Consular Affairs - Greek Citizenship.

Click here to go back

1. The following prerequisites are required for naturalisation:

a) A declaration by the alien made before the mayor or the president of the village council where he/she is domiciled or resides, to the effect that he/she wishes to be naturalised. The declaration is submitted in the presence of two Greek citizens serving as witnesses. For the alien ethnic Greek living abroad this declaration may be submitted before the Greek Consul of his/her domicile, who will then submit it to the Ministry of the Interior together with a relevant report.

b) If the alien is not an ethnic Greek, he/she must have been residents in Greece for ten years within the last twelve years before the submission of the application or five years in Greece after the declaration concerning naturalisation. Time spent in Greece by the alien as a diplomatic agent or administrative officer of a foreign country cannot be considered. These conditions are not required for a person who has been born and lives in Greece. 

c) An application for naturalisation submitted to the Ministry of the Interior.

The naturalisation takes place following a decision of the Minister of the Interior after an investigation on the character and the personality of the alien. Marriage to a Greek is evaluated and in the case of spouses of Greek diplomatic agents who serve abroad the time spent abroad due to the service of their Greek spouses is considered for the completion of time as provided in the preceding paragraph, supported by the relevant Greek Ambassador. No reason will be given in the case of rejection of application in relation to their wish for Greek nationality. 

2. An alien whose deportation has been ordered, or who has been sentenced by a Greek court to imprisonment longer than one year or for crimes of high treason, against public morals, theft, fraud, embezzlement, forgery, false certification, counterfeiting, coining false money, slander, smuggling, violations involving felony of the laws on establishment and movement of aliens in Greece, on the protection of national currency and on narcotics, cannot be naturalised.

3. The decision of the Minister of the Interior concerning the naturalisation of an alien cannot be revoked during the annual period of time provided by art. 9 & 1 of the L.D. 3370/1955 ‘on the Code of Greek Nationality’ unless a fraudulent act or omission on the part of the alien concerned led to its issuance. 

4. A new naturalisation application is allowed only after the lapse of one year after the rejection of the previous application.

• Declaration of request of naturalisation in the presence of two Greek citizens holders of valid Greek passports.
• Written application for naturalisation to the Ministry of Interior, Department of Citizenship.
• Registration of birth certificate of the interested person, children and parents, also certificate of marriage of the interested person and parents.
• If the above documents are in a foreign language those must be submitted in the original together with officially attested translation into Greek.
• Legalised photocopy of the valid Passport or the Identity Card.
• Certificate from the foreign authorities, officially translated, of family status or affirmation from the competent Consular authority.
• Available written records (in photocopies officially translated and legalised) proving the Greek origin of the interested person and his ancestors. (certificates of birth, baptism, marriage, old passports etc).
• Attested copy of criminal record if any officially translated issued from the authorities of the place of domicile of the interested person.

Please click here for a list of Consular Fees

NOTE

Persons that satisfy the above law must initially declare their wish to be naturalised as Greek citizens by lodging a Naturalisation Declaration with the Greek Consul at their place of residence. Please note that the Consular authority appropriate to receive a ‘Naturalisation Declaration’ can only be the district where the person concerned resides permanently. (No other Greek Consular authority is authorised to receive application or declaration for naturalisation).