[kemhadzer]

If my mother is Greek and I was born in 1965 outside Greece, am I entitled to the Greek citizenship

[twinkiedooter]

Yes. Contact the Greek consulate for further information on how to get this accomplished.

[JudyKayTee]

If my mother is Greek and I was born in 1965 outside Greece, am I entitled to the Greek citizenship

"Those that can prove that they have a parent or a grandparent who was born in Greece and obtained the Greek nationality by birth can claim the Greek citizenship now if they can find documents proving the Greek citizenship of their ancestor. According to Greek law there is no problem if the applicant wants to keep his/her present nationality. So, a Greek American can become Greek citizen without losing his/her American citizenship.

The most important document that a person of Greek origin can use to obtain the citizenship is a certificate from the local municipality in Greece certifying that a certain ancestor was born in Greece, has a municipality number, and therefore was Greek by birth.

The next line of required documents consists of the marriage certificate of that ancestor, the birth certificate of their child, until we reach the person applying for citizenship today. If that ancestor was a grandfather, we need his marriage certificate, the birth certificate of his child, the marriage certificate of the child that is the parent of the present applicant and the birth certificate of the present applicant. If the applicant is married, we need his/her marriage certificate as well."

[acrules3]

The short answer is yes, you are either a Greek citizen by birth or you are entitled to Greek citizenship by application.

It all hinges on if your mother was a Greek citizen at the time of your birth. Since Greek women lost their nationality when they married foreigners back then, it will depend on if Greece considered your parents' wedding as valid [Greece did not consider all weddings performed outside Greece before 1982 as valid - specifically, civil ceremonies were not valid, as were some other ceremonies].

So, find your parents' wedding certificate: if it was a civil ceremony, chances are you are a Greek citizen by birth per law 3370/1955 article 1 paragraph b [because your mother was never considered "married" per the Greek state and never lost her Greek nationality]. The Greek consulate can give you the details.

If they got married in a church, then your mother probably lost her Greek nationality at that point, and you are not a Greek citizen by birth. However, you are allowed to apply for Greek Nationality per law 3284/2004 article 14, paragraph 1. The nearest Greek consulate can help you.