Greek Citizenship by Descent

 

Must-know information about getting your Greek dual citizenship (wherever you live)

UPDATED 18/11/2023

In this post:

1. Know what you’ve got to gain: a deeper connection to Greece and Greek EU citizenship privileges and opportunities.
2. Know which generations can apply for Greek citizenship by descent and what this means short- and long-term.
3. Know the best way to start your Greek citizenship-by-descent application.
4. Know about the ultimate guide that’s available to help you throughout your Greek registration process.
5. Know about the documents required for a Greek citizenship application/petition based on parents 2023.
6. Know about citizenship applications based on a registered Greek grandparent/great grandparent (citizenship-by-descent naturalisation).
7. Know about the help guide that’s available for young male citizenship applicants. It shows them how to postpone their compulsory military service on an ongoing basis when they become Greek citizens.

Also, in this post:

8. Empower yourself for your Greek citizenship goal.

9. About the ETIAS visa waiver now scheduled for 2024 (by the author of the guides, on Youtube).

10.Disclaimer.

But first:

1. Know what you’ve got to gain: a deeper connection to Greece and Greek EU citizenship privileges and opportunities

So, move toward this today!

Applying for your Greek citizenship is a very valuable and meaningful project. By exercising your Greek birthright you can create a deeper connection to your heritage and your family’s πατρίδα (patrida – homeland). Imagine experiencing beautiful Greece as a citizen rather than as a foreigner.

Plus, you’ll gain access to many valuable and ongoing EU citizen benefits. This will redefine your future as a global citizen. Your Greek citizenship can open up a world of EU opportunities, such as:

• travelling freely throughout the 27 countries of the EU without needing to apply for a ETIAS visa waiver (coming out in 2024) to enter those EU countries that are in the Schengen Zone. (ETIAS visa waiver applies to citizens of countries who currently don’t require a visa to enter the Schengen Zone such as Australia, USA, Canada, UK and New Zealand),
• having the right to study, work and do business as a legal citizen in any country of the EU,
• enjoying reduced length-of-stay restrictions in Greece and the EU,
• buying properties and renting them out legally in any EU country,
• having the safety net of choosing to live in your current country or in any of the EU countries,
• opening up the opportunities for your children and future generations, and
• retiring on an island in Greece or anywhere in the EU if you want!

So get excited! You’re going to redefine your and your family’s future!

 

2. Know which generations can apply for Greek citizenship by descent and what this means short- and long-term.

Greece allows up to third generation applicants to apply for Greek citizenship by descent. In other words, you can apply if you have a registered Greek parent, grandparent or great grandparent.

However, basing your citizenship application on a Greek parent who was a registered Greek citizen at the time of your birth is the best way forward, if possible. This is because Greece will approve you as being of Greek nationality and a Greek citizen from the time of your birth. This means that your child will have a registered Greek parent (you) to base his/her Greek citizenship on from the time of his/her birth too. Then your child’s children will have a Greek parent (your child) registered from birth for their Greek citizenship too.

With second and third generation applications (based on a grandparents and great grandparents), you won’t be acknowledged by Greece as being a Greek citizen from birth and therefore your children will not have a parent who is registered from birth. This also applies to applicants whose parent wasn’t a registered Greek citizen at the time of his/her birth, but became a citizen when the applicant was an adult.

In addition, the Greek citizenship application and registration process based on a parent (a standard application) is shorter, less involved, less bureaucratic and requires less documentation than second and third generation applications. If you base your application on a grandparent/great grandparent or parent who wasn’t a Greek citizen at the time of your birth, you will need to go through longer, more bureaucratic Naturalisation Process for descent applicants and provide extra documents.

Of course, for all citizenship applications you must provide the supporting/verification documents that you need to link you directly to your registered Greek ancestor. Naturally, this can be extremely difficult to do if your application is based on a great grandparent because the Greek municipal offices and/or your consular authority may not be able to locate your ancestor’s archived registration documents or documents may have been lost during wars. Also, the more certificates you need to provide to link you to your ancestor, the more likely that name changes and variations of name spelling on certificates will appear, which can cause difficulties.

