European e-Justice Portal - National ordinary courts

Civil courts (Politiká dikastíria)

All private disputes are referred to civil courts, including non-contentious cases assigned to these courts by law.

The civil courts are:

The Supreme Court (Áreios Págos)
Courts of Appeal (Efeteía)
Courts of First Instance with several judges (Polymelí Protodikeía)
One-Member Courts of First Instance (Monomelí Protodikeía)
District Civil Courts (Eirinodikeía)

Criminal Courts (Poiniká dikastíria)

Criminal Courts hear criminal cases.

The Criminal Courts are:

The Supreme Court (Áreios Págos)
Five-member Courts of Appeal (Pentamelí Efeteía)
Mixed jury Courts (meiktá orkotá dikastíria)
Mixed jury Courts of Appeal (meiktá orkotá Efeteía)
Three-member Courts of Appeal (Trimelí Efeteía)
Three-member Magistrates’ Courts (Trimelí Plimmeleiodikeía)
One-member Magistrates’ Courts (Monomelí Plimmeleiodikeía)
District Criminal Courts (Ptaismatodikeía)
Juvenile Courts (Dikastíria Anilíkon)

By virtue of special laws, criminal jurisdiction is also exercised by:

Courts Martial (Stratodikeía)
Naval Courts (Naftodikeía)
Air Force Courts (Aerodikeía)

These courts try cases as special criminal courts.

These courts try cases involving offences by military personnel serving in the army, navy or air force.

Administrative Courts (Dioikitiká dikastíria)

The Council of State (Symvoúlio tis Epikrateías) is one of the three highest courts in Greece (together with the Supreme Court and the Hellenic Court of Auditors (Elegktikó Synédrio)).

In brief, the Council of State hears cases including:

petitions for the annulment of administrative acts for breach of law, abuse of power, lack of competence or formal omission;
appeals by civilian, military, government and other personnel against rulings by staff councils (ypiresiaká symvoúlia) on promotion, dismissal, demotion, etc.;
petitions for review of rulings by Administrative Courts. Αdministrative courts are responsible for resolving administrative disputes between government administration and citizens.

The Court of Auditors has both judicial and administrative powers, which makes it a dual-function body. Its remit is to control State expenditure, both by the public sector and by the local authorities. It is also responsible for overseeing and attributing responsibility to public administrators, and has judicial powers to rule upon certain civil servants’ salary cases.

The Ordinary Administrative Courts (taktiká dioikitiká dikastíria) are the Administrative Courts of First Instance (Dioikitiká Protodikeía) and the Administrative Courts of Appeal (Dioikitiká Efeteía).

The Administrative Courts of First Instance sit as a one or three-member bench, depending on the monetary value of the dispute. They hear taxation cases, disputes between individuals and social security or social policy organisations and administrative disputes between citizens and national or local government.

Three-member administrative courts of first instance also hear appeals against rulings by one-member administrative courts of first instance.

Administrative courts of appeal hear appeals against rulings by three-member administrative courts of first instance. They also rule in the first instance on petitions for annulment of administrative acts relating to the employment of civil servants (dismissals, failure to appoint or promote, etc.).

Legal databases

Website of the Council of State. Access to the database is free of charge.
Website of the Supreme Court. Access to the database is free of charge.

Related links

Supreme Court

Council of State and Administrative Justice

Hellenic Court of Auditors

Athens Court of First Instance

Thessaloniki Court of First Instance

Piraeus Court of First Instance

Patras Court of First Instance

Tripoli Court of First Instance

Amfissa Court of First Instance

Patras District Civil Court

Nikaia District Civil Court

Corinth District Civil Court

Last update: 14/06/2024

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