National Cadastre

National Cadastre is a system of technical, legal and other additional information on all Greek estates, organized in a relevant database according to Law Νόμο 2664/98.
This information aims at the exact determination of the boundaries of the estates and the publication of all registered rights and problems at the cadastre books.

What are the reasons for the enforcement of the National Cadastre?

The reasons enforcing the editing of the National Cadastre in our country are the following:

•The reservation of public faith regarding the estates' transactions..

•The need for the registering and protection of public belongings and sensitive areas of the country such are forests, seashores and biotopes of the country.
•The ability to implement policies regarding land (land planning, housing, agricultural, use of land, etc.) .
• The ability to enforce a variety of taxes on estates (tax of estate, TAP, special taxes, etc).

What are the benefits from National Cadastre?

The immediate benefits ensured for the civilian are:

• Final safeguard of the ownership titles.
• Facilitation and simplification of estate transfers.
• Reduction to the minimum of the expenses of the necessary time required for each transfer.
• Acquittal of civilians from time and cost consuming bureaucratic procedures.
• Ensuring of the immediate and safe procedure regarding expropriations and compensations.

The benefits ensured for the society and the state, are the following:
• Irreversible borderlines for public and municipal belongings
• Upgrade of the environment with the limitation of fires, trespasses and arbitrary actions.
• Implementation of a contemporary policy with works that will result in effective use of land.
• Implementation of a contemporary housing policy that will offer well planned land appropriate for development.
• Use and protection of forests and other natural sources.
• Reveal of public belongings worth of at least three billion Euros.

What does the National Cadastre do?

Our country covers a land of 131.950 square meters that are distributed as follows:

Built areas 4.890 τ.χ.
Agricultural areas 39.450 τ.χ.
Forests 82.070 τ.χ.
Lakes-rivers 3.080 τ.χ.
Οther areas 2.460 τ.χ.


Especially forest areas of Greece are distributed as follows:

Forests 29.510 τ.χ.
Rangelands 52.560 τ.χ.

Basic Concepts of the National Cadastre:

• Piece of land: This is a continuous part of the land surface along with the buildings found in it.
• Cadastral diagrams: These depict the cadastral area that belongs to the responsibility of each cadastral office, and are kept in a digital form.
•Cadastral tables: These are the registered files of temporary titles and rights.
•Cadastral Books: These consist of cadastral documents, where all foreseen by the law cadastral registrations are registered.
• Code Number of National Cadastre (KAEK). This is a 12 digit number unique for each piece of land in the country. In case of a horizontal ownership of a building this number is a 16 digit one.

The first two digits correspond to the Law, the two next to the Municipality or Community, the following two to the department of the Municipality, the following two to the Building block and the last three to the number of the land.

Four more digits are added in case of a horizontal ownership (apartment, office or store).

The first two to the number of the building and the last two to the floor and the position of the specific horizontal ownership.

• Additional information on the estate: Consist of extra information as is its use and value.

In which way we can make a research at the National Cadastre?

Today 391 Land Registries are in operation in Greece under the supervision of the Ministry of Justice. 19 of these are staffed with public servants (Athens, Piraeus, Thessaloniki, Patra, Heraklion, etc.), and 372 are unsalaried. These offices are managed by legal staff (Land registers).
(Υποθυκοφύλακες). Το σύνολο των υπαλλήλων που απασχολούνται είναι 250 περίπου μόνιμοι υπάλληλοι και 50 έκτακτοι στα έμμισθα που υπάγονται οργανικά στο Υπουργείο Δικαιοσύνης και 500 περίπου με σχέση αορίστου χρόνου στα άμισθα υποθηκοφυλακεία.

The total of the employees are approximately 250 permanent employees and 50 special employees at the offices belong to the Ministry of Justice, while approximately 500 employees work with a contract of indefinite period at the unsalaried land registries. The transferring systems that is in use today, foresees the transcription at the land registries of any act through which a title is transferred, altered or formed (e.g. transfers, mortgages, etc).

The existing law foresees the alteration of the existing land registries to cadastral offices.
All data of the National Cadastre will be registered electronically.

The research for the owner of each piece of land, apartment, office, etc, will be done as follows:

• Through the code number of each estate (KAEK).
•The address of each estate.
With the completion of the cadastre and the linkage of its files, you will be able to find estates and owners all over the country.

When this will be completed?

The formation of the National Cadastre will be completed in at least 15 years. In municipalities and communities that have been included in the initial phases of the project, the cadastre will begin its operation in 2004. For the rest of the municipalities and communities, the cadastre will be put to operation gradually.