Acquiring Greek citizenship through naturalization is a lengthy and expensive process for non-EU immigrants of no Greek descent. Many applications are initially rejected after taking several years to be reviewed.

This is also true for a non-EU citizen married to a Greek, unless connections and bribes are utilized. It is a myth that marrying for Greek citizenship is easy — citizenship is not transferable. Being married to a Greek spouse only shortens the waiting time if you have a child together, and everyone of no Greek descent/origin themselves must go through naturalization, as described below.

If you have an ancestor born in Greece, this article does not apply to you. Please see, “Greek citizenship by claim of Greek origin.”

* Article last updated Jan 18, 2010

Benefits of dual citizenship with Greece?

If you are a non-EU spouse and marry a Greek, or are a non-EU child with an EU parent, with the belief it would be beneficial to have dual citizenship with Greece, this is a falsehood.

A permanent EU residence/work permit (5 years initially, then 10 years upon renewal) is easily obtained after a few months waiting, free of cost and gives a non-EU spouse or child under 18 the same rights as an EU citizen without proving fluency in the Greek language, knowledge of Greek history/culture and subjective assessments of morals and character. It can also be retained as an individual after divorce if the marriage lasted at least three years or after a spouse’s death if total residence in Greece was at least one year. See, “Regular residence/work permit for an American or other non-EU citizen married to a Greek or EU citizen.”

Dual citizenship grants you no additional benefits except entitlement to a Greek passport and a Greek national ID, things that hold no higher standing than your current passport that is widely accepted for all official and daily transactions.

Most people opting for naturalization are either:

a) Non-EU citizens without Greek origin or a family link to a Greek citizen, who have a desire and right to reside and work in the EU permanently without restrictions after 12 years in Greece
or
b) non-Greek, non-EU citizens who have uniquely personal reasons.

Basic criteria for Greek citizenship

1. Be married three (3) full years from the wedding date, plus:

a) Three (3) years of legal residence in Greece, if the non-EU citizen has a child or children with his/her Greek spouse;

or

b) Ten (10) of the last 12 years legal residence in Greece, if the non-EU citizen has no children with the Greek spouse or is unmarried, with an absence of no longer than 10 continuous months in the last five (5) years. (The most stringent requirements in the EU, tied with Switzerland.)

Refugees are recognized under the 1951 Geneva Convention on Refugees and must have a total of five (5) years residency in Greece.

2. Be over the age of 18.

Children born to non-Greek immigrants in Greece may apply on their 18th birthday — if male, Greek military obligations of 12 months will be assigned upon taking citizenship (see “Greek Military Service”); if female, be aware that Parliament is currently considering drafting women.

3. Must not have a criminal record or a deportation order issued against them.

Documents, fee and fingerprints required

Assuming the applicant meets the basic criteria listed above, the following documents must be gathered, a fee paid and fingerprints given.

1. A multi-paged application completed in Greek
– An application can be obtained by going to:
a) the Interior Ministry at 31 Stadiou Street in person or by calling the citizenship office at (210) 324-9683 or alternative numbers of (210) 324-9465 or (210) 324-9314 to request one be sent somewhere within Greece; at the Greek Consulate in your homeland, should you be outside Greece
b) the Mayor’s Office or City Hall of your municipality
* Note: There are no online forms available, and applications do not have instructions

2. A formal statement of naturalization in Greek
– Certified statement (dilosi) Signed in the presence of the mayor or the head of the village council or Greek Consulate and two witnesses who are Greek citizens

3. A photocopy of the applicant’s passport or valid travel document.
– A translation is only necessary if the information on this document is not written in Latin characters; get a translation at the Foreign Ministry’s Translation Department or from a lawyer.

4. A photocopy of all residence permits held by the applicant
a) For the past 3 years if married to a Greek citizen with child
or
b) For the past 12 years, if married to a Greek citizen with no children, if single or if there is no connection to a Greek citizen regardless of marital status

5. Applicant’s birth certificate from his/her homeland with apostille attached and one (1) photocopy
– An official long-form birth certificate must be issued from applicant’s birth city, then affixed with apostille
– See “How to get an apostille” if you are unfamiliar with what it is and where to get one
– Birth certificate with apostille attached must be translated to Greek (see Translation Department link in #3)

6. A photocopy of the applicant’s most recent printed income tax return (ekkatharistiko) from the eforia (Greek tax office)
– If you are unemployed, a copy of your spouse’s tax return from the eforia (Greek tax office) is required or a statement of income from outside the country, which has been translated into Greek and certified by police
– If you are single/divorced, you must provide evidence of sufficient funds to support yourself

