Inheritance Law

Our Practice Areas

At I.E Papaioannou and Associates Lawyers professional services include assisting individuals who live abroad and need to claim their Greek Inheritance within the territory of Greece. We also cooperate with high ranked professionals such as public notaries, civil engineers, topographers, architects etc. thus, achieving peace of mind that your matter will be taken care of by competent professionals. Our legal assistance includes tracing property titles anywhere in Greece; examine the legal complexities of the property to be inherited, providing legal documentations and evidence.

Greek Inheritance Law is regulated by the Greek Civil Code, Article 1710-2035 and manages the transfer of property upon a person’s death. Inheritance can be regulated by a will, or if there is no will, by the rules of interstate succession.

Greek Inheritance Law specifies that the property of a deceased person is transferred to their legal heirs either through a valid will or in accordance with the rules related to intestacy. The law provides three types of Greek wills: the Holographic, the Public and the Secret will.  Upon the passing away of the party, the will has to be probated before the competent Court, Embassy or Consulate in order for the will’s content to become known to everyone.

In case the deceased has not left a will or the will settles only parts of the inheritance, the succession is settled by law through the rules of intestacy.

Greek law does not provide of a specific deadline for accepting an inheritance. However, the law enforces a specific deadline for the renouncement of the Greek inheritance right on a deceased’s Greek estate. The deadline expires within four months upon the deceased’s passing. Once this deadline for renunciation has passed, the heir is deemed to have accepted the inheritance and is vested with the corresponding right and obligations under Greek Inheritance Law. In case that the Greek Inheritance consists of real estate property, the Acceptance of heritance is accomplished through the execution of an acceptance of Inheritance Deed before a Notary Public.

The inheritance through a will imposes tax obligations and submission for inheritance tax statement within a specific amount of time depending on the circumstances.

The Civil Code enforces a minimum forced inheritance share which limits a testator’s ability to freely dispose of their estate. This provision prohibits a testator from excluding their close relatives from their will. These family members are entitled to a portion of the testator’s estate, with the minimum forced inheritance share equal to half of the legal inheritance share that each family member would received if the testator died without leaving a will. However, the minimum forced inheritance share is reduced if the testators made any contributions to the heirs while they were alive.