SERVICE - GREECE

Naturalisation for Persons of Greek Descent

Where the line of descent cannot be fully documented with Greek registry entries, the law provides a second route: naturalisation of a person of Greek descent living abroad, by application to the Greek consulate.

AT A GLANCE

What we handle

Documenting Greek descent, preparing the file and the naturalization application

Where it is filed

At the Greek consulate of your place of residence, which forwards it to the Ministry of the Interior

Who decides

The Minister of the Interior, after the file has been examined

First step

A free review: descent or naturalization

Cost

A written fee estimate, separate from the state and consular fees

Why it matters

Greek descent is proved, not declared

Naturalisation for a person of Greek descent is not the general naturalisation of a foreigner. It does not require years of lawful residence in Greece, but it rests on one thing: that your Greek descent can be documented.

The proof comes from documents: entries of ancestors, even in old and no longer current municipal rolls, consular registrations and old consular passports, recognition of Greek citizenship for blood relatives, and church and archival evidence of the family’s history. That is exactly where archival research counts.

WHAT WE HANDLE

What we handle

Checking the route

We first examine whether citizenship by descent can be established, and only if it cannot do we move to naturalisation.

The file of documents

Gathering the documents, with the apostille obtained before the translation and translations that the Greek authorities accept.

Application, declaration & interview

Preparing the application, the declaration of naturalisation before the Consul with two witnesses, and preparing you for the interview.

Documenting descent

Archival research in municipal rolls, male registers, consular and church archives, to prove your Greek descent.

Consistency of names

Checking that names and particulars appear the same way in every document and translation.

After the decision

The oath, registration with a municipality and settling your family status and your children's details.

ROUTES

Which route applies to you

Descent is examined first

Where an unbroken line from a Greek citizen registered with a municipality can be documented, the citizenship already exists from birth and is simply registered.

Your parent is not registered with a Greek municipality

Where no certificate of Greek citizenship can be obtained for your parent and the right is claimed through a grandparent, the route is naturalization for Greek descent.

Your parent became Greek after your birth

Where your parent acquired Greek citizenship after you were born, by naturalization or by declaration, you follow the naturalization route as well.

Born before 1984 to a Greek mother

Here naturalization is not needed. The law provides acquisition by declaration, before the Regional Citizenship Directorate or the Greek consulate. A corresponding provision applies to children of a Greek father and a foreign mother born before 1982.

WHEN YOU NEED IT

Common situations

Your grandfather left Smyrna or Pontus and settled in the United States, and was never entered in a Greek municipal roll.
You were born in New York, your great-grandfather came from a Greek village, and no Greek document survives in the family.
The family keeps an old consular passport or documents from a Greek consulate in the United States.
A cousin or uncle of yours in the United States has already been recognised as a Greek citizen
The line breaks at some generation and cannot be proved with registry records.
An application of yours was rejected because the evidence of descent was considered insufficient

How the procedure works

1

Free review

We check your documents and decide which route applies, descent or naturalization.

2

Documentation

We locate in the archives the evidence that proves your Greek descent.

3

Appointment & application

An appointment is booked at the consulate and the application and declaration of naturalization are filed, with two Greek citizens as witnesses.

4

Report & interview

The Consul draws up a report on the documents and calls you to an interview. The file goes to the Ministry of the Interior and an opinion is sought on public order matters.

5

Decision & oath

With the Minister's decision you take the oath of a Greek citizen and are entered in a municipal roll.

WHAT TO SEND US

Documents that help

The apostille is obtained before the translation. The originals are kept by the authority, so we make sure more than one original is issued.

The naturalisation application completed in Greek, your passport and one photograph
Your birth certificate in full form, with apostille and official translation
Birth and marriage certificates of your parents and Greek ancestors, and a baptism certificate where one exists
Registration of the ancestors with a Greek municipality or in the male register
A recent criminal record certificate from your country, with apostille and translation
Any evidence of Greek descent: old Greek or consular passports, attendance at a Greek school, church certificates, registration with a Greek community or consular records

TIME & COST

A written estimate before we start

The procedure is not a short one: the file is forwarded by the consulate, an opinion is sought from the competent authorities and the Ministry then carries out its assessment. The law sets a deadline for the police opinion, and its absence does not prevent the decision from being issued.

After the free review you receive a written fee estimate. Consular and state fees, apostilles and translations are listed separately.

QUESTIONS

About naturalisation for Greek descent

How does it differ from citizenship by descent?

With descent, the citizenship exists from birth and the procedure merely documents and registers it. With naturalisation, it is granted by decision of the Minister of the Interior once your Greek descent has been proved. That is why we always examine the descent route first.

When exactly is this route followed?

When your parent is not registered with a Greek municipality and no certificate of citizenship can be issued for them, so the right is claimed through a grandparent, or when your parent acquired Greek citizenship after you were born.

Is there an interview?

Yes. The Consul draws up a report on the documents and calls the applicant to an interview, where knowledge of the Greek language and your ties with Greece are taken into account. We prepare you for it.

I was born in the United States before 1984 and my mother is Greek.

Then the route is not naturalisation. The Code provides for acquisition by a declaration of will, before the Regional Citizenship Directorate or the Greek consulate, provided the Greek parent is registered with a municipality. Your minor and unmarried children become Greek without any further formality.

Where is the application filed if I live in the United States?

At the Greek consulate for your area, by appointment through the online system. The Consulate General in New York covers New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

What about my children?

Your minor children at the time of the oath acquire Greek citizenship automatically, with no further procedure and no additional cost. You declare your family status and file your marriage certificate and your children’s birth certificates.

I was born out of wedlock and the descent is through my father.

In that case an additional certificate of no marriage is required for the foreign mother, covering the time of the birth and the 300 days before it, duly legalised and translated.

Are there fees?

Yes. Consular fees are payable according to the current tariff, together with the cost of apostilles and translations. Our own fee is given to you in writing before we begin.

SERVICE - GREECE

Naturalisation for Persons of Greek Descent

AT A GLANCE

What we handle

Where it is filed

Who decides

First step

Cost

Why it matters

Greek descent is proved, not declared

WHAT WE HANDLE

What we handle

Checking the route

The file of documents

Application, declaration & interview

Documenting descent

Consistency of names

After the decision

ROUTES

Which route applies to you

Descent is examined first

Your parent is not registered with a Greek municipality

Your parent became Greek after your birth

Born before 1984 to a Greek mother

WHEN YOU NEED IT

Common situations

How the procedure works

1

Free review

2

Documentation

3

Appointment & application

4

Report & interview

5

Decision & oath

WHAT TO SEND US

Documents that help

TIME & COST

A written estimate before we start

QUESTIONS

About naturalisation for Greek descent

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