Changes for wills in Greece: From 400 days to Just 7 Days for publication – diathikes.gr to launch November 1

The level was presented astatine the Ministry of Justice, and its exertion volition statesman connected November 1, for wills submitted from that day onward. Justice Minister Giorgos Floridis besides announced that a legislative amendment volition soon beryllium submitted to Parliament to see the 14,000 wills presently pending work successful the courts.

It is noted that the cost of publication done the notarial level will stay the same arsenic the existent process via the courts.

Floridis: The New Digital System Will Free Up Judges and Speed Up Service for Citizens

Minister Floridis stated that this caller integer epoch successful the absorption of wills volition initially free 100 judges and aboriginal a important fig of tribunal clerks.

He explained:

“In 2024, 76,543 applications for volition work were submitted to the courts, of which 64,590 were processed — that’s 84%. This means that 14,000 cases stay pending.
On average, 60,000–70,000 applications are filed annually, and it takes astir a twelvemonth (roughly 400 days successful the Athens Court of First Instance) to process each case.
With the caller system, each 60–70 1000 cases volition beryllium removed from the courts and transferred to notaries, who volition present person the authorization to people wills and contented the applicable certificates.”

He added:

“The clip required volition driblet from 400 days to just 3–7 days. This has large implications:

• Courts volition beryllium relieved of 60–70 1000 cases annually.
• A ample fig of judges and tribunal employees volition beryllium freed from this administrative burden.
• Citizens volition beryllium served wrong a week alternatively of much than a year.

Moreover, this betterment strengthens the notarial profession, whose members contributed importantly to the instauration of the caller platform.”

Pending Wills and Legislative Adjustments

Regarding pending wills, Floridis clarified:

“The instrumentality taking effect connected November 1 applies to deaths occurring from that day onward. However, determination are thousands of wills already filed oregon held awaiting the caller system.
For these, the level volition not yet apply, but wrong November a legislative proviso volition beryllium introduced to see each pending cases, truthful that the strategy functions uniformly.”

Deputy Minister Bougas: The Platform Brings Multiple Benefits

Deputy Justice Minister Ioannis Bougas emphasized that the ample fig of unpublished wills delays, among different things, the collection of inheritance taxes.
He noted that the caller strategy volition output aggregate benefits for judges, tribunal employees, notaries, and particularly citizens:

“This caller process relieves the judicial strategy from unnecessary bureaucracy.”

Statistical Overview

• In the Athens Court of First Instance, work of wills takes spot daily.
  In 2025 alone, 10,089 wills person already been published, with 100 judges and 12 tribunal clerks assigned to this task.
• In Thessaloniki, 59 judges and 11 clerks grip wills.
• In Piraeus, 29 judges and 1 clerk are involved.

With the caller integer process, each these unit volition beryllium redirected to different tribunal duties, reducing delays and improving efficiency.

How the New Platform Works

Starting November 1, for deaths occurring aft that date, notaries volition beryllium capable to publish wills electronically — successful immoderate cases on the aforesaid time arsenic the application, and nary aboriginal than 7 days.

Each notary volition grounds each handwritten, secret, oregon nationalist volition into the electronic Wills Registry, maintained by the Notarial Association of Athens–Piraeus–Aegean–Dodecanese.

This ensures speed, transparency, and security, portion giving citizens easy nationwide access to cheque whether a volition has been filed with immoderate notary oregon consulate successful Greece.

Officials’ Statements

Christoforos Linos, caput of the Athens Court of First Instance, said that the caller strategy volition escaped up a important portion of the court’s workload, allowing 39 judges and respective clerks to displacement to different judicial tasks.

Eleni Kontogeorgou, president of the Notarial Association, noted that a General Wills Registry was legislated 71 years ago but ne'er implemented — until now.

Benefits for Citizens and Notaries

According to the Ministry of Justice, the benefits of the caller diathikes.gr integer level include:

• Easy nationwide hunt for a volition deposited with immoderate notary oregon consulate.
• Immediate and unafraid entree for citizens (in enactment with GDPR).
• Instant issuance of a certificate confirming the beingness (or absence) of a will.
• Publication of a volition wrong the aforesaid time oregon wrong up to 7 days.
• Immediate issuance of the authoritative grounds of publication.
• Validation of handwritten wills and issuance of related certificates wrong five moving days.
• Faster entree of heirs to inherited property.
• Reduction successful the fig of fraudulent oregon doubtful handwritten wills.
• Relief of the courts from administrative workload.
• Integration of the caller registry with the European Wills Network (ARERT), allowing cross-border verification of wills filed successful EU subordinate states.