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Whats up xtos

I Have lawyer who specializes in immigration and if you have all your paper work to support the fact that both of your parents are Greek it is ez to get Greek citizenship.
as far as the military   Its all about money you want to go its going to cost you. you don't want to go its still going to cost you. All in all your looking at fees
that are anywhere from 2000 to 2500.
The lawyer will cost you about 1000 to take Care of your paper work the pay out for the military could cost 1000 and  if you enter the military it will cost you travel expenses plus rent depending on where they send you.  As far as work its not ez to get i might be able to help you out in the summer .

Lawyer?
No need to get a lawyer for the paper work,! thats a waste of $$$! I did it myself and it was free, and always is, except for translating some documents from Canada( birth certificate etc) that cost me 15 euros per document( I only had one anyhow) thats all. Don't even think of PAYING a lawyer for ur citizenship, I dont know where in Canada u are, but if u go to your Greek embassy you can even start the citizenship application / procedure from there and once u arrive get it over with.They will tell u exactly what you need and it will save u lots of time , like, you need the following for sure:

1. your birth certificate (which you will get translated here by an official translator)
2. your parents birth certificates, and their marriage certificate(once again get translated here, and for the birth certificates you will have to a "Ληξιαρχειο" here ( In Central Athens its located here : Αθηνάς 63, 105 52, Αθήνα. Τηλέφωνο: 210 3722079 )and they will check them and give u a print out copy of whats called a Ληξιαρχικη πραξη which u will need later)
3. In order to do #2 above, u will need to (at your Greek embassy in Canada)along with ur parents - get a power of attorney letter(theyll do it for u) stating you can use their documents etc.
4. Once you have all that, u have to go to the Town hall, (in your area in Greece where you'll be staying, theres several of them -called Δημαρχειο) and with ALL those documents they will give you whats called "Οικογενειακη Μεριδα" which basically states: who u are, who your parents are, where theyre born/ married and then your info, its a certificate. With this, you can go to any local police station and get ur final Greek ID( Ταυτοτητα)
5. Το work, you will need an ΑΦΜ(social insurance no) which is not a card but a document, simple print out, which u can get at your local tax office by providing all docs above.

6. Also if you have any degrees/ diplomas etc, may be worth a shot translating them as well, despite the fact tha Greece does not recognize many degrees from abroad etc (officially) they might help you when youre job hunting with employers.

I dont suggest you get the Greek Passport(european), Canadian is much better and it doesnt change anything.Keep ur Canadian one and just renew it in Canada within expiry date.

MILITARY SERVICE

For males of 35 years of age or older, a sole mandatory 45-day basic training is served, while they are entitled to buy off the rest period of their military service obligation on a monthly basis. The related amount is estimated on the basis of the current monthly net salary equivalent of a new army recruit (810 euro in 2006).

Males born to a parent of Greek citizenship, both born and living permanently in Canada or having settled here for employment reasons may be exempted from the calls to enroll in the Hellenic Armed Forces. This exemption (subject to related certification) is a direct consequence of their status as a "permanent resident of Canada". If they lose this status (i.e. by staying in Greece for more than 6 months in a calendar year), they are directly imposed a full military service obligation.

Reduced Tours of Duty

Some may qualify to serve a reduced tour and may have the option to buy out their remaining duty for a fee of 293.47 per month.

1. Citizens who lived constantly abroad since their 11th birthday and have parents not employed by the Greek state serve 6 months.

2. Citizens with ‘permanent resident abroad’ status (aka, applied for and have a certificate) who choose to live in Greece for more than 6 months in a calendar year and/or work in Greece will lose their special status, be reclassified as ‘repatriated citizen’ and serve 3-6 months

OTHER USEFUL INFO

For the issuance of a "Certificate of Permanent Foreign Resident" the following supporting documents are required:

   1. Application (available at the Consulate)
   2. Certificate of registration in Greece (usually from the place, where the parentsÂ’ marriage has been registered)
   3. School records, income tax returns (copies) or the Canada Pension Plan Contributions sheet. These documents should cover each year from the applicant's primary and permanent settlement / settlement for reasons of employment in Canada.
   4. All existing passports in the applicant's possession, Greek and/or Canadian, valid and expired
   5. All existing passports in the applicant's parentsÂ’ possession, plus some other proof that the parents have resided in Canada from the time of the applicantÂ’s settlement in Canada until the date of his 18th birthday. Please, note that either parent or the applicant himself could not have been employed by the Hellenic Government in any capacity or role, either as a public servant, political or military personnel or locally engaged staff member. Such proof may be a person's bill of purchase of a home or a lease for a business or the Canada Pension Plan Contributions sheet.

Please note that the "Certificate of Permanent Foreign Resident" for military use is aimed exclusively at the above purposes in accordance to Law 3421/2005 “Conscription of Greek Males and other provisions” and may not be confused with the "Certificate of Permanent Foreign Resident" aimed at other purposes.

The "Certificate of Permanent Foreign Resident" allows the beholders to visit Greece with their Greek or Canadian passports for up to 180 days per calendar year, until the age of 45, without creating an obligation to serve in the Hellenic Armed Forces. Please request Greek border authorities at all counter entry points to stamp your passport with entry and exit dates.

