Greek Power of Attorney: The Process for Authorising a Lawyer in a Property Transaction

A Greek Power of Attorney (POA, translated into Vietnamese as “giấy ủy quyền”) is the core legal document that allows a local lawyer to represent a foreign investor in the entire property transaction, opening a bank account, registering a tax number and filing the Golden Visa application, without the investor needing to be present in Greece. For Vietnamese investors, this tool allows the whole process to be carried out remotely, with the sole exception of the mandatory biometrics step in Greece.

This article analyses the Greek Power of Attorney used in property transactions in detail, distinguishing between a special POA and a general POA, clarifying the methods for signing a POA from abroad (consulate, local notary), the legalisation process, the real-world cost, and common legal risks. All information is based on the Greek Civil Code provisions on legal representation and rules updated for 2026.

To understand the context of the Golden Visa programme, where the POA plays an important role, readers should first refer to the overview article Greece Golden Visa and the country profile Greece.

What a POA is and its role in the Golden Visa journey

Under Greek law, a Power of Attorney is a legal document drawn up by the principal, granting the agent the power to act on the principal’s behalf and in their interest within the scope specified. In the Golden Visa context, the principal is the Vietnamese investor, and the agent is the Greek lawyer.

A POA is not the only certificate of representative status — the lawyer must also hold a practising licence from the local Bar Association (such as the Athens Bar Association or the Thessaloniki Bar Association). However, the POA is the prerequisite that gives the lawyer specific authority over the investor’s assets and finances.

Across the entire Golden Visa journey for a Vietnamese investor, the POA is used at six key points:

Stage	Purpose of using the POA
AFM registration	Applying for a tax number at DOY Katoikon Exoterikou
Opening a bank account	Signing KYC and AML procedures at the bank on the investor’s behalf
Property due diligence	Checking the Land Registry, verifying ownership documents
Signing the deposit agreement	Signing the Preliminary Agreement with a 10% deposit
Signing the sale and purchase agreement	Signing the Final Deed before a Greek notary
Land Registry registration	Registering the new ownership

Without a POA, the investor would have to fly to Greece at least 3-4 times to complete the whole transaction — unfeasible for most Vietnamese investors with a job and family in Vietnam.

Special POA vs general POA — which type to choose for the Golden Visa

This is the most important decision when preparing a POA. The two types of POA differ fundamentally in the scope of authority and the level of legal risk.

A General Power of Attorney grants the lawyer broad authority to act across many areas — buying, selling or leasing property, opening bank accounts, representing the investor in legal proceedings, and signing any type of contract. This is the highest-risk type of POA, as the lawyer holds almost unlimited power.

A Specific / Limited Power of Attorney grants authority only for the specific acts listed in detail — for example “register for an AFM for the purpose of buying property at address X”, “sign a sale and purchase agreement for the property at address X at a maximum price of Y”. The scope of authority is narrow and the risk is low.

Practical advice from reputable Greek lawyers is unanimous: Vietnamese Golden Visa investors should always prioritise a Specific Power of Attorney. There are three reasons.

The first reason is legal risk control. A Specific POA clearly limits what the lawyer can do. In the worst case — a lawyer acting in bad faith or making a mistake — the damage is confined to the scope granted. With a General POA, the lawyer could sell the property, withdraw funds from an account, or carry out many other transactions the investor has no control over.

The second reason is a legal requirement of the Greek system. Banks and the Land Registry have refused General POAs in numerous cases on the grounds that the document is “too vague” — it cannot be established that the grantor genuinely intended this specific transaction. A Specific POA with the property details, price, seller and registration number is accepted faster.

The third reason is that it is easy to replace. If a lawyer performs poorly and the investor wants to switch to another one, a Specific POA that has served its purpose automatically lapses once the transaction is complete. A General POA must go through a formal Deed of Revocation — which costs time and money.

For investors with longer-term needs (buying several properties, managing assets over 10+ years), several Specific POAs can be drawn up in parallel for each stage instead of a single General POA.

Two ways to sign a POA from Vietnam

Vietnamese investors have two main ways to sign a Greek Power of Attorney without being present in Greece. Each has its own advantages and drawbacks, and suits different circumstances.

Method 1: Sign the POA at the Greek Embassy in Hanoi

This is the legally recommended method because a POA signed at a Greek consulate is directly enforceable in Greece, with no need for an Apostille or further legalisation. The POA is drafted in Greek from the outset, so no translation is needed either.

The process has four steps. First, the Greek lawyer drafts the POA in Greek with the full detail the law requires. Second, the investor books an appointment with the Greek Embassy in Hanoi. Third, at the appointment, the investor signs the POA before a consular officer, with an interpreter recognised by the Embassy explaining the content if the investor does not understand Greek. Finally, the consulate stamps the POA and sends it to the lawyer in Greece by international courier.

The main drawback of this method is that consular appointments are often significantly delayed — the wait can be 4–8 weeks. Investors in Ho Chi Minh City or elsewhere far from Hanoi must also factor in the extra cost and travel time.

Method 2: Sign the POA at a Vietnamese notary office plus legalisation

This method is more flexible in terms of timing, but adds an important legalisation step. The process runs to six steps, with a core difference between the period before and after 11 September 2026.

