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

Source: ProtoThema English

The platform was presented at the Ministry of Justice, and its application will begin on November 1, for wills submitted from that date onward. Justice Minister Giorgos Floridis also announced that a legislative amendment will soon be submitted to Parliament to include the 14,000 wills currently pending publication in the courts.

It is noted that the cost of publication through the notarial platform will remain the same as the current procedure via the courts.

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

Minister Floridis stated that this new digital era in the management of wills will initially free 100 judges and later a significant number of court clerks.

He explained:

“In 2024, 76,543 applications for will publication were submitted to the courts, of which 64,590 were processed — that’s 84%. This means that 14,000 cases remain pending.
On average, 60,000–70,000 applications are filed annually, and it takes about a year (roughly 400 days in the Athens Court of First Instance) to process each case.
With the new system, all 60–70 thousand cases will be removed from the courts and transferred to notaries, who will now have the authority to publish wills and issue the relevant certificates.”

He added:

“The time required will drop from 400 days to just 3–7 days. This has major implications:

• Courts will be relieved of 60–70 thousand cases annually.
• A large number of judges and court employees will be freed from this administrative burden.
• Citizens will be served within a week instead of more than a year.

Moreover, this reform strengthens the notarial profession, whose members contributed significantly to the creation of the new platform.”

Pending Wills and Legislative Adjustments

Regarding pending wills, Floridis clarified:

“The law taking effect on November 1 applies to deaths occurring from that date onward. However, there are thousands of wills already filed or held awaiting the new system.
For these, the platform will not yet apply, but within November a legislative provision will be introduced to include all pending cases, so that the system functions uniformly.”

Deputy Minister Bougas: The Platform Brings Multiple Benefits

Deputy Justice Minister Ioannis Bougas emphasized that the large number of unpublished wills delays, among other things, the collection of inheritance taxes.
He noted that the new system will yield multiple benefits for judges, court employees, notaries, and especially citizens:

“This new process relieves the judicial system from unnecessary bureaucracy.”

Statistical Overview

• In the Athens Court of First Instance, publication of wills takes place daily.
  In 2025 alone, 10,089 wills have already been published, with 100 judges and 12 court clerks assigned to this task.
• In Thessaloniki, 59 judges and 11 clerks handle wills.
• In Piraeus, 29 judges and 1 clerk are involved.

With the new digital process, all these personnel will be redirected to other court duties, reducing delays and improving efficiency.

How the New Platform Works

Starting November 1, for deaths occurring after that date, notaries will be able to publish wills electronically — in some cases on the same day as the application, and no later than 7 days.

Each notary will record every handwritten, secret, or public will into the electronic Wills Registry, maintained by the Notarial Association of Athens–Piraeus–Aegean–Dodecanese.

This ensures speed, transparency, and security, while giving citizens easy nationwide access to check whether a will has been filed with any notary or consulate in Greece.

Officials’ Statements

Christoforos Linos, head of the Athens Court of First Instance, said that the new system will free up a significant part of the court’s workload, allowing 39 judges and several clerks to shift to other judicial tasks.

Eleni Kontogeorgou, president of the Notarial Association, noted that a General Wills Registry was legislated 71 years ago but never implemented — until now.

Benefits for Citizens and Notaries

According to the Ministry of Justice, the benefits of the new diathikes.gr digital platform include:

• Easy nationwide search for a will deposited with any notary or consulate.
• Immediate and secure access for citizens (in line with GDPR).
• Instant issuance of a certificate confirming the existence (or absence) of a will.
• Publication of a will within the same day or within up to 7 days.
• Immediate issuance of the official record of publication.
• Validation of handwritten wills and issuance of related certificates within five working days.
• Faster access of heirs to inherited property.
• Reduction in the number of fraudulent or doubtful handwritten wills.
• Relief of the courts from administrative workload.
• Integration of the new registry with the European Wills Network (ARERT), allowing cross-border verification of wills filed in EU member states.

The original article: https://en.protothema.gr/2025/10/15/changes-for-wills-in-greece-from-400-days-to-just-7-days-for-publication-diathikes-gr-to-launch-november-1/ belongs to ProtoThema English .