The bill of the Ministry of Justice on the reform of Inheritance Law has been submitted to Parliament, 80 years after its first application. The bill adapts the law to the transformation of the institution of the family and to modern social changes, such as civil partnerships, same-sex marriage, and others.

The period of public consultation set by the Minister of Justice, Giorgos Floridis, and the Deputy Minister of Justice, Giannis Bougas, has been completed. The bill will be voted on by Parliament, and its implementation is expected to begin in the first half of 2026.

The reform of Inheritance Law and the modernization of the relevant provisions of the Civil Code were carried out by a committee appointed by Mr. Floridis and chaired by Emeritus Professor of the Law School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Apostolos Georgiadis.

Among the key changes introduced in Inheritance Law is that the testator (the person whose estate is inherited) will now be able to distribute their property during their lifetime—property which may include not only movable and immovable assets, but also other rights, such as intellectual property—and to choose the persons they wish to protect and secure. In other words, while still alive, individuals will be able to regulate, through legal instruments, the assets they will leave to their heirs.

At the same time, the 80-year-old regime of forced heirship (statutory shares) for spouses and children is also being reformed. More specifically, the modernization of Inheritance Law has been structured around four main pillars:

■ First, most provisions of Inheritance Law have been revised to reflect contemporary economic and social needs. In particular, the rules governing intestate succession and forced heirship have been reformed, the system of the heir’s liability for estate obligations has been revised, the institution of judicial liquidation of estates has been strengthened, and the settlement of relations among co-heirs has been simplified.

■ Second, new institutions of Inheritance Law have been introduced, such as inheritance contracts (agreements effective upon death) and inheritance contracts involving the waiver of future inheritance rights.

■ Third, interpretative ambiguities that had caused uncertainty in existing provisions and burdened case law have been legislatively resolved, such as disputes regarding the calculation of intestate shares for half-siblings.

■ Fourth, institutions of Inheritance Law that had fallen into disuse (e.g. possession by ascendants, sale of the estate, extraordinary wills) have been abolished.

Innovative changes in Inheritance Law focus on the following areas:

■ Drafting, revocation, and publication of wills

■ The Civil Code will now include a provision prohibiting dispositions by holographic will in favor of persons connected to a healthcare facility (such as directors or employees) where the testator is being cared for.

■ Public and secret wills will be executed before a notary with the presence of only two witnesses, without the alternative option of a second notary. Persons with severe speech disabilities will be able to draft a public will using mechanical or electronic means that allow the vocal rendering of their writing.

■ All types of extraordinary wills are merged into a single general category: wills made under extraordinary circumstances.

■ With regard to the revocation of wills, and contrary to the current regime, the retrieval of a secret will—which has the effect of a holographic will—from the notary will no longer be deemed equivalent to revocation.

Furthermore, in order to curb the phenomenon of forged holographic wills, it is proposed that a holographic will will not produce legal effects before being declared valid as a principal will if it benefits exclusively relatives other than those called to the first class of intestate succession and the spouse, or a non-relative, or if the will is published more than two years after the death of the testator, regardless of the beneficiary’s status.

Content of wills

The amendments clarify that a testamentary disposition in favor of a spouse is voidable in cases of consensual divorce. A corresponding provision has been added rendering voidable a disposition in favor of a partner in a civil partnership if, after the drafting of the will, a consensual or unilateral act terminating the partnership was executed.

Additionally, where a compulsory heir was omitted from the will because they were unknown to the testator at the time of drafting, the will will be voidable only to the extent that it infringes upon that heir’s intestate share, rather than being void in its entirety. The outdated condition of widowhood attached to testamentary dispositions is also abolished.

Inheritance contracts

The bill introduces inheritance contracts (agreements effective upon death), through which one or more persons may dispose of their property upon death. The counterparty to such a contract may be the beneficiary or a third party. These contracts must be executed before a notary and will be published in the Wills Registry after the death of the deceased.

Inheritance contracts are binding with regard to the appointment of heirs, the establishment of trusts, legacies, conditions, or the choice of applicable law, meaning that they cannot, in principle, be unilaterally revoked by the testator. Any subsequent will whose content contradicts the inheritance contract will be null and void. Provisions are also introduced concerning the testator’s ability to dispose of their property during their lifetime, as well as any consideration received from the contracting party.

