Until September 11, 2026 owners and users of some state plots and facilitieswhich have been in private ownership for decades, may still try register them as property — but out of approximately 90 thousand such cases, applications were filed in only about 12 thousand.
Greek media often uses the word for such objects καταπατημένα. It is often translated as “self-occupied lands,” but legally this is too rough and not always accurate.
The official procedure is called “Εξαγορά δημόσιων διακατεχόμενων ακινήτων” — purchase of state-owned real estate owned by private individuals.
This means that we can talk about both the old actual squatting of state land and much more complex situations: long-term inherited ownership, an old title, a dispute with the state about ownership, erroneous cadastral records or objects that were once provided or surrendered by the state.
That is why the law does not call all applicants “occupiers,” but requires proof of a specific history of ownership. The ground rules are set Law No. 5024/2023, ΦΕΚ A’ 41and then significantly changed Law No. 5113/2024, ΦΕΚ A’ 96. The official current procedure is also collected in the register MITOS.
Who can apply at all?
The key condition is established by Article 4 of Law No. 5024/2023.
The applicant or his legal predecessors must continuously own the government property:
- at least 30 years old – if you have a title;
- at least 40 years old – without a titleif the object is used as the main residence, auxiliary premises attached to it, or for tourism, craft, industrial, commercial or agricultural activities.
In addition, the object must be specified in the declaration E9 for at least five yearspreceding the statement. Moreover, the legislator specifically limited the ability to retroactively “create” such a history: an object is not considered to meet the requirement if it first appeared in the old E9 after a corrective declaration filed later than May 1, 2024.
Even renting from the state is not always a hindrance
The law provides for a rather unusual situation: the right to make a statement is not automatically excluded even for those who are subject to the object during a certain period handed over or provided by the state or ETAD.
But there are separate temporary conditions for this, and the five-year history of E9 must relate to the period when the lease or provision no longer existed. This once again shows why the term “self-capture” does not apply to all such objects.
Which lands can be purchased?
The procedure does not apply to any state property.
According to Article 4 of Law No. 5024/2023 and the official description of MITOS, we are talking about registered real estate belonging to private property of the state and administered by the Ministry of National Economy and Finance.
These can be either ordinary state plots or so-called exchange lands.
However, the procedure, as a rule, does not apply to the property of municipalities and regions, facilities of the Ministry of Rural Development or the Ministry of Defense, with the exception of certain facilities of the National Defense Fund.
What objects cannot be purchased?
Herein lies one of the main reasons why a claim may be futile even after decades of ownership.
Article 5 of Law No. 5024/2023 excludes from the procedure, in particular:
- land subject to compulsory or urban planning alienation;
- part of the lands regulated by forest legislation;
- areas within certain watercourse channels or in a legally prescribed area next to them;
- land in the established coastal and beach area;
- territory of the land zone of the port;
- part of cultural heritage objects and property withdrawn from civil circulation;
- some objects already transferred to ETAD;
- facilities that the state needs for reasons of defense, security, health, urban planning or other justified state need.
How much land are you allowed to register?
For plots within the plan of a city or town, there are restrictions related to the minimum area of a full-fledged and buildable plot.
For off-plan properties, the general rule allows you to buy up to 10 στρέμματα – 10,000 sq. m one object.
In some cases, one applicant can purchase several objects with a total area of up to 20 στρέμματα, and in the presence of buildings, infrastructure or existing economic activities, special exceptions are provided up to a significantly larger area.
Why are there only about 12 thousand applications?
Despite discounts and interest-free payments that were quite attractive on paper, interest was significantly lower than expected.
From approximately 90 thousand objects that belong to this problematic category are located in the digital system about 12 thousand applicationsand some of them haven’t even been finalized yet.
The reasons are quite clear.
Firstly, the applicant may need to 9 to more than 20 documents. These include a topographic plan, cadastre data, ownership documents, E1 and E9 information, confirmation of the purpose and use of the property, construction documents and other evidence.
Secondly, the verification itself is not easy: the case goes through the State Property Directorate, the corresponding Kτηματική Υπηρεσία and a special redemption commission.
And finally, some owners consider their legal position to be quite strong and, instead of buying from the state, prefer to continue the dispute about who owns the property in the first place.
