Greek Citizenship

As mentioned above, there’s a clear path to Greek citizenship through the Golden Visa program, which requires you to be in residency for seven years before applying for naturalization.

Plus, Greeks believe in bloodlines. You’re eligible for Greek citizenship if you have at least one biological parent or grandparent of Greek origin.

The name of the game is “Find As Many Supporting Documents As You Can”—birth, marriage, and death certificates; baptismal records, IDs, passports, even college records… extra points for a Greek municipality certificate certifying the ancestor’s birth and municipality number.

A common concern with Greek citizenship, however, is military service, which is compulsory for all Greek men and lasts from six to nine months. Males 19 to 45 can circumvent the requirement by maintaining foreign resident status (possible as a Greek national), which permits up to six months of residency in Greece per year. Anything beyond six months automatically renders the citizen a permanent resident and may require up to 15 months of military service.