 

3. Know the best way to start your Greek citizenship-by-descent application

Contact your consular authority immediately to make a citizenship application appointment. Note: Some consulates, such as in New York City, require that you submit a preliminary application and certain documents before allowing you to make an appointment for a citizenship application. So get going on this!

Now that (basically) Greek lawyers can no longer submit applications to Greece and only consular authorities may submit applications, the increased workload on consular officers has resulted in extremely long wait times for consular appointments. I’ve heard recently that around Australia citizenship applicants have had to book appointments two years in advance! So act now and contact your consular authority – in the way that it specifies – to book an appointment or start preparing the pre-appointment documents (if your consulate requires this first) to provide to your consular authority as soon as possible.

Obtaining Greek citizenship by descent can be challenging. However, remember that your Greek citizenship registration is a temporary process that will give you lots of lifelong benefits. So begin the process with your eyes on the prize and keep them there!

That said, the process will be much easier and more pleasant if you have:

• the info you want in one easy place, and
• support and guidance from start to completion.

That’s where Danae’s two friendly, easy-to-read guides – Guide to Your Greek Citizenship by Descent and Guide to Deferring Your Greek Army Service Indefinitely – come in.

 

4. Know about the ultimate guide that’s available to help you throughout your Greek registration process. Extend your must-know information.

In late October 2020, Danae’s Greek-Australian adult sons became Greek EU citizens through their father, who is a Greek and an Australian citizen. Danae assisted her sons during their entire Greek registrations. Then she went on to research lots of topics about acquiring Greek citizenship by descent that were outside of their experience and learned that the Greek registration process was basically the same across all consular authorities in all countries.

As a result, she shares everything that she and her sons did and all her research in the 228 page ebook/paperback called Guide to Your Greek Citizenship by Descent. Also, it reflects the updates to the legislation that’s applicable for 2023. This must-know information includes tips, tables, timelines, and documents. And it covers a wide variety of subjects on the matter. For example, costs, applications with unusual circumstances, challenges and information for second and third generation applicants. Plus all the legal advice and information she received from their citizenship lawyer in Greece.

This ultimate guide saves you an enormous amount of time and effort in hunting around for information. It also helps to reduce your anxiety and confusion by putting everything in order. Furthermore, this guide provides you with a strong pathway of positive support. The book tells all and sugar coats nothing, while providing so many must-know answers to questions such as:

• where do I begin and what do I do?
• how can I get a current copy of my registered ancestor’s Greek birth certificate (and other municipal registration certificates) without going to Greece?
• how can I find the correct Municipality where my Greek ancestor is registered?
• can I register under my mother’s family lot instead of my father’s?
• which documents need to be translated and apostilled and how do I do this?
• how long might the Greek registration process take and why?
• how can I help the process along?
• what are the rules for Greek lawyers on what they can and can’t for Greek citizenship clients in 2023?
• how did Danae’s lawyer in Athens help with her sons’ Greek registration process and what are her contact details?
• how did they overcome obstacles and challenges that appeared?
• what were their legal fees?
• what’s the process to engage a Greek lawyer?
• what’s it like working with a Greek consular authority?
• what are the stages of the Greek registration process?
• what do the documents I need look like?
• what criteria must my documents meet?
• which documents will my consular authority issue for my Greek citizenship application?
• what’s involved if my Greek ancestor is a grandparent or great grandparent?
• which documents can I expect Greece to issue during the entire citizenship registration process?
• when will I be able to get my Greek EU passport and Greek Police Identity Card?
• and more!

 

Get the ebook from Kobo!

Get the ebook/paperback from Amazon!

Get it from iconic Caras Greek Shop, 189 Lonsdale St Melbourne, Australia!

To go straight to Guide to Your Greek Citizenship by Descent (Wherever You Live) worldwide, you can search for Danae Konidaris on any Apple Books, Amazon or Kobo website.

