National Service Information
Executive summary: Permanent residents abroad
- All male Greek citizens, aged between 19 and 45, are required to serve in the Armed Forces.
- Greek citizens living permanently abroad of Greece have the right to postpone their conscription indefinitely, as long as they preserve the same status. They are permanently exempted from their military obligations, once they reach the age of 45 years.
- The postponement is granted through a certificate of permanent resident abroad for military use, exclusively issued by the Greek Consular Authorities.
- According to the current legislation and until the new law enters its implementation phase, in 2028, the supporting documents are filed only once and not every year.
Overview
There are three categories of permanent residents abroad:
- Permanent residents abroad of Greece for at least eleven (11) years of living abroad Greece immediately prior
- Permanent residents abroad of Greece for at least seven (7) years of continuous working for a living and living abroad Greece
- Permanent residents abroad of Greece from birth and entire lifespan
The Consular Authority,through which you should apply for the issuance of the aforementioned certificate depends on the State, wherein you had been last residing. In case you had been living in more than one states within the US or other countries in the past, you should first contact the relevant Greek Consular Authority (according to their territorial jurisdiction), in order to claim the years spent in these areas, on a chronological order of stay.
E.g. for an applicant, who has lived in London, Boston and NY, the sequence of application in order to official claim/recognize residence on a chronological order is through the Greek Consular Authorities in London, Boston and NY.
The certificate of permanent residence abroad is officially sent by the consular authority to the competent Conscription Service, which is the sole responsible authority for assessing the applicant’s request.
Upon submitting and having your request conveyed to the Conscription Service, you can be informed about the outcome regarding your postponement request, through the website https://www.stratologia.gr/el/anavoli by registering your personal information (exclusively in Greek).
Please choose, by clicking on one of the above categories of permanent residents abroad Greece, for the prerequisites and the supporting documents (if you qualify for more than one option, you are free to choose, whichever you want).
Draft evaders living abroad of Greece: Certificate of stay for military use
In case you are between 19 and 45 years old, you are currently living abroad of Greece, and you do not meet the criteria for a certificate of permanent resident abroad of Greece, you may be able to acquire a military exemption or postponement.You can apply for a certificate of stay for military use, in order to be subjected to the category of draft evaders living abroad of Greece.
The certificate of stay constitutes the necessary supporting document in order to acquire a certificate of draft evader abroad Greece. On the basis of the certificate of draft evader abroad of Greece, you can:
a. travel to Greece for a period, which does not exceed in total thirty (30) days per calendar year
b. issue/renew your Greek passport, if used within six months after issuance.
The certificate of stay is issued by the competent Consular Authority and it is sent officially to the competent Conscription Service that issues the certificate of draft evader abroad Greece. You will receive the certificate of draft evader abroad Greece electronically.
For the prerequisites and the supporting documents, please click on the respective category as above.
Contact information
- Contact Information / Submission of Supporting Documents for Greek citizens residing in DC, MD, DE, NC, VA, WVA (jurisdiction of the Consular Office of the Embassy of Greece to the US):
Email: stratologia.was@mfa.gr - Contact Information / Submission of Supporting Documents for Greek citizens residing in MA, ME, NH, RI, VT (jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Greece in Boston):
Email: grgencon.bos@mfa.gr (Att Ms Kosmidou)
