He was born in Greece, went to a Greek school, set a Greek record, and yet it took him 16 years to obtain Greek citizenship and be able to participate in international championships for the Greek national team. Against all odds, Elina Jenko, the golden girl of the javelin, finally managed to do it.

In the same position are thousands of other boys and girls who were born or studied in Greece, children of the second generation of immigrants who meet the legal requirements for Greek citizenship, but are “stuck” waiting. Characteristically, at the moment the competent authority in Attica is still considering applications submitted in 2017, and in Central Macedonia, applications submitted in 2017 and 2018. Meanwhile, across the country, 18,822 applications from second-generation immigrant children remain pending. Approximately 5,000 applications for citizenship by birth or education are made each year.

It is worth noting that the consideration of applications submitted to services outside of Attica takes only three months due to the small number of applications. However, the law prohibits the transfer of the applicant’s case from Athens or Thessaloniki to similar provincial authorities.

The General Secretariat for Citizenship of the Ministry of Internal Affairs acknowledges the problem, but emphasizes the understaffing of individual services. In particular, the two departments responsible for processing applications in Athens and Thessaloniki have 18 employees, while according to the organizational chart there should be 40. Athanasios Balerbas notes that every year the service requests employees through the mobility system, but there are no free places. However, he is optimistic that the time to obtain citizenship for second generation children will be significantly reduced by linking the digital citizenship service system with the relevant registries of the Ministries of Education, Justice and Citizen Protection.

At the moment, applications submitted in 2017 are being processed at the competent office in Attica.

This is a €5 million project that has been included in the NSRF and will allow Citizenship Services to directly receive documents required by other Ministries. “Currently, the applicant must provide us with, for example, his high school diploma, and we are obliged to send it to the Ministry of Education for verification. This process alone can take months, ”the service official notes.

Children born in Greece to foreign parents are eligible to apply (through their parents, of course) for Greek citizenship as soon as they turn six years old. However, at the same time, one of the two parents must have a valid legal residence permit and be permanently in Greece.

Children who have attended a Greek school (six years of primary school and three years of secondary school or six years of secondary school/high school) can apply for Greek citizenship either immediately after graduation from secondary school or as adults after graduation. In the second case, a certificate of good conduct is required, according to a recent addition to the law. They must also be resident in Greece at the time of application.

While the process seems simple, the devil is often in the details. As in the case of Andronika Kifti, published by K on 09/16/2021. Androniki was born in Greece to Albanian parents who have lived in the country for over 30 years with legal permission, went to school in Greece and entered the Hellenic University (ASOEE). Under current law, in 2012, when she reached the age of majority, she applied for Greek citizenship. A year passed without any progress in the process, and the applicant made a “mistake” by going to the USA to study on a scholarship. Nine years later, he still failed to obtain a Greek identity.

Ministry measures

The possibility of establishing a deadline for the submission of the necessary documents by applicants for the acquisition of citizenship is considered by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Many times the file submitted is incomplete, making it seem like it’s been on hold for years, service officials point out, associating the volume of applications that remain pending with this parameter. According to classified information, the time required for the applicant to complete all the necessary documents will be up to six months (the possibility of an extension for another six months is being considered). Otherwise, the application will be canceled and will have to be re-submitted. However, it is worth noting that in many cases public sector services are late in issuing a document. Characteristically, the period for extending the residence permit (a necessary document for the parents of a minor applicant) expired upon its final issuance, and the process must be started over.