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Greek forest map codes: what AA, PA or DD on the plot you want to buy actually means
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Greek forest map codes for plot buyers: AA, PA, PD, DD, DA, XA and AN, what each means for building and when a forest office certificate is needed.
This guide is a preliminary screen for a purchase or permit question, not legal, surveying, engineering or tax advice; read the full scope and limits before relying on it.
Have a specific plot in mind? The map checks from this guide can be run on it, with source and date, for EUR 29 total · VAT included. Pin it on the map →
You open the Greek forest map (δασικός χάρτης), find the plot, and two Greek letters sit on it: ΑΑ, ΠΑ or ΔΔ. Whether you can build, whether you need a certificate from the forest service and whether the seller is selling a plot or a piece of forest all depend on those letters. This guide decodes the common ones and says what to do with each before the preliminary agreement. For how the maps are published, objected to and ratified, see our main guide to the forest map.
The codes, in Greek and Latin letters
| Code | Greek meaning | In plain English | For a buyer |
|---|---|---|---|
| ΑΑ (AA) | Ανέκαθεν άλλης μορφής ή χρήσης | Always of another form or use | Not forest or grazing land; the forest map does not stop building |
| ΠΑ (PA) | Τελεσίδικες πράξεις χαρακτηρισμού, μη δασικές | Final classification decision: not forest | A final decision classes the land as non-forest |
| ΠΔ (PD) | Τελεσίδικες πράξεις χαρακτηρισμού, δασικές | Final classification decision: forest | A final decision classes the land as forest |
| ΔΔ (DD) | Ανέκαθεν δασικές | Always forest | Forest land, under forest law restrictions |
| ΔΑ (DA) | Εκχερσωμένες δασικές | Cleared forest | Was forest, cleared for another use; still forest in character |
| ΧΑ (XA) | Χορτολιβαδικές το 1945, άλλης μορφής 2007–2009 | Grazing land in 1945 photos, other cover in 2007–09 photos | Needs careful legal review |
| ΑΝ (AN) | Κηρυγμένες αναδασωτέες | Declared for reforestation | Reforestation order binds the land's use |
The map legend includes other codes too. If you see one not listed here, read the legend of that specific publication and ask your engineer.
Character, not ownership
Forest maps set the character of land. They do not decide who owns it. A ΔΔ parcel can legally belong to the seller; it is simply forest land with the restrictions that come with it. And an ΑΑ code does not prove the seller owns the plot: that is checked in the cadastre, starting from the KAEK.
AA and PA: do you still need a forest office certificate?
Buyers often read online that they need a "non-forestry status certificate" from the forest office before a building permit. That was the older route: building outside town plans first required the land to be classed as non-forest. According to a ministry circular reported in the press, for properties outside town plans and outside villages that the forest map codes ΑΑ or ΠΑ, no forest service certificate is now needed, whatever stage the map is at (published, partly or fully ratified). The certificate was replaced by the engineer's sworn statement on the topographic diagram.
So: if the plot is ΑΑ or ΠΑ, ask your engineer to mark it on the topographic diagram and confirm that the code covers the whole parcel. If it is ΠΑ, also ask the seller for a copy of the final classification decision.
When the code is something else
ΔΔ, ΔΑ or ΠΔ. The plot, or the coded part of it, is forest in character. Do not pay a building-plot price. If the seller says the code is wrong, ask whether an objection was filed when the map was published and where it stands.
ΑΝ. A reforestation order binds the land. An engineer or notary cannot fix that.
ΧΑ. Grazing land in 1945, something else in recent photos. Get your engineer's written view on what that means for this parcel before any deposit.
Mixed parcel. If the ΑΑ/ΔΔ line crosses the plot, only the ΑΑ part counts for building. The engineer measures each part and checks whether the ΑΑ part meets the minimum plot size on its own.
From abroad
The forest map viewer works from anywhere and needs no account, but it is in Greek. Note the code and the map stage, screenshot the legend, and send both to your Greek engineer or lawyer before you sign anything.
A LandCheck report shows, for the parcel you pick, the forest map together with the cadastral outline, land use, coastal zone and risks, with source and date. It does not issue certificates or replace your engineer. See the forest classification of your plot in a LandCheck report → · Read a full sample report
Sources
- Forest maps Q&A (codes, character vs ownership), mononews.gr; oenet.gr, accessed via search engine 2.11.2026.
- Decentralised Administration of Crete, Chania forest map presentation (code legend), apdkritis.gov.gr, accessed 2.11.2026.
- Simplified out-of-plan building permits after forest map publication (ΑΑ/ΠΑ, engineer's statement), lawspot.gr, accessed via search engine 2.11.2026.
Common questions
What does PA mean on a Greek forest map?
A final classification decision that the land is not forest and not grazing land.
Is a "non-forestry status certificate" still required?
For plots outside town plans and villages coded ΑΑ or ΠΑ, the reported circular says no; the engineer's statement on the topographic diagram replaces it.
Does a ΔΔ code mean the seller does not own the land?
No. The map decides the land's character, not its owner.
What does AN mean?
Land declared for reforestation.
Keep reading
The Greek forest map (δασικός χάρτης): codes, αναδασωτέα and how to check a plot yourself
Buying forest-flagged land in Greece: ΔΑ, ΑΔ, ΔΔ, objections and αναδασωτέα
Everything that can stop you building in Greece: the restriction stack
ΚΑΕΚ and the Greek cadastre: reading the code, and the deadline behind it
Check this on your own parcel
A LandCheck report shows, for the parcel you pick, the forest map together with the cadastral outline, land use, coastal zone and risks, with source and date. It does not issue certificates or replace your engineer. EUR 29 total · VAT included.