Greek citizens living abroad have an obligation to declare major life events, such as births, marriages, and deaths, to the nearest Greek Consular Authority. Subsequently, civil status acts performed abroad by Greek citizens must be registered with the Special Civil Registry (EidikoLixiarchio).
The registration of major life events ensures that Greek authorities are informed about marriages performed abroad, the birth of a child to a Greek parent, or the death of a Greek citizen overseas. The purpose of this registration is to update municipal registers, family records, male registers, and other Greek official bodies. In the case of death, registering the corresponding civil status act is crucial for the legal effects to take place, namely the devolution of inheritance.
Consequences of Non-Registration in Greece
If events that occurred abroad are not registered with the Special Department of the Ministry of Interior, a child born to Greek parents may not be registered in Greece. This means they would not hold Greek citizenship but only the nationality of the country where they were born. They would also not appear in their parents’ family record, and a relevant residence permit would be necessary for their stay in Greece.
Similarly, a marriage performed abroad and the non-registration of the civil status act with the Special Civil Registry, the spouses’ family record will not be updated. Consequently, they may not request a Certificate of Family Status in the future (which is necessary for a multitude of public services in Greece), register the birth of their child from the marriage, and may face a series of other bureaucratic issues in the future.
What is Registered at the Special Civil Registry?
The Special Civil Registry, a department of the Ministry of Interior, registers:
- Civil status acts of births, marriages, and deaths that occurred abroad and concern Greek citizens.
- Changes, corrections, and additions to these civil status acts.
- Civil status acts after the determination of Greek Citizenship.
- Sending of civil status acts to Local Government Organizations (OTAs) for updating municipal registers.
- Sending of civil status acts to OTAs for updating male registers.
- Issuance of copies of civil status acts upon request by interested parties.
How Our Law Firm Can Assist
Our law firm is experienced in registering civil status acts for Greeks abroad. We undertake, upon your instruction, the entire procedure before the competent Department of the Special Civil Registry of Athens on your behalf, even with your physical absence in Greece. If you are looking for the right online lawyer in Greece, you can trust in our firm.
We will fully guide you on the collection of the required documents and supporting materials to create the file that will be submitted to the competent Service of the Ministry of Interior. The foreign documents issued under the specific formalities of current Greek legislation must bear the Hague Apostille, be certified copies, and always be translated.
Depending on each case, the country where the event took place, and the specific requirements of the competent officer, we undertake all procedural actions on your behalf until the final registration and the issuance of a relevant Certificate. You can rely on the presence of our Greek lawyer to facilitates the execution of such acts in Greece.