Get Greek Citizenship
Why We Gave Our Children Greek Citizenship
Written By: Penelope Conomos Benis
I’ll admit that at first, the little voice in my head was screaming “Όχι!” when my husband suggested we obtain our children their Greek citizenship. At the time, my three sons were aged seven, eight and nine. Internally, I went back and forth with myself about the possible benefits and risks. Externally, we began to initiate the process.
My father, who was a first generation Greek-American originating from Kythira, strongly objected. His generation preferred to look firmly ahead and live out the coveted American dream, thanks to the sacrifices of his immigrant parents, who desired their children to be chiefly American citizens. Seeing his grandchildren obtain Greek citizenship would have signaled a turn back toward the fatherland. It forced me to think long and hard about codifying Greek identity for my children.
Read More5 Ways to Get Your Greek Citizenship Done Faster
Written By: Christophoros
As many in the Greek Diaspora know all too well, getting your Greek Citizenship can be a long and difficult process. This is because people are often stuck communicating with the Greek government through consulates and embassies in America, which are often understaffed and poor at communication.
We at KTE have heard countless stories from Greeks living all over the world about how hard it is to track down all the necessary documents to make their Greek citizenry official, even after multiple years into the process. Well, we figured, enough is enough. As Greek Americans who have been through the process and whose father is a lawyer, here are five ways to get your Greek Citizenship done faster.
Read MoreHow to (really) get your Greek ID card
Written By: KTE Executive Board
If you already have your Greek Citizenship, owning a Greek ID card is extremely helpful and useful. The new Greek ID card is digitized and scans at governmental security checkpoints in all EU member countries, which means shorter lines at airports and being considered an EU passport holder entering your home country for all member states.
Of course, you can also use it as a form of ID anywhere in Greece, which is good because it never hurts to have the authorities view you as more of a local and not as a tourist. Oh, and rental car companies will treat you better, too.
Read MoreHow to (really) get your Greek Citizenship
Written By: Christophoros
Unlike the United States, where citizenship is assigned by birth in the country’s borders, Greek Citizenship is done by parentage. As far as the legal process goes, Greeks in the diaspora need to prove to the Greek government that they have an ancestor with Greek Citizenship.
Greek Americans are now required to work their citizenship process through one of the eight General Consulates of the Hellenic Republic within the United States that they were born closest to. For instance, Greek Americans born in Seattle, Washington must conduct their citizenship proceedings at the Consulate in San Francisco, because it is their official local Consulate. Likewise, if a Seattle-born Greek American were to move to New York later in life, they would still need to return to the Consulate in San Francisco to file a citizenship application.
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