The first AI-driven telephone service for the Public Sector will become operational at the Hellenic Land Registry by early 2026. This innovative system will interact with public databases to offer tailored services to both citizens and professionals after they’ve been identified.
The digital voicemail (an extension of the chat mAlgov) will directly address inquiries, document requests needing further processing, and automatically generate digital service tickets for users. Preliminary tests indicate a high level of reliability and system performance. This activation will eliminate unanswered calls and the necessity for in-person visits to land registry offices, thereby alleviating congestion within the institution while enhancing service quality.
According to Stelios Sakaretsios, president of the Land Registry, in a statement to “THEMA,” “the AI-powered digital answering machine is not merely an innovation but signifies the end of waiting and the dawn of a new service era. By interfacing with government databases in real-time, we are developing a system that comprehensively understands, categorizes, and manages citizen requests without delays, physical presence, or wasted time. Our goal is to establish the Land Registry as a model of service and efficiency. Through AI, we’re transitioning from a period of unanswered calls to one of intelligent responses.”
Modernization Strategy
The digital answering machine is a core component of a broader modernization agenda for the Hellenic Cadastre, focused on digital advancements. This includes various applications, such as the metavoles.ktimatologio.gr platform for spatial alterations and land parcel boundary corrections, the interactive cadastral map maps.ktimatologio.gr, and the digital real estate transfer file, which has already processed 1,838 transactions in a single working day and was officially launched yesterday. This platform now supports not only transactions but also new operations, including parental transfers, inheritance payments, and donations.
Furthermore, the institution is pioneering the use of AI for legal contract reviews. This means that instead of employees sifting through hundreds of pages, the algorithm performs the task with great accuracy, validating transactions efficiently. Since its activation last September, the system has facilitated the issuance of 118,000 decisions, significantly reducing staff time.
Sakaretsios elaborates, “Previously, a complete legal audit demanded up to two hours per contract. With AI, the same process can be completed in under ten minutes with comparable—and often superior—accuracy. This dual benefit not only frees vital manpower but also accelerates workflows across all administrative processes.”
Another significant reform from the Hellenic Cadastre is the establishment of a Unified Real Estate Registry, designed to consolidate all state and private real estate data into a single platform. This application will encompass all property data, such as profiles and data integration from various sources (Land Registry, E9, PPC, Urban Planning, insurance), providing direct access to citizens and institutions while simplifying and secure transferring.
The Ministry of Digital Governance is currently drafting a bill to establish the framework for the new platform, which is expected to be presented to the Council of Ministers in June.
Completion Timeline
The decisive steps toward the digital transformation of the Land Registry are in line with its completion timeline after nearly 30 years of challenges and delays. A recent update presented to the prime minister indicates that by year-end, all properties in the country will be assigned a National Cadastre Code Number (NCRN), aiming to integrate them into a fully digitized registration system.
Cadastral registration has now achieved 65% completion, up from 36% in July 2023, with projections indicating that by year-end, most of the country will reach 92% completion. Delays in the latest cadastral studies for Corfu, Thesprotia, Crete, and the North Aegean regions may push the completion target to the fourth month of 2026 due to contractor appeals.
Project operators are in discussions with designers seeking financial compensation to amend project contracts. If progress does not accelerate sufficiently, there may be a partial extension of the project’s completion date to prevent the Hellenic Cadastre from incurring additional costs due to contract modifications.
Backlog Challenges
Following the resolution of the 350,000 pending issues from the Mortgage Offices, the completion of land registration will present the Land Registry with an additional substantial volume of tasks, estimated at 400,000 outstanding issues. The political leaders and Hellenic Cadastre administration aim to resolve all Land Registry backlog by year-end, with increased productivity expected to lead to the rapid resolution of these issues as they will be incorporated into the system incrementally.
Many of these concerns relate to errors in topographic data, undeclared properties, and registrations made with incomplete or incorrect information.
Currently, 92% of transactions at the Land Registry are conducted digitally, marking a significant advancement considering the past inefficiencies characterized by long queues and handwritten priority papers. This improvement is attributed to the current administration and signifies a positive trend in the ongoing digital transformation.
Boundary Redefinitions in Troubled Areas
One key priority for the Land Registry is to clear outstanding issues without resorting to lengthy and costly legal action. This includes redefining boundaries for 29,525 land parcels nationwide, as initial cadastral studies have revealed significant boundary errors.
Previous attempts to rectify these issues have been hindered by the lack of a framework permitting corrections without neighbors’ approval and without incurring costs for execution through bailiffs.
Recognizing past mistakes, the State is working on a legislative provision to be included in the upcoming Unified Real Estate Registry bill, which will facilitate corrections to the cadastral map by making new data public. Affected property owners will have two months to submit objections via a new digital tool (designed as a regional independent platform) that does not require bailiff intervention, rendering the process cost-free for citizens.
While the Land Registry will consider objections, it will not be bound by them when correcting administrative errors. This approach allows for necessary corrections without judicial intervention, especially in areas such as Lefkada, Chios, and Lesvos, where boundary adjustments are urgently required.
File Downloads
The commitment to technology is also evident in the digitization of physical records at the Land Registry offices. To date, more than 384 million pages have been digitized, representing approximately 62% of the total project. Additionally, 222,907,164 pages have been excluded from the Hellenic Land Registry, accounting for 37.2% of the project (exceeding a target of 30%), as these documents have been fully audited and certified, contributing to Recovery Fund milestones with €237 million allocated for the digitization of 600 million pages.
Despite the substantial progress made at all levels, the administration faces various challenges, including internal inefficiencies, some officials’ resistance to digital change, and difficulties in recruiting qualified staff due to restrictive frameworks and low compensation.
Furthermore, there are concerns about unethical practices, with some employees exploiting delays in land registration to solicit money from citizens for expedited case processing, with recent incidents already taking legal action.
Digital Ombudsman in Land Registry Offices
Additionally, an international tender is being launched immediately to select a contractor who will staff the Hellenic Cadastre offices with specialized personnel and necessary technical equipment, funded by €4 million from ESPA.
This initiative is part of a comprehensive strategy aimed at fully digitizing the Land Registry, which, while significantly enhancing procedure efficiency and speed, necessitates support for citizens unfamiliar with digital resources.
In this context, the role of a Digital Co-Preservationist will be institutionalized, providing in-person assistance and guidance to citizens and professionals at registry offices while using the Cadastre’s digital services.
The project is anticipated to last 48 months and seeks to promote digital inclusion, ensuring that no citizen is left behind in this transition to a new era.
Automatic Transcription
The Land Registry is approaching an agreement with notaries to implement a fully digital structured summary with automatic data extraction from government databases. This innovation aims to minimize errors and significantly expedite legal verification.
The streamlined process will include predefined fields (CIC, party details, price, property descriptions, etc.), allowing algorithms to automatically approve transactions in minutes if all data aligns with official records and generate certificates promptly.
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