It is known that many expatriates wish to acquire Greek citizenship, as it allows them to hold a Greek passport, which is also a European passport. The holder of a Greek passport can travel, reside permanently and work in all member states of the European Union (EU) without a visa and without special administrative formalities, enjoying the same rights as citizens of the country in which they reside.
Furthermore, acquiring Greek citizenship provides the possibility of issuing a Greek police identity card, which in itself constitutes a travel document, allowing travel within the EU and the Schengen area, without the requirement to possess a passport.
In practice, however, many third-country nationals of Greek origin, when attempting to register with a Municipality in Greece, find that the process is more complex and bureaucratic than they expected. It is often revealed that the name or surname of their parent, grandparent or grandmother changed during their migration from Greece to countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa, etc. This differentiation of identity information can create significant obstacles to proving Greek origin and, consequently, delay the acquisition of Greek citizenship.
In other cases, different legal issues arise, such as the need to have a divorce issued abroad recognized in Greece or to find additional documents abroad. These problems can often be resolved, but they require time and specific legal procedures. There are also cases in which the obstacles are more serious, as a result of which the interested party needs to follow a different procedure for acquiring Greek citizenship, which requires, among other things, an interview with the Consul of Greece in the foreign country, some knowledge of the Greek language, as well as elements of Greek history and culture.
What happens, however, when an expatriate wishes to settle in Greece for one or two years, to develop a professional activity or to remain for personal or family reasons for a period of more than 90 days, while the process of acquiring Greek citizenship cannot be completed soon?
In these cases, Greek law provides an important alternative. A third-country national (i.e. a non-EU citizen), who proves his Greek origin, can apply for a residence permit in Greece as an expatriate. In other words, even if registration in the Civil Registry is delayed or there are legal obstacles that prevent the immediate acquisition of Greek citizenship, the interested party can obtain the right to legal residence in Greece through the special residence permit for expatriates.
The conditions for granting a residence permit as an expatriate are, as a rule, less strict than those required for the recognition of Greek citizenship. For example, the differentiation of the surname of an ancestor between Greece and abroad is usually not an insurmountable obstacle to the issuance of a residence permit. Thus, a foreigner of Greek origin, who was born in Australia, Canada, the United States or any other country and wishes to remain in Greece for a period exceeding 90 days, may, if he faces difficulties in acquiring Greek citizenship, apply for a residence permit as an expatriate, legally settle in Greece and at the same time continue the actions to resolve the legal issues that prevent the completion of the process of acquiring Greek citizenship.
The residence permit granted to a person recognized as an expatriate also grants the right to access the labor market in Greece. This is of particular importance for many expatriates, either because they wish to work during their stay in the country, or because legal employment allows them to obtain a Social Security Number (AMKA) and access public health benefits.
Overall, the granting of a residence permit can be a first step for the expatriate who is not yet in a position to immediately acquire Greek citizenship. It gives him the opportunity to reconnect with Greece and his family roots, to get to know the country and the Greek language better, to gradually integrate into Greek society and at the same time to continue the legal actions that will allow him to acquire Greek citizenship.
Photo By Government of Greece – EdisonTD, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54633797, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
