New adjustments to facilitate the civil registry of adult Greeks abroad

The update is fully harmonized with the recent amendment of article 26 of the Greek Citizenship Code, in accordance with article 56 of law 5143/2024.

With this decision of the Deputy Minister V. Spanakis, the automatic acquisition of Greek citizenship by children of Greeks who request the registration of their births at the Greek Consular Authorities through the Citizens' Registry is accelerated, as children of Greek parents who were registered in the civil registry after a long period of time, as was the case for the vast majority of Greeks born abroad, due to the late declaration of their marriage registration documents to the competent Greek Authorities.

In parallel with the decision, an answer is given to a large number of questions originating from both the Civil Registry Authorities and the competent Greek Consular Authorities, in relation to the civil registry registrations of Greeks residing abroad, in view of the new provision of the Greek Citizenship Code.

Deputy Minister of the Interior Vasilis Spanakis underlined that: "The required supporting documents and the conditions for making registrations, deletions and changes in the civil registry concern all Greek citizens, regardless of the method of acquiring citizenship. However, cases of initial adult registration are being facilitated more for Greeks abroad, who acquire citizenship, most often after the birth of their child. For this reason, the Ministry of the Interior is moving towards eliminating bureaucratic requirements and is arranging the civil registry of Greeks who - based on the new provisions - are entitled to their immediate civil registry registration."