Living in Greece

A practical guide to moving, living, working & traveling in Greece, plus musing and misadventures from an American in Athens
Official Documents > KEP services for Greeks abroad

KEP services for Greeks abroad

June 16, 2007 at 06:34 ·

logo.gifKEP (Citizen Service Centers) announced that terminals would be available from Monday, June 18, 2007 at all Greek Consulates and Embassies worldwide to allow Greek citizens living abroad to complete transactions with the Foreign Ministry of Greece.

Unfortunately, the service for Greeks abroad shut down on June 25, 2014.

Therefore, Greeks living abroad need to get birth certificates, marriage certificates and military documents the usual way: a) Write, call or fax the appropriate municipality office to send you one from the οικογενειακή μερίδα/oikogeneiaki merida; b) Contact a KEP Citizen Service Centre in Greece during regular business hours; c) Ask a relative to help.

Greeks abroad informed me that most Greek consulates/embassies never had KEP services available, so it’s not a huge loss .

*Article last updated September 4, 2014

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KEP logo from the KEP website, which has improved but is unfortunately inaccurate in the majority of cases

20 Comments

  rositta wrote @ June 16th, 2007 at 19:24

This is really great information, my sweetie needs his birth certificate so getting it here will be easier than in Athens… we will be there in September looks like…ciao

  Joyce wrote @ July 16th, 2009 at 16:27

My son-in-law needs to obtain a new U.S. Social Security Card (lost his original) but does not have a copy of his original Consular Report of Birth (Greek birth certificate – born in Athens) and has an expired Greek passport. How do we obtain a copy of his Greek birth certificate? Thanks and ciao.

Kat Reply:
July 16th, 2009 at 22:35

Hi Joyce, this service is supposed to be available at most Greek Embassies and Greek Consulates, allowing Greek citizens to get copies of Greek birth certificates. However, some people have complained that it isn’t, and staff are not helpful.

If that’s the case, he/you need to call City Hall or the Mayor’s office in the municipality where the oikogeneiaki merida (voting rights) are registered and get a copy, i.e., my girlfriend was born in Athens, but she’s registered under her father’s oikogeneiaki merida in Larissa, so she’d need to call Larissa. Alternatively, you can get one from the lixarcheio or ask a KEP location in Athens to assist you.

http://www.ermis.gov.gr/portal/page/portal/ermis/KepIndex

Btw, to get a U.S. Social Security card, you need to have proof of U.S. citizenship.

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/ss5doc/

  Angeliki wrote @ August 28th, 2010 at 08:31

I am looking for my father, Constantinos Lambropoulos, who is believed to reside in Egion. He was originally from Mamousia. Can anybody help me, please. I have been looking for him for many years and fear it may be too late as he would now be approximately 70 years old.

Kat Reply:
August 29th, 2010 at 23:59

Because you are family, you can contact the city hall or mayor’s office (dimarxeio) in Egion and Mamousia and see if the oikogeneiaki merida is on file there. Inside the file should be important documents, including a death certificate if he is no longer living. Alternatively, you can also check the koinotita in these same areas.

I sometimes recommend contacting KEP (Citzen Service Centre) in Greece to assist, but it will not help in this situation because you are unsure of his whereabouts.

  Angeliki wrote @ August 12th, 2011 at 13:43

Hi Kat, I had no idea you had responded to my post of nearly a year ago until now! Thank you! I haven’t found my father yet but I have only been searching spasmotically, as I found my mother 2 years ago and it didn’t turn out well unfortunately. So I was a bit deterred. But now I’m ready to keep looking for him, even if it turns out bad also.

As I don’t have an address for the City Hall or Mayor’s Office, if I addressed a letter with ‘City Hall, Mamousia’ would this be enough for my letter to get there?

Kat Reply:
August 12th, 2011 at 23:15

This is Greece, so the best answer I can give you is ‘depends.’

A friend of mine sent a package with the full address and phone number but had one wrong digit in the zip code. Never made it here — contents were probably stolen or the whole thing thrown away.

A relative sent me a card with the full address and one wrong digit in the post code. It found me just fine.

Using no address greatly reduces the chance of delivery.

  Elizabeth wrote @ April 25th, 2012 at 07:28

My husband was born 8 March **** in Thessalonika,Greece. How can we obtain copy of his birth records?

Kat Reply:
April 25th, 2012 at 23:53

As it says in the article above, you/your husband or a relative need to request it from the location of the oikogeneiaki merida in Greece, or through the Greek consulate/embassy nearest your residence.

*I removed the name of your husband and recommend that you not disclose sensitive information in public forums to protect his/your privacy.

