Citizenship in Greece is the legal conection between you and the country, regulated by the Constitution and related laws, providing certain rights and obligations for each party. Foreigners usually obtain this status by naturalization, a procedure of integration into the social environment after seven years of residence with a residence permit/permanent residence permit. The obligatory conditions are knowledge of the national language, socio-cultural, geographical and historical peculiarities of the state, as well as law-abidingness and the existence of ties with the local society.

The status of Greek citizen can also be granted in an accelerated procedure, for example to spouses of local passport holders or stateless persons. It can also be granted to a foreigner for special services to the country. In addition, a passport is granted under a simplified program to expatriates with Greek roots and unconditionally on the basis of birth/nativity. There is no need to renounce the former citizenship upon accession to the new status. These regulations are regulated by Law 3284/2004 of the Hellenic Republic of November 10, 2004.

You can get detailed information about the current procedures for obtaining citizenship and residency in EU countries from Immigrantinlaw international legislation specialists. A specialized lawyer will recommend you the best immigration option, taking into account your plans, the nuances of your dossier and the available budget.

What are the benefits of Greek citizenship?  

With a Greek passport you can count on comprehensive assistance from the State, such as legal protection or social support according to your status, as well as:

• immigrate with relatives to a favorite European Union country for permanent residence;
• travel visa-free to more than 160 countries around the world, including popular destinations in Asia, North and South America;
• expand business markets, establish international cooperation and qualify for grants under EU programs for entrepreneurs;
• get a highly paid job in any of the EU states on the same conditions (schedule, salary, social package) as the local population;
• give prestigious European education to their children, as well as independently enter a popular university on a budgetary basis;
• to apply for qualified medical services in the best clinics of the European Union on the basis of a basic unified insurance;
• obtain Greek citizenship for your children (with the consent of the other parent) and accelerated naturalization procedure for your spouse;
• open accounts with reliable banks worldwide, including applying for loans, renting safe deposit boxes or making international transfers.

Ways and conditions for obtaining Greek citizenship

There are three ways to become a Greek citizen in general - by birthright, through the restoration of status for native Greeks and through the naturalization procedure (regular or accelerated). There are no legal programs that allow you to buy a passport in the Republic and are not foreseen. There are so-called “golden visas”, i.e., residence permits for investment, which, however, does not give advantages during naturalization.

“Soil law” works in Greece with restrictions. If a child is born in a family of foreigners, he receives the citizenship of the mother and/or father or a local passport, if his parents have a residence permit and they were also born in the Republic.

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Naturalization

In Greece, applications for citizenship by naturalization are accepted from those who:

• has reached the age of majority;
• has not been convicted for more than six months;
• has not been deported from the country before;
• has been legally residing in the country for 7 years or more;
• possesses a local residence permit or its equivalent;
• knows Greek at level B1 and above;
• is familiar with the culture, history, geography, political system of the country;
• chooses Greece as the center of his/her life (works here or runs a business, has family or kinship ties).

The period of residence in Greece during naturalization is reduced to three years for:

• citizens of other European Union countries;
• stateless persons;
• spouses of local citizens;
• guardians of Greek children.

Greece also provides for honorary naturalization. In this case, citizenship is granted by decision of the Minister of the Interior for exceptional service to the country or if justified by national interests. The naturalization requirements may be reduced or not applied at all.

Restoration of citizenship

A simplified Greek passport is available for those who are of local ethnicity. The active historical events of the 19th and 20th centuries in which the country was involved (e.g., the loss of territory after the Balkan war and World War I) make many foreigners and their descendants eligible for repatriation.

Citizenship is granted in Greece and abroad (through consulates) without prior residency requirements, as in the case of naturalization. A passport is also immediately issued to ethnic Greeks who enlist in the country's military service.

Right of birth/origin

A Greek passport is automatically granted to a child who has at least one parent who holds a similar document. The same right is available to those who were born in the Republic and do not acquire citizenship abroad (e.g., it is not provided for by the laws of the foreign country or the origin of the child is unknown). Children of foreigners born and residing in the state with permanent residence can become Greek citizens without additional conditions. “Right of blood” also applies to a child adopted by local citizens.

