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If your child is born in Greece, you need to declare the birth in the nearest registry office in the municipality where the child is born.
You need to submit the following documents to the registry office:
- The ‘birth declaration’ issued by the registration unit of the hospital or clinic where the birth took place. Usually, the birth declaration is sent directly from the hospital to the local registry office, so that the registry office issues the birth certificates in a timely manner. Note that it is important to take care to declare your name exactly as it is written in all your legal documents. Unfortunately there sometimes spelling and numerical mistakes in official documentation. If this is the case, the process to correct it is quite complicated. If the mistake is simple the correction may be made by a Public Prosecutor’s order. If the mistake is more complicated, such as more than one letter or number wrong, it will need to be corrected by a Court decision which is a time consuming process requiring legal aid.
- Residence permits of the parents or asylum seekers’ cards. You need to present the original and submit copies;
- Τax and social security numbers (AFM and AMKA); or a declaration stating that such numbers are not available;
- Family status certificate or marriage certificate, if available.
For refugees and asylum seekers, the birth declaration contains the details of the parents’ residence permits or asylum seeker’s cards.
If the father of the child is not in Greece during the birth, in practice, his details are usually not included in the birth declaration and the child is considered to be born out of wedlock, unless an official marriage certificate is presented. In this case, the only details and documents needed are those of the mother. In these cases, the name of the father can be added later, following a voluntary acknowledgment of parentage on behalf of the father.
The registration of the birth is completed only after the issuance of the birth certificate by the registry office.
How and when should I register a birth?
According to the law, all births in Greece must be registered within 10 days of the child being born. In case of delayed registration, you might need to pay a fine as follows. For births registered from the 11th until the 100th day, there is a penalty fee of €100. For births registered after the 100th day, the penalty fee increases at €300.
Who can register a birth?
Either parent can register the birth. Additionally, the doctor, the midwife or any other person who was present at the birth can also register it.
Official copies of certificate of birth:
After the birth has been registered in the registry officer, a birth certificate is issued showing the name and sex of the child, and the date and place of birth. A copy of the birth certificate may be obtained in any KEP.
Registering the name of the child:
It should be noted that both parents must be present in order to declare the name of the child; otherwise, one can authorise the other by a power of attorney or authorisation. In cases where the father is in another country, he can send an official authorisation to the mother so that she can declare the name of the child.
You can find more details on Birth Registration here in Greek, including frequent questions and answers provided by the Ministry of Interior.