  Eva wrote @ January 13th, 2014 at 03:23

Hi, I am looking to get a Greek Passport. I have my Mom’s and Dad’s birth certificate (from Greece) as well as their wedding certificate from Paralia, Greece. I’ve been told I need to open up an “oikogeniaki merida” but I have NO idea where to even start. Who do I contact and am I able to open one up myself? My dad never had a chance to do this. Please help!

Kat Reply:
January 15th, 2014 at 01:40

If your father was born in Greece, he already has an oikogeneiaki merida. If he didn’t set it up himself, his father before him did. Most are located in the village or city where they were born.

A woman cannot set one up herself. She belongs to her father’s if she’s single, then her husband’s when she marries.

  Christos wrote @ June 5th, 2014 at 16:46

Your question was transferred to, “Greek citizenship by claim of Greek ancestry, origin or descent.”

This same article is accessible from the front page in the right column.

  Jasmina wrote @ August 4th, 2014 at 23:37

Hi! My father died in Greece(Kefalonia island) seven years ago and he was insured in OGA for several years.The problem is that I have no documents that show this thing,only a passport of him.He had registred his car in Tax Office also he had money in one bank in Greece.This means that he was legal according to his number of afimia.I went to KEP in Argostoli(Kefalonia) but the employees said to me that he had only seven months.I don’t know where to find the insurances of my father except from KEP.Is there any other office that gives this information to me in order to get any pension or indemnity because he died at work.

Kat Reply:
August 5th, 2014 at 02:11

To gain access to his records and conduct transactions, you need his death certificate and proof of your relationship to him (i.e., a printout from his/your oikogeneiaki merida). Having an AFM is not proof of legality or insurance. Seven years is a long time to wait to inquire and close his affairs, which will raise suspicion or (at least) raise questions about the delay.

If he had OGA, you need to visit an OGA office. KEP does not have information specific to his case.

  robert wrote @ September 6th, 2014 at 09:49

Hi. I have a question concerning my great grandfather who was born on crete. I was looking to obtain a copy of his birth certificate but have no way of how to go about it? Could you recommend where i could do this please? Thank you

Kat Reply:
September 6th, 2014 at 22:49

My answer is the same as the article above and replies to Joyce and Elizabeth.

You get it from City Hall/dimarxeio of wherever your great grandfather had his oikogeneiaki merida or voting rights. You can also get it from any KEP Citizen Service Centre, but they will ask you to tell them the location of the oikogeneiaki merida so it’s basically the same as the first option.

  Sarah wrote @ October 5th, 2014 at 09:47

I’m a uk citizen and I have just bought a car in Greece I went to change the documents but I was told I needed a blue paper from the police to say I live in Greece but my lawyer says I don’t need this paper as I’m an eu citizen

Kat Reply:
October 8th, 2014 at 20:31

Non-Greek EU citizens living in Greece for more than 90 days still require a residence certificate (blue paper) for certain bureaucratic transactions, such as transferring ownership, buying a home or vehicle, and getting a motorcycle license to name a few.

Your lawyer is wrong.

  Mary wrote @ November 14th, 2014 at 22:01

1:
Hi I’m a Canadian citizen and I was born in Athens Greece and I have just recently got married my husband is American and for me to get my American visa I need a birth certificate which I don’t have, my parents have lost it. I’ve called both American and the Canadian embassy’s in Greece and the consulates in Canada and know one seems to be able help me in any kind of way, at this point I am completely lost… HELP!!

2:
Hi, I am Canadian and I was born in Athens Greece in 1991 ive just recently got married and my husband is American. In order for me to become an American citizen I need my birth certificate which I do not have. I’ve called both American and Canadian embassy and I’ve called the consulat aswell know one seems to be able to help me at all at this point I do not know what to do…Help!!

Kat Reply:
November 18th, 2014 at 14:43

The only birth certificates available in the country of Greece or accessible via the Greek embassy/consulate are Greek birth certificates for Greek citizens. Therefore, I’m not sure why you’re calling them or leaving a question on this website.

America has nothing to do with Canada or Greece, so I’m again confused by why you’re contacting them. Also be aware that qualifying for U.S. citizenship requires years of residency and successful completion of the naturalization process, not just marriage. http://www.uscis.gov/us-citizenship/citizenship-through-naturalization/naturalization-spouses-us-citizens

You said you’re a Canadian citizen, not a Greek or American citizen, so your parents likely registered your birth via a Canadian embassy/consulate and your certificate is stored in Canada. I found this via a simple Google search using the words ‘Canadian birth certificate.’ http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/subjects/cards/birth_certificate.shtml

Best of luck.

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