How to Get a Death Certificate in Greece

Greek death certificates are issued exclusively in Greek, must be filed within 24 hours of the medical report, and require physical attendance at a municipal registry office. If you are a foreigner navigating this process, here is exactly how it works.

Step 1: Secure the Medical Death Report

Before you can register the death, a doctor must issue the Medical Death Report (Iatrikí Vevaíosi Thanátou). For hospital deaths, the attending physician handles this within one to four hours. For deaths at home or in a public place, the local police and public prosecutor must be notified first — if the death was sudden or unexplained, a state forensic autopsy is mandatory, and the medical report may take 24 to 72 hours.

The medical report must explicitly state the cause of death. If it is left blank because forensic results are pending, Greek banks and foreign embassies will reject the death certificate for probate and insurance purposes.

Step 2: Register at the Lixiarchio Within 24 Hours

Under Law 344/1976, the death must be declared at the municipal Civil Registry Office (Lixiarchío) of the municipality where the death occurred or where the burial is scheduled. The 24-hour clock starts from the moment the medical death report is issued, not from the time of death itself.

Required documents for registration:

• Signed and sealed medical death report
• Original passport of the deceased
• Passport or ID of the person filing (next of kin, funeral director, or anyone present at the death)
• The deceased's Greek tax identification number (AFM) and social security number (AMKA), if available

Your funeral director typically handles the registration. This is standard practice in Greece — funeral directors are expected to coordinate with registries and hospitals as administrative intermediaries, not just service providers.

Step 3: Collect Certified Copies

The registry issues the official Greek Death Certificate (Lixiarkhikí Práxi Thanátou) bearing the municipal blue stamp. Request at least five certified copies. Banks, embassies, courts, insurers, and the tax authority each require originals.

For deaths registered after May 8, 2013, additional copies can later be retrieved online through the gov.gr portal using personal Taxisnet credentials. The initial declaration, however, must always be processed in person at the local registry.

Late Registration Penalties

If a burial occurs before the death is registered, the only path to registration is a court decision, which introduces significant delays and legal costs.

Getting the Certificate in English

Greece does not issue death certificates in English. To use the certificate outside Greece, you need two things:

Certified translation: Upload the blue-stamped original to the gov.gr digital translation portal, which assigns it to a freelancer on the Register of Certified Translators of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Alternatively, a licensed Greek attorney can certify translations under bar association authority. Expect €30–€100 per page and two to five business days.

Apostille stamp: If the document is going to a Hague Convention signatory country (US, UK, Australia, Canada, and most EU states), the regional administrative authority (Apokendroméni Dioíkisi) must append an Apostille stamp before translation. This authenticates the document for international legal use.

Do not use uncertified translators or foreign translation agencies — Greek courts, tax offices, and banks reject stamps they do not recognize.

Special Cases: Deaths Abroad by Greek Citizens

If a Greek citizen dies abroad, or if a foreign national's Greek estate requires a formalized domestic death registration, the filing goes to the Special Civic Registry of Athens (Eidikó Lixiarchío Athinón) at Stadiou 27. Applications can be submitted in person, through a Greek attorney using a notarized Special Power of Attorney, or electronically by a foreign consular officer.

The Greece Expat Death Administration Guide includes the complete document preparation checklist for death registration, certified translation, and Apostille — with step-by-step instructions for US, UK, and Australian citizens.

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