GR
Greece · Ελληνική Ιθαγένεια κατ' Αγχιστεία · Citizenship by Descent
Greek citizenship is acquired from birth by a child of a Greek citizen. A claim through a more distant ancestor depends on proving that citizenship passed through each generation and on registering the relevant civil-status events. Special declaration procedures apply to people born before 8 May 1984 to a Greek mother and, subject to legitimacy rules, before 16 July 1982 to a Greek father. The applicable route depends on the dates, parentage and marriage records in the family line.
Greek citizenship is based on a Greek parent, not birthplace alone. The current Citizenship Code states that a child of a Greek citizen acquires citizenship at birth; registration in the municipal rolls is the evidence and administrative step used to document that status. The Code separately permits declarations for certain older maternal and paternal cases. No fixed generational cutoff appears in the reviewed rules, but an applicant must establish the legally relevant citizenship and civil-status chain. Processing estimates differ by procedure: the government registry estimates 3 days to 2 months for a minor's registration and 18 months for some declaratory cases, so no single timeline is stored. Greek passports issued to people aged 14 or older have been valid for 10 years since 1 September 2022.
Last verified Oct 9, 2026 Last changed Oct 9, 2026 Source
updated passport validity and Henley metrics to current official/index sources Source
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