National Service

All males of Greek citizenship have the obligation to serve in the Hellenic Armed Forces. This obligation remains valid from the age of nineteen until the age of forty-five. According to the law 3421/2005, Greek citizens who have the status of “Permanent Residents Abroad”:

1. are eligible to serve in the Hellenic Armed Forces for a reduced period
2. are excepted from the national service as long as they maintain this status

During the first trimester of the year which they reach the age of 19, all male Greek citizens must fill in and submit to military authorities a special registration form (Deltio Apografis) (for example, those born in 1996 must fill in and submit this in 2014). It should be noted, that those who reside permanently in Hong Kong or Macao may fill in this form at the Consulate General.

For more information regarding the provisions of the military legal framework, you may visit the website: www.stratologia.gr

In order to obtain the status and the benefits of Permanent Resident Abroad, applicants need to submit one of the following certificates depending on their case:

A. Certificate of Permanent Resident Abroad

1.Living and working in one or several countries for at least seven consecutive years.
Requirements:
- Greek ID, present and previous passports, which were used for the examination period
- Certificate of registration in a Municipality in Greece and military record (“mitroa arenon”) registration number (can be sought directly by the Consulate General upon request)
- Relevant documentation from the military service (ex. Notice for classification, deferment for studies etc)
- Hong Kong or Macao ID
-"Statement of Travel Records" from Hong Kong Immigration Department (http://www.immd.gov.hk/ehtml/id697.htm) or Macau Immigration Department (http://portal.gov.mo/web/guest/info_detail?infoid=184026)
- Proof of employment, e.g. employment contract, employment certificate, income tax return notice etc
- Proof of address, e.g. property lease agreement, property title document, utility bills, Certificate of registered particulars from Hong Kong Immigration.
- Proof of parents’ residence in Hong Kong or Macao, if the applicant was born or moved to Hong Kong or Macao when he was minor. Moreover, the parents should not have been civil servants of the Greek State.

2. Permanent residence abroad in one or several countries for 11 consecutive years
- Educational certificates from Hong Kong or Macao institutions for all the academic years
- Any other document that proves the purpose of permanent residence in Hong Kong or Macao (e.g. family reasons/marriage certificate)

B. Certificate of Residence (for draft dodgers)
In case the applicant does not qualify for the status of Permanent Resident Abroad as above, a certificate of residence will be issued and sent to the competent military service office in order to issue a certificate of draft dodger abroad. The requirements are the same as case 2 above.