Last reviewed 28 October 2026 · Demetre E. Katsouris, Managing Partner
In a nutshell. Greek inheritance tax is assessed on the objective value of Greek property passing to each heir, with a tax-free amount and rates that depend on the heir’s relationship to the deceased: spouse, children, grandchildren and parents form the most favourable category, with €150,000 tax-free per heir and low rates above it; more distant relatives have lower thresholds and higher rates. A parental gift of Greek property is free of tax up to €800,000 of objective value from each parent to each child, with a flat 10% on the excess. The inheritance tax declaration must be filed within nine months of the death — one year where the death occurred abroad or the heir lives abroad — and the acceptance deed cannot be executed until the tax has been assessed. Law 5303/2026 did not alter these thresholds or rates.
Inheritance tax
Categories. Category A — spouse, children, grandchildren, parents: €150,000 tax-free per heir, then 1% to €300,000, 5% to €600,000 and 10% above (Property Tax Code, Law 5219/2025, carrying over the scales of Law 2961/2001 art. 29). Category B — more distant relatives: €30,000 tax-free, then 5%, 10% and 20%. Category C — unrelated beneficiaries: €6,000 tax-free, then 20%, 30% and 40%.
Base. The objective value of the property at the date of death; the value of a usufruct or bare ownership is computed by reference to the usufructuary’s age.
Declaration. Filed with the tax office competent for the deceased within nine months of the death, or one year where the deceased died abroad or the heir resides abroad; late filing attracts a surcharge; the acceptance deed follows the assessment.
Payment. In up to twelve equal bimonthly instalments, with a 5% discount for payment in full; the ENFIA on the inherited property runs from 1 January following the death in the heirs’ names once the E9 is updated.
Debts. Under Law 5303/2026, for deaths from 16 September 2026, the heir is not liable with their own assets for the estate’s debts by default — a civil-law change that does not affect the tax.
Gift and parental-gift tax
A parental gift (γονική παροχή) of Greek property is free of tax up to €800,000 of objective value from each parent to each child, cumulatively over the parent’s lifetime; the excess is taxed at a flat 10%. Grandparents to grandchildren fall in the same category and threshold. The gift may be of full ownership or of bare ownership with the parent retaining the usufruct, which reduces the taxable value by the usufruct’s age-based percentage. No transfer tax applies. Gifts of money between parents and children must pass through the bank to receive the same treatment; cash gifts are taxed at the full rate. Gifts between other persons are taxed under their own categories; parental gifts and gifts since 1 October 2021 are cumulated under the tax authority’s rules (circular Ε.2077/2022) — there is no separate five-year tax window.
Interaction with succession law
For deaths from 16 September 2026, gifts and parental provisions made within five years before the death (previously ten) are brought into account when the protected shares of the other children are computed, and those shares are a money claim rather than co-ownership. A gift made now and followed by five further years of the parent’s life is outside the computation. Tax and succession planning are therefore done together.
Frequently asked questions
My father left a flat in Athens to me and my two sisters. How is the tax computed? Each heir is assessed separately on their share, with the €150,000 threshold applying to each.
Can I pay the inheritance tax from the property itself? The acceptance deed and registration precede any sale; the tax is assessed first. We advise on instalments and on bridging where the heirs lack liquidity.
Is a gift from a Greek parent to a child living in Australia taxed in Australia? The Greek position is as above; the home-country treatment is for the child’s adviser, with whom we coordinate.
Related Insights
- Inheriting property in Greece when you live abroad
- Giving Greek property to your children while you are alive: the parental gift
- Greece’s new inheritance law (Law 5303/2026)
This page is general information and does not constitute legal advice. It reflects the law as at the date shown and may change.
