Hellenic Cadastre and KAEK Explained: How Greek Property Registration Works
KAEK (ΚΑΕΚ) is a cadastral identifier used by the Hellenic Cadastre. It helps identify a Greek registered plot or property unit, but a cadastral map, cadastral sheet, registered deed and physical building answer different questions. A KAEK number alone does not prove clear title, lawful construction or permission to build.
What is a KAEK number?
Κωδικός Αριθμός Εθνικού Κτηματολογίου (ΚΑΕΚ) is the property identifier used in the national Cadastre system. It should not be treated as interchangeable with a postal address or a title certificate.
Apartment buildings can contain separate horizontal-property units. The land parcel's reference may not sufficiently identify the exact flat or a separately documented parking or storage unit.
Ask the lawyer to confirm the specific asset and rights being sold, not just the outline of the building on the map.
What does the Cadastre record?
The Hellenic Cadastre links geographic information to registered ownership interests, relevant acts, mortgages, claims and other rights. The European e-Justice Portal explains the Greek land-registration arrangements.
Greece has been transitioning from older mortgage-registry systems, so the lawyer may need current cadastral records alongside relevant historical ones.
Why are the map and cadastral sheet different?
| Document | Question answered | It cannot establish alone |
|---|---|---|
| Digital cadastral map | Which land parcel and approximate mapped geography? | Current clear title |
| Cadastral diagram extract | Official geographic information for the registered parcel | Building legality |
| Cadastral sheet — κτηματολογικό φύλλο | Registered rights and relevant legal entries | Physical defects |
| Copy of registered act | Content of a particular legal act | Every later change |
| Approved plans and survey | Physical and documented construction | Seller's title |
The Cadastre certificate portal lists those different documents and their application procedures. Do not treat a screenshot from the map as a substitute for the relevant legal records.
How can you find the property's KAEK?
Ask the seller for a deed or official cadastral document identifying the unit. The Digital Cadastral Map can help locate parcels by address, geography or identifier.
For a flat, ask whether the reference specifically identifies the apartment, not just the underlying land. Ancillary property rights may require their own documentation.
Relevant authenticated public services may require personal Taxisnet credentials. Do not ask for the seller's private password. A lawyer can determine which extracts to obtain through the appropriate process.
What official certificates are useful?
The Cadastre e-services include:
- Copy of cadastral sheet — Αντίγραφο Κτηματολογικού Φύλλου.
- Cadastral diagram extract — Απόσπασμα Κτηματολογικού Διαγράμματος.
- Certificate of registration of a registrable act.
- Copy of a registered act.
- Relevant cadastral-registration certificates.
The same portal separately lists certificates for the historic transcription and mortgage-registry system, including burdens, claims and mortgage cancellation.
Not all documents must be requested separately in every transaction. The lawyer selects the appropriate records and interprets them. A digital PDF is evidence, not a complete title opinion.
What is the old Mortgage Registry?
The historical Υποθηκοφυλακείο system held property-transfer, security and other legal acts. Even where the modern Cadastre operates, earlier deeds and relevant registration records may matter to the ownership chain.
The Cadastre archive-research service is available for applicable professional searches. Ask whether older records were relevant and reviewed; avoid an arbitrary fixed-number-of-years requirement for all transactions.
Initial registrations versus the current legal position
Αρχικές Εγγραφές — Initial Registrations are an earlier cadastral-registration snapshot. They are not necessarily current ownership evidence.
The Cadastre citizen-services directory separates initial cadastral-survey results from current registration services. Later transfers and corrections belong in the applicable current records.
Buyer action: Check whether a document describes the position at initial registration or the present recorded position. Do not conclude that a later sale was invalid merely because the historical snapshot names a previous owner.
What if the record says “Unknown Owner”?
Αγνώστου Ιδιοκτήτη — Unknown Owner indicates an issue with the cadastral ownership registration. It does not prove that no one holds rights or that the parcel can be acquired freely.
Certain corrections may be available under applicable administrative or judicial procedures. The lawyer must identify the evidence and exact route; a seller's “this is only a clerical matter” is not legal proof.
Ask for a written account of the problem, which rights are affected, what procedure is required, and whether it must be completed before any sale.
How should parcel-area differences be treated?
Consider a fictional rural home whose deed shows 920 m² and cadastral information shows 890 m². The 30 m² difference is approximately 3.3% of the deed figure.
That arithmetic does not establish which boundary is legally correct. The reason could involve survey methodology, an incorrect description, an unresolved geometric discrepancy or another issue.
A surveyor and lawyer may need plans, coordinates, deeds, cadastral information and physical boundary evidence. Never automatically apply a “universal acceptable percentage” to every Greek parcel.
Are corrections available digitally?
Some correction procedures can be initiated electronically. The Cadastre's service directory identifies the metavoles process for specified boundary corrections under Law 5142/2024.
Digital submission is not automatic approval, especially where adjoining owners or legal rights are affected.
The Property Identity Cross-Check
For a reliable purchase investigation, compare four different layers:
| Layer | What needs establishing | Professional |
|---|---|---|
| Registered geography | Which parcel, area and map identity? | Surveyor / engineer |
| Registered legal rights | Who appears to hold rights; which burdens exist? | Lawyer |
| Underlying title | How did those rights arise and what do deeds say? | Lawyer |
| Physical property | What exists on site and what was authorised? | Engineer |
Apartment example: A listing includes a private parking space and storage room. The cadastral map identifies the plot but does not prove either right belongs to the apartment. The lawyer investigates the relevant horizontal-property deeds and records; the engineer checks the physical spaces and plans.
The correct conclusion should explain the documentary basis for each promised feature, not merely confirm that the building is on the correct street.
Does cadastral registration prove land is buildable?
No. A legally registered plot can be affected by road-access requirements, planning regulations, forest classification, coastal boundaries and other restrictions.
The TEE Single Digital Map provides useful planning and protected-area layers, but does not issue universal building-right certificates.
For rural sites, see Buying land in Greece.
What happens after signing the deed?
Signing the notarial deed and registering the applicable transfer are distinct process steps. The Greek Digital Property Transfer File supports eligible electronic transactions.
Ask the notary and lawyer how registration will be confirmed, who follows it up, and which document proves the completed legal position. Do not treat submission of an application as necessarily the same as successful registration.
Frequently asked questions
Is KAEK the same as a title deed?
No. It identifies a registered property. The deed is a legal document concerning rights or a transaction.
Can separate apartments have separate cadastral identifiers?
Yes. A parcel-level number may not be enough to identify a separately owned apartment or associated right.
Does a cadastral sheet prove construction complies with permits?
No. Building plans and construction are engineering questions.
Can an Unknown Owner entry be corrected?
Potentially under applicable legal procedures, but eligibility and consequences require property-specific legal review.
What cadastral evidence cannot establish
The Cadastre is not a building survey, ownership-history guarantee, transaction-price database or professional valuation. As with all official documents, scope and date matter.
The Greek Property Report supplies independent, buyer-funded research with no broker commission or completion-contingent fee. We do not replace an independent Greek title opinion, survey or government registration procedure.
Understand the evidence, and what still needs checking
Our methodology explains what independent, buyer-funded research can establish—and what must be verified by a Greek lawyer, engineer or notary.
Independent, buyer-funded research. No brokerage commission or fee contingent on a completed purchase. Not a professional valuation, legal opinion or engineering assessment.