Transferring proceeds of villa sale

[Barbary Coaster]

Just to confirm that we have now completed the sale of a property in Crete, the payment was transferred direct from a Dutch bank account to a UK bank account, and agreed by the Lawyer, Notary and Tax Authority.

Bob

[Al]

We sold a house four years ago and the bulk of the money was transferred directly from France to our account in the UK. We are in the process of selling another house here and the following might be informative:
1. Moneys will be transferred directly from Norway to the UK. This is normal according to our accountant lawyer and agent.
2. Our Greek mortgage will be paid directly from Norway. It is currently illegal to pay a Greek mortgage from a Greek bank account.
3. We have been advised that as little money as possible should be paid into Greece. Once it's in it can't be paid out to another country.
Hope these things are helpful.

[Kilkis]

...It is currently illegal to pay a Greek mortgage from a Greek bank account...

I presume that should read "It is currently illegal for a foreign national to pay a Greek mortgage from a Greek bank account" or possibly "for someone who is not tax resident"? If not, then I can understand why the Greek banks have so many non-performing loans.

Warwick

[Al]

To be honest I don't really know. The young man at the bank seemed to be saying that a mortgage couldn't be paid from a Greek bank full stop. However your analysis makes more sense.