The Digital Land Bank has been running in pilot mode in Greece since 16 March 2026, and it may concern you even if you live in Melbourne, Toronto, Chicago or Munich. Somewhere in Athens, Piraeus or a village square, there may be a house that carries your family name. Shutters closed. Paint peeling. An old ministerial decision declaring it a listed building. And somewhere in a drawer, possibly in an aunt’s apartment in Kypseli, a document nobody has looked at since the days of the drachma.
That document could be a transfer of development rights title, known in Greece as a TDR title (transfer of development rights title). For decades it was little more than a promise on paper. Today, for the first time, it has a digital home and a value calculated with today’s figures. And for some families, it could be the key to bringing a forgotten house back to life.
Start here if you are a Greek living abroad
Before any engineer, lawyer or platform, the first steps are family ones. They cost nothing but a few phone calls and, perhaps, one slightly awkward Sunday lunch over video.
Search the family papers
Ask parents, uncles and older cousins whether the family ever received a title for a property that was listed as preserved or reserved for a square, a park or a street. Look for documents mentioning law 880/1979, law 2300/1995 or law 3044/2002, or the Greek words «μεταφορά συντελεστή δόμησης». Old contracts, inheritance files and letters from the town planning office are good places to start. Nothing reaches the Digital Land Bank without that piece of paper.
Map every joint heir
Registration in the Digital Land Bank is completed only when every joint owner confirms and consents. If the original owner has passed away, the heirs need to know who they are, what share each one holds and whether the inheritance has been formally accepted and registered in Greece. A family tree sketched on a napkin is a surprisingly useful first draft.
Get your Greek digital keys
Every owner who needs to consent in the Digital Land Bank must log in with TAXISnet credentials and have contact details registered in the National Registry of Communication (Εθνικό Μητρώο Επικοινωνίας). That means a Greek tax number (AFM) and activated online access. From abroad this can take weeks, so start now rather than in December.
What the Digital Land Bank is and what is live today
The Digital Land Bank is the official Greek platform for registering, tracking and, eventually, using transfer of development rights titles. The idea is simple. When the state stops an owner from building on their land, because the building is listed or the plot is reserved for public use, it can grant a title for the square metres that cannot be built. Those square metres can later be used, and therefore sold, in designated receiving areas elsewhere.
The pilot was introduced by joint ministerial decision (Government Gazette B 1451/13.3.2026) and is run by the Ministry of Environment and Energy with the support of the Technical Chamber of Greece. It was initially planned for four months. A later decision (Government Gazette B 4356/16.7.2026) extended it until the platform enters full operation, and in any case no later than 31 December 2026.
Which titles qualify for the pilot
Not every title is eligible yet. The Digital Land Bank pilot accepts only titles that meet three conditions at the same time:
- they are still valid,
- they have a remaining balance of building rights to transfer,
- they were issued under law 880/1979, law 2300/1995 or law 3044/2002.
If a title has already been fully used on another building, there is nothing to register in the Digital Land Bank. If it was partly used, the remaining balance counts.
From abandoned listed building to restoration budget
This is the part that matters most to many families abroad. A listed building is often more burden than blessing. It cannot be demolished, restoration is expensive, and it slowly deteriorates while the property tax notices keep arriving with admirable punctuality.
What many owners overlook is that the building volume allowed on the plot, but blocked by the listing, is not simply lost. Through a transfer of development rights title, those unused square metres can become money. Put simply, the square metres the state does not let you build in Plaka could be bought by someone who wants to build more in a designated zone elsewhere. The proceeds could cover a meaningful part, and in some cases much, of the restoration cost, turning a crumbling house into a family home, a long term rental or a small boutique guesthouse. How much depends on the plot, the zone price and, eventually, market demand.
If your family already holds a valid title issued under one of the three laws above, it can be registered in the Digital Land Bank pilot today.
How registration works
Owners cannot register on their own. A licensed engineer (civil engineer, surveyor, architect or spatial planner holding Technical Chamber credentials) logs into the Digital Land Bank and submits the application. It includes the property’s cadastral code (ΚΑΕΚ), the details and shares of all joint owners, the number, date and details of the title, the Electronic Building Identity number and its certificate of completeness, the zone price and a set of planning coefficients. Supporting documents are attached.
Each owner then receives a notification, logs in with TAXISnet, checks the details and consents. Once everyone has consented, the system issues a unique application number with a date and time stamp. One unreachable cousin is enough to keep the whole file on hold.
The rules also cover the complicated cases. If a joint owner has passed away, the engineer enters their tax number and, during the pilot, the process continues for the remaining owners. Companies act through their legal representative, verified through the General Commercial Registry. For owners under judicial assistance, the court appointed assistant gives consent. The platform is connected to the tax authority (AADE), the Hellenic Cadastre and the National Registry of Communication, so inconsistencies tend to surface quickly.
How the Digital Land Bank values your title
During registration, the Digital Land Bank shows, for information purposes, the value of the building rights on offer. It is calculated from the buildable area the title represents, using the zone price and the coefficients of the property on the day of registration. In other words, a title issued in drachmas is now read in today’s euros.
