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at a glance
Greek Citizenship
A Greek Passport holder can reside and work in all the countries of the European Union. To obtain a Greek Passport you must first register with a Greek Municipality. Generally, the child of a Greek citizen obtains citizenship at birth.
If we can establish the chain of life events from one of your ancestors to you, then it is possible to establish your Greek Citizenship. Without an established chain, it is a lengthier process. Your options are fact specific.
We help Greek-Americans claim Greek citizenship or establish their right through naturalization. The process may be lengthy and requires the collaboration of the U.S. and Greek attorneys. When you hire our office, we will walk you through the process step by step, keep you well informed of the progress and celebrate with you at the issuance of your Greek identity and passport.
Citizenship by birth
A child born in wedlock to a Greek father and/or a Greek mother may obtain Greek citizenship by birth regardless of the country of birth.
Citizenship by birth is established with an uninterrupted sequence of documents proving Greek origin. This is done through the Greek parent’s certificate of registration with a Greek Municipality (pistopiitiko ikogeniakis katastasis). Locating a registration, however, may be challenging. In cases where the Greek parent immigrated prior to the 1950’s or the 1960’s, it is almost impossible to retrieve records. In most areas of Greece there is no indexing of such records or the historical archives are lost due to wars and natural disasters.
The uninterrupted sequence of Greek origin requires the registration of the relevant family life events, such as births, marriages, divorces or deaths etc., with the competent Greek Authorities. As of January 1, 2022, these are exclusively handled by the Greek Consulate of the area where each event took place. The Athens Special Registry may handle registrations only by exception, as prescribed by law (e.g., in cases where the applicant resides more than 500 km away from the competent General Greek Consulate or Embassy, or when there is no General Greek Consulate or Embassy operating in the area, etc.)
The process includes an application, which together with the supporting documentation is submitted directly to the Greek Municipality with jurisdiction or, depending on the specifics of the case, to the competent Citizenship Department in Greece. The later requires that the application and supporting documentation be filed in person with the Greek Consulate of the applicant’s place of residence.
Citizenship by virtue of special provisions
Most common cases include:
- a) article 2 of the Greek Nationality Code
Greek citizenship due to acknowledgement by a Greek father, provided, among other requirements, that the acknowledgement took place while the child was a minor.
- b) article 3 of the Greek Nationality Code
Greek citizenship due to adoption by a Greek parent, provided, among other requirements, that the adoption took place while the child was a minor.
- c) article 14 of the Greek Nationality Code
Greek citizenship through declaration of intention to obtain Greek citizenship before the Greek Consulate.
The application together with the supporting documentation is submitted in person to the Greek Consulate of the applicant’s place of residence, and forwarded to the competent Citizenship Department in Greece.
Citizenship by naturalization
Citizenship by naturalization of article 10 of the Greek Nationality Code (“politografisi omogenous”) is a lengthy process. It requires extensive documentation establishing the applicant’s Greek background, their ties to Greece, and their Greek heritage. The submission of the application and supporting documentation is followed by an interview with the Greek Consul. The Naturalization determination rests at the discretion of the Greek Authorities.
Documents
Documents establishing Greek background can include old Greek passports, immigration documents, ancestor’s registration documents found in Greece, etc.
Documents establishing ties with Greece include certificates of attendance of Greek schools, participation in Greek cultural or other organizations abroad, letters of recommendation from other members of the Greek community, etc.
Interview
The interview with the Greek Consul, is a crucial and integral part of the naturalization process. During the interview the applicant will be asked questions about Greece, Greek history and culture, political and socioeconomic life, geography, famous and historical Greek figures, etc.. Knowledge of the Greek language is taken into consideration.
The Process
- a) filing of the naturalization application along with all the supporting documentation before the Greek Consulate of the applicant’s place of residence.
- b) interview with the Greek Consul, during which the applicant will be asked various questions about Greece. Knowledge of the Greek language, if any, is taken into consideration.
- c) the Greek Consul reviews the application, the submitted documentation and the findings from the interview and determines whether the applicant may be characterized as a person of Greek background (“omogenis”) and whether the applicant has a strong connection to Greece or not,
- d) the Greek Consul will then draft his written report/opinion, including his opinion (i.e., favorable or not) on the applicant’s eligibility for the Greek citizenship through naturalization of article 10, and will forward the same along with the applicant’s complete file to the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Athens,
- e) the Greek Ministry of Internal Affairs will review the applicant’s file and the Greek Consul’s written report. If the Ministry of Internal Affairs concludes that the applicant fulfills the requirements prescribed by the Greek Nationality Code (i.e., Greek background and strong connection to Greece), then a Decision granting the applicant the Greek citizenship will be issued. If not, then a Decision rejecting the applicant’s application will be issued,
- f) if the application is approved, the applicant will be invited to the Greek Consulate to take the naturalization oath before the Greek Consul. The oath is an important part of the procedure. If not taken within the prescribed deadlines, the Greek citizenship will not be granted,
- g) if the application is approved, the applicant’s file will then also be forwarded to the competent Municipality in Greece, where the applicant wishes to be registered,
- h) the competent Municipality will then proceed with all the required actions for the applicant’s registration with the Greek Municipal Rolls, after which his/her case will be finalized, and
- i) as mentioned above, if the naturalization application is approved and the applicant has minor and single children at the time of his/her oath, then his/her minor children will also obtain the Greek citizenship from the date of the oath without the filing of additional applications. If, on the other hand, the applicant’s children are no longer minors or are married at the time of the oath, then they will need to file separate naturalization applications, should they wish to obtain the Greek citizenship.
Many of the above procedures can be implemented through a Limited Power of Attorney to a specialized Greek Lawyer.
Terminology
Ελληνική υπηκοότητα (elliniki ipikootita): Greek citizenship
Δήμος (dimos): municipality
Πιστοποιητικό (pistopoiitiko): certificate
Οικογενειακή κατάσταση (ikogeniaki katastasi): registration with a Greek municipality
Ληξιαρχική πράξη (lixiarxiki praxi): registrar act
Γέννηση (genisi): birth
Γάμος (gamos): marriage
Διαζύγιο (dizigio): divorce
Θάνατος (thanatos): death
Αναγνώριση τέκνου(anagnorisis teknou): acknowledgment of paternity
Υιοθεσία (iothesia): adoption
Δήλωση (dilosi): declaration
Ομογενής (omogenis): person of Greek background
Πολιτογράφηση ομογενούς (politographisi omogenous): naturalization of person of Greek background
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