating supply, distribution, JV or financing agreements with Greek counterparties.
  • Investors needing residence coordination - Aligning corporate setup with investor residence procedures where that forms part of the same plan.

The route in, step by step

What actually happens between the first conversation and the property being registered in your name.

  1. First assessment

    We discuss what you are trying to achieve — return, residence, an operating presence, a project — and tell you what the law permits, what timeline is realistic and what the whole thing will cost. If your plan does not work the way you have imagined it, you find that out now rather than three months in.

  2. Structure and vehicle

    Will you invest personally or through a Greek company? The answer drives tax, liability, your ability to borrow and any residence permit application — and it belongs before the first deposit, not after.

  3. Tax number, bank, power of attorney

    Every transaction requires a Greek tax number, and non-residents must appoint a tax representative. The bank account follows. A special power of attorney means you need not be in Greece at every stage.

  4. Legal due diligence

    The substantive work, whatever you are acquiring: title and the chain of transfers, encumbrances and seizures, planning compliance, forest maps and archaeological restrictions — or, on a business acquisition, corporate, tax and employment due diligence. Almost every problem lives here.

  5. Negotiation and documents

    Preliminary agreement, price, deposit, warranties, withdrawal terms. Where there is bank financing, we negotiate the facility agreement and the security package in parallel.

  6. Completion and what follows

    Signature, registration at the Land Registry or with GEMI, the E9 property declaration, operating licences and, where applicable, the residence permit application. Ownership and compliance do not come from the signature but from what follows it.

How we can help

Legal cover across the whole life of an investment in Greece — from entry, through operation, to exit.

Company Formation in Greece

Incorporating a Greek company or branch for international investors — from the articles of association and GEMI registration through to the corporate bank account and operating licences.

KEY ADVANTAGES

  • One point of contact — articles, GEMI, tax numbers, bank and licences from the same office
  • Articles drafted for your actual arrangement, not the standard filing template
  • Company types compared on tax and exit before the choice is made, not after

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Energy Projects

Legal support for solar, wind and storage projects — land rights, regulatory licensing, grid connection terms and power purchase agreements.

KEY ADVANTAGES

  • Land reviewed first — before capital goes into studies and licensing
  • Forest maps, Natura and archaeology examined together rather than in sequence
  • Binding deadlines tracked, since missing one can end a project outright

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Exit & Disposal

Legal support on selling a property, a company or a project — preparing the file, structuring the deal, negotiating warranties, and the tax treatment of the gain.

KEY ADVANTAGES

  • Vendor-side review before findings turn into a price reduction
  • Asset deal and share deal compared with numbers for the actual transaction
  • Post-completion liability bounded — scope, time limits and caps

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Financing & Security Documentation

Facility agreements, security packages and mortgage prenotations — borrower-side legal representation opposite the bank, from term sheet to drawdown.

KEY ADVANTAGES

  • Borrower-side representation — the documents are read from your position
  • Involvement from the term sheet, while there is still room to move
  • Clauses explained for the bad scenario, not the expected one

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Leasing & Short-Term Rentals

Legal support for putting a property to work — long-term and commercial leases, short-term letting, the filing obligations that come with each, and disputes with tenants.

KEY ADVANTAGES

  • Permissibility checked before purchase — regulations, use and local restrictions together
  • The framework verified per property, in an area that keeps changing
  • Leases drafted to hold up in a dispute, not merely to be signed

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Strategic Investments

Admitting projects to Greece's strategic investment regime under Law 4864/2021 — the Enterprise Greece application, fast-track licensing and incentives, for funds, Greek companies and international groups.

KEY ADVANTAGES

  • Eligibility tested first — no application is drafted for a project that cannot qualify
  • A file that answers the assessment's questions before they are asked
  • One point of coordination across every authority involved

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Golden Visa & Residency by Investment

Legal support for investors obtaining Greek residency through real estate or capital investment.

KEY ADVANTAGES

  • Eligibility confirmed first — zone, floor area and permitted use checked before you commit capital.
  • Title due diligence — encumbrances, mortgages, seizures and planning legality verified at source.
  • Alternative routes — capital and fund pathways where a property purchase does not suit your objectives.

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Greek Tax Number & Bank Account

Obtaining a Greek tax number and opening a bank account for non-residents and foreign companies.

