# How to Buy Property in Greece Remotely (Power of Attorney) > Buying a Greek home without travelling: power of attorney, tax number (AFM), Greek bank account, notary, and when you must come for biometrics. Canonical: https://mav19-goldenvisa.com/guides/buy-property-greece-remotely Developer: TPL S.A. · Ethnomartyron 40, 263 33 Patras, Greece · VAT EL800864603 · GEMI 143336716000 · LEI 9845006C601CB29D1H76 Generated: 2026-09-28. A Markdown mirror of the page above; the HTML page is authoritative. --- ## Buying Greek property remotely How a Greek lawyer can handle the tax number, bank account, deed and Golden Visa application for you under a power of attorney, what paying from abroad involves, and the one trip you need to make. By TPL S.A., owner and developer of MVR 19 · Updated 27 September 2026 · General information, not legal advice [Book a video call](https://mav19-goldenvisa.com/enquire) You can buy property in Greece without travelling. A Greek lawyer acting under a power of attorney, signed at a Greek consulate or before a local notary with an apostille, can get your tax number (AFM), open a bank account where the bank agrees, sign the deed and file a Golden Visa application. The step you cannot delegate is biometrics: you attend once, in person, in Greece. ## What can be done from abroad, and what cannot Almost the whole purchase can run through your lawyer. The table shows who does each step and where. Buying steps you can complete from abroad, 2026 Step | From abroad? | How Choosing and reserving a property | Yes | Video call, plans and legal pack; written reservation terms reviewed by your lawyer Power of attorney | Yes | At a Greek consulate, or before a local notary with an apostille and a Greek translation Tax number (AFM) | Yes | Your lawyer applies under the power of attorney Greek bank account | Usually | Through your lawyer; some banks ask for a video call or a visit Due diligence | Yes | Your lawyer and an engineer Deed and payment | Yes | Your lawyer signs for you; you pay by bank transfer Land Registry or Cadastre | Yes | Filed by the notary or your lawyer Golden Visa application | Yes | Filed online by your lawyer Biometrics | No | You attend in person in Greece Typical practice in 2026. Each bank, notary and consulate sets its own procedures, so confirm them with your lawyer. ## The power of attorney Everything else rests on this document, so get it right once. There are two ways to sign it: - At a Greek consulate. The consulate prepares or certifies the document in Greek, and it is used in Greece as it stands. Busy consulates can have waits of several weeks for an appointment. - Before a notary in your country. The document is then apostilled by the competent authority, if your country is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, or legalised by the Greek consulate if it is not. It also needs an official Greek translation. A bilingual draft prepared by your Greek lawyer avoids errors in translation. The powers should be specific enough for every office that will rely on them: the tax authority, the bank, the notary, the Land Registry or Cadastre and the migration authorities. They usually cover obtaining the AFM, opening and operating a bank account, signing the purchase and paying the transfer tax, registering the deed, and filing the residence-permit application. Some banks and notaries ask for a recently issued power of attorney, so ask your lawyer before you sign. ## Tax number (AFM) by proxy A Greek tax identification number, the AFM, is needed for the deed, the bank account and the transfer tax. Your lawyer applies to the Greek tax authority (AADE) with your passport and proof of your address abroad. Non-residents usually also name a representative for Greek tax matters, often the lawyer or an accountant. Allow one to three weeks for the tax number and the bank account together. Keep the AFM safe: if you let the property you will use it every year, because rent from Greek property is declared and taxed in Greece. ## A Greek bank account The price has to reach an account at a bank in Greece, and the transfer tax, fees and running costs such as building charges and utilities are paid in Greece too. A Greek account in your name makes all of this simpler and gives the notary a clean record of the money. Most banks will open one through a lawyer holding a power of attorney, but each bank sets its own rules, and some ask for a video call or an in-person visit. Expect detailed questions about the source of your funds. ## Paying from abroad: the rules that decide eligibility For a Golden Visa purchase the payment rules are part of eligibility, not just good practice. Under article 100 of the Migration Code: - the full price is paid before you apply for the permit; - payment is only by bank transfer, crossed bank cheque or card payment through a Greek payment provider, into an account at a bank in Greece; - the payer is you, your spouse or a relative up to the second degree, such as a parent, child or sibling; - the payer and the payment details are declared before the notary and recorded in the deed. Cash does not qualify, and nor do payments from friends, companies you do not own or other unrelated people. Circular 1/2026 (Clarification 23) treats money returned to a buyer before or after a purchase, and misleading promises about price or payment, as grounds for referral to the tax, police and anti-money-laundering authorities and for revocation of the permit. Keep the bank's confirmation of every transfer, showing the payer's name and account. If you pay from another currency, the euro amount that arrives must cover the full price, so allow for exchange-rate moves and bank charges. Your home country may add its own rules: India's Liberalised Remittance Scheme, South Africa's exchange-control allowances and China's foreign-exchange rules all affect how, and how fast, you can send €250,000 plus costs. See the [notes by nationality](https://mav19-goldenvisa.com/guides/golden-visa-by-nationality), and