An international buyer may speak with a developer, sales representative, broker, lawyer or project coordinator before ever meeting the registered property owner. That is normal in a professionally organised transaction. The risk arises when the roles are not documented and the buyer assumes that the project name, company logo and person signing the reservation all represent the same legal party.
For a Greece Golden Visa conversion purchase, seller-authority checks should be completed early. A residence-permit file will later depend on a notarial deed, payment evidence and registration of the property transfer. A mismatch at the reservation stage can therefore become a title, payment and immigration-document problem later.
Start with the registered property owner
The first question is not “Who developed the project?” It is “Who holds the legal title that is intended to be transferred?”
The buyer’s lawyer should examine the ownership deed and the relevant Land Registry or Hellenic Cadastre records. The review normally considers the identity of the owner, the legal description of the property, the ownership right being transferred, cadastral details, encumbrances, claims and the chain of title appropriate to the case.
The Santheos ST project number should remain consistent across the commercial file, but it is an internal project identifier. It does not replace the address, horizontal-property description, deed reference or cadastral code used in the legal documents.
Confirm the seller’s current company status
If the registered owner is a company, the buyer should obtain current company information rather than relying only on an old certificate or the name printed on a brochure.
Greece’s General Commercial Registry, GEMI, provides public information including the company’s registry number, EUID, legal name, tax number where available, date of establishment, legal form, current status, capital, management and publication history. Relevant certificates and copies can also be requested through the registry’s services.
The review should establish that the company exists, is active, and is not shown as dissolved or under a status inconsistent with the proposed sale. Recent corporate changes should be reconciled with the person who claims authority to sign.
Identify who can bind the company
The person communicating with the buyer may be authorised to negotiate but not authorised to bind the property-owning company. The lawyer should review the current representation rules in the articles of association and GEMI publications.
Depending on the company and transaction, supporting evidence may include a current representation certificate, board or shareholder resolution, specimen signatures, corporate approvals required for disposal of the asset, and identification of the authorised representative.
The key question is transaction-specific: does this person have authority to sign this reservation, preliminary agreement, power of attorney or notarial deed on behalf of this company for this property?
Check every power of attorney
If a representative signs under a power of attorney, the document should be reviewed for form, scope, date, duration, revocation and the precise powers granted. General authority to manage company affairs may not be sufficient for every step in a real-estate sale.
The names and identification details in the power of attorney should match the company and representative information used in the transaction. The document should cover the act being signed and any related receipt or acknowledgement of funds if that authority is required.
Match the seller, contract and payment recipient
A common risk signal is a payment instruction that names a different entity from the seller without a clear legal explanation. Before sending money, the buyer should connect:
- the owner shown in the property documents;
- the seller named in the agreement;
- the signatory and evidence of authority;
- the beneficiary of the bank account; and
- the party issuing the receipt and later acknowledging payment.
There may be legitimate structures involving an authorised developer, escrow arrangement, notarial account or other recipient. The structure must be documented and approved by the buyer’s advisers. A verbal explanation is not a payment trail.
Review the commercial agreement against the title file
The reservation or preliminary agreement should use the same core property description as the legal file. Unit number, floor, area, parking, storage and project code should not shift between documents.
If the property will be legally divided or a new horizontal property will be created, the agreement should state the current position, the required future act and the deadline. The buyer should know whether the exact transferable unit already exists in the legal records or will be created before the final deed.
Why this matters to the Golden Visa file
The official procedure for the EUR 250,000 change-of-use route requires a notarial certificate confirming the contracting parties, the property, the agreed consideration, payment method, execution of payment, lifting of any resolutory condition, full-payment deed and whether the property has previously been used by the seller for a Golden Visa.
It also requires proof that the registrable transfer has been recorded, or the permitted alternative evidence at initial filing. These documents are created after the transaction, but they depend on the seller, signatory and property having been correctly identified before signing and payment.
Seller-authority review is therefore not administrative housekeeping. It protects the connection between commercial discussions, legal title, movement of money and the final residence-permit evidence.
Questions for the buyer’s file
Before reservation, the buyer should be able to answer the following:
- Who is the registered owner today?
- Is the owner a person or company?
- If it is a company, what is its current GEMI status and who represents it?
- What document authorises the named signatory?
- Does that authority cover the exact agreement and property?
- Who receives each payment and why?
- Do the project code, unit and legal description match across the file?
- What must still occur before the final notarial deed?
Santheos’ internal legal and risk-control teams review the ownership, company and transaction documents available for each project. The buyer’s appointed Greek lawyer and notary should confirm the current registry position and signing authority for the specific contract before it is executed.
For more ownership, payment and evidence questions, review the Santheos Greece Golden Visa Encyclopedia: 338 Answers.
Sources
- Gov.gr, Publicity data for commercial enterprises registered in GEMI
- General Secretariat of Commerce, GEMI frequently asked questions
- Gov.gr, Hellenic Cadastre services
- National Registry of Administrative Public Services, Permanent golden visa (change of use) – Initial issuance, updated 4 August 2026
