Digital Wills: How the New 24-Hour Publication Process Works

The digitalization of inheritance-related procedures is bringing radical changes for citizens, making the publication of wills faster and simpler. Through a new electronic system, the publication of a will is now completed on the same day or, at the latest, the day after the submission of necessary documents to the notary, eliminating delays that in the past reached up to three months.

The General Registry of Wills and the diathikes.gr Platform

This significant acceleration was made possible thanks to the operation of the Γενικό Μητρώο Διαθηκών (General Registry of Wills), which was implemented on November 1, 2025. The project was carried out by the Ministry of Justice in cooperation with the Συντονιστική Επιτροπή Συμβολαιογραφικών Συλλόγων Ελλάδος (Coordinating Committee of Notary Associations of Greece). Under Law 5221/2025, all types of wills—holograph (handwritten), secret (sealed), and public (notarized)—are published electronically via the digital platform diathikes.gr (Greece's mandatory portal for probate filing). The platform is managed by the Συμβολαιογραφικός Σύλλογος Εφετείων Αθηνών – Πειραιώς – Αιγαίου και Δωδεκανήσου (Notary Association of the Appeals Courts of Athens-Piraeus-Aegean and Dodecanese).

Although the initial system concerned deaths occurring after November 1, 2025, the newer Law 5264/2025 provided the possibility for notaries to publish wills for cases of deaths prior to that date. In fact, the regulation also covers cases for which a publication application had already been filed with the Πρωτοδικείο (Court of First Instance), provided it is withdrawn by the applicant and a relevant certificate from the court registry is provided. The only required supporting document for the immediate publication of a will is the submission of the testator's death certificate.

New Standards in Inheritance Rights

Parallel to the digitalization of the process, significant changes are being introduced to inheritance law, adapting it to modern social conditions. Individuals who have entered into a Σύμφωνο Ελεύθερης Συμβίωσης (Civil Partnership Agreement) now acquire inheritance rights equal to those of a surviving spouse. Additionally, it is provided that a surviving partner, even without a civil partnership agreement, can acquire full inheritance rights if there are no other relatives with a corresponding claim.

The condition for transfer in this case is that the couple must have cohabited for at least three years. The surviving partner is required to file an application within four months of the testator's passing, while they are also recognized the right to use the shared residence for a period of one year.

Statistical Data and Response

The acceptance and functionality of the new digital framework are reflected in the initial statistical data. From November 1, 2025, to April 14, 2026, 30,011 unpublished wills were registered in the Registry. Simultaneously, publication was requested for 8,426 of these. Specifically, 3,683 public wills, 1,440 holograph wills, 3,085 holograph wills held by third parties, 154 third-party holographs published by a Greek court, and 64 secret wills were published.

During the same period, total applications submitted reached 47,450. The bulk of these (44,128) concerned the issuance of certificates regarding the publication or non-publication of a will, while the remainder concerned the issuance of publication minutes (2,192), will searches (1,027), and acts declaring a holograph will as primary (103).