KEP and Services for Greeks Abroad

CITIZENS AND GREEKS ABROAD SERVICE AND INFORMATION CENTER

The Citizens and Greeks Abroad Service and Information Center – Authentication Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been operating at its new premises, located at 3 str. Akadimias (within the arcade), since 10 January 2022.

Contact details of the Department:

1. Telephone numbers: +30 210 3682040–2043
2. E-mail: cio@mfa.gr

AUTHENTICATION DEPARTMENT

The Department operates from Monday to Friday, from 09:00 to 13:00.

The Department is competent for the authentication of:

1. Signatures of the competent authorities of the Hellenic Republic appearing on documents issued by Greek public services in Greece and abroad, in cases where the Hague Convention does not apply. For this purpose, a special archive of specimen signatures is maintained (see Note 1).
2. Signatures of accredited officials of all foreign diplomatic and consular authorities in Greece, as well as those accredited in another country but concurrently accredited in Greece, appearing on documents issued or authenticated by such authorities. For this purpose, an updated archive of specimen signatures is maintained (see Note 2).
3. Signatures of Greek and foreign nationals on texts drafted in the Greek language (e.g. solemn declarations, authorizations), excluding powers of attorney, provided that the signatures are affixed in the presence of the competent officer.

NOTE 1: GREEK PUBLIC DOCUMENTS

Greek public documents are authenticated by the Authentication Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for use in countries outside the scope of the Hague Convention or in countries which, although parties to the Convention, are subject to reservations raised by Greece (namely Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Tunisia, Kosovo, Pakistan and Bangladesh), provided that such documents are originals or exact copies issued exclusively by the issuing authority. Authentication is provided FREE OF CHARGE.

For example, documents issued by Ministries are authenticated directly by the Authentication Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whereas documents issued by other public authorities must first be authenticated by the Ministry under whose jurisdiction they fall.

Procedure for authentication by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the most common categories of public documents intended for use in countries outside the 1961 Hague Convention:

For all other categories of Greek public documents intended for use in countries outside the Hague Convention, applicants are advised to contact the Authentication Department in advance, in order to obtain information regarding the appropriate authentication procedure.

NOTE 2: FOREIGN PUBLIC DOCUMENTS

For a foreign public document to be accepted by Greek public authorities, it must first be duly authenticated in accordance with the applicable legal framework. Authentication must precede the official translation of the document.

Precisely:

A) If the foreign public document has been issued by authorities of States party to the Hague Convention of 1961, which has been ratified by Greece under Law 1497/1984, then, it must bear the Apostille stamp, subject to the exceptions provided for by Law 4231/2014 and Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 of the European Parliament and of the Council.

List of Contracting States:
https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41

Competent Apostille Authorities:
https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/authorities1/?cid=41

B) If the documents are issued by authorities of States who are State parties to the Hague Convention, however Greece has expressed a reservation concerning their accession, and as long as the reservations are still in place, meaning Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Tunisia. Such documents are authenticated exclusively by the competent Greek consular authority. The competent Consular Authorities are: 1) Kyrgyzstan – Consular Office of the Embassy in Astana (Kazakhstan); 2) Kosovo – Consular Office in Pristina; 3) Mongolia – Consular Office of the Embassy in Beijing; 4) Bangladesh – Embassy in New Delhi; 5) Uzbekistan – Consulate General in Moscow; 6) Pakistan – Embassy in Islamabad; 7) Tunisia – Consular Office of the Embassy in Tunis.

C) Where a foreign public document originates from a State that is not party to the Hague Convention, or where the document is exempt from Apostille requirements (e.g. documents issued by diplomatic or consular agents, or administrative documents directly related to commercial or customs operations), in order for it to be accepted by Greek public services, it requires to be authenticated by the consular Authorities.

More in detail:

C1) Authentication may be performed either by the competent Greek consular authority abroad, following prior authentication by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the issuing State; or by the Authentication Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Greece, provided that the document has first been authenticated by both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the consular authority of the issuing State in Greece.

Exception: For documents originating from Ethiopia, Algeria, Afghanistan, Ghana, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya, Mali, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, Sri Lanka and Tunisia, authentication is carried out exclusively through the competent Greek Consular Authority, in countries where Greece does have such Authority. In countries where Greece is represented only by an Honorary Consulate, documents must be authenticated through the competent Greek consular authority exercising parallel accreditation for that country.

C2) Documents issued within the framework of consular functions by diplomatic or consular authorities accredited in Greece must be authenticated either by the Authentication Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or, where territorially competent, by the Authentication Office of the International Relations Service in Thessaloniki, unless exempt under bilateral or multilateral agreements binding upon Greece (e.g. the London Convention of 1968, ratified by Law 844/1978).

The following Council of Europe Member States are parties to the Convention on the Abolition of Legalisation of Documents executed by Diplomatic Agents or Consular Officers (London, 7 June 1968), and documents circulate among them without further legalization.The said Convention was ratified by Greece pursuant to Law 844/1978.\

1. AUSTRIA
2. BELGIUM
3. FRANCE
4. GERMANY
5. SWITZERLAND
6. GREECE
7. ESTONIA
8. UNITED KINGDOM
9. IRELAND
10. SPAIN
11. ITALY
12. CYPRUS
13. LIECHTENSTEIN
14. LUXEMBOURG
15. MOLDOVA
16. NORWAY
17. NETHERLANDS
18. POLAND
19. PORTUGAL
20. ROMANIA
21. SWEDEN
22. TURKEY
23. CZECH REPUBLIC
24. RUSSIA
25. LATVIA
26. UKRAINE (SINCE 6 APRIL 2023)

It is noted that, pursuant to the aforementioned, the authentication of any foreign public document is required for the authentication of each signature of officials of foreign diplomatic or consular authorities (excluding EU Member States). For thisreason, the Citizens Information Office requires:

1. Identity documents of Greek nationals or proof of lawful residence of foreign nationals concerned by the document, pursuant to Article 26(1) of Law 4251/2014.
2. Physical presence of the interested party or submission of a duly authenticated authorization.
3. Submission of a paid electronic fee (e-Paravolo) of EUR 30, code 0081, corresponding to consular fees.

For issuance of the e-Paravolo:

Authority: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Category: State Fees of All Types
Type: 0081 – Consular Fees Athens – Authentication of Signature of Foreign Authority

The fee may be issued through a Citizen and Information Office and paid via bank, e-banking, or through the General Secretariat for Information Systems portal:
https://www.gsis.gr/polites-epiheiriseis/pliromes-kai-eispraxeis/e-paravolo

Please note: if the open application is used without entering the applicant’s Tax Identification Number and IBAN, no refund is possible in case authentication is not completed.

Furthermore, the Citizen Information Office is exclusively competent for authentications and does not provide translation services.

Official certified translators may be found through the gov.gr platform under:
Services > Citizen and Daily Life > Translations > Search Certified Translator.

Certified translators provide official translations from and into Greek as self-employed professionals, pursuant to Article 146 of Law 4781/2021.

Under Greek law, official translations may also be carried out by the following professionals, that are registered in similar platforms of other competent legal persons of public law (public associations of professionals or public universities) and whose information is not included in the (separate) section of "certified translators" of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (gov.gr):

Lawyers registered with any Greek Bar Association, provided they certify the accuracy of the accompanying copy and declare adequate knowledge of the relevant language(s), pursuant to Article 36 of Law 4194/2013;

Graduates of the Department of Foreign Languages, Translation and Interpreting of the Ionian University specializing in translation, pursuant to Presidential Decree 169/2002.among which the possibility of having the amount refunded in case the validation is not carried out.