Greek Citizenship

Matters concerning Greek Citizenship are primarily governed by the Greek Nationality (or Citizenship) Code (Law No. 1438/1984), as well as Law No. 3284/2004. The main points to retain are:

I. A Greek Citizen is an individual who is duly registered in the Records of a Municipality of the Hellenic Republic. The registration in the records of a Greek Municipality constitutes the recognition of the individual’s Right to Citizenship by the Greek State, and, therefore, the premise for the Greek Passport.

II. The Greek citizenship is an inherent right of persons born to a Greek parent.  As such, Greek Consular authorities do not “grant Greek citizenship”.  Instead, through the provisions of Greek Law and its stipulated procedures, they can assist you to exercise your Right to Citizenship.

III. In order to register with a municipality in Greece, Greek citizens permanently residing in South Africa apply through the local Greek Consular Authorities , which in turn transmit the application to the competent (Municipal) Greek Authorities.

IV. A person acquires Greek citizenship at the time of birth , if born to a parent of Greek Nationality. Both the registrations of the parents’ marriage, as well as the registration of the applicant’s birth, are prerequisites for the registration of a child (See “Registrations” section for more details).

V. An individual who did not acquire Greek citizenship at birth, may apply for it at a later stage , through different procedures, depending on his/her particular conditions.

VI. In all instances, it is not the Consulates that ascertain citizenship , as this falls within the jurisdiction of the General Districts and the Greek Ministry of Interior, Public Administration and Decentralisation.

VII. Finally, it should be stressed that the relevant procedures are necessarily lengthy, as they end up recognizing a lifelong right, which additionally is passed to one's descendants indefinitely.

Procedure & Supporting Documents

In order to begin the procedure for acquiring Greek citizenship, please send an email to the Consulate General in Johannesburg ( ), attaching clear, scanned copies of the following documents depending on your case (please use WeTranfer or a similar service in case of large attachments):

I. Individuals born after 08/05/1984 to at least one Greek parent or before that date to two Greek parents (=registered with a Municipality in Greece, as described above)

o Family Status Registration Certificate from the Greek municipality, where the parents are registered as a couple (Οικογενειακή μερίδα). If that is not the case, their marriage should be registered first.
o Original Unabridged birth certificate of the South African Authorities + APOSTILLE (see relevant section) + Translation into Greek by a sworn translator (list available in relevant section). The unabridged birth certificate is returned to the applicant on the same day.
o Original certificate of christening from the Greek Orthodox Church (if applicable).
o South African passport of the individual (if applicable).
o Current Greek and SA passports of both parents
o For males only, required for registration at the database of the Greek Military :

i. 2 colour photos (dimensions 50x40 mm)
ii. All the child’s passports (SA, GR and/or other) from birth until current date.
iii. List of dates travelled to Greece + corresponding stamps in passports of exit and entry into SA
iv. Reports or confirmation letters from all his schools (Primary, Secondary, College, University), verifying his attendance until current date
v. Document indicating proof of residence
vi. Proof of employment (business licenses/ contracts/ SARS forms/ letter from the employers) for every adult year until current date.

Please note that since the beginning of 2022 the registration of births is processes via a new, online platform and citizenship is acquired within days in the cases of minors and adult females.
For adult males, registration takes between 6 and 8 months from the date of declaration, as it is dependent of the registration to the military database, which requires specific procedures.

II.Individuals born before 08/05/1984 to one Greek parent (=registered with a Municipality in Greece, as described above) or born before their parent became Greek. In these cases, citizenship may be acquired through a lengthier procedure called “Nationality Determination”. Necessary documents:

o Family Status Document proving that at least one parent is registered in Greece.
o Unabridged civil Marriage certificate of parents+ APOSTILLE+ Translation into Greek by a sworn translator. Please note that in this case, the unabridged marriage certificate of the parents is NOT returned to the applicant.
o Original Full/Unabridged birth certificate of applicant+ APOSTILLE+ Translation into Greek by a sworn translator (also NOT returned to the applicant)
o South African passport
o Original certificate of christening from the Greek Orthodox Church (if applicable).
o South African passport of the individual (if applicable).
o For males only, required for registration at the database of the Greek Military:

i. 2 colour photos (dimensions 50x40 mm)
ii. All the child’s passports (SA, GR and/or other) from birth until current date.
iii. List of dates travelled to Greece + corresponding stamps in passports of exit and entry into SA
iv. Reports or confirmation letters from all his schools (Primary, Secondary, College, University), verifying his attendance until current date
v. Document indicating proof of residence
vi. Proof of employment (business licenses/ contracts/ SARS forms/ letter from the employers) for every adult year until current date (if applicable).