Greece narrows its planned 15% property transfer tax: long-term residents exempt, July 2027 becomes the key date

The Greek government’s detailed package says the planned 15% transfer tax is not a blanket surcharge on every foreign property purchase. It is aimed at purchases of residential property by certain individuals from third countries. The government text explicitly excludes commercial property, plots and other property categories from the higher rate.

The same official material narrows the buyer population. The 15% rate is intended for buyers who are not Greek, qualifying expatriate Greeks, EU or EEA citizens, or long-term residents in Greece. The government’s description also points to existing first-home exemption categories, including recognized refugees and third-country nationals with second-generation residence permits.

Subsequent Greek market reporting says the higher rate is intended to apply from 1 July 2027. That creates a longer transition window than the January 2027 timing discussed in some initial coverage and is therefore material for transactions already being planned.

For an affected buyer, the difference between the current 3% headline rate and the announced 15% rate is large enough to change acquisition-cost calculations. Including the municipal surcharge described by the government, the effective figures are 3.09% today and 15.45% under the announced higher-rate structure.

However, this is still a policy-to-legislation story. Estate Briefing has not verified a final enacted statute implementing every detail. Buyers should therefore use the July 2027 date and exemption categories as the government’s current policy design, while checking the final law before accelerating a transaction solely for tax reasons.