On September 30, applications for the acquisition of state-owned properties by individuals in 20 regional units of the country will begin, while from October 31, applications will be accepted for properties throughout the country. These are the provisions of the Joint Ministerial Decision signed by the Ministers of National Economy and Finance, Kostis Hatzidakis and Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou and the Deputy Minister of National Economy and Finance, Thanos Petralias.

The applications for the acquisition of the properties will be implemented through the Integrated Information System “Applications for the Acquisition of Public Properties”, implemented by the General Secretariat for Information Systems and Digital Governance of the Ministry of Digital Governance under the responsibility of the Secretary General Demosthenis Anagnostopoulos.

With the signing of the CSA, the way is paved for the acquisition of real estate registered in the private property of the State but held for a long time by private individuals, in accordance with the provisions of the recent legislative regulations (5113/2024 and 5024/2023). These initiatives aim to resolve the ownership of real estate in cases where it is not clear, to protect the property of the State and to strengthen public finances through the inflow of significant revenues to the State Budget.

The process

The applications for the acquisition of the land held as well as all related procedures and communication between applicants and the relevant departments will be carried out exclusively through the new digital platform.

Applicants can enter the system with TaxisNet codes, and will also have the possibility of submitting the redemption application by an authorized person, who must fill in his/her personal identification number in the system and attach an authorization statement from gov.gr or with a certificate of authenticity of signature.

The Integrated Information System can be accessed through gov.gr at https://aeda.apps.gov.gr.

The necessary interoperability of the system is implemented through the Interoperability Center of the General Secretariat for Information Systems and Digital Governance of the Ministry of Digital Governance.

The applications for the acquisition of the properties start:

– September 30, 2024 for the Regional Units of Aitoloakarnania, Arcadia, Evros, Evia, Heraklion, Ioannina, Karditsa, Corfu, Larissa, Lasithi, Lesvos, Magnesia, Xanthi, Pieria, Rethymnon, Samos, Trikala, Fthiotida, Chania, Chios.

The deadline for submitting applications for these regions is 30 September 2025.

The deadline for the application for the application of the application is 20.30.2015.
– 31 October 2024 for all other Regional Units. The deadline for applications is 31 October 2025.

Requirements for submitting a buyout application

A basic condition of eligibility to apply for a buyout application is the applicant or franchisees’ exercise, on public property, of continuous possession:

(a) for at least 30 years with title,

(b) for at least 40 years without title, provided that the applicant uses the property as his/her main residence or as an ancillary part thereof, or to carry out a tourist, craft, industrial, commercial or agricultural activity,

(c) the declaration of the property in the “E9” form for at least the 5 years preceding the application, in order to make it clear that the applicants considered the property to be their own.

It is recalled that the enactment of Law 5113/2024 also provides that:

– An application may also be submitted for properties that do not have a building.

– A ten-day deadline is set for informing the applicant in case of missing documents. The requirement to provide aerial photographs is no longer applicable as the existence or not of a building is no longer considered.

– The possibility for the State to decide on an exemption from the right of redemption for reasons of public interest is extended. The competent ministries will determine, with reasons, the areas or properties that should be exempted from the acquisition process.

– The deadline for submitting the consent of the State Real Estate Company is accelerated to 2 months from 3 months, which was originally foreseen.

Formulation of the acquisition price

The acquisition price will be calculated based on the objective values of the properties and social criteria (for vulnerable groups, large families, disabled persons). In addition, the acquisition price in special cases of disputing the ownership of public real estate is formulated at a discount:

– 50% for an applicant who has been recognized by a court of first instance as the owner of the property or who has been listed as the owner in the first cadastral records and a lawsuit has been filed by the State or the deadline for filing a lawsuit has not expired.

– 70% if the applicant has filed an appeal against a court decision to recognize the ownership of the property by 31.12.2022.

– Special provision is made for property that meets the housing needs of the applicant or the original grantor as a result of a mass settlement of pre-1964 population groups. In this case, the price corresponds to 20% of the property’s objective value.