This guide is here for you!

Updated for 2023!

Go next-level Greek. Claim your birthright and become a dual citizen of Greece.

The book will help you during your entire Greek citizenship registration process.

Basically, the process is universal, so this book applies to you wherever you live.

 

5. Overview of the documents required for a Greek citizenship application/petition based on parents 2023 

You become a registered Greek citizen when your family’s municipal office in Greece registers you in its Municipal Roll and your Greek birth certificate is issued. Then you may obtain your Greek Police ID card – taftotita (available from Greece only), and apply for your Greek EU passport (you can apply with your consular authority where you live, even if you don’t have your taftotita yet).

NOTE: The following document overview is required for a citizenship application based on a registered Greek parent. As the Greek registration process is universal, this overview will apply to you wherever you live.

NOTE: Always check your consular authority’s website for its current document requirements relating to parent-based or naturalisation-by-descent citizenship applications (i.e. based on a Greek grandparent/great grandparent). If you don’t find enough information there, visit other consular authorities’ websites too because the requirements are more or less the same. If you need more information, e.g. the criteria the documents must meet, where to find them, ways to get them, what they look like etc. – get Guide To Your Greek Citizenship by Descent (Wherever You Live). There, you’ll also find out about all the documents that Greece will issue in response to your application throughout your entire registration process.

NOTE: You must present original documents that your consular authority will keep.

NOTE: Most consulates and embassies can help you by locating current copies of the Greek documents you need in the Greek data system (provided that the records are in the digital system and that the consular authority can find them. Older records might only be located in the municipal office archives.)

 

There are two stages to your standard citizenship application process: 1) Consular Marriage Declaration of the applicant’s parents (if a marriage occurred and the event took place outside Greece) and 2) Consular Declaration of the applicant’s birth and application/petition for Greek citizenship.

STEP 1) Parents’ Consular Declaration of Marriage

First, the marriage of the citizenship applicant’s parents must be declared at the consular authority that serves the state/region in which the parents were married. (Again, only if the parents were married and weren’t married in Greece). Only one registered Greek parent needs to attend the appointment with the required documents for both parents.

If the parents were married in Greece, then you’ll need their Greek Family/Marital Status certificate instead of the foreign civil/state marriage certificate (see below).

Documents required to complete:

• Parents’ civil/state Marriage Certificate from the relevant registry of births, deaths and marriages. Provide the original state/civil marriage certificate or a current (not more than 6 months old at the time of the appointment) full, state-issued, replacement certificate (known in the U.S. as a government-certified copy). Note: Greek Church marriage certificate is no longer mandatory.
• If the applicant’s parents were married in Greece then a copy of the Family/Marital Status Certificate – Πιστοποιητικό Οικογενειακής Κατάστασης – is required instead.
• Copy of the registered parent’s Greek Birth Certificate (or Confirmation of Greek Birth Certificate called a Βεβαίωση – Vevaiosi). For both parents if both are registered Greek citizens. (A copy of this document is acceptable.)
• Registered parents’ Greek ID, if available.
• Original Birth Certificate for the parent who is not a registered Greek citizen, (if applicable). Or a current (not more than 6 months old) full/long-form, state-issued replacement birth certificate (known as a government-certified copy in the U.S.).
• Both parents’ home passports.
• Parent/s’ Death Certificates (if applicable).

The Consulate also needs current (meaning not more than six months old at the time of the appointment) Greek certificates for your citizenship application/petition. Remember, if you have old copies of the Greek certificates, your consular authority can use them to help locate the current certificates for you in the Greek system if they have been digitalised. Also, some consulates/embassies will locate Greek documents in the system by just using certain information about your ancestor.

Then all certificates that are in English will need to be legally apostilled and then officially translated in preparation for Greece.