Two caveats. First, this is an administrative valuation based on objective criteria, not a market price. Second, it is not yet clear whether the price of an eventual transaction will be recalculated at the time of transfer. For inheritance planning, agreements between heirs or talks with an investor, an independent valuation by a certified valuer gives the market view.
What has not started yet
The Digital Land Bank pilot covers registration and valuation. Actually transferring and selling the rights requires designated receiving zones, known as ΖΥΣ. According to the Ministry of Environment and Energy (March 2026), the studies defining these zones are under way within the «Konstantinos Doxiadis» urban planning reform programme. So if anyone promises you a sale by next Tuesday, smile politely. Registration is the ticket. The train is still being placed on the tracks.
Why it pays to join the Digital Land Bank now
A fair question: if the title cannot be sold yet, why hurry? Because in real estate, as at any Greek public office counter, the prepared never wait in line. Five reasons, and two honest footnotes.
You will be ready on day one
When transactions open, titles already checked and registered in the Digital Land Bank will form the available supply. Those who start their paperwork only then will be running behind everyone else.
Consent from every heir takes time
No Digital Land Bank application number is issued without the consent of all joint owners. With heirs in three countries, some without TAXISnet access, this can take months. Better to do it now, calmly, than in the rush of full operation.
Problems surface early
A missing Electronic Building Identity, discrepancies with the Cadastre, a remaining balance smaller than the family believed. All of these are easier to fix when nobody is chasing you, and before the Digital Land Bank flags them through its connections.
You get an official indicative value
The valuation shown by the platform is a useful starting point for dividing an inheritance, agreeing on a restoration plan or opening a first conversation with an investor.
Your title gets a date and time
Every completed application receives a unique number with a date and time stamp. Whether this will count as priority in full operation is not set out in any decision so far. It is a possible advantage, not a promise.
31 December is not a forfeiture deadline
The date marks the end of the pilot, not the end of your rights. None of the relevant decisions provides that a title is lost if it is not registered by then. If you hear «hurry, or you lose it», you now know better.
What registration does not guarantee
The value shown does not «lock in». A sale depends on the receiving zones being set. And registration has a cost, since it requires an engineer and often an Electronic Building Identity. For a very small remaining balance, rushing may not make financial sense. The Digital Land Bank rewards the prepared, not necessarily the hasty.
Digital Land Bank FAQ
Can I register from abroad?
Yes, you do not need to travel. The engineer in Greece submits the application to the Digital Land Bank and you consent online. You do need a Greek tax number, TAXISnet access and registration in the National Registry of Communication.
Will I lose my title if I miss 31 December 2026?
No. The date is the latest end of the pilot phase. None of the relevant decisions provides for loss of the title if it is not registered by then.
Is the value shown by the platform the sale price?
No. It is an indicative administrative valuation based on the zone price and the property’s coefficients on the day of registration. The market will set the actual price.
What if one heir does not respond?
The application is completed only when all joint owners consent. Until then, it remains pending.
From the drawer to the platform
Back to that house with the closed shutters and that document in the drawer. They may be more connected than the family ever realised. The Digital Land Bank is not selling anything yet, but it lets you step into line with your papers in order, your heirs on the same page and a realistic idea of what the square metres you were never allowed to build might be worth. For a house that has been waiting decades for someone to open its shutters, that is a real beginning.
If you would like help finding out where your family property or title stands in today’s Attica market, our team, together with the engineers and lawyers we work with, is happy to start with a simple conversation.
Sources
- Ministry of Environment and Energy, pilot launch of the Digital Land Bank, 16.3.2026: https://ypen.gov.gr/pilotiki-leitourgia-tis-psifiakis-trapezas-gis-ekkinei-i-katachorisi-titlon-metaforas-syntelesti-domisis/
- Ministry of Digital Governance, joint press release, 16.3.2026: https://www.mindigital.gr/archives/8410
- Technical Chamber of Greece, Digital Land Bank platform: https://landbank.tee.gov.gr/el
- gov.gr, Digital Land Bank service: https://www.gov.gr/ipiresies/periousia-kai-phorologia/diakheirise-akinetes-periousias/psephiakes-trapezas-ges
- Technical Chamber of Greece, Peloponnese branch, extension decision (Government Gazette B 4356/16.7.2026): https://www.teepelop.gr/34728/announcements/tropopoiisi-tis-ypo-stoicheia-ypen-grngchsap-28742-1901-12-3-2026-koinis-ypourgikis-apofasis-pilotiki-leitourgia-psifiakis-trapezas-gis-gia-tous-titlous-metaforas-syntelesti-domisis-ton-n-880-1/
- Ministry of Environment and Energy, transfer of development rights: https://ypen.gov.gr/chorikos-schediasmos/elegchos-domimenou-perivallontos/metafora-syntelesti-domisis/
- Ministry of Environment and Energy, receiving zones (ΖΥΣ): https://ypen.gov.gr/chorikos-schediasmos/zys/
Evita Eleftheroudaki
Real Estate Agent | Real Estate Appraiser
co-founder
EPSILON TEAM | real estate agents / appraisers
TEL: +30 210 721 2284 | MOBILE: +30 6944 626 626
WEBSITE: www.epsilonteam.gr
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