Extension of deadlines for the Land Registry – Which ones are expiring soon, what the ministry is planning

Inner citz

The deadline for submitting real estate declarations to the Land Registry for residents abroad has been extended by nine months, while the Ministry of Environment and the administration of the Hellenic Land Registry SA are expected to proceed with a tacit extension of the deadlines for residents in Greece as well. The nine-month period for residents abroad is counted from the date of commencement of the collection of declarations per region, and this option is provided for in the legislative framework, unlike residents living in Greece, for whom there is no corresponding provision, as the initial three-month deadline is extended to six months.

The goal is to give time to as many as possible citizens to join the program for a period of one year or more if necessary for the program to as many citizens as possible to join the process, as the current program of land registration concerns the majority of rural areas, in which there are no title deeds of ownership, making the process more difficult.

The most compatible solution is already being examined by both parties in order to be presented by the end of the week, given that the six-month deadline expires on Monday, May 13, which includes the two official extensions for the areas of Perachora and Loutraki in the Regional Unit of Corinth, followed by the Dodecanese, with the deadline expiring on May 20.

According to sources at the ministry, the solution that will be announced will not be a formal and official extension of the overall deadline, as this would create a series of other problems, both in terms of the timetable for the process and the requirements of contractors. Thus, what seems to be preferred is to allow property owners to obtain a certificate of timely presence, which will essentially mark the start of the declaration, so that they can then submit the necessary documents, even after the deadline, and complete their property declaration. The necessary documents can be submitted in stages, without citizens being bound by the land registries.

This practice may also be followed by property owners in areas where the six-month period has not yet expired. In any case, however, the duration of this “tacit extension” will not apply across the board to all areas currently undergoing cadastral registration, but will follow the classic route of extending the deadline locally according to its expiry date. However, it will most likely include the summer period, so that owners can travel to the region and register their properties. It should be noted that, as clarified a month ago by the agency’s management, due to the inconvenience and delays at the land registries, the transcription certificate for the submission of the declaration does not need to be submitted at the same time as the declaration.

It may be submitted at a later date to the Cadastral Offices and received through supplementary information requests without preventing the registration of property rights in case of absence. In the meantime, by the end of last week, according to the agency’s initial data, approximately 1.85 million declarations of rights had been submitted in all Regional Units, where the current phase of cadastral registration is underway. It should be noted that the total number of rights has been estimated at 16.5 million. However, sources within the administration note that the percentage of declarations submitted, which is now approximately 11%, is not representative of the process, as in other areas the cadastral survey began last November and in others just a few days ago. They note that in the Dodecanese, where the declaration submission period began in November, the submission rate has already reached 36%.

Ending immediately

According to the Greek Land Registry’s schedule, the deadlines that expire sooner concern the following areas:

  • Ancient Corinth, Examilion and Xylokeriza, Agioi Theodoroi, Isthmia, and Loutraki-Perachora, on May 13.
  • Kos, Rhodes, Agathonisi, Astypalea, Kalymnos, Lipsi, Leros, Karpathos, Kasos, Nisyros, Megisti, Tilos and Chalki, on May 20.
  • Prefectures of Laconia and Agrinio, on May 24.
  • Heraklion, Crete (Municipalities of Gortyna, Phaistos, Minoa Pediada, Archanes-Asterousia, and Viannos), on May 27.