Third-country nationals residing in Greece are entitled to the tax exemption for the acquisition of a first residential real property

Greece exempts from taxation on the transfer of real property the acquisition of a first residential real property by Greek tax residents and Greek nationals, upon satisfaction of certain requirements.
In a recent decision the Administrative Court of First Instance of Piraeus (Decision No. 48/2010) ruled against the tax authority who denied the tax exemption to a couple of Vietnamese nationals that are permanent residents in Greece. The Court stated that the critical requirement is the tax residence and not the nationality of the person requiring the tax exemption.