agree the route with your bank and lawyer before you reserve. ## KYC and source-of-funds documents Banks, notaries, lawyers and estate agents in Greece are obliged entities under anti-money-laundering law. Each verifies who you are and where the money comes from, and each may ask again. Prepare in advance: - your passport and recent proof of address; - evidence of your tax residence and your home tax number; - statements for the account that will pay, usually covering several months; - evidence of the source of funds: salary slips and tax returns, sale contracts for property or shares, company accounts and dividend records, or inheritance and gift documents; - if a spouse or relative pays, proof of the relationship. From 10 July 2027 the EU Anti-Money Laundering Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 applies. It adds enhanced due diligence for customers seeking residence rights in exchange for investment, so expect more questions, not fewer. ## The notary, your lawyer and the engineer In Greece the notary is a public official. The notary drafts the deed, checks that the documents and tax certificates are in order, confirms that the transfer tax has been paid, records the payment details and issues the certificate used in the Golden Visa file. The notary is neutral and does not act for you. Your own lawyer does. Choose an independent Greek lawyer, not one introduced by the seller, to review the title and permits, negotiate the terms and run the application. An engineer checks the building and its permits; for a change-of-use property, the engineer's report certifying the conversion is a required document. ## The one trip: biometrics in Greece Your lawyer can file the application before you arrive. You then travel to Greece for an appointment to give fingerprints and a photograph, and family members applying with you attend too. If your passport needs a visa for the Schengen area, you need one for this trip. Book flexible travel, because the authorities set the appointment dates. Most international visitors fly into Athens. Patras is about 215 km from central Athens by motorway, around 2 hours 40 minutes by car, and Araxos airport, about 45 minutes from Patras, has seasonal flights from May to October. If you can add a day, visit the property and meet your lawyer in person. Patras and the motorway to Athens. About 215 km from Mavromataion Street to central Athens by road (OpenStreetMap routing). ## Buying an MVR 19 residence from abroad We work with buyers remotely. We send the price list, floor plans and legal pack, and answer questions on a video call in English or Greek, while your own lawyer checks the documents and acts for you. The full price, €250,000 as recorded in the deed, is paid into the seller's account at a bank in Greece by one of the methods the law allows. We never ask for cash, cryptocurrency, or payment to a personal, foreign or third-party account. One date is outside anyone's control today. MVR 19's change-of-use permitting act is still to be issued, and a Golden Visa application can be filed only after the conversion is completed. You can prepare the power of attorney, tax number and bank account now; the [timeline guide](https://mav19-goldenvisa.com/guides/golden-visa-processing-time) shows how the other steps fit. [How the €250,000 change-of-use route works](https://mav19-goldenvisa.com/golden-visa-250k) [Compare the 19 residences](https://mav19-goldenvisa.com/residences) ## Sources - [Law 5038/2023, art. 100 §3, §5 and §6, as replaced by art. 64 of Law 5100/2024, codified text](https://migration.gov.gr/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/%CE%9D%CF%8C%CE%BC%CE%BF%CF%82-5100_2024-%CE%BA%CF%89%CE%B4%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%BF%CF%80%CE%BF%CE%B9%CE%B7%CE%BC%CE%AD%CE%BD%CE%BF%CF%82-%CE%BC%CE%B5-%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%BD-5167_2024-%CE%A6%CE%95%CE%9A-%CE%91-49_5.4.2024.pdf): payment rules. - [Joint Ministerial Decision 214926/2025 (Gazette B' 6014/11.11.2025), art. 2 §2.6](https://www.taxheaven.gr/circulars/51471/214926-10-11-2025): documents, power of attorney. - Circular 1/2026, Ministry of Migration and Asylum, Prot. 72019, 21 April 2026, Clarifications 11, 12 and 23. [Ministry circulars listing](https://migration.gov.gr/en/egkyklioi-yma/); [full text (PDF)](https://www.newmoney.gr/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/%CE%95%CE%B3%CE%BA%CF%8D%CE%BA%CE%BB%CE%B9%CE%BF%CF%82-GOLDEN-VISA-FINAL.pdf). - [mitos.gov.gr: Permanent golden visa (change of use), initial issuance](https://en.mitos.gov.gr/index.php/%CE%94%CE%94:Permanent_golden_visa_(change_of_use)_%E2%80%93_Initial_issuance): digital filing and in-person biometrics. - [HCCH, Apostille Convention status table](https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41). - [Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 (Anti-Money Laundering Regulation)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1624): application from 10 July 2027. - Distances from Mavromataion Street measured with OpenStreetMap routing, September 2026. Sources last checked 27 September 2026 · General information, not legal advice · Consult an independent Greek lawyer before you buy ## Related guides ### How long the Greek Golden Visa takes From reservation, tax number and bank account to deed, application, biometrics and the five-year card. ### The Greek Golden Visa by nationality Money transfers, tax, apostilles and travel for US, UK, Indian, South African, Chinese, Turkish and Israeli buyers. ### What a €250k Greek Golden Visa purchase really costs Transfer tax, notary, registry, lawyer and permit fees, with a worked example. ## Book a video call from wherever you are We walk you through the residences and send the legal pack for your lawyer. We reply within one business day, in English or Greek. Golden Visa eligibility is subject to completion of the change of use before your application and to the Ministry's decision.