Insolvency & Liquidation · Greece
Find liquidation lawyers in Greece for an orderly winding-up
When a company, an estate or a portfolio of assets has to be wound up in Greece, the process is governed by codified civil and commercial rules and runs through the Greek courts. Tell us what you are facing and we match you, free of charge, with a Greek-qualified lawyer who works on liquidation matters.
- Every practising lawyer in Greece must belong to a Greek Bar Association
- Statutory limitation periods decide how much of a debt can still be recovered
- Free, no-obligation matching, usually answered within 24–48 hours
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Liquidation in Greece
Finding the right lawyer for a winding-up in Greece
Liquidation is the structured ending of a legal person or of a pool of assets: a company that stops trading, an estate that has to be divided, or property that must be sold to settle creditors. In Greece these matters sit inside a continental civil-law system built on codified statutes rather than binding precedent, so results turn on how the written rules are applied to your particular file. Commercial and civil disputes begin before the Courts of First Instance and go on appeal to the Courts of Appeal, while the Court of Cassation reviews only legal correctness, not the facts. Because liquidation lawyers in Greece work daily with the Civil Code, the Code of Civil Procedure and the Commercial Code, the practical question is which of them fits your situation. Describe it to us and we match you with the right one.
Greece in practice
How liquidation and winding-up matters work in Greece
Greece is a codified civil-law jurisdiction, so winding-up work is shaped by statutes rather than by case law alone. The notes below set out the structure, the people entitled to act for you, and the time limits that most often decide how much value survives a liquidation.
Codified statutes, not binding precedent
Greece follows the continental civil-law model: the Greek Civil Code entered into force on 23 February 1946 and is now codified by Presidential Decree 456/1984, alongside the Code of Civil Procedure and the Commercial Code. The Supreme Court (Areios Pagos) ensures uniform interpretation, but its rulings are not formally binding precedent, so written law and its application to your file do the work.
Who is entitled to act for you
Only a person admitted to a Greek Bar Association may practise law in Greece. Under Article 4 of Law 4194/2013 that means passing the nationwide bar examinations, obtaining a ministerial appointment published in the Government Gazette, taking the statutory oath and being entered in a Bar register. Article 1 describes the lawyer as a public functionary bound by professional secrecy.
Where a liquidation dispute is heard
Greek courts are organised into three branches: civil, criminal and administrative. Commercial and civil matters begin before the Magistrates’ Courts or the Courts of First Instance, with appeals to the Courts of Appeal. The Court of Cassation (Areios Pagos) heads the civil branch, divided into six civil-law chambers including a commercial chamber, and reviews only legal correctness, never the facts.
Time limits on the claims you can recover
Recovering debts into a winding-up depends on statutory limitation periods: twenty years for general civil claims, five years for commercial claims, professional fees and periodic payments, and five years for tort claims subject to a twenty-year absolute limit. Mapping every claim against these periods at the outset is what keeps value inside the estate.
Greek immovable property in the liquidation
Transferring or encumbering immovable property in Greece requires a notarial deed, and ownership passes only once that deed is registered with the competent Land Registry or Cadastral Office, because registration is constitutive rather than merely declaratory. Real Estate Transfer Tax of 3% is paid before the deed is signed, and only lawyers, bailiffs and notaries may search the registries.
Costs, fees and legal aid
Court fees follow statute: a proportional judicial stamp duty of 4 or 8 per mille on the value of civil claims, plus a 30% surcharge for the TAXDIK fund. Legal fees are freely agreed in writing under Article 58 of the Code of Lawyers; where no written agreement exists, the statutory scale applies. Fees carry 24% VAT, and Law 3226/2004 funds free legal aid.
The country information on this page is drawn from official Greek bodies (Ministry of Justice, Bar Associations, AADE, Ministry of Labour) and the European e-Justice Portal, as consulted in 2025.
- European e-Justice Portal – National justice systems: Greece
- Plenary of the Presidents of the Greek Bar Associations – the lawyer’s status and admission
- Greek Civil Code, Ministry of Justice (limitation periods, notarial deed and registration, forced heirship)
- European e-Justice Portal – Costs: Greece
- European e-Justice Portal – Succession and cross-border estates
- European e-Justice Portal – Divorce and legal separation
- AADE – Inheritance tax for Greeks abroad and non-residents
- AADE – Tax obligations arising from loss of life (renunciation of inheritance)
- Greek Ministry of Labour – termination of open-ended employment contracts
Common situations
What usually brings a liquidation matter to a Greek lawyer
Most files start with an ending that has already begun — a business that has stopped trading, debts nobody has collected, or an estate that cannot be divided quietly.
