For decades, Greek inheritance law recognized only formal family structures — kinship, marriage, and more recently civil partnerships — as a basis for succession rights.
But social reality has long moved ahead of the law.
With the new legislative reform, Greece takes a significant step forward: for the first time, cohabiting partners (in a non-marital union) may acquire inheritance rights — under specific and clearly defined conditions.
What changes in practice?
• A cohabiting partner may now be called to inherit in the absence of a spouse
• Recognition requires permanent cohabitation, generally for at least 3 years (unless there are common children)
• Rights are limited and conditional, not equivalent to those of a spouse
The most important distinction:
• If relatives exist → the partner is granted temporary protection of the main residence
• If no relatives exist → the partner may become a full heir, replacing the State (subject to judicial confirmation)
Crucially, this right is not automatic.
A court must verify the factual conditions (duration, stability of the relationship), introducing a level of legal scrutiny that differentiates cohabiting partners from spouses.
The reform also extends — under conditions — protection of the family home, allowing the partner to continue the lease of the shared residence.
Why does this matter?
This reform reflects a broader shift: the law begins to acknowledge cohabitation as a real form of family life, capable of producing legal effects — but without fully equating it to marriage.
It is a step forward, but also a carefully balanced one.