This is something your notary or lawyer may ask for when a transaction is being arranged. Most people have never heard of an “ilektroniki taftotita ktiriou”, or in short form an “HTK”. That’s the electronic building identity.
If you acquired your property before the system became mandatory, you may never have received a copy.
For most private homes, the HTK is required when ownership is transferred through a sale, gift or parental provision. There are also other circumstances in which it must be prepared or updated. Here is what you need to know about this technical file for buildings.
Quick answer
- What is it: A digital technical file for a building or an individual property, stored on the TEE’s (Technical Chamber of Greece) platform. The platform launched in January 2021, with mandatory operation beginning on 1 February 2021.
- When it appears: Usually when a private home is sold, gifted or transferred by parental provision. Different requirements apply to certain building categories and other circumstances.
- Who does it: An appropriately qualified and authorised engineer completes the HTK through the TEE platform. An owner cannot submit it simply in their capacity as owner.
- Inheritance: Acceptance of an inheritance is different from a sale or gift. Ask your notary which documents are required for your particular deed.
What is the electronic building identity (HTK)?
The electronic building identity is a digital file that records a building’s existing condition, permits, plans and relevant legalisation documents.
The framework is set out in Law 4495/2017 and its implementing provisions. The Ministry of Environment and Energy (YPEN) launched the platform on 1 January 2021 on a transitional, optional basis. Mandatory operation began on 1 February 2021. Υπουργείο Περιβάλλοντος και Ενέργειας
There are two related forms:
- Electronic Building Identity (Ηλεκτρονική Ταυτότητα Κτιρίου): Covers a whole building, such as a detached house.
- Electronic Identity of an Independent Divided Property (Ηλεκτρονική Ταυτότητα Αυτοτελούς Διηρημένης Ιδιοκτησίας): Covers an individual apartment or other separately owned unit.
The record includes the property’s KAEK, or National Cadastre Code Number, where one exists.
What does the HTK contain?
The documents depend on the property and which requirements apply. They can include:
- the building permit and approved plans
- plans showing the property’s actual layout, where required
- the energy performance certificate, where required; see our guide to the PEA
- construction inspection certificates, where applicable
- declarations made under the unauthorised-construction laws
- structural assessment reports, where required
- the hiliosta table and expense-allocation study, where applicable to divided ownership
The engineer determines what is required and whether any missing documents need to be obtained or reconstructed.
When do owners need an HTK?
The HTK is not an annual declaration. However, it may need to be prepared for a transaction or updated after relevant changes.
Sale, donation or parental provision
For a transfer covered by the rules, the engineer completes the electronic identity and issues the Certificate of Completeness required by the notary.
The certificate is separate from the underlying digital file. Ask the engineer and notary to coordinate its issue with the transaction date.
Regularisation of unauthorised construction
The HTK is also relevant to completing applicable regularisation procedures and arranging subsequent transfers.
If the property differs from its approved plans, the engineer must establish how those differences should be addressed. See our guide to unauthorised changes in a Greek property.
Following relevant works
Works that alter the property may require the existing HTK to be updated. The engineer should determine whether an update is necessary and ensure that the completed record reflects the relevant changes.
Before work begins, check whether your apartment renovation requires a permit.
Category I buildings
Certain buildings of public interest and special use have a separate deadline. Examples include educational and healthcare buildings, public assembly premises, petrol stations and tourist accommodation exceeding 300 square metres.
The Category I submission deadline has been extended to 1 February 2028 under Article 43 of Law 5270/2026. This is not a blanket deadline for every private apartment or holiday home. Ask an engineer to confirm the building’s classification and applicable requirements. odigostoupoliti.eu
Do you need an HTK to accept an inheritance?
Acceptance of an inheritance is not the same legal transaction as a sale, donation or parental provision. It should not automatically be treated as subject to the same HTK requirement.
Ask your notary to confirm the documents required for the acceptance deed and its registration. If the heirs later sell or gift the property, the HTK requirements for that later transaction will need to be addressed.
For more on the rest of the first year of inherited property, read our guide to inheriting property in Greece while living abroad.
Who completes the HTK?
Appropriately qualified, authorised engineers use the TEE platform to register and amend the records. Owners do not complete the technical submission themselves unless they are also engineers with the necessary professional rights. TEE expressly confirms that an authorised engineer may also be the property’s owner. web.tee.gr
In practice, the engineer will:
- Collect the required documents, including the building permit, plans and deeds.
- Visit the property and compare its actual condition with the approved plans and relevant legalisation documents.
- Identify discrepancies and determine any necessary technical or legalisation steps.
- Register the required information and documents on the TEE platform.
- Issue the Certificate of Completeness when the requirements have been met.
The official gov.gr certificate service identifies final registration, an on-site inspection and payment of the relevant fee among the prerequisites for issuing the certificate. gov.gr
Please note that in some cases the original permit files may be missing. It’s wise to start looking for the required documents well before the transaction date, rather than at the last minute.
How does the HTK differ from Ktimatologio and E9?
These three records are often confused. Each one answers a different question.
| Record | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Ktimatologio, or Hellenic Cadastre | Registered property rights and cadastral details, including boundaries. Read how to check the Cadastre from abroad. |
| E9 and tax records | Property rights and details declared to AADE for tax purposes, including ENFIA. See our E9 and MIDA guide. |
| HTK | The property’s technical record, existing condition and supporting permits, plans and relevant legalisation documents, completed by an engineer through the TEE platform. |
The HTK refers to the cadastral code where one exists, but it remains separate from both the Cadastre record and the E9 tax declaration.
What should you keep on file?
For many private homes, the need to prepare the HTK arises when a transaction is pending. Relevant works and other requirements can also trigger action. Having the necessary documents organized digitally now will save you time later.
Keep:
- the title deed and a cadastral extract showing the KAEK
- the building permit and approved plans, where available
- your apartment’s floor plan and the hiliosta table
- any paperwork on unauthorised changes
- the energy performance certificate, if issued
- invoices and plans from past renovations
- contact details for engineers who worked on your property
- any existing HTK extract and Certificate of Completeness
Here’s the full list of documents to keep for a Greek property in our property documents guide.
“As someone who has owned a property abroad for some time, it is unlikely that you will be thinking of your Greek building’s identity until the transaction date is near and the paperwork is a mountain of unorganized documents, which can trigger a state of panic in order to obtain engineers, builders, plan copies etc within a very short period of time.”
Yanis, Founder of Home Watch Athens
How Home Watch Athens can help
At Home Watch Athens we are a founder-led property oversight service for people who own Athens homes but live abroad. Our members are owners of Athens homes who live abroad. We are not engineers and do not issue HTKs, certificates of any kind or give legal advice.
We maintain a regular check of your property and send you photos of it on a monthly basis. Where an engineer needs access, we can arrange attendance with your approval and within a separately agreed scope. Your keys are held by Yanis Zisis.
Where work is planned, we can offer our renovation oversight service, ending with a folder of agreements, invoices and photos, together with certificates supplied by the relevant professionals as appropriate.
For a full description of how membership works, please see our property management page.