You are not sure which route applies
A company that has stopped trading, an estate carrying debts, and a property portfolio being sold off follow different paths, and choosing the wrong one can waste months before the file is even in order.
Limitation periods are already running
Commercial claims, professional fees and periodic payments are subject to a five-year period in Greece, so uncollected invoices can quietly lose their value while a winding-up is being organised.
Assets and interested parties are in different countries
Greek immovable property held by a company or an estate, with directors or heirs resident elsewhere, raises hard questions about which law governs and how title is actually transferred.
How we help
A short, careful introduction to the right Greek lawyer
We do not give legal advice and we do not decide your case. We listen to your situation and connect you with a Greek-qualified lawyer who already handles this type of work.
Greek-qualified lawyers only
Practising law in Greece requires membership of a Greek Bar Association, admission after nationwide examinations and entry in a Bar register, so everyone we introduce is entitled to act for you.
Matched to your particular matter
A company winding-up, recovery of book debts, the sale of Greek real estate and the division of an estate call for different experience, so we ask about your file before proposing anyone.
Free and without obligation
Describing your situation costs nothing and commits you to nothing. You decide whether to instruct the lawyer once you have seen how they would approach the matter.
Costs on the table from the start
Greek lawyers normally set their fee by written agreement, with 24% VAT, and the statutory scale applies where no agreement exists — so ask for the basis in writing before work begins.
Across Europe
Other jurisdictions connected to Greek liquidation files
Winding-up questions rarely stop at one border. Alongside Greece, we work with lawyers in the European countries most often tied to Greek companies, property and estates.
Questions and answers
Liquidation in Greece: what clients ask first
Do I need liquidation lawyers in Greece, or can I manage the winding-up myself?
Practising law in Greece requires membership of a Greek Bar Association, and a lawyer represents clients before courts, authorities and public services. Winding-up work involves the Civil Code, the Code of Civil Procedure and registry formalities, so instructing liquidation lawyers in Greece is the practical way to protect your position.
Which Greek courts would hear a liquidation-related dispute?
Civil and commercial matters start before the Magistrates’ Courts or the Courts of First Instance, with appeals going to the Courts of Appeal. The Court of Cassation (Areios Pagos) sits above them in the civil branch, divided into six civil-law chambers including a commercial chamber, but it reviews only legal correctness — there is no third instance on the facts.
How long do I have to recover a commercial debt in Greece?
Commercial claims, professional fees and periodic payments are subject to a five-year limitation period, while the general period for civil claims is twenty years. Tort claims run for five years subject to a twenty-year absolute limit. Because these periods can expire during a long liquidation, claims should be identified early.
What does a lawyer cost in a liquidation matter in Greece?
Fees are freely set by written agreement between lawyer and client, and where no agreement exists the statutory scale based on the value of the matter applies; fees carry 24% VAT. Court duties include a judicial stamp duty of 4 or 8 per mille plus a 30% TAXDIK surcharge. Free legal aid exists for low-income applicants under Law 3226/2004.
Can Greek real property be sold in a winding-up without a notarial deed?
No. In Greece the transfer or encumbrance of immovable property must be made by notarial deed, and ownership passes only once the deed is registered with the competent Land Registry or Cadastral Office, since registration is constitutive. Real Estate Transfer Tax of 3% is paid before signing, and registry searches may only be carried out by lawyers, bailiffs and notaries.
Does Greek law apply to an estate with property in Greece and heirs abroad?
As an EU Member State, Greece applies Regulation (EU) No 650/2012 to cross-border successions, so the law of the deceased’s habitual residence generally governs the succession as a whole, although a testator may elect the law of their nationality. Greece also recognises the European Certificate of Succession, and Greek forced heirship reserves half of the intestate share.
Free matching
Tell us about your liquidation matter in Greece
Describe your situation in a few lines — a company to wind up, debts to recover, Greek property to sell, or an estate to divide. We review what you send and introduce you to a Greek-qualified lawyer who handles that kind of work, at no cost and with no obligation.