As mentioned, for ALL of the above certificates, you can find out:

• the specific criteria that each of our documents had to meet in order to be accepted by Greece,
• how we got them,
• where we got them,
• ways to get them, including the Greek certificates (without having to go to Greece),
• how much they cost us,
• how we prepared our documents for Greece, and
• what our documents looked like, including all the documents that the Greek Government issued to us throughout our sons’ Greek registration process

in Guide to Your Greek Citizenship by Descent.

This book has a TON of information on this including step-by-step ways to gain access to your registered Greek ancestor’s Greek registration certificates.

 

STEP 2) Citizenship applicant’s Declaration of Birth and Application/Petition for Greek Citizenship

After the applicant’s parents’ marriage has been declared at the consular authority (if a marriage occurred and it was outside Greece), or if the parents’ marriage is already registered in Greece, then the citizenship applicant’s consular Declaration of Birth-Application/Petition for Greek Citizenship takes place. This can occur at the same appointment as the Declaration of the parents’ marriage if you have all the documents for both declarations with you and a registered Greek parent attends for the marriage declaration. (If the parents are deceased then the interested party, which is you, may declare the marriage).

NOTE: If the applicant’s Declaration of Birth and Application/Petition for Citizenship occurs soon after the Declaration of parents’ marriage, then you don’t have to provide the above marriage declaration documents again.

NOTE: The citizenship applicant’s Declaration of Birth must occur at the consular authority that serves the state/region that the applicant was born in. Whereas the Application/Petition for Citizenship can occur at the local consular authority where you live.

NOTE: Always check your consular authority’s website (or another’s website) for updated information on citizenship application documents.

Documents required:

• Applicant’s original passport for ID,
• Copy of the applicant’s biometrics page of passport,
• Applicant’s original Birth Certificate or provide a full/long-form, state-issued current replacement certificate – known as a certified copy in the U.S. (not more than 6 months old at the time of the appointment),
• NOTE: Greek Baptism Certificate is no longer required (if you were baptised in a Greek church).
• 2 recent passport-sized photos – only for male applicants,
• Current International Movements Record from birth to the present day – only for male applicants. (Not more than a few weeks old at the time of the appointment).

Due to our unusual circumstances (we were married after our sons were born), we also had to provide these additional documents. These applied as a result of Australian birth certificate laws:

• No Record Result Certificate (Single Status Certificate), and
• Letter of Verification.

Then the documents in English will need to be legally apostilled and officially translated in preparation for Greece.

As mentioned, your consulate requires current copies (meaning not more than six months old at the time of the appointment) of the foreign/non-Greek replacement (government-certified copy) certificates for your birth declaration-citizenship application/petition. If you’re male, the International Movements Record needs to be dated within a few weeks of your consular appointment.

NOTE: Every applicant has their own set of circumstances surrounding their citizenship application. Therefore, you may not need to provide the additional documents that we did. Or you might need to provide other documents not mentioned here. At your consular appointment, the consular officer will assess the circumstances surrounding your citizenship application. Then, he/she will advise you on what to do next and inform you of any additional documents you will need to provide, (if applicable).

Again, for ALL of the above documents/items, you can find out:

• the specific criteria that each of our documents had to meet in order to be accepted by Greece,
• how we got them,
• where we got them,
• ways to get them,
• how much they cost us,
• how we prepared our documents for Greece, and
• what our documents looked like, including all the documents that the Greek Government issued to us throughout our sons’ Greek registration process

in Guide to Your Greek Citizenship by Descent.

 

6. The Naturalisation Process for descent applicants (citizenship applications based on a grandparent/great grandparent)

If an applicant is unable to base his/her application on a registered Greek parent then, as mentioned, he/she may base it on a registered Greek grandparent/great grandparent. This might be the case if your registered Greek parent’s municipal registration documents are unlocatable, or your Greek parent has passed away before becoming a registered Greek citizen. The process for this type of application is called the Naturalisation Process (for descent applicants).