The application costs €300
When submitting an application, an electronic fee is paid €300code e-παράβολο 3730.
This payment is counted towards the redemption price if the deal goes through.
But the issue of return depends on the reason for the refusal. The official procedure provides for a refund if the application is rejected due to certain legal obstacles in Article 5 of Law No. 5024/2023; in other cases of refusal or closure of the case, the fee may go to the state.
How is the price calculated?
The basic redemption price corresponds to 100% of the objective cost of the plot at the time of entry into force of Law No. 5024/2023.
If an objective assessment system does not exist in the area, the cost is determined by the tax administration based on comparative data.
There is also an important feature: if the building located on the site was built by the applicant himself or his legal predecessors, the base price of the land as a general rule increases by 25%.
Where does the discount of up to 80% come from?
The phrase “up to 80% discount” does comply with the law, but it does not mean that any applicant pays only 20% of the cost.
The law provides for several different mechanisms for reducing prices.
For example, if the applicant has already been recognized as the owner of the object by a decision of the court of first instance in a dispute with the state, the redemption price can be calculated as 50% objective value. A similar level is provided in some cases where a private person was recorded as the owner in the first cadastral records, and the state disputes this record.
If, before December 31, 2022, the applicant appealed the court decision in a dispute over ownership rights, the base price in the case provided for by law is 70% objective value.
And the largest decrease is actually up to 20% objective value provided for a specific historical category: when state real estate is used as housing due to the mass distribution of the population before 1965 at the direction of government agencies and this is confirmed by documents.
In addition, Article 7 of Law No. 5024/2023 provides for additional social and economic discounts for certain categories: people with disabilities under established income criteria, large families and families with three children, single parents, long-term unemployed, recipients of a minimum guaranteed income, some repatriates and residents of border areas, as well as in cases where the building is the main residence of the applicant.
60 interest-free payments
After determining the final price, the applicant can choose:
- one-time payment with another 10% discount;
- or until 60 equal interest-free monthly payments.
The minimum monthly payment is €100.
If you don’t pay, the title will not be issued
Even after the application is approved, the person does not immediately become the owner.
The redemption decision is issued after fulfillment of financial and other obligations. When paying in installments, the right is issued after full repayment of the cost.
In addition, if there are illegal buildings on the property, settlement may be required. Law No. 4495/2017payment of the appropriate fine and registration of electronic identification of the building.
Until what date can you submit an application?
Current cut-off date: September 11, 2026.
The deadline is established by the regulatory extension published in ΦΕΚ B’ 4950/2025.
The application is submitted exclusively online through the state platform:
Login is via Taxisnet. The rules for operating the information system were approved by a joint ministerial decision No. 125935/2024, ΦΕΚ B’ 5131.
What happens after submission
After final submission, an electronic file is created.
The documents are checked by the competent Kτηματική Υπηρεσία, then the case is considered by the redemption commission.
If the commission recommends approval of the application, the authorized body of the Ministry of National Economy and Finance must issue a certificate of approval, which indicates the area and boundaries of the property, the applicant, the purchase price and payment terms.
After full fulfillment of the conditions, a final decision on redemption is issued, which is then registered in the mortgage registry or Cadastre at the expense of the buyer.
Why the term “self-capture” can be misleading
There is an important human aspect to this program.
Behind a dry word καταπατημένα The person who once simply erected a fence on state land is not always standing.
Often we are talking about families who for decades considered the plot their own, received it from their parents and grandparents, built a house, indicated the property in tax returns, and many years later found out that the state considers itself the owner of the land.
There are also directly opposite cases – the old actual seizure of state property, which was passed on from generation to generation.
Therefore, the procedure itself is an attempt by the state to close a huge layer of old land disputes: where the law allows, to receive money and issue a full title to the private owner; where the object is needed by society or belongs to a protected category, reserve it for the state.
Main regulatory framework: Law No. 5024/2023; Law No. 5113/2024; joint ministerial decision No. 125935/2024, ΦΕΚ B’ 5131; extension of the deadline until September 11, 2026 – ΦΕΚ B’ 4950/2025; current state procedure – MITOS.
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