For inquiries about the obligation and the term of military service, please address your nearest Greek Consular Authority. For further military recruitment information (only in Greek) browse

I suggest, if time allows you and ur not employed, (and since its really hard to get a job etc here) that you start your paperwork in your Canadian Embassy, fly over here finish it up, get a REAL taste of life here (vacations never give u the REAL idea trust me) check out the job situation and your possibilites, keep in mind that minimum wage has currently been reduced and thats like something close to 600euros a month. I dont know if u have family here that you will live with, cos u will not find rent under 250euros(Without utilities etc) so 600 is really not enough, to be able to live comfortably without luxuries you will need at least 800-1000euros.

Anyhow, I hope I helped you out, and whatever you do PLEASE DONT WASTE your $$$ on a lawyer, especially a Greek lawyer, you are Greek by birth, all u need is to 'register' yourself officially and the steps i have mentionned above.Nobody that is born to Greek parents needs assitance from lawyers.

Let me know more info and if u need any as well.
Kat

I just read Dino's post again regarding the military, he was referring to the lawyer for that and NOT citizenship- sorry 'bout that!

STILL if you read the info above I dont think its worth the Lawyer bureaucracy / cash $$$ and u can use one of the options above depending on your age/situation.

Kat

For the Power of Attorney (Υπευθυνη Δηλωση) I mentionned before, in order for u to act for your parents, here is the form, you can download it, however ur embassy will surely have a copy, but here it is for reference:

1. The person who gives power of attorney must be legally capable of doing so, i.e. must be of sound mind and of legal age. Those who wish to give power of attorney must do it in person, before the Consular employee, providing at the same time documents which establish beyond any doubt their identity (name, surname, place and date of birth, name of the father and mother).


2. The full name (father's and mother's included) of the proxy (the person to whom the power of attorney is given) shall also be provided at the time that any Act of power of attorney is to be drawn up and signed.


3. If the power of attorney is for a specific case, a draft from a notary public or a lawyer in Greece should be submitted to the Consulate.


4. For those who do not read or write the Greek language (even though they may speak and understand Greek) the presence of two witnesses is required. These witnesses should not be related to the person who signs the power of attorney, or to each other; they must be able to read, write and speak Greek, and must have with them either a passport (Greek or Canadian), or a Greek identification card. The witnesses will make sure that the person who gives the power of attorney understands what is stated in the document and they sign the document themselves.


5. If the person who will sign the power of attorney does not know Greek at all, then an interpreter is required. The interpreter will translate the document for the benefit of the person who gives the power of attorney and he/she will also sign it as interpreter. **



FOR YOU TO REGISTER YOURSELF IN GREECE
As explained in my 1st post

Here is the form, u can download it :

Procedure:for your reference -always confirm with your local Greek Embassy as i dont know where u live.

. Application.

2. Marriage certificate of the applicant's parents from the appropriate Registrar General in Greece (if the marriage took place in Greece) or a marriage certificate from the appropriate Greek Consular Authority (if the marriage took place abroad).

3. The applicant's Statement of Birth (Long Form) from the Ontario Registrar General (located at 900 Bay Street, Toronto). If the applicant was born in Manitoba, registration photocopy of his/her birth from Vital Statistics Manitoba (located at 254 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg).

4. Parents' municipal registration family status certificate from the appropriate municipality or village in Greece and all their Greek passports (if they have them). Municipal registration certificates should have been recently issued, so as to reflect the relevant administrative reforms introduced in Greece. Please note that when you register the birth of your child at the same time as (or within a short time of your marriage registration) you need not bring forward the municipal certificates again, since they have been recently used for recording the marriage.

5. If there has been a christening, the Church Baptism Certificate may be taken into consideration.

6. The applicant's Canadian passport (if any), might also be needed.

7. One photo (passport size). NOTE: for male applicants: 2 passport size photos.

Please note that if the applicant is an adult, he or she must come to the Consulate in person. If the applicant is under 18 years old, one of the parents will have to complete the registration procedure.


OK!! done!

Kat

Good job Koukla.
About the army thing, try to avoid it by any means. It will make you wanna go back in Canada.

Stay calm, take a deep breath and all will go smoothly

Cheers

Hi All, Koukla thanks for all that info....wow, I need to work through a lot.

Also thanks to everyone else, but I was looking for more info like what kind of TROUBLE I would get into if I OVER STAYED.  The only thing I see from all of the above is that I will LOOSE MY SPECIAL STATUS of being a NON-RESIDENT or PERMANENT RESIDENT ABROAD and will have to spend more time in the Army.  About the Army....would I still have to serve, even with Medical Problems, but maybe in an Office Type Role???

Thanks!!!

Hey all

Look i might be worng but if you over stayed they may not want to prosess your paper work
at any rate you should consult a lawyer
consultation is 00 cost just ask befor you make a apointment

if u ask ur Greek embassy in Canada..they will tell you that info... ABC easy as 123 ..lol