Danae received information from her Greek lawyer on the naturalisation process including document requirements and procedures. Guide to Your Greek Citizenship by Descent contains this and all the other legal advice/information that she received from her lawyer throughout her sons’ Greek registration process.

NOTE: For a citizenship application based on a grandparent/great grandparent, a variation of the following documents above will apply for the Naturalisation-by-descent Process, including extra document requirements. (Visit Embassy of Greece in London webpage for a great list of documents required for citizenship by naturalisation, including an example of the application form. Remember, the process is universal so the information on that webpage applies to you wherever you live. Note: the application form on the London website is addressed to the Embassy in London, so you won’t be able to submit it to another consular authority.)

The Naturalisation Process for descent applicants is more involved than the registration process based on a registered Greek parent.  Also, it takes longer and requires additional documents, as mentioned. For example, you must provide birth certificates that link you directly to your registered Greek ancestor and provide all the foreign certificates (birth, death, marriage) for your ancestors in the lineage between you and your registered Greek ancestor. All the foreign certificates need to be officially translated and apostilled. And of course you’ll need your ancestor’s Greek municipal registration certificates (Birth and Marital/Family Status certificates).

NOTE: There will be a consular interview with the applicant about his/her knowledge of Greek history and culture to ascertain  the applicant’s level of “Greekness”. The applicant can bring all documents to the consular authority that services the region in which he/she resides. If grandparents are deceased, the applicant may register the grandparents’ foreign marriage (if they were married outside Greece) as the interested party.

As mentioned, Guide to Your Greek Citizenship by Descent shows you ways to get the documents you need. To find out more about what’s inside this guide, follow the Kobo/Apple Books/Amazon links to the book below. There, you’ll find the book’s blurb, Contents section and a sample chapter. (Kobo’s sample chapters for all ebooks don’t display properly, but the ebooks themselves are fine.) Then go to the Kobo/Apple Books/Amazon store where you live to get it.

Get the ebook from Kobo!

Get the ebook/paperback from Amazon!

Get it from iconic Caras Greek Shop, 189 Lonsdale St Melbourne, Australia!

To find Guide to Your Greek Citizenship by Descent (Wherever You Live) worldwide and fast, search for

Danae Konidaris on any Apple Books, Amazon or Kobo site.

 

7. Know about the help guide that’s available for young male citizenship applicants. It shows them how to postpone their compulsory military service on an ongoing basis when they become Greek citizens.

This is Danae’s second support book. It’s for new male Greek citizens aged between 19 and 45 years. Know that the Greek Army will contact them as soon as their Greek citizenship registrations are finalised. That’s what happened with Danae’s twin sons.

After becoming registered Greek citizens, Danae’s sons applied for ongoing military service deferment as permanent residents abroad (i.e. permanently living outside Greece) so they could obtain a ranking of military service deferral on their Military Status Certificates. However, their applications were complicated. This was because her sons had lived in two countries. Also, they were travelling internationally at the time.

Consequently, this is a comprehensive, one-of-a-kind guide that will help young males in all sorts of situations. Danae shows you exactly how they overcame the challenges. There are tips, tables, timelines and costs. Also, you’ll discover all the documents they provided for her sons’ Certificates of Permanent Resident/Residency Abroad. This book also tells all and sugar coats nothing. To find out more, follow the links below to check out the Contents in the sample chapter.

Get it from Kobo!

Link to Amazon AU!

To find Guide to Deferring Your Greek Army Service Indefinitely wherever you are, search for

Danae Konidaris on any Apple Books, Amazon or Kobo site worldwide.

