# Greek Citizenship



## Rockndoc (May 14, 2011)

My wife is intending to become a Greek citizen, but this depends on her mother's citizenship. Her mother left Greece 63 years ago for the U.S, has been back to Greece three times with her Greek passport, most recently in 1993. She has never become an American citizen, but has a green card. We would like to take her back to Greece one more time, but here is our dilemma: She apparently never properly registered in Greece, having married over 60 years ago; we came to find out that she had never registered her marriage. This never prevented her from having been issued a Greek passport in her married name before, but since her passport had lapsed, she needed to renew it. It has now taken us over one-and-a half years, but in spite of having contacted a Greek attorney, we have been unable to get her properly registered in Piraeus, though all certificates have been properly notarized (with apostiles). Without a new birth certificate (we presented them with the old one issued in Piraeus in 1930), she cannot be registered, and without that, she cannot be issued a new passport. She is old and slowly failing, but would like to see her sister and niece one more time. Does anyone have information as to how this might be expedited? Our Greek attorney has been unable to give us advice in this regard. My wife and I plan on moving to Greece in 3 years' time, at which time she wishes to have her Greek citizenship, but this is contingent on her mother's straightening out her papers. We'd like to make her mother's trip possible, before she is too old to travel. Thanks for any advice in this matter.


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