to be married to a greek
Posted in Greece forum 09 Jan 2010, 00:37
i have a problem. :D
is there anyone who can tell me what i really need to be doing if i am to marry a Greek - any sites that aren't terribly complicated to understand?
I don't even know where to begin :s Do i need to be married before i can apply for a visa? do i have to get married in greece or croatia would suffice?
-lost-
thanks for any reply that comes my way.
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greek marriages
posted by sonia Giourgis in Greece forum 09 Jan 2010, 10:07
Hi Diadema,
I married a Greek/Australian in Samos in 2007. I had two children to a previous relationship so this made the process very difficult for us. I don't know if the process is easier if you get married in Coatia- but i think it is. First we went to Pythagorio council and set a date. Then we had to get a solicitor to write a letter that we had intentions of getting married and naming the said date. We then had to place a public advert in the Samos newspaper. My husband had to get his Birth certificate form the village he was born in, luckily we were living in that village at the time. If you have been married before but divorced now, you must provide a divorce certicate in Greek. Usually only original documents will be translated.I had to get a solicitor to write a translated paper of my passport( which is Australian), this cost was only 20 euros in Vathy. I had to get my birth certificate translated in Greek, this had to be done in Athens via the mail.
Maybe go to an English speaking solicitor first to find out the exact process and what paper work you'll need- then confirm this with the local council office you will be getting married at. It is not that difficult but there can be hidden costs that you may not be prepared for. Often the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing in the Greek offices!
I was not allowed to be married in a church. I did not understand any of the Greek that was being said. My husband had to sign a document stating that he was fully responsible for me for one year and that he was liable for any crime that I might commit.
Be carful with your documents when you hand them over to a department and when you give and required paperwork get a copy for yourself. My health book was lost by the health dept in Vathy, and they took no responsibility for it. It was a pain getting another one and you are only ever issued 2. You will see many offices that leave peoples important papers just piled on desks. we have lost a few papers this way.hope this helps.
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greek marriage
posted by Diadema Anđeli in Greece forum 09 Jan 2010, 23:06
Thank you so much sonia for sharing your experiences with me. it's very kind of you and sure it does help.
well i never was married nor do i have any children.my husband-to-be is living in greece and intends to stay there (although i'd prefer that he moves here, for our procedures involving citizenship and permits are less strict and complicated then theirs).
So far I have only visited greece for a shorter amount of time (which i could do without a visa) so I am uncertain how to go about that. so far my boyfriend has suggested that we marry legally in the offices in Greece, because he assumes that the paperwork involved if we marry in croatia may be even greater than it already is (as far as i can tell). I do not know however why you were not allowed to marry in the church (although i myself have no desire to do so for i do not plan on converting to Greek-Orthodox church any time soon).
We set a lot of time aside to gather some information, but my bf is currently serving the obligatory military service so he's not able to gather any proper information, and my greek is not satisfactory enough to deal with these things via greek channels. Surprisingly though, the embassy of Greece in my country seems completely useless in providing any actually usable information, while the embassy of my country in greece does not know what are the procedures because it is a matter of greek state.
anyway, can you tell me what is your current situation with the visas? since my country is outside of the EU i expect to face serious difficulties in the process of legalizing my status. :/
thank you once again for the information you have kindly shared, i hope to be able to inform my bf in detail for he seems as puzzled as i am (it's as if greeks don't marry foreigners at all judging by my bf's complete lack of knowledge on the subject lol)