If you have a Greek parent, grandparent or earlier ancestor, you may already be entitled to Greek citizenship — not as something bought, but as something inherited. We assess whether the entitlement exists, and establish the documentary chain that proves it.
Independent legal counsel, in English, for the Greek diaspora in the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and beyond.
Greek citizenship passes by descent — jus sanguinis, the right of blood. If your line traces back to a Greek citizen, the citizenship may already be yours in principle, waiting to be recognised. It is not granted in exchange for an investment, and it is not a passport for sale. It is a question of who your people were.
Many in the diaspora assume the connection is too distant, the documents long lost, or the spelling of a name changed at a port of entry has severed the link. Often none of these is fatal. What matters is whether the chain — from the Greek ancestor down to you — can be established in the records.
We tell you honestly whether we believe the entitlement can be proven, before you invest hope or money in the process. That candour is the point: some firms promise eligibility they cannot deliver. We assess first.
The principle is simple; the proof is where the work lies. Citizenship is recognised, not invented — which means it stands or falls on the documentary chain.
Citizenship flows from a Greek parent, and can reach back to a grandparent or earlier ancestor — provided the Greek citizenship of each link can be established. There is no crude "generation limit"; there is only whether the chain holds.
The anchor is usually the ancestor's registration in a Greek municipality — the Mitroon or Dimotologio. Locating that record, sometimes generations old, is often the decisive step. Where it exists, the path becomes clear.
Birth, marriage and death certificates for each generation, bridging the Greek ancestor to you — typically requiring apostille and official translation. Name changes on emigration are worked through, not feared.
The chain is established and transcribed into the Greek registries, so the citizenship is recognised and recorded. The outcome depends on the records; it cannot be promised in advance, only assessed and then pursued properly.
It is not the Golden Visa. The Golden Visa is a residence permit earned through investment. Citizenship by descent is a matter of ancestry — no property, no investment, no minimum sum. The two have nothing to do with one another, and we never conflate them.
It is not a guarantee. No honest lawyer can promise recognition sight-unseen; the answer lives in the records. What we promise is a candid assessment of whether the chain can be proven, and diligent work to establish it where it can.
On dual citizenship: Greek law generally permits holding Greek citizenship alongside another. Whether your country permits you to do so is a matter of its law, not ours — confirm that with an adviser in your country of nationality. We advise on the Greek side only.
You tell us what you know of your Greek ancestor and any documents you hold. We give a candid view of whether the entitlement looks provable.
We search for the ancestor's Greek registration and the civil-registry records that anchor the chain, in Greece.
Certificates for each generation are gathered, apostilled and translated, and the links assembled into a coherent documentary chain.
The chain is submitted and transcribed into the Greek registries, so the citizenship is recognised and recorded. Timelines depend on the authorities and the records.
If your interest is also — or instead — in buying property or a residence permit through investment, that is a separate route with its own page. Many in the diaspora explore both: recognition of citizenship by descent, and a home in Greece. We can advise on each, kept properly distinct. See our guidance for US & Canadian buyers of Greek property.
Tell us what you know of your Greek ancestor and the documents you hold. A supervising partner will review it and respond personally, usually within one business day, with a candid view of whether the entitlement looks provable and the fixed fee to proceed.
There is no obligation, and nothing here creates a lawyer–client relationship until terms are agreed in writing. Legal services are provided in English.
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Phone: +30 210 363 6035
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Email: [email protected]
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Thank you. A supervising partner will review what you have shared and respond personally, usually within one business day, with a candid view of whether the entitlement looks provable. For anything urgent you may also email [email protected].
Greek citizenship generally passes by descent from a Greek parent, and may reach further back — to a grandparent or earlier ancestor — provided the Greek citizenship of each link in the chain can be established and the necessary registrations exist or can be made. Whether a particular family qualifies depends on the documentary chain and must be assessed individually.
There is no simple cut-off by generation. What matters is whether the unbroken chain of Greek citizenship and registration can be documented from the Greek ancestor down to you. A great-grandparent may suffice if each intervening link is established; a closer ancestor may not, if a registration was never made.
Typically the Greek ancestor's registration in a Greek municipality (the Mitroon or Dimotologio), with birth, marriage and death certificates for each generation, often requiring apostille and official translation. Names that changed spelling on emigration, or ancestors who never registered, are common complications we work through.
No. Citizenship by descent is a matter of ancestry and existing entitlement, entirely separate from the Golden Visa or any investment. It does not involve buying property. Greece does not offer citizenship by investment; this route concerns who you are descended from, not what you invest.
Greek law generally permits dual citizenship, so from the Greek side, recognition does not require renouncing another nationality. Whether your own country permits dual citizenship is a matter of that country's law, on which we do not advise — confirm this with a qualified adviser in your country of nationality.