All the rights of a Greek citizen without special requirements can be obtained with a passport of another EU country - subsequently there is an opportunity to naturalize in the Republic under a simplified procedure. Evaluate your chances of obtaining a second citizenship in the European Union at a free legal consultation.

Procedure for obtaining Greek citizenship

In the general naturalization procedure, the procedure for obtaining Greek citizenship is as follows:

1. Determination of the immigration ground.
   To start the naturalization process, one must legally move to Greece for one of the reasons specified in the local legislation. Examples are formal employment, investing in the economy, reuniting with relatives, buying real estate or starting a business. You can determine the best reason yourself or learn about the pros and cons of each from an immigration specialist.
2. Obtaining a national D visa.
   To enter Greece legally, you will need to obtain a long-term permit on the same basis as your future residence permit. You need to make an appointment in advance at the consulate or embassy of the country where you live, submit the documents, pay the state fee and wait for the result.
3. Obtainment of a residence permit.
   Upon arrival in Greece with a visa, you need to apply for a temporary resident card until your entry permit expires. You can apply for a residence permit online through the official website of the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum. You fill out an application form, upload scanned copies of your dossier, and pay an administrative fee. On a certain day you will be invited to submit biometric data and interview (if required), after which the residence permit will be issued.
4. Renewal of residence permit and formalization of permanent residence permit.
   The temporary residence permit in Greece is usually valid for up to 3 years (investor categories - up to 5 years), so in order to stay in the country you have to renew it by re-applying to the immigration authority. After 5 years you can request a permanent residence card if you have passed the integration exam and have a source of livelihood, a registered place of residence in the country and health insurance. The permanent residence permit is issued in the same way as the residence permit.
5. Applying for citizenship.
   When you have lived in the country for a total of 7 years and have a residence permit, you can start the naturalization procedure. You will need to take a written test to prove your knowledge of the Greek language and your integration into society. After successfully passing the test, you will make an appointment at the Citizenship Service of the Ministry of Interior of your place of residence in the Republic and submit the documents.
6. Waiting for and receiving your citizenship status.
   The authorities reserve the right to invite you for an interview to verify your level of financial and social integration into Greek life. If the request is approved, the authorities will make a decision on naturalization. The final procedures are the swearing of the oath and the subsequent issuance of national documents (Greek internal and foreign passports).

Dual citizenship in Greece

The Citizenship Law does not require you to renounce a similar document abroad when applying for a local passport. However, for each country you will only be considered as a citizen. Within the respective country, you must use your local passport, for example, for government services or border crossings.

Around the world, you can present an ID card at your discretion (alternatively, to enter visa-free countries freely or to open a residence permit abroad). As of 2025, there are no bilateral agreements on mutual recognition of dual citizenship between Greece and other states.

How much does it cost to obtain Greek citizenship and passport?

The way of obtaining citizenship in Greece directly affects the level of your expenses. The most expensive is naturalization, where you have to live in the country for at least 7 years and pay administrative fees at every stage of the procedure. Repatriates and those who obtain a passport by birth have the lowest costs. Since most foreigners obtain the status of a citizen by standard naturalization, the table below shows its cost (the amount of actual state fees).

Immigrantinlaw's immigration specialists can help you find the most affordable way to obtain citizenship in the European Union. Learn about simplified programs to obtain an EU passport in 4-12 months at the free consultation with a lawyer.

What it takes to become a Greek citizen

In order to apply for Greek and EU citizenship, you will need to prepare documents for each of the procedures. If you want a passport to be issued for your child, you will need to include him/her in the naturalization application.

What documents are required to obtain citizenship  

As a naturalized foreigner you prepare a dossier in Greece with the following documents:

• original and a copy of a valid passport or other similar document;
• card of permanent resident of the republic;
• certificate of sufficient integration into the society;
• birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce certificate (if applicable);
• information from the tax administration about your activity during your years of residence in the country;
• social security registration number;
• a receipt for the payment of the administrative fee.

The Ministry of Interior reserves the right to request additional documents, for example, to verify your economic and social integration into Greek life. Certificates and statements issued abroad must be officially translated into Greek or English.

What documents are required to obtain a passport

When applying for a Greek internal passport you will need:

• a recent photo taken in digital format;
• two applications in the prescribed format;
• a receipt for the payment of the administrative fee.

