How many years does it take for a child born and raised in Greece to acquire citizenship?

Many people have the mistaken impression that a child born and raised in the country automatically acquires Greek citizenship. And they think this, not unjustly, because with common sense the right to citizenship seems self-evident in such a case…And yet things are not like that for Williams and hundreds of other young men and women whose lives are put on hold on many levels because they do not have the identity of the country in which they were born and went to school.

Acquiring citizenship not only does not happen automatically, but is a process that takes a lot of time, effort and mental resources. Even a typo in their name on a diploma can blow up the whole process, which is already terribly time-consuming with delays mainly due to the understaffing of the Citizenship Departments. In large urban centers, it takes up to 5 years from the filing of the application until a child’s file is opened!

The video was created within the framework of the project “Citizenship in action” implemented within the framework of the Active citizens fund program, with Generation 2.0 for Rights, Equality & Diversity as the implementing agency.

The Active citizens fund program, amounting to €13.5 million, is financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway and is part of the financial mechanism of the European Economic Area (EEA) for the period 2014 – 2021, known as EEA Grants. The program aims to strengthen and strengthen the sustainability of civil society and to highlight its role in promoting democratic processes, strengthening citizens’ participation in society and defending human rights. The management of the grant of the Active citizens fund program for Greece has been jointly undertaken by the Bodosaki Foundation and SolidarityNow. Read more here: www.activecitizensfund.gr