New Procedure for the Issuance of 
Greek Passports

Press Release from the Embassy of Greece,
Consular Office, Washington, D.C.





New Procedure for the Issuance of Greek Passports (Starting January 1st, 2006)

Law 3103/2003, which insures the compliance of Greek legislation with a European Union Regulation, provides that, starting January 1st, 2006, the Hellenic Police will assume complete responsibility for the issuance / renewal of biometric passports.

Thereby, Greek Consulates will have responsibility for the following:

Collecting applications and required documentation.
Securely forwarding them to the Hellenic Police.
Receiving passports sent by the Hellenic Police.
Handing over passports to their rightful holders.

The submission of applications to the Consulate by all individuals must take place in person. The same is required when taking receipt of the passports, with the additional possibility, however, of taking receipt through legally authorized individuals. An exception to the obligation to be present in person is provided in cases that involve «particularly serious health problems», while specific provisions apply to minors.

The new passports will have a five (5) year validity term. All extensions / renewals / replacements will not exceed a total of five (5) years following the issuance.

Law 3243/2004 provides that existing passports and all passports that are issued before January 1st, 2006, will be void on 12.31.2006.

Please note that the above procedure is intended to provide additional security to travel documents

The Consulate General / Consulate is at your disposal for any clarifications and information you may require.

HCS readers may wish to view other articles and releases in our permanent, extensive archives at the URL http://www.helleniccomserve.com/contents.html, especially those in the Greek Laws and Procedures section about citizenship, tax, and property laws (http://www.helleniccomserve.com/archivegreeklawsnprocedures.html). See also the article on technological advances to be incorporated into new Greek passports at the URL http://www.helleniccomserve.com/greekpassportsgodigital.html.



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