Greek citizenship

GREEK NATIONALITY

According to the Code of Greek citizenship (only in Greek), the methods that award the Greek citizenship to an individual are the following:

BIRTH

Every child of a Greek mother or father, obtains the Greek nationality at birth. Every individual born in Greece obtains the Greek nationality at birth, only in the case that at his birth he does not obtain a foreign nationality or his nationality is uncertain.

RECOGNITION

A foreign individual that was born without his parents being married can obtain Greek nationality if his parents recognized him as their child. After recognition the child is assimilated with the legitimate child, if at the time of recognition was not over 18.

ADOPTION

A foreign person who was adopted before he/she became of age (18 years old) as a child of a Greek man or woman, becomes Greek from the time of the adoption.

NATURALIZATION

A foreign individual that is over 18 may obtain the Greek citizenship with naturalization. For this procedure the following documents are necessary:

Application of the foreign individual to the mayor or the president of the village, where he is intending to reside, that he wishes to naturalize with the following attached:

• Declaration of the foreign individual for naturalization to the mayor or to an authorized clerk.

• Receipt of payment to the Public Revenues collectors.

• A copy of his/her passport or other travel document translated into Greek if no Latin characters are used.

• Residence permit or other document evidencing his/her legal residence in the country.

• Certificate of birth.

• A copy of his/her income tax statement of the last year. If such statement was not submitted the interested person should fill in and submit an Official statement according to Act 1599/86, stating that there is no obligation to submit income tax statement to the Tax Authorities. The validity of the signature on the Official Statement should be verified.

• Document evidencing his/her fingerprint issued by the police station at his/her residence in Greece.
  

FOREIGN INDIVIDUAL OF ANOTHER RACE

If the foreign individual is of another race, he must also have lived in Greece for at least 10 years out of the last 12 years, before the submission of the application for naturalization. If the foreign individual has no nationality or the foreign individual is a refugee, he must have lived in Greece for at least 5 years out of the last 12, before his declaration for naturalization. The above requirements do not concern the foreign individuals that were born and still live in Greece, as well as for husbands and wifes of Greek people who live in Greece and have children. He must be aware of the Greek Language, the Greek history and generally the Greek civilization.

NATURALIZATION OF GREEK-AUSTRALIANS (AND GREEKS IN GENERAL)
Fellow Greeks that have their residence in a foreign country, submit an application for naturalization to the Greek Embassy / Consulate which forwards it to the Greek Ministry of the Interior, along with:

• A declaration of naturalization.

• Copy of his/her passport or other travel document.

• Certificate of birth.

• Certificate of criminal record issued by the foreign authorities.

The naturalization is being effective after the relative decision of the Minister of the Interior. A foreigner, who has been deported or has been convicted by Greek courts for serious criminal offences, can not obtain the Greek citizenship through naturalization.

SPECIAL CASES

The children who were born before the May 8, 1984 to a mother, who was Greek at the time of birth or marriage celebration, are naturalized to Greeks if they apply for it to the Greek Embassy in the country of their residence.

The children who were born to a Greek father and a foreign mother before the enactment of Act no. 1250/82, July 18,1982 are naturalized to Greeks if they apply for it to the General Secretariat of their region or to the Greek Embassy of their residence or country of their residence. The above mentioned applications can be submitted by their mother or father if the children are under aged.

A Greek female, who was discharged from her Greek nationality, due to her marriage with a foreigner, can recover it if she applies for it to the General Secretariat or the Greek Embassy of her residence.

LOSS OF THE GREEK NATIONALITY

The following cases discharge the individual from his Greek nationality:
(A) Obtaining a foreign nationality
Everyone who obtains foreign nationality or accepts public service in a foreign country, if the acceptance entails the obtaining of the nationality of that foreign country.
Everyone who has obtained foreign nationality and his relative application for dismissing the Greek nationality is accepted. 
(B) Abandoning the Greek territory
Individual of a different race that abandons the Greek territory without intention to return can be discharged from the Greek nationality, without taking into consideration whether they were born and live in a foreign country. The under aged children of the individuals of a different race that live in a foreign country can be discharged from Greek nationality if either both parents or the survivor of them dismissed the Greek nationality.
Deposition
All the individuals of the above (a) and (b) can be declared fallen. Additionally, fallen can be declared everyone that lives abroad and has acted against the interests of Greece.

DENIAL OF GREEK NATIONALITY

An individual, over the age of 18, can deny his Greek nationality if he declares that he is not bounded with Greece and he lives in a foreign country. The procedure takes place in the Greek Embassy of his residence and a second application should be submitted to the Greek Minister of Internal Affairs. At the time the application is being accepted, the individual dismisses his Greek nationality.

Should you have any further questions regarding the above or for any clarification you may contact an agent of the Consular Office via telephone at (03) 3403-0871/2, via fax at (03) 3402 4642 or via e-mal at the following address: