Each and every lift in Greece must be registered with the national elevator registry, Mitroo Apografis Anelkystiron, which is run by the Ministry of Development. We would advise contacting the building’s manager or the lift maintenance company. They should be able to confirm whether the lift in the building where you own a flat has been registered and supply you with its registration number.
Quick answer
- The official registry platform is elevator.mindev.gov.gr. Registration is not limited to the owner personally. The owner, manager or legal representative remains responsible, while the current late-registration procedure is handled by the responsible maintenance contractor or installer.
- The original deadline of 30 November 2025 was extended to 30 June 2026.
- The statutory fine for an unregistered lift in a residential building is €1,000 per lift. Law 5317/2026 provides a specific procedure for late registration without a fine until 10 July 2027.
- Apartment-building lifts must be maintained every 45 days, according to the 2008 decision. ΑΠΑΝΤΗΣΕΙΣ ΜΗΤΡΩΟ ΑΠΟΓΡΑΦΗΣ ΑΝΕΛΚΥΣΤΗΡΩΝ 07.2026
An owner who is living abroad may not be aware that maintenance or inspections are not being carried out. Living abroad does not remove the responsibilities attached to ownership.
Building bills may include lift charges, and the noticeboard may contain servicing information. However, neither is enough on its own to confirm that registration, maintenance and inspections are up to date.
What is the Greek elevator registry?
The Greek elevator registry is a national database for all lifts in Greece. The registry will serve the Greek government with more realistic data to make decisions on how to inspect and possibly upgrade lifts.
Registration covers basic details such as:
- The owner, manager or legal representative’s details.
- The building address.
- The number of lifts and the number of stops.
- The year of installation.
- The responsible maintenance contractor’s details.
Additional information includes CE marking, previous certification, earlier registration and outstanding technical upgrades. These additional fields are identified as optional in the legislation. TaxHeaven
The administration has confirmed that certain sanctions under the 2008 decision relating to certification and registration deadlines are suspended until the census data is transferred to the permanent Unified Elevator Registry. This is separate from the specific late-registration procedure described below.
Who handles registration?
The owner, building manager or legal representative remains responsible for registration. The responsible maintenance contractor or installer can also carry out the submission.
In the case of a polykatoikia, registration will generally be coordinated by the building manager or the lift company. For an existing lift that missed the 30 June 2026 deadline, the current procedure requires submission through the responsible maintenance contractor or installer.
An owner abroad would not normally need to submit a separate registration for a shared building lift. However, he or she should be able to obtain the registration number and confirmation that the submission has been completed.
Our diaxeiristis guide goes into more detail on what a manager in a polykatoikia does.
What are the deadline and the fines?
Deadlines
- 30 November 2025: The original registration deadline.
- 30 June 2026: The extended deadline announced by the Ministry of Development.
- 10 July 2027: The end of the specific transitional procedure allowing late registration through the responsible maintenance contractor or installer without a fine. Υπουργείο Ανάπτυξης
Fines
The legislation sets out the following fines per unregistered lift, subject to the transitional procedure:
| Building use | Fine |
|---|---|
| Residential | €1,000 |
| Commercial or mixed use | €2,500 |
| Buildings accessible to the general public in the specified statutory category | €5,000 |
These amounts appear in the legislation itself, rather than only in press reports. elevator.mindev.gov.gr
What is the July 2027 no-fine route?
The Ministry’s online platform refers to Law 5317/2026, article 137, published in Government Gazette A΄ 108 on 10 July 2026. This amends article 11A of Law 3982/2011 and provides a transitional arrangement for lifts that were not registered on time.
Until 10 July 2027:
- The responsible maintenance contractor or installer registers the lift.
- A responsible declaration from at least one owner, the building manager or their legal representative is required.
- The declaration confirms consent to registration and the basic property and lift details.
- No fine is imposed within this procedure.
Routine maintenance cannot legally be completed for a lift without a registration number. The exception is work strictly necessary to immobilise the lift safely or prevent immediate danger. ΑΠΑΝΤΗΣΕΙΣ ΜΗΤΡΩΟ ΑΠΟΓΡΑΦΗΣ ΑΝΕΛΚΥΣΤΗΡΩΝ 07.2026
The suspension of sanctions relating to certification and registration deadlines under the 2008 decision is a separate provision. It should not be read as a blanket suspension of all lift safety obligations or all possible penalties.
Ask your manager or the lift company which procedure applies to your lift and request confirmation once registration is complete.
How often must a lift be maintained and inspected?
According to Joint Ministerial Decision 28425/1245/2008, the following maintenance requirements apply:
- Apartment buildings: Maintenance every 45 days.
- Detached houses: Maintenance every two months.
- Each maintenance visit: At least 45 minutes, or longer where required.
Periodic safety inspections are separate from routine maintenance. For lifts in residential buildings, article 10 sets out these intervals:
- Up to six stops: Every six years.
- More than six stops: Every five years.
These intervals run from the issue date of the previous inspection certificate. Ask for the latest certificate and the next inspection due date. techlift.gr
Is my older building’s lift a problem?
As many buildings in Athens are very old, many of their lifts have been running since the building was new. In that case, it is wise to check whether the building’s lift has been registered.
Even if the lift is registered, that does not mean it has been upgraded or that its safety certification is current. Ask for the date of the last inspection and any outstanding recommendations.
Who pays for lift costs?
Lifts are usually covered by a building’s common expenses, or koinoxrista. These include the costs of a maintenance contract, repairs, safety inspections and power consumption.
The costs are split in accordance with the building’s regulations, or kanonismos, using the relevant allocation of ownership shares, known as hiliosta. In some cases, there may be special provisions or a separate allocation for lift expenses.
Living abroad or leaving your property empty does not automatically exempt you from lift charges. Your share depends on the building’s regulations and the type of expense.
See our koinoxrista guide for owners abroad to understand your building bill. A sudden increase in the lift’s line in the bill is something worth investigating immediately.
What should an owner abroad ask the manager?
Most owners abroad will assume the lift is someone else’s problem until they receive a bill to pay for repairs or even a notice posted in the entrance hall of the building. Sending an email to the building manager of your polykatoikia with these six simple questions will help you establish what has been done and what remains outstanding. You can then store the answers with the rest of the documents relating to your property.
Yanis, Founder of Home Watch Athens
- Is our lift registered? What is its registration number, and can a copy of the registration confirmation be provided?
- Which licensed company services the lift? Can you provide the maintenance contract and the latest maintenance records?
- When was the latest periodic inspection performed? What were the findings, and when is the next inspection due?
- Are any maintenance works, repairs or upgrades recommended? What would be the apportioned cost to each owner?
- How are lift charges allocated under our building regulations? What are the relevant hiliosta for each flat?
- Has an owners’ meeting approved anything lift-related?
Read our background information about what a polykatoikia is and how owners’ meetings work.
How Home Watch Athens can help
We are not your building’s manager and we do not run polykatoikies. Home Watch Athens cannot service lifts or issue lift inspection or safety certificates.
Through our administrative representation service, we can attend a meeting and vote on your behalf where the required authorisation and building rules allow it. We supply a full report after the meeting, detailing what was discussed and decided. We act only on your specific authority.
Where separately agreed, our maintenance and technical oversight service can help coordinate quotes and attendance by appropriately licensed professionals. All action requires your prior approval, and you will receive a written update following the agreed work.
Home Watch Athens is founder-led and members-only. The full description of our property management service in Athens is available on our website.
For news on wider changes to the rules, see our apartment building reform article.