Greece plans major reforms to its inheritance laws, updating legislation unchanged since 1946. The draft bill, set for presentation and public consultation, proposes amending 135 articles, repealing 28, and adding 17 new provisions.

The changes address modern family and economic realities. Key updates include introducing inheritance contracts, increasing spousal shares, granting rights to unmarried partners, revising mandatory heir portions, and improving safeguards for handwritten wills.

Inheritance contracts—binding agreements between individuals and heirs—will be permitted for the first time, with revocation allowed only in cases of serious misconduct. Joint wills will also become legal, enabling multiple parties to sign one testament.

Spouses will receive larger shares: one third of the estate with one child, one quarter with two or more, and the entire estate if no children or parents remain, overruling distant relatives. Unmarried partners who cohabit for at least three years (or have children together) will gain inheritance rights when no closer relatives survive.

Mandatory heir portions shift from property claims to monetary compensation, ensuring excluded heirs get financial payments rather than assets. Handwritten wills will require graphological analysis for authenticity when non-immediate relatives are named, and bequests to hospital staff will be valid only if they are legal heirs.

Heirs will not be personally liable for estate debts unless they accept responsibility, limiting creditors’ claims to estate assets managed by court-appointed liquidators. The widowhood requirement will be removed, and emergency wills can now be executed in any life-threatening situation.