# Greek citizenship through descent....Help please.



## Anna_bell (May 4, 2011)

Hello everyone. 
I have a few questions regarding obtaining Greek citizenship through descent. My boyfriend is American living in New York.....I am an Irish and am living in Ireland. 
My boyfriend wants to come to Ireland to live with me but it seems extremely difficult to obtain a work permit in Ireland. We think our best option is for him to apply for Greek citizenship through descent as his great grandparents were born and lived in Greece.
Can anyone tell me if this is possible? I have been doing a bit of research online and there is a lot of mixed information. I don't know whats correct.
Can someone apply for citizenship through a great grandparent? I would love to know if there is anyone who has gone down this route and succeeded in obtaining citizenship.
Thanks in advance for any insight.


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## Vincent Ramone (Apr 16, 2011)

Anna_bell said:


> Hello everyone.
> I have a few questions regarding obtaining Greek citizenship through descent. My boyfriend is American living in New York.....I am an Irish and am living in Ireland.
> My boyfriend wants to come to Ireland to live with me but it seems extremely difficult to obtain a work permit in Ireland. We think our best option is for him to apply for Greek citizenship through descent as his great grandparents were born and lived in Greece.
> Can anyone tell me if this is possible? I have been doing a bit of research online and there is a lot of mixed information. I don't know whats correct.
> ...


Hi, Anna, I had to do much the same thing in order to move to the U.K to be with my wife. However, my father lives in Greece and even then it was a bit of a circus to get everything organised, as the Greeks require information that seems utterly pointless like Grade School grades, Mother and Father's baptism papers and some other nonsense that has slipped my mind, and also depending upon your boyfriend's age, he may be required to do military service...

In any case, if he had no living relatives in Greece I think the road might be a bit impossible.. The best thing to do is to seek advice from a Lawyer. I don't know where your boyfriend if from in the States, but there are many Greek Lawyers in ASTORIA New York that deal with this sort of thing and might be able to assist you.. SOme here will recommend the Embassy in New York and it is a good starting place, but as you will find when dealing with the Greek government in all of its guises and roles you will NEVER NEVER NEVER get the same advice twice and "THE PAPER" that you need, but don't have on the day you need it, will change with every Government DOg's body you meet...

I hope that was a bit of a help.. Good luck.


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## kakinyc (Jul 11, 2011)

*tough road*

I have to agree. I got my Greek citizenship being an American as my father was born there. It still took me close to five years and over a thousand dollars at least as I had to have copies of birth and school certificates and a million other things, then had to go back and forth from the embassy to translators to get stamps, the greek archdiocese, baptism papers...honestly the whole thing gives me anxiety just thinking about it again. No wonder the country is in financial ruin, nothing is simple with Greek bureaucracy! Good luck and hire a great lawyer


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## rebartrees (Jul 18, 2009)

I am afraid that I agree with the previous two replies. My father was born in Greece and it took me six years and over a thousand dollars to acquire what was my right: Greek citizenship. And in the end I could not do it without the help of a lawyer. A good lawyer should be able to tell your boyfriend before he begins the arduous process if having a great-grandparent born in Greece is sufficient. The Greek embassy or consulate in New York may or may not give him accurate information.


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