A civil lawsuit, a criminal report or complaint, and interim measures are different legal routes under Greek law. A lawsuit normally seeks final protection of a private right. A criminal report or, where required, a formal complaint asks the authorities to investigate conduct that may constitute an offence. Interim measures provide temporary protection when waiting for the main proceedings could cause serious harm.

The quick distinction

  • Civil lawsuit: for payment, damages, recognition of a right, delivery, or an order to stop or refrain from conduct.
  • Criminal report or complaint: for investigation and possible punishment of an offence; it does not automatically award full civil damages.
  • Interim measures: for urgent, temporary protection where a right and the risk of delay can be shown on a preliminary basis.
  • Temporary order: for an even shorter provisional arrangement until the interim-measures hearing, when the court accepts the urgency.

What a civil lawsuit does

A lawsuit is a structured pleading filed with the competent civil court. It must identify the parties, material facts, legal basis, evidence and the exact remedy requested. It may concern debts, compensation, property, personality rights, contracts, family matters, employment or commercial disputes. Filing does not mean that the claimant has already won and does not by itself freeze the defendant's assets.

Following the amendment of Article 215 of the Greek Code of Civil Procedure by Law 5282/2026, the hearing in the standard situation governed by that provision is set 200 to 210 days after filing. This is the scheduling of the first hearing, not a promise that the case will be finally resolved within that period.

Criminal report and complaint

Some offences are prosecuted once the authorities learn of them; others require a complaint by the injured person. Under the general rule in Article 114 of the Greek Penal Code, where a complaint is required it must be filed within three months from the moment the entitled person knows both the act and the perpetrator. The starting point can be disputed, so the deadline should never be estimated casually.

Law 5232/2025 provides a EUR 100 filing fee in the cases covered by the provision and also lists exceptions. A separate EUR 350 fee may apply to the specific appeal against a rejection order governed by the relevant criminal-procedure rule. Fees and exemptions must be checked on the filing date. Criminal proceedings should be based on concrete facts and lawfully obtained evidence, not used merely as pressure in a private dispute.

When interim measures are appropriate

Interim measures preserve a right or temporarily regulate a situation because of urgency or imminent risk. The court examines the probable existence of the right and the need for immediate action. Possible examples include stopping an ongoing infringement, preserving assets where enforcement is demonstrably at risk, or temporarily regulating a family situation.

The main-action deadline is not identical in every case. When interim protection is ordered before the main action, Article 693 allows the court to set a filing period of no less than 60 days from publication of the decision. If that period expires without action, the measure is lifted automatically, subject to the specific exception for timely service of a payment order. Former Article 732A, which once imposed a special rule for temporary regulation under Articles 731-732, was repealed by Law 5282/2026. There is therefore no single automatic 60-day deadline for every such measure; the type of protection and the operative part of the decision must be checked.

Evidence to preserve immediately

  1. Write a dated chronology while events are fresh.
  2. Keep contracts, receipts, bank movements, medical documents and official reference numbers.
  3. Preserve complete messages, emails, URLs and original files, not only isolated screenshots.
  4. Record genuine witnesses and what each person directly observed.
  5. Do not obtain evidence through unlawful access, surveillance or disclosure of personal data.

Before choosing a route

Define the result you need, check whether the risk can wait, identify every limitation period, assess the evidence and ask whether a formal notice, mediation, payment order or another special procedure fits better. One incident may require parallel civil, criminal and temporary-protection steps, but each has its own purpose.

Download the detailed 21-page Greek PDF guide

Official sources

Photo: Mikhail Nilov / Pexels. The image is illustrative.

Law check: 4 August 2026. This is general information, not individual legal advice. Jurisdiction, deadlines, fees and the correct route must be confirmed for the facts and law applicable at the time of action.