KEY ADVANTAGES

  • Tax number — application through the Tax Office for Residents Abroad and appointment of a representative.
  • Account opening — institution selected and the application carried through to activation.
  • Source of funds — evidence structured to survive the bank's due diligence at the first attempt.

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Property Acquisition & Due Diligence

Full legal review of title, encumbrances and planning legality before any capital is committed.

KEY ADVANTAGES

  • Checks before the deposit — the documents are reviewed before any money is committed.
  • Title and encumbrances — full searches at the Cadastre and the Land Registry.
  • Planning review — building permit, unauthorised works, regularisation and energy certificate.

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Confidential assessment

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Why this firm

Local execution with international clarity — for investors who need more than a template.

Institutional insight in tourism

Former leadership at the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO). Useful when the project or asset touches licensing, classification or the wider tourism regulatory framework.

Senior commercial practice

More than 35 years in practice and admission before the Supreme Court of Greece (Areios Pagos). Complex corporate, contract and regulatory work handled at partner level.

Built for cross-border teams

Advice in Greek and English for boards, counsel and investors abroad — with a single point of contact for structure, filings and negotiation.

Prevention before dispute

The aim is to identify legal risk early and fix it in the documents — so you do not pay for a problem that could have been avoided at the drafting stage.

THE PARTNERSHIP

One office, two firms

Finding the investment itself — sourcing a property, a plot, an energy project or a business to acquire — is estate agency work, and it is not something a law firm carries on. That side is handled by BRON S.A., registered in the Greek real estate agents’ register, based in the same office and with the same president.

They are two separate companies, with separate liability and separate invoicing, at one address. For you that means one counterpart instead of five: you do not have to assemble a lawyer, an agent, an accountant, an engineer and a bank contact remotely, in a language you do not speak.

Who we work with

Most clients who come to us about investing in Greece fall into three groups. Private buyers acquiring a home or a holiday property, who want to know exactly what they are buying before they commit. Business owners forming or acquiring a Greek company, who need the corporate, tax and employment framework right from the outset. And investors pursuing residence by investment, who need the transaction structured so that it satisfies the statutory conditions rather than approximating them.

In all three cases the underlying work is the same: making sure you are never bound to a transaction that cannot complete on the terms you expected. Problems with Greek property rarely announce themselves. They come from unresolved inheritances, from planning irregularities nobody ever regularised, from encumbrances that went undisclosed, or from boundaries that do not match the Land Registry.

What legal support actually means here

We do not act as agents and we do not recommend properties or investment products. Our role is to investigate, to negotiate the legal terms, to draft or review the documents, and to represent you before notaries, banks, public authorities and, where it becomes necessary, the courts.

We work in Greek and in English. Greek deeds are drawn up in Greek and that does not change — but no client of ours signs a document they have not fully understood.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to be in Greece to buy a property?
No. Under a special power of attorney we can act on your behalf at every stage, including signature before the notary. The power of attorney can be executed in Greece, at a Greek consular authority, or before a foreign notary with an apostille.
How long does the process take?
That depends almost entirely on the state of the title. A property with a clean file can complete within a few weeks of the tax number being issued. A property with an unresolved inheritance, unregularised planning breaches or boundaries that disagree with the Land Registry can take months — which is precisely why the legal investigation comes before you commit.
What costs are there beyond the purchase price?
Transfer tax or VAT depending on the property, notarial fees, legal fees, Land Registry filing fees and, where one is involved, agency commission. The rates move with the legislation, so we give you a specific estimate for your property at the first assessment rather than a generic table.
Does buying property automatically give me a residence permit?
Not automatically. The investor residence permit requires the investment to meet defined value thresholds, which differ by location, along with conditions on the type and size of the property. A property can be an excellent purchase and still fail to qualify. If residence is your objective, we need to know that before you choose a property.
Can I open a Greek bank account as a non-resident?
Yes. You will need a Greek tax number, identification, proof of address and documentation of the source of your funds. Documentation requirements have tightened in recent years and banks apply them with varying strictness, so we prepare the file before the first approach to the branch.
What language will the correspondence and the documents be in?
Correspondence with us is in Greek or English, whichever you prefer. The transfer deed itself must be drawn up in Greek; we make sure you fully understand its contents before signing and, where the law requires it, that an interpreter is present at signature.

From our writing

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A first confidential conversation about what you want to do in Greece and what the law actually requires.

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