First, the Greek lawyer drafts the POA and sends it to the investor. Second, the document is translated into Vietnamese by a translation provider recognised by the Department of Justice. Third, the investor goes to a Vietnamese notary office to sign the POA before a notary — the signature must be certified by the notary in person.

The fourth step is legalising the POA. This is where the two legal periods diverge. Before 11 September 2026, the POA had to go through a four-step consular legalisation process: certification by the Department of Justice, legalisation by the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and certification at the Greek Embassy in Hanoi. From 11 September 2026, under the announcement by the HCCH (Hague Conference on Private International Law), only a single Apostille stamp is needed, issued by the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hanoi or the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ho Chi Minh City.

Fifth, the legalised POA is officially translated into Greek in Greece by a certified translator. Finally, the Greek lawyer registers the POA with the competent authority and begins using it.

The total time for Method 2 before 11 September 2026 is usually 4–6 weeks. After 11 September 2026, it can be cut to 1–2 weeks by dropping the consular certification step.

The cost of preparing a Greek Power of Attorney

The total cost of drawing up a POA usable in Greece ranges from €200 to €800, depending on the method and the complexity of the transaction. The cost structure has four main components.

The fee for drafting the POA by a Greek lawyer is usually €150–€400. This is a critical step — the POA must meet Greece’s strict legal standards, including full property details (address, Land Registry number, floor area), the parties’ information, and the specific scope of authority. Careless drafting is the leading cause of POAs being rejected in Greece.

Notary fees in Vietnam are around 150,000–500,000 VND depending on the complexity of the document. Consular legalisation fees (before 11 September 2026) are 800,000–1,500,000 VND per document across the four steps combined. The Apostille fee (after 11 September 2026) is estimated at 200,000–500,000 VND per stamp — a significant reduction.

Translation fees in Greece are around €30–€80 per document. International courier fees between Vietnam and Greece are around €30–€60 for a standard DHL or FedEx service.

For the method of signing at the Greek Embassy in Hanoi, consular fees are usually €150–€300 per POA. Although the consular step costs more than under Method 2, it saves on legalisation and translation fees.

Mandatory content in a POA and common mistakes

A POA that meets Greek standards needs six mandatory categories of information. Missing or incorrect information in any category can get the document rejected.

The first category is the grantor’s (investor’s) full identifying information: full name as on the passport, date of birth, place of birth, nationality, passport number, issue date, expiry date, permanent address in Vietnam, and AFM tax number (if already obtained).

The second category is the attorney-in-fact’s (lawyer’s) identifying information: full name, ID or passport number, registration number with the local Bar Association, and office address. The third category is the specific scope of authority, listing in detail every act the lawyer is permitted to carry out.

The fourth category is the property information (for a sale-and-purchase POA). This includes the exact address, the Land Registry number, and the KAEK (Kadastriko Aneknoso Kodikos) code — the property’s identifier in the national cadastral system. The fifth category is the maximum permitted transaction value — the lawyer may not sign at a price above this. The last category is the POA’s validity period — usually 6–12 months for a Golden Visa POA.

The first common mistake is using an overly general POA template. One documented real case: an investor from another country signed a “General POA” at a local notary to sell a house in Thessaloniki, and the document was rejected in Greece for being too vague and lacking property details. The lesson: always have a Greek lawyer draft the POA first, rather than copying a template found online.

The second mistake is errors in identifying information. The name on the POA must match the passport exactly — including the order of surname, given name and middle name, and whether diacritics are used. Even a minor mismatch can lead a bank or notary to refuse the document.

The third mistake is not renewing the POA in time. A POA is usually valid for 6–12 months. If the transaction takes longer than expected (due to slow due diligence or delayed bank approval), the POA expires midway. The investor then has to draw up a new POA — costing as much time and money as the first one.

Revoking and amending a POA

A POA can be revoked at any time before the transaction is completed. Revocation is a two-step process: drawing up a “Deed of Revocation” at a notary office, legalised in the same way as the original POA, then sending the revocation to the appointed lawyer and to the bodies where the POA is registered (bank, Land Registry).

One important point: revocation of the POA only takes effect from the moment third parties (the lawyer, the bank, the Greek notary) receive formal notice. Any transaction the lawyer carried out before that notice remains legally valid. Investors should therefore give notice promptly and in writing — not merely by email or phone.

To amend a POA (for example, raising the maximum transaction value or adding to the scope of authority), an entirely new POA must be drawn up and the old one revoked. Greek law does not allow a POA to be “amended” the way a contract is amended — it must be a new document.

Summary and next steps

The Greek Power of Attorney is the core legal document that lets Vietnamese investors complete the entire Golden Visa transaction remotely, with the sole exception of the biometrics step. Choosing the right type of POA (Specific rather than General) and preparing complete content from the outset are the two factors that determine whether the whole process runs smoothly.

The Apostille reform taking effect on 11 September 2026 will significantly shorten POA legalisation time — a key factor, since this is the slowest step in the whole process. Investors with flexible timing can save 3–4 weeks by pushing the POA date back to after this date. See the dedicated article on The Apostille for details on how the stamp is issued.

The next recommended read is the 7-step Greece Golden Visa process to understand how the POA fits into the overall journey, then see Greece Golden Visa profile — the POA is one of the group-4 documents in the application file. Investors who already have an AFM and want to move on to the banking step can read the article on opening a Greek bank account.