Forced heirship (statutory share)

To avoid involuntary co-ownership and to allow for more efficient use of real estate, the institution of forced heirship is reformed. The statutory share will now constitute an obligational, primarily monetary claim of the compulsory heir. This claim, which is inheritable and transferable, is secured through the introduction of a new general privilege in enforcement proceedings and by granting the compulsory heir a legal title for the registration of a mortgage on estate property.

Accordingly, all relevant provisions are revised to align with the legal nature of forced heirship, while the grounds for deprivation of the statutory share are modernized, with the most significant being the compulsory heir’s ingratitude toward the testator.

The intestate inheritance rights of the spouse are strengthened. When concurring with the deceased’s children, the spouse will receive one-third if there is one child, and one-quarter if there are two or more children. Furthermore, the spouse will be called as the sole intestate heir in the third class, before grandparents, uncles, aunts, and first cousins.

The interpretative issue concerning the exclusion of the intestate inheritance rights of the spouse and civil partner in cases of consensual dissolution is also resolved. For the first time, under strict conditions, a partner in a de facto union may inherit in the fifth class. The inheritance rights of great-grandparents are abolished.

A significant innovation is the establishment, within the second and fourth classes of succession, of a right for ascendant heirs to reclaim gifts they had made to the deceased from the ascendants of the other line. In parallel, a statutory legacy in favor of the deceased’s caregiver is introduced, the amount of which will be determined by the court.

Lifetime contracts

For the first time, contracts are established under which a person may waive their future inheritance rights vis-à-vis the estate of the contracting party, possibly in exchange for consideration. These waiver agreements must be executed before a notary.

Acceptance and renunciation of inheritance

The issue is clarified as to whether, following the judicial annulment of a presumed acceptance of inheritance, the heir must submit a new declaration of renunciation. The provision granting minors a one-year period after reaching adulthood to renounce an inheritance is abolished.

Inheritance incapacity

The institution of automatic inheritance incapacity is reintroduced in cases where the heir has been previously convicted of a felony against the life, health, or sexual freedom of the deceased. The range of offenses justifying a judicial declaration of unworthiness is further expanded.

Relations among heirs

To promote more effective use of inherited property (especially real estate), each co-heir is granted the right to request that the court order the buyout of another co-heir’s share at a price determined by the court in the absence of agreement. The court may also award ownership of property that served as the family home of the deceased and another intestate heir, provided the deceased had no spouse or civil partner.

Liability of the heir and judicial liquidation

The entire system governing the heir’s liability for estate obligations is revised, and the institution of judicial liquidation is strengthened. As a rule, the heir will not be personally liable with their own assets for estate debts, unless they declare to the court that they will manage and dispose of the estate freely, or if—having failed to make such a declaration—they dispose of estate assets for purposes other than satisfying estate creditors.

All provisions governing judicial liquidation are also revised. In particular, disqualifications for the appointment of a liquidator are introduced; the liquidator is to be a lawyer registered on a special list of the relevant Bar Association. The procedure for appointment is regulated, and the method of summoning estate creditors to file their claims is modernized.

Provisions are also introduced concerning the right to file objections contesting specific claims, the obligation of the liquidator to draw up a ranking table of creditors (with objection rights modeled on the Code of Civil Procedure), and the principle that the entire estate will not be liquidated unless necessary. Upon completion of liquidation, creditors who failed to file claims will no longer be satisfied.

Trusts and legacies

A time limitation is introduced for the vesting of trusts: inheritance in favor of the trustee-beneficiary will lapse after 30 years from the testator’s death. Regarding legacies, the abolition of real (in rem) legacies is proposed, retaining only obligational legacies.

Certificate of inheritance and executor of the will

The bill also introduces the possibility of issuing multiple certificates of inheritance, certifying heirship across successive inheritances. At the same time, the testator is granted the right to appoint an executor with purely administrative powers, allowing the executor to manage the estate even if the will contains no specific provisions requiring execution.

Finally, a long-standing interpretative issue is resolved concerning whether the management of an estate left to a minor or to a person under judicial guardianship should be exercised by the executor, the minor’s guardian, or the judicial guardian.