When opening a Greek eID card for the first time, you will need to visit the authorized body with an adult witness to confirm your identity. If you wish to make a passport, you will need to prepare:

• a personally completed application form;
• a declaration of absence of unlawful acts;
• identity card (internal passport) and its copies;
• a recent photo of 40 x 60 mm;
• a receipt for the payment of the state fee.

Citizenship registration for a child

The child of a naturalized foreigner becomes Greek without any other requirements. It is important that on the day of swearing in by the parent, he/she is under 18 years of age, unmarried and permanently residing in the Republic with the appropriate document. If the other parent does not have a local passport, his or her written consent to the procedure of registration of citizenship status for the child will be required. Children can also be issued an internal identity card and a passport for traveling abroad.

Greek passport issuance

The Greek identity card looks like a plastic card with a photo, biometric data of the holder and basic information about him/her. For the issuance of the document, you need to make an appointment at the local police station and on the appointed day, you need to come together with a witness and the relevant file.

The card is made within 7 days, after which you personally pick it up where you submitted the request. You will also be given a personal number at the time of application, by which you can check the status of the eID document. You can also use your EU internal passport in EU countries.

You can also apply for a Greek passport to travel freely in most countries of the world. The authority responsible for the procedure is the Passport and Security Documents Department. You visit the nearest passport office, fill out an electronic application, attach the required file. For certain categories of citizens (e.g., pensioners with limited mobility) individual service is provided. Your request will be considered and the result will be reported in writing, after which it will be necessary to visit the authority again and pick up the finished document.

Denial in granting citizenship – reasons and solutions

A Greek passport will not be issued to a person who does not meet at least one of the conditions of naturalization, for example, not sufficiently integrated into society, according to the authorities. Refusal is also issued for reasons of national security and to preserve the international relations of the Republic. Often applications are rejected because of mistakes in the documents, e.g., you have submitted an incomplete dossier or incorrectly certified the translation. It is worth checking everything before starting the procedure, or better - entrust organizational and documentary tasks to immigration specialists.

Feedback from immigrants who have obtained the status of a Greek citizen

According to feedback from people who have obtained a Greek passport, immigration procedures in the country are complicated and lengthy. Requests at each stage can take months to be considered by state authorities, since the law does not specify exact deadlines. Bureaucracy flourishes - it is necessary to prepare a lot of documents, to make an appointment in advance, to be interviewed in Greek, sometimes to provide additional certificates and testimonies. Also, not everyone likes the long naturalization (as much as 7 years against 5, for example, in Belgium or Portugal) and the need to pass the integration exam.

Immigrants often recommend to get a passport of another EU country and then move to Greece with it. Within the framework of Directive 2004/38/EC all citizens of the European Union are equal in rights, so they can freely reside in any state of association for an unlimited period of time, work, study without additional requirements. In addition, you will be able to naturalize faster and obtain a second passport in Greece 3 years after immigration instead of the standard 7 years. You can check your chances of obtaining EU citizenship with the help of Immigrantinlaw lawyers.

Alternatives to Greek citizenship

Foreigners have to wait a very long time for Greek citizenship by naturalization. Often problems arise at the first stage when looking for reasons to move to the country - there are not many options. That is why Immigrantinlaw's international law specialists recommend that you first check your chances of participating in simplified passport programs in other EU countries. The documents of the EU states have the same force within the association and give all holders similar privileges, such as free employment, opening a business or receiving grants and allowances.

Some EU countries have formal procedures whereby you can obtain a second citizenship in a maximum of 12 months. You will not have to reside in the state with a residence permit beforehand, and you can wait for the authorities to decide on the request in your home country. You will also not need to provide a certificate of income, invest in a foreign economy, take an integration exam or renounce your passport in your home country.

The most optimal conditions for obtaining citizenship are offered by Romania, Bulgaria and Slovenia. To find the best immigration program for your needs, consult a specialist.

About the author

Diana Weber

Lawyer of international law

Diane Weber is an international law specialist with 10 years of legal practice experience. Her portfolio includes successful stories of citizenship in different European Union countries under simplified procedures. Diana provides detailed advice and helps many people to achieve their immigration goals in a short period of time, including resolving visa issues, assisting in obtaining residence permits and citizenship in the EU countries. In her blog, Diana Weber enjoys providing readers with detailed information about the features of most popular programs for obtaining a second passport.