 

8. Empower yourself for your Greek citizenship goal

Having the guides by your side will empower you because they:

• Are simple and easy to read even though the subject matter can be complex.
• Minimise fear of the unknown by telling you all about the Greek citizenship registration/military service deferment processes.
• Are packed with careful research and first-hand information based on experience so you’re getting quality information.
• Show you how to kickstart your application including ways to get the documents you need. For example, getting hold of your registered Greek ancestor’s current municipal certificates (πιστοποιητικά δημοτολογίου – pistopoiitiká dimotologíou) without having to go to Greece.
• Include applicants’ tips, tables of documents, images of documents, actual month-by-month timelines and links to resources.
• Include lots of hard-to-find info and exclusive first-hand consular info that you won’t find anywhere else.
• Provide you with a solid foundation of knowledge, guidance and support, which helps make the processes less daunting, less stressful and therefore much more pleasant.
• Will help strengthen your confidence and increase your motivation to achieve your Greek citizenship goals.
• Reveal the actual step-by-step actions that the successful applicants (Danae’s sons) took so that you can follow them.
• Contain specific information on lots of different topics in one easy, friendly place. The information available online is scattered around and/or skims over the details. Also, the online information is pretty sterile and uninviting.
• Cover topics on unusual situations, circumstances and requirements. Every applicant is unique. Every application has its own set of circumstances surrounding it.
• Tell you exactly what happens during the stages of the Greek citizenship registration and military deferment processes. Therefore, you’ll know which stage you’re up to, which stage comes next and what documents you should be receiving.
• Reveal all the Konidaris Family’s costs including legal. You’ll also find out an easy way to stay in the loop with current consular costs.
• Give you a fly-on-the-wall insight into the interactions between the applicants, lawyer, consular officer and administration officer in Greece.
• Demonstrate how a Greek lawyer’s assistance can help you, how it works, and how to engage a Greek lawyer. You’ll be able to gauge whether legal assistance could be for you.
• Have useful lists of Greek citizenship terms in Greek and English to draw upon if you need to along the way.
• Have useful contacts including Danae’s lawyer in Athens if you need assistance or simply want to request a fee estimate for your matter. (The firm helps “any foreigners with legal issues in Greece”.)

Yes! These generous, tell-all guides are your guiding light from the start of your Greek registration to completion. And then on to receiving a deferred military ranking (if male 19-45 years old).

Therefore, get these guides so you can step into the process feeling informed, prepared, confident and happier. The books will launch and carry you all the way to your end goal of getting your Greek EU citizenship and without compulsory military service (if male).

WOOHOO! ΏΠΑ!HAVING THESE GUIDES IS LIKE HAVING DANAE BY YOUR SIDE EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

SO, GET THESE GUIDES NOW!

GET STARTED ON YOUR GREEK CITIZENSHIP GOALS TODAY! 

 

Get the ebook from Kobo!

Get the ebook/paperback from Amazon!

Get it from iconic Caras Greek Shop, 189 Lonsdale St Melbourne, Australia!

To find Guide to Your Greek Citizenship by Descent (Wherever You Live) worldwide and fast, search for Danae Konidaris on any Apple Books, Amazon or Kobo site.

 

Get the ebook from Kobo!

Get the ebook from Amazon!

To find on Guide to Deferring Your Greek Army Service Indefinitely worldwide, search for Danae Konidaris on your Apple Books, Amazon or Kobo site.

 

Also, stay in touch!

Follow Danae’s page on facebook.com/GreekCitizenshipByDescent.

 

Join Go Next-Level Greek Group – Danae is Admin. It’s a global help hub for people of Greek descent about Greek citizenship: facebook.com/groups/gonextlevelgreek.

9. Information on the ETIAS visa waiver now scheduled to operate in 2024

Watch Danae’s Youtube video about the ETIAS visa waiver and what it means if you are or are not an EU citizen.

10. Disclaimer

At no time is the information on this webpage to supersede the advice or instructions from your Embassy of Greece, Consulate General of Greece, the Greek Government, or a lawyer in the matter of applying for Greek citizenship by descent from abroad (i.e. from outside Greece).

Furthermore, the Greek citizenship application and registration process described on this webpage could change at any time to reflect new reforms introduced in Greece.

For further information on the Terms & Conditions of using this website, refer to: Terms & Conditions.

ΝΑ ΕΙΣΤΕ ΚΑΛΑ! MAY YOU BE WELL!