7. Applicant’s fingerprints taken at his/her local police station, which includes verification with their application.
– See a map book or call information to find the nearest police station to your residence

8. A non-refundable processing fee of 1,470 euros, paid at the eforia (Greek tax office) under applicant’s AFM (tax number)
- *Highest application fee in the world and deemed discriminatory by the EU

9. Certificate issued by IDEKE that applicant has already completed 150 hours of Greek language lessons or passed a proficiency test proving fluency in Greek
– See, “Free Greek language lessons” to get a sense of the requirements and availability of classes in your area

10. Certificate issued by IDEKE that applicant completed 25 hours proving knowledge of ancient Greek history and culture
– See “IDEKE Greek history/culture lessons” to find information on these classes

What happens next?

* The application and accompanying documents should be taken and submitted to the local municipality City Hall/Mayor’s Office or village council.

* The municipality forwards the application to the local prefecture, where officials will forward it to the regional general secretary for approval if everything is in order.

* If approved, a copy of the applicant’s Type ‘A’ criminal record certificate is requested from the justice ministry.

* The application is then forwarded to the interior ministry, where officials request a personal interview that assesses:
– Your fluency in Greek. Since you completed the 150 100 hours of IDEKE government language classes or passed their test to obtain the certificate, it is assumed you are fluent.
– Your knowledge of Greek culture and ancient history. Since you completed the 25 hours of government classes to obtain the official certificate, it is assumed you know it well.
– “High moral standards, strong character and personality” (all subjective)
– Possession of “stable and regular resources,” medical insurance and a home that “meets the required specifications for hygiene” (subjective, no guidelines given)
Note: If the applicant does not show up at this interview, his/her request for citizenship is automatically rejected.

* If the application is approved, it will be published in the Government Gazette.

* The applicant is then required to take an oath within one (1) year of the decision’s publication date. Check with your respective Embassy/Consulate or your homeland’s federal government office regarding dual citizenship or laws that forbid it. Americans in Greece wishing to acquire dual citizenship are requested to go to the Embassy and take an oath that states you do not renounce the USA, which will be recorded on video and kept on file. See, “American and Greek dual citizenship” for details.

Processing time for naturalization

The entire citizenship process from submitting your application to receiving an answer (approval or denial) could be up to 2-10 years. The Greek Ombudsman can intervene on your behalf at no cost, if you have been waiting an excessive amount of time; it is not necessary to get a lawyer.

Once the citizenship certificate is issued, the new Greek citizen can apply for a Greek passport and Greek national ID (tautotita). See, “How to get a Greek passport” and “How to get a Greek national ID.”

Also be aware that military service applies to all men with Greek citizenship or Greek ancestry between the ages of 19-45, unless an exemption applies. See “Mandatory Greek military service.”

What if I’m denied?

If citizenship is denied, the applicant will be given the reason on what grounds the decision was made. He/she can challenge the decision if tangible evidence exists to the contrary, or apply again after one (1) year if the passage of time helps meet the requirements, using the same process outlined above. The application fee is only 733 euros (half).

The one year date is counted from the time they notified you of the decision, not the date you submitted your application.

* Please see other options for EU citizenship and permits at the end of this post in, “Related posts.”

The future of Greek citizenship

Greeks are adverse to immigrants becoming citizens of Greece, a country with not only the most stringent guidelines in the EU, but also the world. Therefore, legislation is likely to stay the same unless the EC takes Greece to the European Court of Justice.

“One-third of Greeks believe immigrants should be naturalized after five years of residence in Greece, according to findings of a nationwide poll conducted by the Technical University of Crete in November 2003. Approximately 16 percent said it should be after 10 years, and 22 percent said immigrants should never be eligible for Greek citizenship.”

In the news

“French citizen waits 10 years for application to be examined” (link broken) — Athens News
“Overhauling Greek Citizenship Law — proposed changes” (link broken) – Athens News
“Vast majority of new Greeks are Orthodox Christian and ethnic Greeks” (link broken) – Athens News

Related posts

“Acquiring EU citizenship through ancestry or naturalization”
“How to get EU citizenship, driver’s licenses, national IDs, visas, residence/work permits”
“How non-EU citizens can get a permit to live and work in Greece”

http://tinyurl.com/GRnaturalization